It looks like someone is after Sony’s Bravia name, logo and color schemes. It’s Toshiba that has a new product, Vardia RD-A600 that is a HD DVD player with a HDD recorder of 600GB and RD-A300 with 300GB of space. The two models have a pair of digital hi-vision HD tuners, Firewire and HDMI.

The new Toshiba Vardia is pretty smart and can write on HD DVD-R and DVD-RAM/R/RW media but the price is high, ¥200,000 about $1,650 (for the 600GB model). Release date is later this year.

[Impress JP - translation]

Pioneer has two new power gadgets for us that are in the middle range, that will work great with HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs and with smaller prices than their top notch models. Featuring Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio with 7.1 sounds these two new amplifiers from Pioneer are what you need for a serious home theater system where you can connect all your audio and video gadgets that will come out great.

It has S-video, optical digital audio, a couple of HDMI 1.3a inputs and is iPod friendly. How neat! For the price of $1153 the Pioneer VSA-AX1AH that will bring 180W x 7, can be bought in June and Pioneer VSA-1017AV that has 170W x 7 is $774. I personally don’t think the 10W x 7 are worth paying almost $400 more.

[press release via Gizmodo]

Remember how it happened when the iPod was launched? Everything else that ended up on the market was similar with it. It looks like it’s time for Apple TV to get look-alike products. Philips has one in this aluminum box that is a very good alternative for watching DivX movies for those that hate Mac or just wouldn’t spend £200.
It has a 40GB hard drive to keep media locally and can be expanded via USB if you connect other and it can also play audio and video from wireless networked drives. No specs and prices were release at Taipei Computex 2007 where this new box appeared.

[via Engadget]

What the hell is that?! Easy my friend, I will present you the future successor of HDTV. A Japanese company, called NHK, has demonstrate at the Science and Technical Research Laboratories, in Tokyo, that the Super Hi-Vision television is the future of today’s HDTV systems.

NHK’s engineers have presented a prototype image sensor that can offer a Super Hi-Vision resolution of 7680 by 4320. This progress on Super Hi-Vision will produce the replacement of today’s HDTV devices. Also, NHK has presented a Super Hi-Vision camera that can capture a live monochrome video image at 7680×4320 resolution. A prototype Super Hi-Vision encoder can encode a 24-gbps video signal to a 128-mbps MPEG4 AVC stream in real time using 16 encoders in parallel.

All in all, I would say the progress is outstanding. We’ve just entered the HDTV era and NHK has developed the next generation television. But, hey, the science don’t stop!

[Credits: PC World]

What I would enjoy to have in my house right now is the new micro DAV-IS10 from Sony. It’s the mini 5.1 home theater system with satellites that aren’t bigger than a baby’s hand. Using the new technology from Sony, Bravia Theater Sync, the whole system is extremely powerful : 5 satellites x 50W and 2-way subwoofer x 100W. That makes a total of 450 watts which is more than my neighbors can bear.

Sony micro DAV-IS10 comes with a compact, single disc DVD/CD player/ receiver with touch-sensitive controls, has a Digital Media Port to enable WiFi and Bluetooth streaming and an iPod docking. This is a good launch for Sony and I am sure the $800 price is not going to be a problem.

[Source: ShinyShiny]

To the right, Adam McConnell, three years old. To the left, a broken 42-inch plasma. The joy of breaking the TV after losing at Wii sports, priceless.

This is a real case. 3 year old Adam, smashed his father’s plasma while his dad went to the kitchen to get him something to drink. It should be really fun to hear “two big bangs”. Why he did this? Because he lost a tennis game playing Wii Sports. It wasn’t a slipping Wiimote so no reason for a lawsuit here, just the boy’s rage.

Now that really makes me think what was the little boy drinking? Maybe whiskey in the morning and some vodka in the evening? He’s now banned from playing Wii, for two weeks.

“I left him playing the tennis game and went to the kitchen to get him a drink. Then I heard two big bangs. When I ran back in Adam was using the handset to smash the TV screen. It was a 42in plasma screen which cost around £1,000 - the whole front is wrecked.

