Sony is determined not to let Philips steal all the thunder in the PC audio stakes by launching a set of stylish 2.1 stereo speakers.

The SRS-DZ10 PC speakers are centred around the odd-shaped, sub-woofer which also stands out thanks to its ability to glow in the dark. It can be placed vertically or horizontally, depending on space, and is backlit by a blue light.

The 6W speakers use Sony’s sigma-type speaker drivers, which it claims can boost the bass reproduction. In total, the system can deliver 32W. This isn’t going to blow your ears off but considering how close most PC users are to the speakers it should be plenty loud.

The wired desktop control unit features a power switch, volume control and bass adjustment, as well as a headphone jack. You can also hook up your MP3. Expect to pay around £100-£120.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 31, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

If Bill Gates had his way then today would be National Vista Day as the new Windows operating system finally launches.

Hauppauge has been quick off the mark this morning by announcing an entire range of Vista-ready TV tuners, designed to work with newer PCs and laptops. In all, the company has unveiled 13 TV tuner models for Windows Vista Media Center, with prices starting at £49.99. If you are already a Hauppauge user then don’t fret since the company has released free Vista drivers if you’re planning to upgrade your OS.

"With the introduction of Media Center as a standard part of the most popular versions of Windows Vista, the demand for TV cards is going to multiply," said Yehia Oweiss, European VP of Sales, Hauppauge Digital.

The line-up looks like this:

Analogue TV

WinTV PVR-150 (PCI)
WinTV PVR-250 (PCI with MPEG encoder)
WinTV PVR-350 (PCI with MPEG encoder and radio)
WinTV PVR-USB2 (USB with MPEG encoder)

Digital Freeview

WinTV Nova-t (PCI)
WinTV Nova-t 500 (PCI dual tuner)
WinTV Nova-t Stick (USB2)
WinTV Nova-TD Stick (USB2 Antenna Diversity dual tuner)

Digital Satellite

WinTV Nova-s (PCI)

Hybrid

WinTV HVR-1100 (PCI analogue + digital Freeview)
WinTV HVR-1300 (PCI analogue + digital Freeview with MPEG encoder)
WinTV HVR 900 (USB2 stick analogue + digital Freeview)
WinTV HVR-3000 (PCI analogue + digital Freeview + digital satellite triple tuner)

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 30, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (1)

Fridges that only keep your food fresh are just so yesterday according to Whirlpool, which thinks fridges should also have an in-built dock that will let you hook up a wide range of entertainment devices. Fridge TVs are not new but this seems to be taking the entertainment fridge concept a bit further.

The Whirlpool fridge sports what is called the Centralpark Port, which acts as a ‘plug and play’ home entertainment platform for devices you already own, including portable DVD systems, digital picture frames, satellite radios, mobile phones and MP3 players etc. The idea is that by having this innovative docking solution, you can clear up some of that gadget clutter from your kitchen, as well as be able to use your devices at eye-level.

An exclusive run of the futuristic fridge is due out at the end of this year and Whirlpool said that the major electronics brands will be compatible with the port. A major rollout is expected in 2008.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 29, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Music, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

The industry body backing the copyright protection system used on new high definition DVDs has confirmed our earlier report that the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) system has been partially defeated.

The AACS Licensing Authority has admitted that a hacker called muslix64, who claimed during Christmas to have cracked some HD DVD movies, managed to access some encryption keys that pass between the disc and a player during operation. These keys can then be used to remove the encryption from the disc allowing it to be copied freely. Earlier this month large high-definition files of some of the movies hacked appeared for download on the Internet. In a statement, the AACS said:

“AACS LA has confirmed that AACS Title Keys have appeared on public web sites without authorisation. Such unauthorised disclosures indicate an attack on one or more players sold by AACS licensees. This development is limited to the compromise of specific implementations, and does not represent an attack on the AACS system itself, nor is it exclusive to any particular format.”

A widespread breaking of AACS would be disastrous for the future HD movie market. Asked why he cracked the code, muslix64 replied that he was ‘frustrated’. He had bought a HD DVD movie but it would not play on his monitor as it lacked a HDMI input. He said in this interview:

“Not being able to play a movie that I have paid for, because some executive in Hollywood decided I cannot, made me mad. I'm just an upset customer. My efforts can be called 'fair use enforcement'."

