Items tagged with HD
Holy smokes, Harley-Davidson is going green! No, we're not talking about a Lime Green motorcycle or anything to do with paint jobs, but a brand new hog that runs on electricity instead of gasoline! To kick off the initiative, which HD is calling "Project LiveWire," the iconic motorcycle maker is taking 22 electric bikes on a tour across the U.S. next week to both promote the new rides and gauge the public's reaction. Early indications are positive. A visit over to project.harley-davidson.com yields an error message that reads, "Due to the overwhelming response, we are experiencing a slight technical delay." Hardly surprising when you stop and think about the significance of this movement combined...
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With the KIRAbook 13 I7, Toshiba is flexing its muscles and taking on the likes of Apple, Asus, and Lenovo in the ultrabook arena. And you know what? Toshiba seems to be on the right track. With clean lines, a 2560 x 1440 resolution display and a slick magnesium alloy body, the KIRAbook is anything but a typical laptop. Hitting a home run in this market isn’t easy, because a true ultrabook should be as much about form as it is function. It should be thinner than a laptop, and lighter too. It needs processing power as well as decent battery life. But small, powerful hardware usually comes at a steep price, and driving the price too high invites unfavorable comparisons to other solutions....
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ViewSonic wants the HD projector to be something that isn’t just for enthusiasts--in the press release below, the company pitches it as something for “professionals to pitch a business opportunity, for teachers to present multimedia, or for entertainment in the living room”--and it apparently believes it’s on to something with the Pro8300 projector, which boasts 1080p full HD resolution, 3000 lumens, and a 1.5x optical zoom lens. The Pro8300 also features BrilliantColor technology for better color and clarity, a Pixelworks PW980 image processor, dual 10W speakers, and two HDMI ports. Europe is the first to get the projector, and the starting price is 999 euros, or about...
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Windows-based Skype users have reason to be enthused with the unveiling of version 5.8. New features include full HD video calls, Facebook audio and video calling, push to talk functionality, and group screen sharing. Assuming you have a capable webcam such as the Logitech C920 (so suggests the blog announcement), users can now make video calls in HD. Though still in beta, the Facebook calling feature should appeal to a wide range of users; it enables you to make audio or video calls to your Facebook friends, even if they aren’t Skype users. The new push to talk feature is designed for (nay, requested by) gamers who want to be able to use a hotkey to switch the mic on and off while Skyping....
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In this latest episode of HotHardware's Two and Half Geeks, Dave, Iyaz and Marco talk about the Toshiba Thrive Android tablet, Samsung's gorgeous Galaxy S II smartphone, a new 1TB notebook drive from WD, OCZ's upcoming Z-Drive R4 PCIe SSD, AMD's Llano-based A6 desktop processor with integrated Radeon graphics, and spotlight a couple of new features on the HotHardware website... Show Notes: 01:45 - The Swiss Army Knife of Tablets: Toshiba's Thrive 06:40 - Samsung Galaxy S II Smartphone Review 10:15 - A Terabyte For Notebooks: WD Scorpio Blue 1TB Drive 15:45 - AMD A6-3650 Llano APU Performance Review...
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Sony will release a new PS3 SKU in the near future, but the upcoming console revision will remove a current feature. According to a leaked (but confirmed) memo, the new "K" series PS3 will no longer output Blu-ray HD video over anything but HDMI. All previous PS3 consoles have been capable of outputting all 1080P content over component out. According to Sony, the new SKU has been released in response to the finalization of the AACS standard. AACS is the content protection system that governs Blu-ray Disc. The finalized standard limits analog output resolution as follows: All new players sold after December 31, 2010 "must limit analog video output of BD content to interlaced standard definition...
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Home Theater PC buffs rejoice, wireless HDMI technologies have finally come of age. Though there are two camps firmly entrenched in the market (Intel's WiDi and WHDI), the bottom line is lag-free full HD 1080p HDMI wireless video/audio transmission is now a reality. No longer does that HTPC need to be shoehorned into the confines of your entertainment center. And that desktop replacement notebook you have perched on the coffee table just got a major display upgrade, seamlessly connected to your HDTV; look Ma, no wires. Stay with us as we take you through a tour of two WHDI standard-based wireless HDMI transmitter kits--the Asus WiCast and the briteView HDelight. Big screen gaming nirvana and...