I think he lost a game and he just cracked up. I went out to the table and put my head in my hands, while I thought about how I could explain to a three- and-a-half year old what he had done wrong. I ended up asking him how he’d feel if I broke his Spiderman.

He is so independent and he already has a real competitive streak, but I didn’t realize he would lose his temper like that. He could be the next John McEnroe - he had a great swing.”

Do you understand now, why they released a TV protection shield? - ALEX ION

Source

Due to a marketing research, the Japanese videogame console is still the number 1 in the consumers preferences. Nintendo sold in US four times more than Sony Playstation 3 and two times more than Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Nintendo Wii has two main advantages that I would like to name. The first one is the price. The console retails at $250 in comparison with PS3 which costs no less than $500. Xbox can be found at $300. The other advantage is the motion-sensing controller. I tested the Wii and I was very impressed with it. In 10 minutes of playing I sensed the same effect as I would workout in a gym class for half an hour. That is really great, because you can make movement and enjoy a nice sport game at the same time.

Nintendo shipped 360,000 units, while Sony shipped 82,000 units and Microsoft 174,000 Xbox 360s. The numbers don’t lie. The gamers prefer the Wii game console. Sony didn’t manage to achieve their forecasts regarding the sales. They are expecting to boost the sales once they will release new videogames this year. We will see, but till then, I will get myself a Nintendo Wii. - MIHNEA BOIANGIU

The concept TV, from Brionvega has a retro design. The Italian manufacturer Brionvega is well known for producing TV sets from the 50s. The styles remained retro, but the technology kept up with new trends.

The Alpha TV was designed by Daniele Pesaresi. The Brionvega TV could be produced in two colors - orange and black. It features a remote control and a built-in DVD. The shiny case has chrome accents aside, which I found very attractive. Obviously, the remote keeps the same theme.

If this device will be produced, I am nearly sure it will be a great success. The only matter would be the price. But what the hell, the retro lovers will get it no matter what. Great design indeed! - MIHNEA BOIANGIU

[Credits: Retro to go]

Altec Lansing has unveiled today the inMotion iMV712 iPod Video Portable Cinema. The system has a 8.5 inch LCD screen in the middle and two Altec Lansing stereo speakers to give you the best sounds. A built-in four-inch subwoofer delivers the lows completing the two other speakers.
The iMV712 has a dock for the popular iPod. In this way you can transform your iPod in a powerful entertainment system. Altec Lansing uses the SFX (Stereo Field Expander) that boost the sound field and give the user the impression the speakers are sound further apart than they really are.

Altec Lansing inMotion iMV712 supports other connections with multimedia players via the Aux input jack. Furthermore you can connect your camcorder using the RCA input. Besides, the inMotion iMV712 features a wireless remote for speakers and iPod.

The device will be available this month for $349.95 in retail stores and online at Altec’s website. - MIHNEA BOIANGIU

[via Altec Lansing]

Probably you have guessed I am going to write about Nintendo Wii. A team of British experts sustains that Nintendo Wii can be dangerous for its users. The Japanese game console uses a motion-sensitive wireless remote which allows movements of sports games like tennis, box, golf, baseball etc.

The problems regarding the injuries appeared to persons who didn’t warm up properly before starting the game. Tim Hutchful, from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) told that “gamers should treat a ‘Wii session’ like any form of exercise and warm-up adequately beforehand to prevent stiffness and possible injuries”. Medical reports revealed that Wii players suffered injuries called “Wii elbow”. The injury is common for tennis players and represent the inflammation of the elbow joint.

The BCA advised the Wii users to make warming up exercises and to take breaks at 20-30 minutes. They developed a five-point “Wii warm-up” for the shoulders, wrists, arms, neck and back. Also the Nintendo’s website warns the players against the risks of excessive gaming.

The Wii console burns more calories than the classic ones. For an average weekly use of 13 hours, 1,840 calories would be burned. That means 40 percent higher than the classic consoles. In addition to the game playing, Wii adds the movements. - MIHNEA BOIANGIU