Posted by Martin Lynch on January 26, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Music, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sony has been getting a lot of heat lately about whether or not it has been blocking porn-makers from using the Blu-ray disc format. Sony has finally decided to comment on the whole sordid affair by claiming that while it will not promote porn on blu-ray, it will not block porn makers either. In a recent interview a Sony spokesperson said:

“There's no prohibition against adult content. We don't tell people how they can use the licenses they get from the Blu-ray Disc Association. Sony disc manufacturing will not manufacture adult titles. We have never done it, and we have no plans to.”

In reality, Sony is treading a dangerous line here. The failure of its Betamax video tape format in ther 1980s was partly due to it’s anti-porn stance and the porn movie makers opting for the cheaper VHS format.

It cannot afford to have Blu-ray cut out of the porn picture this time around, considering that the current standard DVD porn market is worth almost $4bn alone in the US. Already, it seems that porn producers are favouring the cheaper HD DVD format.

You can find the full article here.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 25, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

PCs are rarely considered to be desirable pieces of consumer electronics. Until the arrival of sleek Media Center PCs that looked just like the rest of your kit, PCs were about as welcome in the living room as a life-size cardboard cut-out of Jade Goody.

This modified PC case though proves that not all PCs have to be grey and ugly. The Decomatic Model 12 (pictured)by well-known case-modder, Jeffrey Stephenson is a beautifully engineered piece of technology that would be welcome in most homes.

The case is crafted in white oak with a clear lacquer finish while the corner posts are made from mahogany with chrome inserts. Another company doing amazing things with what wooden PCs can look like is Suissa Computers. Obviously, these are not cheap but, you get what you pay for. Long live the revolution!

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 24, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Music, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

They might look like some villainous droids from an old episode of Dr. Who but the latest BeoLab 9 high-end speakers from Bang & Olufsen are designed for the most discerning ears.

Like their predecessors, these conical, floor-standers use the Acoustic Lens Technology on the top, for dispersing the treble in a 180 degree arc. The company says this allows the listeners to hear a constant sound from anywhere in front of the speaker, even when you are moving around the room. The lens also reduces reflections from the floor or ceiling. The speakers measure 77.5 x 40 x 30cm.

Each BeoLab 9 is a three-way active loudspeaker with the bass and mid-range units placed in their own dedicated pressure chambers. Each unit is powered by its own amplifier – a 500W amp for the bass unit and 2 x 100W amps for the mid-range and treble units. In reality, it means they pack enough punch to shake your living room and the frighten the neighbours.

The speakers come clad in a choice of red, blue, dark grey and black fabrics and will set you back around £5,000 per pair. Check out a BeoLab 9 .PDF file here for more information.
 

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 23, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Music, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

Concept cars are dime a dozen these days but Suzuki has forsaken fancy shapes to create one to warm the heart of any movie fan. The XL7 Flix is part of the company’s concept LIVE Series, with different vehicles based around people’s lifestyles, and has everything any movie lover might want.

Take for example the Flix’s clamshell roof which can be opened to reveal a ‘moonroof’, a.k.a. a 60in movie screen, which will display the movie of your choice, beamed from the projection system housed in the front panel vents.

Even better, the drive-in projector can be fired onto on any surface you like, the side of your house or, if you hate your neighbour, the side of his house. The inside is plush and resembles a private screening room with four bucket seats that can be swivelled 180 degrees to view the movie.

It also boasts a high-definition DVD player with integrated hard drive for storing your content, a professional THX/SDS-theatre quality sound system, pivoting quarter window speakers and red door/floor strip lighting for that cinema-effect.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 22, 2007 in Film, Games, Music, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (2)

Have you ever noticed how TV ads often seem a lot louder than the programme you are watching? If so, you are not imagining things.

Adverts are often broadcast louder for impact which is very annoying but there’s little you can do except reach for the remote. Until now, that is.

Dolby Laboratories, the company behind the stereo and surround sound technology used in most TVs, movies and audio hardware, has developed Dolby Volume. The company is pitching the noise leveling technology to TV makers as a way of ending the volume roller-coaster experienced by broadcast TV viewers. When enabled, it retains your volume settings when the ads come on and even when you change channels. Dolby added:

“It also delivers a robust and vibrant audio experience at low volume by dynamically compensating for the human ear's lower sensitivity to bass and treble sounds as the volume level decreases. These adjustments are automatic and do not require user intervention as the volume changes.”

