News Archive
Thu 13 July 2006
Panasonic inch past Samsung as manufacturer of largest Plasma in the world
Measuring 2.4 meters by 1.4 meters and weighing 215 kg, the 103" panel is an all important one inch bigger than Samsung’s 102”. Panasonic are aiming to start selling the world's largest plasma television by early next year, by which time they will obviously not be the workld’s largest. These bigger than a double mattress sized screens will meet full high-definition specifications, meaning they can produce images at the highest standard of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels of resolution. The world's largest consumer electronics maker has yet to set the price but Matsushita's (maker of the Panasonic brand) 65-inch plasma TVs, its largest available now, sell for about $7,500 in Japan.
For more info on flatscreen TVs see:
All you need to know about flatscreen TVs Part 1
All you need to know about flatscreen TVs Part 2
Wed 12 July 2006
Invisible Sound By Sonance: for the seriously concealment conscious
(The image above shows two white Sound Advance speakers before the wall has been plastered to conceal them entirely)
Audioworks has launched Sound Advance by Sonance – speakers that sit completely out of view, behind a wall or ceiling, creating truly invisible sound. Intended for installation between timber or metal stud walls or behind any ceiling, the Sound Advance speakers are flat panels (patented Planar Diaphragm Technology) which can be plastered or wall papered over. They also feature a claimed wide, smooth dispersion pattern. Although suitable for home cinema application if teamed up with a subwoofer the speaker systems would apparently be “ideal for background music or talking applications” in “residential or commercial” properties.
For more on concealement read: High-Tech Magic
Wed 12 July 2006
As the war goes on things are not looking good for the Blu-Ray army again. They will not be entering into Europe at the end of summer and there are no solid launch dates Pioneer will have nothing on show at the big IFA show in Berlin this September.and will have nothing to show consumers until at least January 2007, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This contrasts to the HD-DVD camp led by Toshiba, who will have dedicated players ready for visitiors to oggle at and paparazzi to take pictures of at the Berlin show.
Set backs have been common place in the saga hitherto but at least HD DVD players are available in the US and Japan, even if they are hard to get hold of. Amounting pressure is being laid on Sony’s PS3 console to rocket Blu-Ray technology into pole position. Clearly the PS3 is going to be a major driving force for Blu-ray but ‘all eggs in one basket’ springs to mind and it seems quite risky to give HD-DVD such a head start no?
Wed 12 July 2006
Projector screen that acts as speakers as well!
Introducing the ASS-60AK Speaker Screen, despite its generic appearance this pioneering product from Authentic produces sound directly from the screen itself. The manufacturers even go as far as to claim that it offers "a larger, more dynamic audio visual experience", thanks to a woven fabric which is able to produce high frequencies - frequencies most other fabrics would absorb. SoundVu technology from NXT enables the projection screen to become a loudspeaker by vibrating the surface. Don’t worry, I know what you’re thinking, and Authentic assures us that vibrations are undetectable to the naked eye so image quality is preserved while producing excellent sound.
Depending on the audio quality this could be a cracker for home cinemas or presentations, will just have to wait and see when its finally released over here. Its available in Japan later this month and will cost you ¥59,800 (approx £285).
For more on home cinema see: 10 Upgrades to your Home Cinema without spending a penny!
