DIGITAL WORLD

Dell's M109S pocket projector

2009-03-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

Ultra Portable – At 92.5 x 104.6 x 37.1 mm and a mere 360g, you’ll hardly notice it's in your laptop case.
DLP^® and BrilliantColor^TM technology – Millions of precision mirrors use light more efficiently to generate lifelike images and vibrant colors.
858 x 600 SVGA Native Resolution – Displays up to 480,000 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio, right from the palm of your hand.
800:1 typical (Full On/Full Off) Contrast Ratio – Projects clear images and easy-to-read text. Anytime, anywhere.
Easy Connectivity – A multi-input cable delivers easy connectivity to laptops, desktops, DVD players and gaming consoles.
Long Projection Life - The M109S utilizes mercury-free LED light source of usage life up to 10,000 hours¹, helping to save money and reduce maintenance to a minimum as no replace of LED module light source is required.
Password Protection - Keep critical presentations safe and secure.
Green Machine - With the efficient, mercury-free LED technology, you can help protect the planet and your bottom line.

IBM deal to buy Sun Microsystems hits delays

2009-03-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

The proposed IBM-Sun deal is still on, but discussions could take several more days as IBM lawyers perform due diligence, according to Reuters.

The news service cited "people with knowledge of the matter" as saying that a deal is unlikely to be struck before next week at the earliest, as IBM looks at various parts of Sun's software and server business.

But the move could raise anti-trust concerns with US regulators, the report said. Sun and IBM have a combined 65 per cent of the $17bn (£11.7bn) market for Unix servers, which are mainly used by large enterprises and government organisations.

IBM still leads the server space with nearly a third of the market, followed by HP, Dell and Sun.

Sun has been seen by analysts as vulnerable to an acquisition for some time, given that it has never been fully able to monetise its technology assets and recover from the drop in demand for its high-end servers at the beginning of the decade.

Reports in The Wall Street Journal suggest that IBM may offer nearly double Sun's Tuesday closing share price of $4.97 (£3.58), in a cash deal totalling around $6.5bn (£4.68bn). The newspaper said that IBM is examining the terms of Sun's various technology licences to check for any conflict with IBM's business.

Sun's shares closed on Friday down 6.14 per cent at $8.10 (£5.60) on the Nasdaq, giving the company a value of about $6bn (£4.1bn).

Samsung N310 Netbook kills germs fast

2009-03-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Samsung has announced a 10-inch Netbook which, among other things, kills bacteria. The N310 has been styled by award-winning Japanese designmeister Naoto Fukasawa and will presumably be welcomed with open--but latex-gloved--arms by OCD sufferers.

It boasts a frameless 10-inch screen and pebble design keyboard, which Samsung reckons is 93 percent of the size of a desktop keyboard for easy typing.

The N310 weighs about 2.6 pounds with a four-cell battery, which Samsung claims will give you up to five hours without busting out some mains supply. Battery savings come from the LED display and optimized performance from the Intel Atom processor.

It'll ship with Windows XP Home Edition, so it doesn't overtax the 1GB of RAM. Other features include a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel camera and a three-in-one memory card reader. You get no less than three USB ports and the option of Bluetooth.

As if that wasn't enough, it also "uses the latest medical technology" to smear the keys with a "special finish" that makes it "almost impossible for bacteria to live and breed." We don't recommend using it to clean your toilet, however. The N310 will be available in May. No word on price yet, but we'll keep you posted. If you'll excuse us, we're off to wash our hands again.

Panasonic releases Lumix G Vario 7-14mm lens

2009-03-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

Panasonic today unveiled a new interchangeable ultra wide-angle zoom lens called the LUMIX G VARIO 7-14mm/F4.0 ASPH. In spite of its impressive wide-angle zoom range of 7-14mm (35mm camera equivalent; 14-28mm), the new lens is surprisingly compact and lightweight for casual on-the-go use.

Taking advantage of its wide, 114-degree angle of view, users can easily fit subjects into the frame even when shooting indoors where the distance is limited. The world looks extraordinary when viewed through the new lens, allowing photos and movies to be recorded with a uniquely rich perspective.

This high-performance lens system achieves outstanding compactness by combining 16 lens elements in 12 groups, including two aspherical lenses and four ED lenses. Image resolution is high from corner-to-corner even at the wide-angle setting. It also features F4.0 brightness over the entire zoom range thanks to its large-diameter glass moulded lens elements.

When mounted on the DMC-GH1 Lumix G Micro System Camera, the new lens allows use of the advanced contrast AF system, which includes a Face Recognition function, for more convenient, more enjoyable shooting. Seven blades give the aperture a rounded shape that produces an attractively smooth effect in out-of-focus areas when shooting at larger aperture settings.

The LUMIX G VARIO 7-14mm/F4.0 ASPH lens also features a highly reliable metal mount, and uses multi-coated lens elements that minimise ghosts and flare to further enhance its optical performance. The optimally designed lens hood enables use even under strong sunlight.

LUMIX G VARIO 7-14mm/F4.0 ASPH specifications

Focal length	7-14mm
35mm equivalent focal length	14-28mm
Diagonal Angle of view	114° (W) - 75° (T)
Maximum aperture	F4.0
Minimum aperture	F22
Lens Construction	• 16 elements/12 groups • 4 ED glass elements • 2 aspherical elements
Number of diaphragm blades	7, Circular aperture diaphragm
Minimum focus	0.25m / 0.8ft
Maximum magnification	Approx. 0.08x / 0.15x
Image stabilization	No
Supplied accessories	• Front and rear caps • Lens Hood • Lens Case
Weight	300 g (10.58 oz)
Dimensions	70mm diameter x 83mm (2.76 x 3.27 in)
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds

IEEE 1394 Interface

2009-02-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus interface standard for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer, frequently used by personal computers, as well as in digital audio, digital video, automotive, and aeronautics applications. The interface is also known by the brand names of FireWire (Apple Inc.), i.LINK (Sony), and Lynx (Texas Instruments). IEEE 1394 replaced parallel SCSI in many applications, because of lower implementation costs and a simplified, more adaptable cabling system. The 1394 standard also defines a backplane interface, though this is not as widely used.

IEEE 1394 has been adopted as the High Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) standard connection interface for A/V (audio/visual) component communication and control. FireWire is also available in wireless, fiber optic, and coaxial versions using the isochronous protocols.

Since the mid 1990s, consumer grade camcorders had included a four-circuit 1394 interface, though, except for premium models, this is becoming less common. It remains the primary transfer mechanism for almost all high end professional audio and video equipment. Since 2003 many computers intended for home or professional audio/video use have built-in FireWire/i.LINK ports, especially prevalent with Sony and Apple's computers and the older iPods. The legacy (alpha) 1394 port is also available on premium retail motherboards.

Bluetooth

2009-02-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Bluetooth is a wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs). It was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS232 data cables. It can connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization.

Class	Maximum Permitted Power mW (dBm)	Range (approximate)
Class 1	100 mW (20 dBm)	~100 meters
Class 2	2.5 mW (4 dBm)	~10 meters
Class 3	1 mW (0 dBm)	~1 meter

Version	Data Rate
Version 1.2	1 Mbit/s
Version 2.0 + EDR	3 Mbit/s
WiMedia Alliance (proposed)	53 - 480 Mbit/s

Wi-Fi

2009-02-14T16:47:00.001-08:00

Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, founded in 1999 as Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), comprising more than 300 companies, whose products are certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, based on the IEEE 802.11 standards (also called Wireless LAN (WLAN) and Wi-Fi). This certification warrants interoperability between different wireless devices.

The alliance was founded because many products did not correctly implement IEEE 802.11 and some included proprietary extensions. This led to incompatibilities between products from different manufacturers.

The Wi-Fi Alliance tests the wireless components to their own terms of reference. Products that pass become Wi-Fi certified and may carry the Wi-Fi logo. Only products of Wi-Fi Members are tested, because they pay membership and per-item fees. Absence of the Wi-Fi logo does not necessarily mean non-compliance with the standard.