The first TVs incorporating the new technology are due this quarter. Bring it on.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 19, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Music, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

The market for all-in-one projectors is beginning to gather some steam with Toshiba being the latest company to launch a product. That doesn’t mean they are the best option though for the home cinema enthusiast.

The TDP-ET20 comes with an in-built DVD player and in-built Dolby 5.1 surround sound. It’s standard definition, not high definition, projector with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels which is fine for watching DVDs or hooking up to your PC or games console. Contrast is 1500:1, it has a brightness level of 1100 ANSI Lumens and is based on DLP projection technology.

It’s a good looking device but at almost £1,000 it’s very expensive and more suited for use in pubs and clubs. For the home, you could do a lot better opting for a dedicated projector and high-definition models are now a lot cheaper.

Personally, I’d opt for the excellent Optoma HD70 high-definition projector for a pocket-friendly £800 or the award-winning, InFocus IN76 for around £1,200 online.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 18, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first pirated high definition movies are appearing on the Internet following the successful hacking of the copyright protection system on HD DVD discs.

Movies including Serenity, Superman Returns, King Kong and Mission Impossible 3 among others have been hacked and are being distributed using the BitTorrent client on Internet file-sharing sites. HD DVD uses a copyright system, supported by Intel and Microsoft, called Advanced Access Content System (AACS) to prevent such copying but the code was compromised in December by a hacker called Muslix64.

Since then, lists of keys that allow users to decrypt the movie files have been appearing on hacker sites. 

This is a blow to the HD DVD alliance, though not a huge one, but it might result in some Hollywood studios demanding more protection before opting to support the format. It's certainly good news for the Blu-ray camp.

It was only a matter of time, however, before the AACS code was broken. The breach might now lead to the use of additional codes to back-up AACS.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 17, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not content with dominating the world’s living rooms with Playstation consoles, Sony’s taking a stab at the living room PC market too.

The company has taken the wraps off a designer Vaio PC that looks nothing like your typical PC. Resembling something Apple might design, the cake-shaped Vaio VGX-TP1 is 27cm wide and 9cm high and weighs less than 4Kg.

It connects to a HDTV using a HDMI cable to allow users to watch high definition content. The system runs Windows Vista Home Premium and comes with a remote control and wireless keyboard. It will offer an optional digital tuner for receiving TV, which can be recorded onto the internal 500GB hard disk drive. Sadly, and oddly, there is no Blu-ray drive.

The Japanese are getting it first and a US version is due out in March with a price tag of around £800. Needless to say it will more expensive when it launches here later on in 2007.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 16, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Music, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

 The Playstation 3 might be the most-hyped console launch of 2006 but its bitter rival, the Xbox 360, still managed to outsell it during December by a factor of almost 2:1.

According to the NPD Group, Sony managed to ship 497,000 units during December in the US, compared to sales of 1.1m Xbox 360s. Since launch, PS3 sales have been 687,000 units, a lot lower than Sony’s claim of 1m but that’s because, oddly, Sony tends to include sales in Mexico and Canada as being ‘US’. Even Sony’s older platform, the PS2, was selling strongly, with 1.4m sales in December.

Nintendo also featured very strongly during September, racking up more than 600,000 sales.

Anita Frazier, an analyst with NPD Group commented on the figures:

“There was clearly a huge dearth of inventory of PS3s. This was the biggest month yet for Xbox 360 hardware sales, but is pretty in line with what an established system can do during the holidays. Xbox 360 is now poised to really take advantage of its lead in this generation’s race, provided they keep bringing the games to market that keep consumers wanting to play on that system.”

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 15, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those with a higher than normal budget for home entertainment kit, then luxury audio/video (AV) manufacturer Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has just introduced its latest TV.

The BeoVision 9 is a 50in plasma, high definition TV (HDTV), with integrated digital surround sound module and centre speaker. As usual, the TV is beautiful to look at and according to B&O it has a few tricks up its sleeve to separate it from the pack. It comes with the BeoMedia integrated module in-built, which not only allows you to house your digital photos and files, connect to the Internet and set-top boxes, but also has a room sensor on the front for detecting ambient light and adjusting the TVs settings accordingly. It lets you control the TV's rotation and tilt settings from the remote control because the BeoVision 9 comes with a useful, motorised stand.

The centre speaker uses Acoustic Lens Technology, spreading the sound equally in a 180-degree arc. According to B&O Note the "slightly convex arc of the frame expresses harmony and singularity".