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Home Theater PC buffs rejoice, wireless transmission of HDMI® connections has finally come of age. Though there are currently two camps gaining traction in the market (Intel's WiDi and WHDI), the bottom line is lag-free full HD 1080p wireless video/audio transmission is now a reality. No longer does that HTPC need to be shoehorned into the confines of your entertainment center. And that desktop replacement notebook you have perched on the coffee table just got a major display upgrade, seamlessly connected to your HDTV; look Ma, no wires. Stay with us as we take you through a tour of two WHDI standard-based wireless HDMI® transmitter kits--the Asus WiCast and the...
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A couple of years ago, the "pocket camcorder" was the new big thing. It seemed like everyone was after a Flip Video camcorder, and Cisco even saw the demand as big enough to purchase Pure Digital Technologies. But now, that seems to be fading. Point and shoot camera sensors have advanced to the point where most can shoot 720p, and soon they'll be shooting 1080p. But that's not stopping Samsung from issuing a new device in the category, and it's definitely one of the nicest that we have seen. The new HMX-E10 is a pocket camcorder capable of shooting 1080p Full HD video, complete with a 270-degree swiveling lens, built-in USB port, onscreen “upload” button and a 1/3.2 inch CMOS sensor....
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Wireless HD and wireless HDTV has had quite a difficult time gaining ground in the mainstream. We suspect there are two main reasons: one, it's expensive, and two, it's not that difficult to just run an HDMI cable. There's also the fact that even a completely wireless HDTV will still require a power cable, so regardless of how fancy your wireless setup is, you'll still be relying on at least one cable (so there's not much harm in having two cables). But Amimon, which has been a player in the niche wireless high-def transmission game for awhile now, might be onto something with their latest demonstration. As 3D continues to take over the industry, companies like Amimon have little choice but to...
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XStreamHD has teamed up with Lionsgate to offer its customers the ability to digitally purchase or rent the latest HD releases from Lionsgate. The partnership will also provide XStreamHD with access to Lionsgate's content library of over 12,000 titles. XStreamHD's whole-home HD entertainment system provides full 1080p HD video and up to 7.1 channels of lossless DTS-HD Master Audio via satellite. To take advantage of this new offer, customers can pre-order XStreamHD's FAST Start or PRO Start packages at www.XStreamHD.com. The XStreamHD FAST Start package ($399) comes with a HD Media Server with 1TB storage, a HD Media Receiver, RF One Remote Control, and all of the accessories. The...
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So you probably know about 1080p by now. It's "Full HD" resolution, and it's the highest resolution that you can reasonable buy on an HDTV right now. But if you think 1080p is dense, you should have a look at 4K. 4K is short for 4K x 2K, which is an extreme high resolution that is generally only used when making a film. RED is probably the most famous camcorder company that produces 4K cameras, and a number of major films have been shot (and are being shot) on 4K cameras. Select high-end cinemas across the world have huge 4K projectors, which are unreasonably large and extremely expensive. In other words, 4K is the format of the future, and it's a long, long way from being useful and affordable...
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We used to say that ViewSonic was seen primarily as a monitor company, but now, we aren't so sure. The company has expanded mightily over the years, offering a wide variety of consumer electronics devices ranging from portable media players to e-reader devices to a new living room set-top box. The new NexTV VMP75 is entering a market that's deeply crowded with options from Vudu, Roku, Popcorn Hour and (soon) Google, but this sector has still yet to go mainstream. So in a way, there's still a chance for more market players to grab market share. This new device is a network media player, capable of displaying 1080p content from external storage devices or streaming media from home networks and...
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AMD is poised to release a new Catalyst drive package, v10.6, that incorporates a number of new features and performance enhancements. While there are a handful of game-specific performance enhancements, it's the new video-related features that are potentially the most interesting. Here is a breakdown of the new features available in the Catalyst 10.6 display driver release, snapped directly from the release notes: GPU acceleration of H.264 video content using Adobe Flash Player 10.1 AMD GPU acceleration of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 delivers smooth high definition video playback and reduces system resource utilization Adobe Flash Player 10.1 can be accelerated on notebook and desktop platforms...