In France, Poland, the United States, and some other countries, the term Wi-Fi often is used by the public as a synonym for wireless Internet (WLAN); but not every wireless Internet product has a Wi-Fi certification, which may be because of certification costs that must be paid for each certified device type.

Wi-Fi certification is provided for technology used in home networks, mobile phones, video games, and other devices that require wireless networking. It covers IEEE 802.11 standards, including 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n.

Wi-Fi is supported by most personal computer operating systems, many game consoles, laptops, smartphones, printers, and other peripherals.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

2009-02-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Specifications


Sensor	• 1/1.63" sensor • 11.3 million total pixels CCD • 10.1 million effective pixels • Primary Color Filter
Image stabilization	• Lens-shift • MEGA O.I.S. (Auto/Mode1/ Mode2)
Image sizes	4:3 Aspect Ratio: • 3648x 2736 pixels • 3072 x 2304 pixels • 2560 x 1920 pixels • 2048 x 1536 pixels • 1600 x 1200 pixels • 640 x 480 pixels • 3:2 Aspect Ratio: • 3776 x 2520 pixels • 3168 x 2112 pixels • 2656 x 1768 pixels • 2112 x 1408pixels • 2048 x 1360 pixels • 16:9 Aspect Ratio: • 3968 x 2232 pixels • 3328 x 1872 pixels • 2784 x 1568 pixels • 2208 x 1248 pixels • 1920 x 1080
Movie mode	• QuickTime Motion JPEG • 4:3 Aspect Ratio: 640 x 480 pixels 30 fps or • 320 x 240 pixels 30 fps/10 fps • 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps • HD（16:9 Aspect Ratio）: 1280x720 pixels 24fps"
Output formats	• JPEG ( Exif 2.21 standard) • RAW
Image processor	Venus Engine IV
Lens	• 2.5x zoom • f=5.1-12.8mm (35mm Equiv.: 24-60mm) • F2.0 - F2.8 • LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON • 8 elements in 6 groups • 4 Aspherical Lenses / 4 Aspherical surfaces)
Focus modes	• Normal • Macro • Quick AF • Continuous AF • Manual Focus (Joystick) • One Shot AF • AF Area Select • AF Tracking
AF assist lamp	Yes
Shooting modes	• Intelligent AUTO • P(Program) mode • A(AperturePriority) mode • S(Shutter Priority) mode • M(Manual) mode • Motion Picture • Custom1 • Custom2 • Scene mode
Scene modes	• Portrait • Soft Skin • Self-Portrait • Scenery • Sports • Night Portrait • Night Scenery • Food, Party • Candle Light • Baby1 • Baby2 • Pet • Sunset • High sensitivity • Starry Sky • Fireworks • Beach • Snow • Aerial photo • Hi-Speed Burst • Flash-Burst • Film Grain • Pin Hole
Metering	• Intelligent Multiple • Center Weighted • Spot
AE Bracketing	+/- 0.3/0.5 EV
Exposure compen.	• +/-2 EV • 0.3 EV increments
Sensitivity	• Auto • 80 • 100 • 200 • 400 • 800 • 1600 • 3200 • High Sensitivity Mode : Auto(1600 - 6400)
Shutter speed	• P: 1-1/2000sec (Selectable minimum shutter speed) • A/S: 8-1/2000sec • M: 60-1/2000sec • Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.
Aperture values	• Wide: F2.0 - F8.0 Tele: F2.8 - F8
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Shade • Flash • Halogen • Color Temperature • White Set 1 • White Set 2 • White Balance Adjustment
Drive modes	• Single • Continuous
Burst speed	• 2.5 frames/sec Max. 8 images (Standard), Max 4 images (Fine), Max 3images (RAW) • High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 6 frames/sec (recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)
Self-timer	10 sec. / 2 sec.
LCD monitor	• 3.0", 3:2 Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display • 460K dots • Field of View : approx. 100% • AUTO Power LCD mode
Viewfinder	Optional
Flash	• Auto • Auto/Red-eye Reduction • Forced On • Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction • Forced Off • Flash Synchro 1st / 2nd • Flash output Adjustment (1/3EV step, -2 - +2 EV) • Hotshoe
FLash coverage	0.8 - 8.3m (Wide/Macro/ISO Auto), 0.3 - 5.9m (Tele/ISO Auto)
Connectivity	• DC Input • AV Output (NTSC/PAL) • HD AV Output (Component) • USB2.0 High speed
Storage	• SD Memory Card • SDHC Memory Card • MultiMediaCard (Still image only) • Internal Memory (approx. 50 MB)
Power	• Li-ion Battery Pack (3.7V, 1150mAh) • Battery life: 380 pictures (CIPA standard) • AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC) (Optional)
Dimensions	108.7 x 59.5 x 27.1 mm
Weight (with battery)	Approx. 265 g

Surround sound

2009-01-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

Surround sound, using multichannel audio, encompasses a range of techniques for enriching (expanding and deepening) the sound reproduction quality, of an audio source, with additional audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. The three-dimensional (3D) sphere of human hearing can be virtually achieved with audio channels above and below the listener. To that end, the multichannel surround sound application encircles the audience (left-surround, right-surround, back-surround), as opposed to "screen channels" (center, [front] left, and [front] right), i.e. ca. 360° horizontal plane, 2D).

Surround sound technology is used in cinema and home theater systems, video game consoles, personal computers and other platforms. Commercial surround sound media include videocassettes, Video DVDs, and HDTV broadcasts encoded as Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, or DTS. Other commercial formats include the competing DVD-Audio (DVD-A) and Super Audio CD (SACD) formats, and MP3 Surround. Cinema 5.1 surround formats include Dolby Digital, DTS, and Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS).

Most surround sound recordings are created by film production companies or video game producers; however some consumer camcorders have such capability either built-in or available separately. Surround sound technologies can also be used in music to enable new methods of artistic expression. After the failure of quadraphonic audio in the 1970s, multichannel music has slowly been reintroduced since 1999 with the help of SACD & DVD-Audio formats. Some AV receivers, stereophonic systems, and computer soundcards contain integral digital signal processors and/or digital audio processors to simulate surround sound from a stereophonic source.

Olympus C-470 Zoom

2009-01-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

Olympus C-470 ZOOM

The Olympus C-470 Zoom sets a new standard for digital cameras. An impressive list of high quality features including four million-pixels, 3x optical zoom and the unique Olympus 1.8” anti-glare LCD screen are combined for the first time with an unbeatable competitive price.

Features

* 4.0 million pixels
* 3x optical zoom (equiv. to 35–105mm on a 35mm camera) f3.1-5.2
* 1.8 inch sunshine LCD (134,000 pixels)
* 8 scene programmes (e.g. Portrait, Night Scene and Indoor)
* Movie recording function with sound
* PictBridge support
* TruePic TURBO image processor
* Ergonomically designed body

Supplied with:

* 16MB xD-Picture Card
* New rechargeable battery (LI-12B, 1230mAh) and charger
* Olympus Master 1.0 software

The C-470 ZOOM is planned for release in October 2004, priced £219.99 ($299).

Above all, the C-470 ZOOM strikes a perfect balance between usability and Olympus’s renowned strict technical standards. With a resolution of four million pixels and the TruePic TURBO image processor (enabling better picture quality and reduced processing time), this camera captures images in the finest detail. This high performance is boosted even further by a precision 3x optical zoom lens (equivalent to 35–105mm on a 35mm camera) featuring three aspherical elements. Finally, for even better close-ups, a seamless 4x digital zoom provides a total magnification power of up to 12x.

Handling all this photographic power is made easy by a range of scene programmes. For most users and conditions the automatic shooting mode is perfect. However, the Olympus C-470 ZOOM also includes eight programme modes for more tricky situations such as portrait, indoor, beach and snow scenes. Users may also switch to a movie mode, with sound, in which recording is only limited by the amount of available memory.