You have to know these details because when you spend more than £10,000 for it, you will need to be able to tell others that this is no mere mortal HDTV. And that price does not include the fantastic and other-worldly BeoLab 5 speakers in the photo.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 11, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Music, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not many TVs need a security guard on duty at all times, and if your bid is the winner when Philips auctions the Diamon FlatTV off, you may need one too in your house.

Created the sale of the one millionth Philips Ambilight TV, this one is encrusted with 2,200 diamonds. Total carats are 225 and the price is impossible to predict - but you can be sure someone has the money to buy this one-off TV.

And with the diamonds, you get a 42in HDTV as well.

Posted by Rob Jones on January 10, 2007 in Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

We got see the world’s first dual format high-definition movie player in action at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) show in Las Vegas and it's very impressive: at least on first looks. The demonstration of LG’s Super Multi Blue player revolved around two players hooked up to two big, plasma HDTVs, one playing a Blu-ray disc and the other playing HD DVD. The playback results of both were very impressive, with clean, sharp and bright images.

“We’ve developed the Super Multi Blue Player to end the confusion caused by the current competition between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD,” said Hee Gook Lee, president and chief technology officer of LG Electronics. “Customers are no longer forced to choose between the two formats. As Full HDTV is already gaining ground, we are hoping that the Super Multi Blue Player will play the trigger role in expanding and advancing both Full HD TV and high-definition DVD market volume together.”

In addition to offering full HD image replay at 1080p picture quality, the player also incorporates interactive functions based on BD-Java, which allows advanced menus and functions to be displayed over the video of Blu-ray discs. There is no equivalent functionality though for the HD DVD format.

The unit supports audio/video (AV) formats including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio, and includes inputs/outputs such as HDMI out, component/composite video outputs, and optical/coaxial/discrete 5.1 channel audio outputs, among others.

It will go on sale in Q1 in the US for $1,200 and even though it will arrive over here in Q2 you can expect the price to be expensive at around £900-1,000.

That said, it’s good to see a player that makes it possible for consumers to be able to enjoy all HD movies, regardless of format.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 10, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is claiming that sales of Blu-ray movie discs have surpassed those of HD DVD-based movies for the first time and that the gap will widen significantly in the coming year.

A bullish BDA, backed by the presidents and CEO of the major Hollywood studios at yesterday's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, outlined sales figures that indicate that Blu-ray may be edging ahead in the format wars. According to the BDA, of the Top 20 selling high-definition (HD) DVDs sold in the US in 2006, 16 were Blu-ray-based.

Also, using commissioned research from UK research outfit, Understanding and Solutions, the BDA claimed that by 2010, nearly all high definition hardware sold will be Blu-ray hardware and the vast proportion of HD movies will be too.

“The success of Blu-ray Disc is unprecedented,” claimed Andy Parsons, chair of the US Promotions Committee for the BDA. “With unmatched cross-industry support, including seven of the eight major Hollywood studios and two biggest players in the music industry, consumers have voted with their wallets for the format that offers the widest array of hardware and content on the market. The road ahead in 2007 looks even brighter as we introduce Blu-ray Disc to Europe and as even more consumers migrate to HDTVs.”

There are now 170 Blu-ray movie titles on offer but the major studios are planning a far more aggressive Blu-ray roll-out this year. Sony is planning to launch up to 100 movies in 2007 with Warner Bros. hoping to match that. Lionsgate is planning up to 50 titles while Buena Vista is aiming for at least 20, including popular kid’s titles Cars, in the first six months.

However, while Blu-ray’s future in the US and Japan seems assured, there’s no such monopoly in Europe where HD DVD is leading. Until the PS3 arrives in Spring, there’s little chance of that changing until at least the latter half of 2007.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 9, 2007 in Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gaming in the home is about to get a lot more immersive and realistic thanks to the official introduction of the amBX gaming system from Philips.

We first reported on this here but this the first time we have full details of what to expect.

The Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range are designed to make gaming more realistic by reproducing effects in the game in your room, including lights, colours, sounds, vibration and even air flow. The products include a pair of left and right satellite lights, a pair of left and right satellite 2.1 speakers and subwoofer, a pair of desk fans, a wrist rumbler and a directional wall washer light and controller unit. The lights will change colour [up to 16 million colours supported] and intensity in line with what’s happening in the game, the speakers and woofer will mimic the sounds in a 160 degree wide sound field, and the compact desk fans reproduce wind effects in the game from a gentle breeze to a gale that will threaten the safety of even the best mounted wig.