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We aren't sure if you've noticed, but HD video is "in." Nearly every major smartphone launching now has HD video recording, with the iPhone 4 even getting an iMovie app to edit all of that high resolution footage. Traditionally, PC webcams have lagged behind on the technology front. Most people have seemed satisfied with low-res VGA video chats for awhile now, with only those major Cisco teleprescence systems offering true HD conferencing. The time to bring that tech into the consumer arena is now, with Logitech at the front of the pack. The company has today revealed a full lineup of HD webcams, including the new Vid HD and HD Pro Webcam C910. The whole line offers 720p video calling, Full HD...
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Although there has been some noise over the years about hybrid drives that somewhat bridge the gap between hard drives and solid state drives, short of getting installed in a handful of notebooks, they haven’t had a significant impact on the overall market. Hit your favorite on-line retailer and you’ll find a slew of SSDs and hard drives available, but nothing in between. If you need massive amounts of storage space, a hard drive is a necessity (unless you’ve got an unlimited budget). But if it’s maximum performance you crave, only an SSD will do. Today, however, Seagate aims to change that with the release of the new Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid. The Seagate Momentus...
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Solid State Drives are all the rage with PC Enthusiasts these days. Although relatively expensive in comparison to standard hard drives, Solid State Drives have gotten very popular and have earned a reputation as one of the most significant performance upgrades available to enhance general system responsiveness. Capacities are relatively low in comparison to standard hard drives, but access times and transfer rates are in a different league altogether. And it’s a good SSD’s quick access times and speedy transfers that dramatically impact the end user experience, for the better. Solid State Drives are simply different beasts versus traditional hard drives and the performance difference...
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The Internet is widely projected to reach a saturation point in developing nations years before the color television did so last century, but the TV isn't done breaking records and wowing consumers yet. The device that still provides millions of viewers with an outlet for entertainment and a view to the outside world has evolved nicely over the years, and while we're still not sure if 3D HDTVs have what it takes to revolutionize the television landscape once more, there's no doubt at all that high-definition has made, and continues to make, a huge impact. According to a new report listed at the New York Times, "half of the United States is now watching television in high definition, the fastest...
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WirelessHD has been a protocol that's been around for awhile, but it hasn't really been used a lot in consumer devices. The main reason is cost. WirelessHD products, which generally allow high-definition devices to connect to one another without wires, are quite expensive, and most people can't justify the expense. Select WirelessHD adapters have enabled Blu-ray players to send signals to HDTVs without an HDMI cable, but with some solutions costing hundreds of dollars, it's easy to see why most people simply suck it up and use the HDMI cord. Today, the WirelessHD Consortium, the first 60GHz initiative worldwide and the only wireless standard that provides wireless lossless A/V support, today...
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Wow. How the times have changed. In 2000, hearing about "HDTV" was rare. You might see one or two big events in HD, and you'd probably have to visit a sports bar or something similar to see it. Most people were still wowed with broadband Internet, and seeing March Madness in 720p was the least of their worries. SD content had worked fine for decades, so why change now?Slowly but surely, big networks began to make the investments required to bring HDTV to the masses, and pay-TV carriers began to offer them. Many charged extra for small "HD tiers," while some bragged about offering HD channels for free. Now, HD isn't just the norm, it's the expectation. Many consumers won't even watch a show if...
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One of the most promising technologies to emerge over the past five years has been wireless transfers of high-bandwidth devices. Wireless HD and wireless HDMI both hold a great deal of hope for the way HD video is distributed, and while Intel's Wireless Display technology touches on it somewhat, we haven't really seen any shipping products using it. Over on the home entertainment end, things are somewhat more lively. Cables To Go is a company that has been dabbling in this area since the early days, and they know a thing or two about getting your episode of Hulu from that notebook to the HDTV.The newest product hitting their shelves is the TruLink 60GHz WirelessHD Kit, which enables wireless...
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With all of the press solid state drives have received over the last year or so, it would be easy to think that few advancements have been made in the hard drive space. After all, hard drive capacities have seemingly hit a plateau at 2TB, performance can't come close to even a mid-range SSD in most scenarios, and it's hard to imagine prices falling any lower, when some drives can be had for about 7.5 cents per gigabyte. However, Western Digital, despite releasing their very own line of SSDs recently, continues to push the performance envelope with traditional spinning hard drives. Need evidence? Then feast your eyes on the brand new WD VelociRaptor 600GB... WD's VelociRaptor 600GB,...
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