With all these easy-to-use options it will be a challenge to put the camera down. Fortunately, the Olympus C-470 ZOOM comes with a new, long-lasting lithium-ion battery. And when it’s time to print the images, PictBridge support makes it easy to print directly on compatible printers, such as the Olympus P-10.

HSDPA(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access)

2009-01-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a 3G (third generation) mobile telephony communications protocol in the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) family, which allows networks based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity. Current HSDPA deployments support down-link speeds of 1.8, 3.6, 7.2 and 14.4 Mbit/s. Further speed increases are available with HSPA+, which provides speeds of up to 42 Mbit/s downlink.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)

2009-01-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a packet oriented Mobile Data Service available to users of the 2G cellular communication systems Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), as well as in the 3G systems. In the 2G systems, GPRS provides data rates from 56 up to 114 kbit/s.

GPRS data transfer is typically charged per megabyte of traffic transferred, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user actually is using the capacity or is in an idle state. GPRS is a best-effort packet switched service, as opposed to circuit switching, where a certain Quality of Service (QoS) is guaranteed during the connection for non-mobile users.

PENTAX announces White K2000 DSLR camera

2009-01-04T02:25:00.001-08:00

PENTAX imaging has announced a limited edition white version of the K2000 camera with a double zoom kit. The camera continues to use a 10.2 megapixel sensor and a 2.7-inch wide-view LCD monitor, and is still tailored towards newcomers: a custom image mode containing six preset options and a full auto picture mode potentially take full control of the scene rather than pushing the user into manual control. Other touches include ten different scene modes, a help button, and a dust alert function for the sensor. For the limited edition PENTAX includes an smc 50-200mm F4-5.6 AL lens and smc 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Al lens, both of which come in the same white as the camera body. Pricing isn't available for the camera, though the existing model sells for $800; the white version appears in February.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

2008-12-26T02:24:00.000-08:00

A hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. Strictly speaking, "drive" refers to a device distinct from its medium, such as a tape drive and its tape, or a floppy disk drive and its floppy disk. Early HDDs had removable media; however, an HDD today is typically a sealed unit (except for a filtered vent hole to equalize air pressure) with fixed media.

HDDs (introduced in 1956 as data storage for an IBM accounting computerwere originally developed for use with general purpose computers. In the 21st century, applications for HDDs have expanded to include digital video recorders, digital audio players, personal digital assistants, digital cameras and video game consoles. In 2005 the first mobile phones to include HDDs were introduced by Samsung and Nokia. The need for large-scale, reliable storage, independent of a particular device, led to the introduction of embedded systems such as RAID arrays, network attached storage (NAS) systems and storage area network (SAN) systems that provide efficient and reliable access to large volumes of data.

Form factor	Width	Largest capacity	Platters (Max)
5.25″ FH	146 mm	47 GB^[13] (1998)	14
5.25″ HH	146 mm	19.3 GB^[14] (1998)	4
3.5″	102 mm	1.5 TB^[6] (2008)	5
2.5″	69.9 mm	500 GB^[16] (2008)	3
1.8″ (CE-ATA/ZIF)	54 mm	250 GB^[17] (2008)	3
1.3″	43 mm	40 GB^[18] (2007)	1
1″ (CFII/ZIF/IDE-Flex)	42 mm	20 GB (2006)	1
0.85″	24 mm	8 GB^[19] (2004)	1

IDE interface (PATA)

SATA Interface

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol )

2008-12-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

GO TO HERE, FIND VOIP SITES & RATS.

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Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a general term for a family of transmission technologies for delivery of voice communications over the Internet or other packet-switched networks. Other terms frequently encountered and synonymous with VoIP are IP telephony and Internet telephony, as well as voice over broadband, broadband telephony, and broadband phone, when the network connectivity is available over broadband Internet access.

VoIP systems usually interface with the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) to allow for transparent phone communications worldwide.

VoIP can be a benefit for reducing communication and infrastructure costs by routing phone calls over existing data networks and avoiding duplicate network systems. Skype and Vonage are notable service provider examples that have achieved widespread user and customer acceptance and market penetration.

Voice-over-IP systems carry telephony speech as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques, packetized in small units of typically tens of milliseconds of speech, and encapsulated in a packet stream over IP.

GO TO HERE, FIND VOIP SITES & RATS.
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USB flash drive!

2008-11-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

Internals of a typical USB flash drive
1	USB connector
2	USB mass storage controller device
3	Test points
4	Flash memory chip
5	Crystal oscillator
6	LED
7	Write-protect switch
8	Space for second flash memory chip

Consists of a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much shorter than a floppy disk (1 to 4 inches or 2.5 to 10 cm), and weigh less than 2 ounces (56 g). Storage capacities typically range from 64 MB to 64 GB with steady improvements in size and price per gigabyte. Some allow 1 million write or erase cycles and have 10-year data retention, connected by USB 1.1 or USB 2.0.

USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They have a more compact shape, operate faster, hold much more data, have a more durable design, and operate more reliably due to their lack of moving parts. Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to ship without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptop. These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems. USB drives with USB 2.0 support can also operate faster than an optical disc drive, while storing a larger amount of data in a much smaller space.

Nothing actually moves in a flash drive: the term drive persists because computers read and write flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive, with the storage appearing to the computer operating system and user interface as just another drive.

A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board protected inside a plastic, metal, or rubberised case, robust enough for carrying with no additional protection — in a pocket or on a key chain, for example. The USB connector is protected by a removable cap or by retracting into the body of the drive, although it is not liable to be damaged if exposed. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing plugging into a port on a personal computer.

What is Optical Cable?

2008-10-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

An optical cable is an optical fiber that has been coated with a tough layer of resin. This layer is then surrounded by what is referred to as a jacket layer. Most often, the jacket layer of the optical cable is made of plastic. The layers around the optical fiber help provide the optical cable with extra strength. At the same time, these layers do not prevent the fiber within the optical cable from maintaining its properties.

The fiber in an optical cable is typically made of either glass or plastic. The fiber itself is thin and transparent, making it capable of transmitting light. An optical cable may have thousands of these fibers within it, making the cable capable of transmitting a great deal of information through bandwidth communication or large amounts of electricity when the optical cable is used for this purpose.

An optical cable can be purchased with a wide variety of different sheathings and armor. The intended use for the optical cable determines which type should be selected. Uses can range from use as power lines, burial in trenches, attaching to aerial telephone poles, use in conduit, submarine installation, and placement within paved streets.

When used indoors, the jacketed fiber of the optical cable is usually enclosed and uses a lightweight plastic cover. Each end of the optical cable is usually terminated with an optical fiber connector, which makes it easier to connect and disconnect the optical cable. If the optical cable is to be used outdoors, a loose-tube construction design is usually used. This design consists of semi-rigid tubes that make it possible for the outside of the optical cable to stretch without stretching the fiber inside. This keeps the fiber protected from tension and extreme changes in temperature.

The fiber within the optical cable also needs to be protected from water. This is because the hydrogen and the hydroxyl ions within water will diffuse into the fiber. If this occurs, the strength of the fiber is reduced. Copper tubes or special water-repellent jellies are used to keep water out of the optical cable and away from the fiber.

Intel® Core™2 Quad Processors

2008-10-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

Introducing Intel® Core™2 Quad processor for notebook and desktop PCs, designed to handle massive compute and visualization workloads enabled by powerful multi-core technology. Optimized for the longest possible battery life without compromise to performance, Intel Core 2 Quad processors for notebooks allow you to stay unwired longer while running the most compute-intensive applications.

Providing all the bandwidth you need for next-generation highly-threaded applications, the latest four-core Intel Core 2 Quad processors are built on 45nm Intel® Core™ microarchitecture enabling faster, cooler, and quieter mobile and desktop PC and workstation experiences.