The wrist rumbler boasts two integrated motor drives and variable rotation speed, to let gamers feel movement and action in the game.

Philips’ amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range will launch with the following four kits: a £120 starter kit which contains a directional wall washer light, controller unit and satellite lights; a £180 Pro-Gamer Kit which includes a directional wall washer light, a controller unit, satellite 2.1 speaker lights and subwoofer; a £60 Extension Kit featuring a set of desk fans and wrist rumbler.  The Ultimate Gamer rig costs £230 and encompasses all of the above.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 8, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most serious music buffs turn their noses up at the mention of wireless audio but French audio specialists, Elipson, is hoping it has finally come up with something that might change their minds. Elipson has teamed up with Bluetooth specialist Parrot to create a high end set of wireless stereo speakers.

The distinctive Elipson design looks the same, which means great, but inside is a Bluetooth 2.0 wireless module with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) support. With Bluetooth onboard the speakers locate each other and pair up once the power is on. Each speaker offers a two way 60W bass reflect sound image, bolstered by an integrated Class D digital amplifier.

The speakers operate in a wide frequency range of 40-20,000Hz and there’s a 7-band graphic equaliser. They accept audio from traditional sources as well as digital ones, like MP3 players.

If you really hate wires and have £675 to spare, these could be the speakers for you.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 5, 2007 in Active Home, Music, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (1)

Warner Brothers is hoping to head off the coming war between the Blu-ray and HD DVD high-definition (HD) disk formats by unveiling a single disk that can support both formats at next weeks Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Dubbed Total HD, the new disc will cost a little more than current HD DVD or Blu-ray discs but Warner said its own consumer research found that people would be happy to spend a little more on something that will play in any kind of HD player.

In an interview with the New York Times, Barry M. Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Warner Brothers, said neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD will disappear anytime soon.

“The next best thing is to recognize that there will be two formats and to make that not a negative for the consumer. We felt that the most significant constituency for us to satisfy was the consumer first, and the retailer second. The retailer wants to sell hardware and doesn’t want to be forced into stocking two formats for everything. This is ideal for them.”

Is this a valid solution to the problem of two rival HD formats or just a money-making exercise? 

There are no technical details on the disc yet but I’ll be reporting from CES next week and will have a snoop around then.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 4, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Games, Music, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s champagne all around at Sky today with the announcement that sales of its Sky+ box have topped 2 million units in the UK.

The announcement is also significant in showing that a growing number of UK TV viewers want more control over what they watch, when they watch it and how they record it using hard disk drive (HDD) recorders.

With 2 million boxes out there, Sky estimates that it means 5 million viewers are now able to pause and rewind live TV, record two programmes at once and set the box to record every episode of their favourite shows. Jeremy Darroch, Sky's Chief Financial Officer, said:

"Passing the milestone of 2 million Sky+ boxes keeps us on track to break through our target of 25% penetration well ahead of schedule (2010).”

New research from Sky also highlighted what TV Sky+ users are recording with all their new-fangled functionality. Drama is the most popular genre recorded (39.3%) followed by documentaries (14.9%), entertainment (13.0%) and movies (9.5%).

Across all channels, time-shifting accounts for an average of 12.2% of total viewing through Sky+ boxes. You can expect this to rise as more and more homes chuck out their videos and opt for some form of HDD recorder.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 3, 2007 in Active Home, Film, Music, Sports, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Xbox 360 console emerged as the surprise winner for the Christmas selling period according to the latest stats from market-watcher, NPD.

The figures are for the US but still provide an interesting insight into how the year-old, 360 console is holding its ground against the new Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 consoles. In a report featured on CNBC, Xbox 360 sales hit 2 million units between the start of November and Christmas day.

Nintendo’s Wii did amazingly well though with 1.8 million units sold, considering it didn’t launch until the latter half of November. Sony managed to ship 750,000 PS3s, a figure that reflects some of the embarrassing production problems Sony had.

With Sony planning its Spring PS3 assault for the UK and Europe, it will be interesting to see if the Xbox 360 can continue to spoil the party.   

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Posted by Martin Lynch on January 2, 2007 in Active Home, Games, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)