Plus, with optional Intel® vPro™ technology, you have the ability to remotely isolate, diagnose, and repair infected desktop and mobile workstations wirelessly and outside of the firewall, even if the PC is off, or the OS is unresponsive.

Features and Benefits

With four processing cores, up to 12MB of shared L2 cache,¹ and up to 1066 MHz Front Side Bus for notebooks, and up to 12MB of L2 cache² and up to 1333 MHz Front Side Bus for desktops, the Intel Core 2 Quad processor delivers amazing performance and power efficiency enabled by the all new hafnium-based circuitry of 45nm Intel Core microarchitecture.

Whether you're encoding, rendering, editing, or streaming HD multimedia in the office or on the go, power your most demanding applications with notebooks and desktops based on the Intel Core 2 Quad processor.

Plus, with these processors you get great Intel® technologies built in:

Compare products

Desktop processors
Motherboards and barebones
Desktop chipsets

Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution, enabling delivery of more instructions per clock cycle to improve execution time and energy efficiency

Intel® Intelligent Power Capability, designed to deliver more energy-efficient performance

Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT), enabling greater security, manageability, and utilization

Dual Intel® Dynamic Acceleration technology, improving four-core performance by utilizing power headroom of idle cores by dynamically boosting frequency of active cores

Intel® Smart Memory Access, improving system performance by optimizing the use of the available data bandwidth

Larger Intel® Advanced Smart Cache optimized for multi-core processors, providing a higher-performance, more efficient cache subsystem

Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost, accelerating a broad range of applications along with Intel® HD Boost utilizing new SSE4 instructions for even greater multimedia performance

Future ready, designed to perform in highly threaded programs with powerful Intel® multi-core technology

What is TFT LCD?

2008-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) has a sandwich-like structure with liquid crystal filled between two glass plates.

TFT Glass has as many TFTs as the number of pixels displayed, while a Color Filter Glass has color filter which generates color. Liquid crystals move according to the difference in voltage between the Color Filter Glass and the TFT Glass. The amount of light supplied by Back Light is determined by the amount of movement of the liquid crystals in such a way as to generate color.

TFT LCD - Electronic Aspects of LCD TVs and LCD Monitors

Electronic Aspects of AMLCDs

The most common liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) in use today rely on picture elements, or pixels, formed by liquid-crystal (LC) cells that change the polarization direction of light passing through them in response to an electrical voltage.

As the polarization direction changes, more or less of the light is able to pass through a polarizing layer on the face of the display. Change the voltage, and the amount of light is changed.

There are two ways to produce a liquid-crystal image with such cells: the segment driving method and the matrix driving method.
The segment driving method displays characters and pictures with cells defined by patterned electrodes.

The matrix driving method displays characters and pictures in sets of dots.

Direct vs. multiplex driving of LCD TVs.

The segment drive method is used for simple displays, such as those in calculators, while the dot-matrix drive method is used for high-resolution displays, such as those in portable computers and TFT monitors.

Two types of drive method are used for matrix displays. In the static, or direct, drive method, each pixel is individually wired to a driver. This is a simple driving method, but, as the number of pixels is increased, the wiring becomes very complex. An alternative method is the multiplex drive method, in which the pixels are arranged and wired in a matrix format.

To drive the pixels of a dot-matrix LCD, a voltage can be applied at the intersections of specific vertical signal electrodes and specific horizontal scanning electrodes. This method involves driving several pixels at the same time by time-division in a pulse drive. Therefore, it is also called a multiplex, or dynamic, drive method.

Passive and Active Matrix LCDs

There are two types of dot-matrix LCDs.

Passive-matrix vs. active-matrix driving of LCD Monitors.

In passive-matrix LCDs (PMLCDs) there are no switching devices, and each pixel is addressed for more than one frame time. The effective voltage applied to the LC must average the signal voltage pulses over several frame times, which results in a slow response time of greater than 150 msec and a reduction of the maximum contrast ratio. The addressing of a PMLCD also produces a kind of crosstalk that produces blurred images because non-selected pixels are driven through a secondary signal-voltage path. In active-matrix LCDs (AMLCDs), on the other hand, a switching device and a storage capacitor are integrated at the each cross point of the electrodes.

The active addressing removes the multiplexing limitations by incorporating an active switching element. In contrast to passive-matrix LCDs, AMLCDs have no inherent limitation in the number of scan lines, and they present fewer cross-talk issues. There are many kinds of AMLCD. For their integrated switching devices most use transistors made of deposited thin films, which are therefore called thin-film transistors (TFTs).

The most common semiconducting layer is made of amorphous silicon (a-Si).
a-Si TFTs are amenable to large-area fabrication using glass substrates in a low-temperature (300°C to 400°C) process.

An alternative TFT technology, polycrystalline silicon - or polysilicon or p-Si-is costly to produce and especially difficult to fabricate when manufacturing large-area displays.

Nearly all TFT LCDs are made from a-Si because of the technology's economy and maturity, but the electron mobility of a p-Si TFT is one or two orders of magnitude greater than that of an a-Si TFT.

This makes the p-Si TFT a good candidate for an TFT array containing integrated drivers, which is likely to be an attractive choice for small, high definition displays such as view finders and projection displays.

Structure of Color TFT LCD TVs and LCD Monitors

A TFT LCD module consists of a TFT panel, driving-circuit unit, backlight system, and assembly unit.

Structure of a color TFT LCD Panel:

LCD Panel
- TFT-Array Substrate
- Color Filter Substrate
Driving Circuit Unit
- LCD Driver IC (LDI) Chips
- Multi-layer PCBs
- Driving Circuits
Backlight & Chassis Unit
- Backlight Unit
- Chassis Assembly

It is commonly used to display characters and graphic images when connected a host system.
The TFT LCD panel consists of a TFT-array substrate and a color-filter substrate.

The vertical structure of a color TFT LCD panel.

The TFT-array substrate contains the TFTs, storage capacitors, pixel electrodes, and interconnect wiring. The color filter contains the black matrix and resin film containing three primary-color - red, green, and blue - dyes or pigments. The two glass substrates are assembled with a sealant, the gap between them is maintained by spacers, and LC material is injected into the gap between the substrates. Two sheets of polarizer film are attached to the outer faces of the sandwich formed by the glass substrates. A set of bonding pads are fabricated on each end of the gate and data-signal bus-lines to attach LCD Driver IC (LDI) chips

Driving Circuit Unit

Driving an a-Si TFT LCD requires a driving circuit unit consisting of a set of LCD driving IC (LDI) chips and printed-circuit-boards (PCBs).

The assembly of LCD driving circuits.

A block diagram showing the driving of an LCD panel.

To reduce the footprint of the LCD module, the drive circuit unit can be placed on the backside of the LCD module by using bent Tape Carrier Packages (TCPs) and a tapered light-guide panel (LGP).

How TFT LCD Pixels Work

A TFT LCD panel contains a specific number of unit pixels often called subpixels.
Each unit pixel has a TFT, a pixel electrode (IT0), and a storage capacitor (Cs).
For example, an SVGA color TFT LCD panel has total of 800x3x600, or 1,440,000, unit pixels.
Each unit pixel is connected to one of the gate bus-lines and one of the data bus-lines in a 3mxn matrix format. The matrix is 2400x600 for SVGA.

Structure of a color TFT LCD panel.

Because each unit pixel is connected through the matrix, each is individually addressable from the bonding pads at the ends of the rows and columns.
The performance of the TFT LCD is related to the design parameters of the unit pixel, i.e., the channel width W and the channel length L of the TFT, the overlap between TFT electrodes, the sizes of the storage capacitor and pixel electrode, and the space between these elements.
The design parameters associated with the black matrix, the bus-lines, and the routing of the bus lines also set very important performance limits on the LCD.

In a TFT LCD's unit pixel, the liquid crystal layer on the ITO pixel electrode forms a capacitor whose counter electrode is the common electrode on the color-filter substrate.

Vertical structure of a unit pixel and its equivalent circuit

A storage capacitor (Cs) and liquid-crystal capacitor (CLC) are connected as a load on the TFT.
Applying a positive pulse of about 20V peak-to-peak to a gate electrode through a gate bus-line turns the TFT on. Clc and Cs are charged and the voltage level on the pixel electrode rises to the signal voltage level (+8 V) applied to the data bus-line.

The voltage on the pixel electrode is subjected to a level shift of DV resulting from a parasitic capacitance between the gate and drain electrodes when the gate voltage turns from the ON to OFF state. After the level shift, this charged state can be maintained as the gate voltage goes to -5 V, at which time the TFT turns off. The main function of the Cs is to maintain the voltage on the pixel electrode until the next signal voltage is applied.

Liquid crystal must be driven with an alternating current to prevent any deterioration of image quality resulting from dc stress.
This is usually implemented with a frame-reversal drive method, in which the voltage applied to each pixel varies from frame to frame. If the LC voltage changes unevenly between frames, the result would be a 30-Hz flicker.
(One frame period is normally 1/60 of a second.) Other drive methods are available that prevent this flicker problem.

Polarity-inversion driving methods.

In an active-matrix panel, the gate and source electrodes are used on a shared basis, but each unit pixel is individually addressable by selecting the appropriate two contact pads at the ends of the rows and columns.

Active addressing of a 3x3 matrix

By scanning the gate bus-lines sequentially, and by applying signal voltages to all source bus-lines in a specified sequence, we can address all pixels. One result of all this is that the addressing of an AMLCD is done line by line.

Virtually all AMLCDs are designed to produce gray levels - intermediate brightness levels between the brightest white and the darkest black a unit pixel can generate. There can be either a discrete numbers of levels - such as 8, 16, 64, or 256 - or a continuous gradation of levels, depending on the LDI.

The optical transmittance of a TN-mode LC changes continuously as a function of the applied voltage.
An analog LDI is capable of producing a continuous voltage signal so that a continuous range of gray levels can be displayed.
The digital LDI produces discrete voltage amplitudes, which permits on a discrete numbers of shades to be displayed. The number of gray levels is determined by the number of data bits produced by the digital driver.

Generating Colors

The color filter of a TFT LCD TV consists of three primary colors - red (R), green (G), and blue (B) - which are included on the color-filter substrate.

How an LCD Panel produces colors.

The elements of this color filter line up one-to-one with the unit pixels on the TFT-array substrate.
Each pixel in a color LCD is subdivided into three subpixels, where one set of RGB subpixels is equal to one pixel.
(Each subpixel consists of what we've been calling a unit pixel up to this point.)

Because the subpixels are too small to distinguish independently, the RGB elements appear to the human eye as a mixture of the three colors.
Any color, with some qualifications, can be produced by mixing these three primary colors.

The total number of display colors using an n-bit LDI is given by 23n, because each subpixel can generate 2n different transmittance levels.

What is Blu-ray Disc?

2008-09-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codecs will offer consumers an unprecedented HD experience. Recent development by Pioneer has pushed the storage capacity to 500GB on a single disc by using 20 layers.

While current optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-ray. Despite the different type of lasers used, Blu-ray products can easily be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit. The benefit of using a blue-violet laser (405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision. This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space, so it's possible to fit more data on the disc even though it's the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 is what enables Blu-ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB.

Blu-ray is currently supported by about 200 of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer, recording media, video game and music companies. The format also has support from all Hollywood studios and countless smaller studios as a successor to today's DVD format. Many studios have also announced that they will begin releasing new feature films on Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD, as well as a continuous slate of catalog titles every month. For more information about Blu-ray movies, check out our Blu-ray movies and Blu-ray reviews section which offers information about new and upcoming Blu-ray releases, as well as what movies are currently available in the Blu-ray format.

HTC Touch HD

2008-09-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 2100 / 900
	Announced	2008, September
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2008, 4Q

Size	Dimensions	115 x 62.8 x 12 mm
Size	Weight	146 g

Display	Type	TFT touchscreen, 65K colors
	Size	480 x 800 pixels, 3.8 inches
		- TouchFLO 3D finger swipe navigation - Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate - Touch-sensitive navigation controls - Handwriting recognition

Ringtones	Type	Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3, WAV, WMA
	Customization	Download
	Vibration	Yes

Memory	Phonebook	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
	Call records	Practically unlimited
	Card slot	microSD (TransFlash)
		- 288 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM - Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz processor

Data	GPRS	Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
	HSCSD	No
	EDGE	Class 10, 236.8 kbps
	3G	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
	Bluetooth	Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
	Infrared port	No
	USB	Yes, miniUSB

Features	OS	Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
	Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
	Games	Yes
	Colors	Black
	Camera	5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, video, secondary VGA videocall camera
		- Built-in GPS receiver - A-GPS function - TV-out (cable not included) - 3.5 mm audio output jack - YouTube client - Stereo FM radio with RDS - Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, PDF viewer) - Java MIDP 2.0 - Voice memo - MP3 player - Built-in handsfree

Battery		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1350 mAh
	Stand-by	Up to 450 h
	Talk time	Up to 6 h 30 min

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300

2008-09-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

	3.00x zoom
	13.60 Megapixels
	2.7 inch LCD

Basic Specifications
Resolution:	13.60 Megapixels
Lens:	3.00x zoom (35-105mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	Optical / LCD
LCD Size:	2.7 inch
ISO:	80-3200
Shutter:	30-1/2000
Max Aperture:	2.8
Mem Type:	MS Duo / MS PRO Duo
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.7x2.3x1.1in (94x59x27mm)
Weight:	6.5 oz (184 g)

Sony Cyber-shot W300 Overview

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 features a 13.6-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD image sensor which is coupled to a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar-branded 3x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD display.

The Sony W300's 35 to 105mm equivalent lens incorporates Sony's Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization to minimize blur caused by camera shake at slow shutter speeds. Other W300 features include ISO sensitivity to a maximum of ISO 3,200, a Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo card slot plus a not-so-generous 15MB of built in memory, and power from a proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The Sony W300 also offers high-definition component video output, via an optional proprietary cable or cradle.

The Cyber-shot W300 includes Sony's face detection technology, not only capable of detecting up to eight faces simultaneously, but of differentiating between adults and children, and of automatically triggering the shutter when your subject smiles. Sony's system is linked not only to the Cyber-shot W300's autoexposure and autofocus systems as in most similar systems, but also to white balance and flash metering as well, allowing the camera to ensure proper flash exposure and pleasing flesh tones.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Hands

2008-09-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Preview based on a pre-production EOS 5D Mark II

Back in August 2005 Canon 'defined a new DSLR category' (their words) with the EOS 5D. Unlike any previous 'full frame' sensor camera, the 5D was the first with a compact body (i.e. not having an integral vertical grip) and has since then proved to be very popular, perhaps because if you wanted a full frame DSLR to use with your Canon lenses and you didn't want the chunky EOS-1D style body then the EOS 5D has been your only choice. Three years on and two competitors have turned up in the shape of the Nikon D700 and Sony DSLR-A900, and Canon clearly believes it's time for a refresh.

So here is the 5D Mark II, which punches high in terms of both resolution and features, headlining: 21 megapixels, 1080p video, 3.0" VGA LCD, Live view, higher capacity battery. In other words, a camera that aims to leapfrog both its direct rivals, either in terms of resolution (in the case of the D700) or features (in the case of the DSLR-A900). Full detail below.

Key features / improvements

21 megapixel CMOS sensor (very similar to the sensor in the EOS-1Ds Mark III)
Sensor dust reduction by vibration of filter
ISO 100 - 6400 calibrated range, ISO 50 - 25600 expansion (1Ds Mark III & 5D max ISO 3200)
Auto ISO (100 - 3200) in all modes except manual
3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
DIGIC 4 processor, new menus / interface as per the EOS 50D
Image processing features:
- Highlight tone priority
- Auto lighting optimizer (4 levels)
- High ISO noise reduction (4 levels)
- Lens peripheral illumination correction (vignetting correction)
RAW and SRAW1 (10 MP) / SRAW2 (5 MP)
RAW / JPEG selection made separately
Permanent display of ISO on both top plate and viewfinder displays
AF microadjustment (up to 20 lenses individually)
Three custom modes on command dial, Creative Auto mode
Image copyright metadata support
98% coverage viewfinder (0.71x magnification)
3.0" 920,000 dot LCD monitor with 'Clear View' cover / coatings, 170° viewing angle
Automatic LCD brightness adjustment (ambient light sensor)
Live view with three mode auto-focus (including face detection)
No mirror-flip for exposures in Live View if contrast detect AF selected
Movie recording in live view (1080p H.264 up to 12 minutes, VGA H.264 up to 24 mins per clip)
Two mode silent shooting (in live view)
New jump options in play mode
HDMI and standard composite (AV) video out
Full audio support: built-in mic and speaker, mic-in socket, audio-out over AV (although not HDMI)
IrPort (supports IR remote shutter release using optional RC1 / RC5 controllers)
UDMA CompactFlash support
New 1800 mAh battery with improved battery information / logging
New optional WFT-E4 WiFi / LAN / USB vertical grip
Water resistance: 10 mm rain in 3 minutes

Apple-iPhone

2008-09-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

Size and weight¹

Height:: 4.5 inches (115.5 mm)
Width:: 2.4 inches (62.1 mm)
Depth:: 0.48 inch (12.3 mm)
Weight:: 4.7 ounces (133 grams)

Color

8GB model: Black
16GB model: Black or white

Capacity²

8GB or 16GB flash drive

Cellular and wireless

UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

GPS

Assisted GPS

In the box

iPhone 3G
Stereo Headset with mic
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation
Cleaning/polishing cloth
SIM eject tool

Display

3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit

Headphones

Stereo earphones with built-in microphone
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms

Video

Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Camera and photos

2.0 megapixels
Photo geotagging
iPhone and third-party application integration

Language support

Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish
International keyboard and dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canada), German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean (no dictionary), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish

Mail attachment support

Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Connectors and input/output

30-pin dock connector
3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
Built-in speaker
Microphone
SIM card tray

External buttons and controls

Sleep/wake
Ring/silent
Volume up/down
Home

Sensors

Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor

Power and battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery³
Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
Talk time:⁴
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 10 hours on 2G
Standby time: Up to 300 hours⁵
Internet use:
Up to 5 hours on 3G⁶
Up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi⁷
Video playback: Up to 7 hours⁸
Audio playback: Up to 24 hours⁹

Mac system requirements

Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
iTunes 7.7 or later

Windows system requirements

PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
iTunes 7.7 or later

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F
(0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F
(-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

What is Flat Screen Plasma Technology?

2008-09-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

Flat panel plasma display is the latest display technology and the best way to achieve displays with excellent image quality and large, flat screen sizes that are easily viewable in any environment. Plasma panels are an array of cells, known as pixels, which are composed of three sub pixels, corresponding to the colors red, green, and blue. Gas in the plasma state is used to react with phosphors in each sub pixel to produce colored light (red, green, or blue). These phosphors are the same types used in cathode ray tube (CRT) devices such as televisions and standard computer monitors. You get the rich dynamic colors that you expect. Each sub pixel is individually controlled by advanced electronics to produce over 16 million different colors. All of this means that you get perfect images that are easily viewable in a display that is less than six inches thick.

Superior Performance

With flat panel plasma screens, in addition to bright, crisp images, there are other advantages. Unlike projection screens, which are designed to concentrate reflection to a narrow viewing area for brightness, plasma screens permit an exceptionally broad viewing angle -- over 160 degrees. This means that no matter where audience members are in the room, the brightness and clarity come through. And unlike conventional television screens, plasma panels are absolutely flat. This reduces glare and permits viewers to see the entirety of the screen from a broader perspective. Since panels are backlit rather than reflective (as in projection), they perform exceptionally well in bright environments.

Versatile and Ready

Plasma panels are available in a variety of configurations. Along with varying resolutions, panels come in two aspect ratios: 4:3 and 16:9. 4:3 ratio is the same as conventional televisions and computer monitors. Where, as is the case with current broadcast standards, the media has been formatted for these devices, 4:3 ratio delivers a quality picture that fills the entire screen. Presentations that have been prepared on conventional monitors will appear as they did on the original authoring platform, completely filling the screen. There is an exception in SXGA (1280 x 1024) resolutions, where the actual aspect ratio is 5:4, due to legacy issues of that pixel count.

In the 16:9 ratio, plasma panels are capable of delivering wide-screen media without "letterboxing" or blanking of parts of the screen. Wide screen panels are typically capable of higher resolution in data modes and capable of displaying wide screen video formats such as HDTV. What's more, 16:9 panels are also capable of displaying media prepared for traditional 4:3 screens via letterboxing. With video cards available from Plasma-USA, users can take advantage of the larger perspective by preparing presentations and other media for wide-screen showing.

A Note About DTV and HDTV

On April 4, 1997, the FCC ushered in digital television (DTV) by giving 6MHz of spectrum to approximately 1,500 stations for DTV broadcasting. The decree required the three commercial networks in the top ten markets to broadcast digitally by May 1, 1999, with markets 11 through 30 online by November 1, 1999. All stations must broadcast digitally by 2006, when their current analog spectrum is scheduled to revert back to the Fed.

While there is only one standard, there are 18 different video formats. The first split is between high definition and standard definition TV. Six of the video formats in the ATSC DTV standard are high definition TV: these are the 1080-line by 1920-pixel formats at 24 and 30 frames per second (1080i) , and at 60 fields per second for interlaced HDTV, and the 720-line by 1280-pixel formats at 24, 30 and 60 fps (720p). The HDTV formats have a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The 12 video formats which compose the remainder are standard definition television -- not high definition. These consist of the 480-line by 704-pixel formats in 16:9 wide screen and 4:3 aspect ratios (at the 24, 30 and 60 pictures per second rates); and the 480-line by 640-pixel format at a 4:3 aspect ratio at the same picture rates.

The formats which represent HDTV are 1020i and 720p. The "i" and the "p" in the format names refer to interlaced and progressive scanning. In interlaced scanning, half of the lines in a full frame are scanned onto the screen in a sixtieth of a second, followed by the remaining half of the scan lines in the next sixtieth. The odd lines are scanned first, then filled in by the even lines.

In an attempt to meet expectations, many plasma manufacturers are building both standards into their units. For a quick comparison of the HDTV readiness, refer to our buyer's guide.

Aspect ratios explained
Plasma screens are mainly available in one of the two aspect ratios below:

4:3 aspect ratio - This is the same shape screen as a computer monitor or non-wide screen television. The width of the screen being 4 parts long and 3 parts high.
16:9 aspect ratio - This is the 'wide screen' television screen shape. The width of the screen being 16 parts long and 9 parts high.

Connection to equipment

42" and 50" plasma screens from any manufacturer can be connected to a computer and a video source such as a video recorder, TV, DVD player or satellite system. If, for example, you connect the plasma screen to a video recorder and a computer, you can then use the remote control to switch between the two as required. This can be very useful for presentations/training/induction's where you need to use presentation software such as PowerPoint but also show a video in the middle.

LCD monitors versus plasma screens

LCD monitors are very thin flat screen computer monitors. They range from around 12 to 20 inches in size and come in two sorts: computer LCD monitors and video LCD monitors. LCD technology limits the maximum size of the display. Plasma screens use a different technology and can therefore have sizes over 60 inches.
Plasma screens have a viewing angle of 160 degrees, which in plain English means that if you look at it from the side, you see a good clear image. LCD screens vary in quality but most do not give a good image unless you look straight at them. They is very noticeable on notebook computer screens.
Plasma technology is also unaffected by magnetic fields unlike CRT technology used in normal computer monitors.

What sizes do plasma screens come in?
Currently, these are:

21" 4:3 aspect ratio
25" 4:3 aspect ratio
33" 4:3 aspect ratio
37" 4:3 aspect ratio
40" 4:3 aspect ratio
42" 16:9 aspect ratio (wide screen) - Most Popular size
50" 16:9 aspect ratio (wide screen) - Widely Accepted size
60"/61" plasma screens now on the market.

Speakers

Some Plasma screens have built-in speakers for a limited volume output from either your computer or video. Most also have speakers that can be attached to the plasma screen to increase this volume and give better quality sound. These are optional extras at additional cost.

Apple Macintosh computers and UNIX workstations

Plasma screens will work with PC's, Apple Macintosh computers and UNIX workstations. With some Apple computers, you will need a small device called a MAC adapter costing around £10 to connect to the plasma screen. These are supplied as standard on some screens but not all.

Lifespan of plasma screens

This varies considerably between manufacturers but usually from 20,000 to 30,000 hours. After this time the plasma screen will only be at around half the original brightness. 20,000 hours is 833 days or 2.3 years of continuous 24-hour use. At the end of the plasma screen's life, the screen will be very dull and you will need to replace the plasma screen with a new one. This is one advantage plasma screens have over LCD projectors which have a bulb life of usually 2,000 hours before replacement.

The distance that plasma screens can be from the computer

All plasma screens come supplied with a cable that connects into the monitor port (or external monitor port on notebooks) to display the computer's image. These are normally around two meters in length. You can purchase longer cables up to ten meters in length so that you can position the computer further away.
30'-35' is the maximum distance that the computer's signal will travel without the picture being degraded with loss of image quality. There are devices on the market that can be used to extend this distance:
Booster boxes and extra cabling to extend the distance between the computer and plasma screen

Scan converters

Some plasma screens are only made to display a low resolution, for example 640 x 480 pixels. A scan converter will take a larger resolution, for example 800 x 600 pixels, from a computer and then output to the plasma screen at the lower resolution (640 x 480). It does this using a technique called 'compression' which will miss-out some of the lines from the original image in order to display a picture.

Scan converters to turn the computer signal into an RGB signal that will travel long distances on RGB cabling. This is turning the digital computer output into a video signal so that it will travel further distances to the plasma screen.
Many 42" and 50" plasma screens have a built-in scan converter. This is how a 852 x 480 pixel 42" screen can display an XGA image, i.e. one made up of 1024 x 768 pixels. Some quality and detail is lost by using scan converters.

Brightness and contrast ratio

Plasma screen brightness is measured in candelas. Plasma screens generally range from 50 to 550 candelas. 250 candelas is television level brightness.
The contrast ratio is the difference in definition between the colors black and white when displayed on screen. The higher the number the better the definition.

Using plasma screens with more than one computer

In a conference/board room setting, users with notebooks can simply take it in turns to connect the plasma screen cable into the external monitor ports on their notebook computers. You can also purchase switch boxes that allow several computers to connect to a plasma screen at once. On the switch box is a button for each input computer, which when pressed, will show that computer's picture on the plasma screen.

TV tuners

Very few screens have a built-in TV tuner which allows the plasma screen to act as a normal television by picking up terrestrial TV channels and also Teletext. The Universal 42" plasma screen and the Philips Flat Screen television both have this feature as standard. Optional television tuners are available from other manufacturers.

Split screen plasma screens

Some plasma screens have split-screen and picture-in-picture functions. This can be very useful in public areas as you can display information on one side and display adverts on the other side. This can be even used to generate a revenue from advertising. Universal 42" and 50" screens are the only ones currently available with the split screen feature and picture in picture. Eizo produce a 50" plasma screen with picture in picture but this is limited to 3 set sizes. You can use these features with 1 computer and 1 video input or 2 video inputs at the same time without additional hardware.

Can I use a plasma screen without a computer or video recorder?

You can think about a plasma screen as the same an a computer monitor. If the computer is not attached then nothing is displayed.
However, some older discontinued plasma screens, for example the Fujitsu PDS-4204, had a built-in PCMCIA card slot feature. This allowed you to download still images from a PC to an PCMCIA card (a credit card sized memory card) and insert this card into the plasma screen. The screen would then display still images (without sound).

Mounting

If you are planning to mount the plasma screen on a wall and you do not want cables going to a desktop computer, you can purchases mini-computers that will sit in the very small gap between the wall mount bracket and the plasma screen.

Connecting to plasma screens by telephone and modem

You may need to update the images displayed on a plasma screen remotely. For example, if the plasma screen is used as an advertising board in a shopping center. You will need:
A computer attached to the plasma screen
A modem attached to the computer
A dedicated telephone line that you can dial into
2 copies of remote control software such as PC-Duo. PC-Duo is loaded on the plasma screen computer and sit waiting for you to dial into it by modem (can be password protected). You then take control of the plasma screen PC so that you see what's on the plasma screen and can change what is displayed or fix any problems.

Video walls

Plasma screens can be connected together to display a single image as a video wall. You then have the option of:
Displaying a huge single image between all the screens on the wall
Displaying the same image on all the component screens
Displaying a different image on each screen
You will need a control box to connect all the screens together. Some plasma screens also come with the hardware to do this built-in so that you can connect several of them together as an instant video wall. The NEC 50PD1 and 42PD2 screens have this feature. You can buy 2 or 4 screen mounting brackets to connect the screens together into the video wall. The Eizo 50" screen also has this feature.

Class A and Class B plasma screens

Electromagnetic wave standard Class B is required for the home market all over the world. Class A is for standard commercial use.

Home cinema

Plasma screens are very impressive mounted on a wall for use as a television screen or for watching movies. Most plasma screens do not have built-in tuners to pick up television signals so you need to connect them to your video recorder or satellite system. You need to purchase a plasma screen that is class B (see above).

Plasma screen inputs

You will need to see the specification sheet of each plasma screen for its inputs. See the manufacturers section. They usually have several different types of video input and a cable to plug directly into a computer.

Accessories

Most plasma screens are supplied without any type of stand. The stands are available at extra cost, but you will need to purchase one of them.
Ceiling-mount Bracket
Normally fully adjustable so that you can possible a plasma screen with ease. Double sided ones are available to mount 2 screens.
Desk Top Stand
These are ideal for exhibitions or on top of boardroom tables.

Speakers

Most plasma screens have built-in speakers. The optional speakers attach to the side of the screen to increase maximum volume.

Speaker Stands

For use with optional speakers (see above) for table top use.

Wall-mounting Bracket

These allow the screen a small amount of tilt up and down. Some can even be adjusted left or right.

Flight Case

This is an expensive extra which is designed to fully protect plasma's during shipping. Most screens arrive in cardboard boxes. Flight cases are ideal for hire companies.

Wide screen 16:9 aspect ratio

Normal computer graphics cards output in a 4:3 aspect ratio, e.g. 800 x 600. These cards can be used to output in a 16:9 aspect ratio, for example 852 x 480. This is only necessary for exact pixel by pixel control of the screen. Screens will automatically display normal computer images without problem.

Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB Home Theater Projector

2008-09-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB Projector Highlights:

* Best in class black levels - superior to any sub-$3000 projector I've seen yet, and better than most under twice that price.
* Excellent shadow detail
* Sharp - better than average - for 1080p projectors
* Good, not great, out of the box color accuracy, needs some work, for best enjoyment
* A bright Dynamic mode that really does the trick. Excellent on sports and HDTV, with some ambient light
* Solidly built
* Vertical and horizontal lens shift, and zoom lens with lots of range for excellent placement flexibility
* Excellent, best in class warranty
* 2 HDMI 1.3 inputs, with support for 1080p 24fps

Sony PlasmaPro FWD-42PV1/B Black 42" Plasma Display

2008-09-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

Key Specifications

Sony PlasmaPro FWD-42PV1/B 42 " Plasma Display

Manufacturer		Sony
Manufacturer Part #		FWD-42PV1/B
Plasma Display	Type	HDTV Plasma Display
	Display Area	Diagonal: 42 "
	Resolution	852 x 480
	Aspect Ratio	16:9
	Contrast Ratio	10,000:1
	Brightness	500 cd/m2
	Number of Colors (Gray Levels)	1.07 Billion Colors
Cabinet Color		Black
Signal Input	Input Video Signal	Component Video Composite Video Digital Y/C
	Frequency	Horizontal: 15KHz to 75 KHz Vertical: 50 Hz to 75 Hz
	Input Connectors	1 x Y/C (Mini Din 4) 1 x Component Video 1 x Composite Video 1 x Digital
Dimensions (W x H x D)	Unit	40.7" x 24.9 " x 4.0"
Weight	Unit	65.9 lbs.
Warranty		2 Years Parts and Labor, 1 Year Panel
Includes in the Box		Sony PlasmaPro FWD-42PV1/B 42" Plasma Display DVI-D Cable AC Power Cord Operating Instruction AC Plug Holder (2) AA/R6 Size Battery(2) Cable Holder (4) RS232C and Multi Function Remote

42" Plasma Monitor
852 x 480 Resolution 16:9 panel(viewable area, measured diagonally)

Digital Video Input (DVI-D)
The DVI-D HDCP input function offers a high picture quality when used with a DVI-equipped PC(DVI video cable is supplied).

High Contrast
Ultra-high panel brightness and contrast (10,000:1 contrast ratio). Ideal for television, HD content or PC signals.

Long Life Panel
60,000 hours to half brightness

Screen Saver Functions
Full Screen Saver Functions including Auto Dimmer functions and on/off timer.

Digital Stereo Audio Amplifier
7 Watt Digital Stereo Audio Amplifier with optional speakers (SS-SP42FW/S)

Standard Definition and High Definition Formats
Displays Standard Definition and High Definition Formats Including 1080/60i, 720/60P, 1080/24Psf, and 480/60p Video

Mounting Flexibility
All models can be mounted in various positions to meet different user applications, whether placed on the optional stand*, installed on a wall, or hung.

Sophisticated Style
Versatile and Stylish design with its simple yet sophisticated appearance, the PlasmaPro Series offers a stylish, high impact way to convey graphical messages.

Superb Quality, Minimal Space
With excellent installation flexibility,these slim and lightweight displays provide large, superb-quality images in minimal space.

Hitachi DZ-BD7HA Camcorder

2008-09-03T11:10:00.001-07:00

Blu-ray Disc Hybrid Camcorder with Built-in 30GB HDD
FullHD (1920 x 1080) High Definition Video Recording

Performance Features
5.3 Mega Pixel 1/2.8” CMOS Image Sensor
Captures high definition video through a newly developed
CMOS image sensor that can record video at
1920x1080/60Hz and still images at 2400x1800 pixels.

8cm BD-RE/-R/DVD Drive
Hitachi has developed a compact, low power consuming,
quiet and highly reliable 8cm BD/DVD drive which
is compatible with five types of industry standard discs:
BD-RE/-R, DVD-RAM/-RW/-R.

30GB Built-in HDD
Enables the hybrid camcorder to record up to four hours
of 1920x1080 video or eight hours of 1440x1080 video.

Hitachi Exclusive High Resolution Image Processing LSI
Efficiently analyzes large volumes of data captured by
the 5.3 Mega Pixel CMOS image sensor and improves
picture quality by reducing noise and delivering vibrant
colors.

Easy Dubbing
With the 1-touch dubbing feature users can burn entire
movies saved on the HDD to BD. Alternatively, you
can create your own highlight reel by selecting on the
highlight scenes.

Transcoding
Allows for users to select high definition video stored on
the HDD to be transferred to standard definition DVD
copies using the 1-touch dubbing feature.

Photo Capture
Select any frame from your movies on the camcorder
and turn them into a 2.07 Mega Pixel digital still photograph.
Simply save the photo to an SD™ card and then
print or share.

1-Second Quick Start
Simply have the camcorder in standby mode and in one
second the camcorder is up and recording. Not only
is the camcorder ready to record instantly but it’s also
consuming less power.

Built In “Interactive Guide”
An instructional utility program built into the camcorder
that guides users through setup and input/output connections
with peripherals.

Disc Navigation
Instant Access to Selected Scenes and In-Camera
Editing Features
Widescreen 2.7” LCD View Finder
16:9 Widescreen Recording

Video Recording
• Recording Media
HDD: 30GB HDD (Embedded)
BD1: 8cm BD-RE/-R
DVD1: 8cm DVD-R/-RW/-RAM

• Recording Format
HDD: 30GB HDD (Embedded)
BD1: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
(BD-R Ver.2.0/BD-RE Ver.3.0)
DVD1: MPEG-2 (DVD VR/DVD-Video Mode)

• Recording Time
HDD: 4 hours (HX mode) 1920x1080
: 5.3 hours (HF mode) 1440x1080
: 8 hours (HS mode) 1440x1080
BD1: 1 hour (HX mode) 1920x1080
: 1.3 hours (HF mode) 1440x1080
: 2 hours (HS mode) 1440x1080
DVD1: 20 Min (SX mode) 720x480
: 30 Min (SF mode) 720x480
Video Dubbing/Transfer

• Transfer of Video from HDD to BD or DVD
- 2x Dubbing/Transfer Speed (BD Only)
- One Touch Dubbing Button
- Dubbing Selection By: New/Date/Select/All
Still Image Recording

• Media: SD™ Card (Up to 2-GB)

• Format: JPEG (DCF/Exif 2.2)

• Max Res.: 2400x1800 (4.32 Mega Pixels)

• Quantity: Approx 200 per 512mb SD Card

• Built in Flash…Auto/On/Off

• 2.07 Mega Pixel (1920x1080) Still Photo Capture
from High Definition Video
Lens

• HD lens 12 element in 9 group, 18 surfaces multicoated
lens

• EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)

• Auto/Manual Focus

• Optical/Digital Zoom: 10x/500x2

• Filter Diameter: 43mm

• Aperture: F/1.8 – F/3.0

• Focal Length: f/5.0 – 50mm
- Video: 47 – 470mm (35 mm equivalent)
- Still: 34.5 – 345mm (35 mm equivalent)

Inputs/Outputs
(1) HDMI Output
(1) Component Video Output
(1) USB 2.0 PC Connection
(1) S-Video Output
(1) Composite AV Output
(1) Microphone Input3
Audio

• 2 Channel Stereo Dolby Digital
Power Consumption

• 5.7W (EVF BD)4
Battery Life

• 100 min (EVF)5
Supplied Accessories

• Battery
- DZ-BP14S (Li-ion 1360mAh)

• 8 cm BD-RE Disc

• USB Cable

• PC Software for Video Authoring

• Multi-connector AV Cable

• Remote Control Unit

• Battery for Remote

• Disc Cleaning Cloth

• Instruction Manual and Quick Guide
Dimensions (estimated)

• Height: 3 2/5”

• Width: 3 1/5” (excluding hand strap)

• Depth: 6 1/2”

• Weight: 1 lb 6 1/3 oz. (w/o battery/disc)
Warranty

• 1-Year Parts Warranty, 90-Day Labor Warranty
1 Single-layer disc
2 Digital Zoom works for video shooting only.
3 Plug-in power type microphone can be used.
4 HX mode, HDD recording, with LCD display off
5 Measured under HX Mode, Auto AE, Manual Focus, LCD off,
with battery type DZ-BP14S
All specifications, features and dimensions are subject
to change without notice. Refer to www.hitachi.us/tv for
updates or more information.
© 2007 Hitachi Ltd. All trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

Nikon D3

2008-08-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

kon D3 Key Features

First ever Nikon DSLR with a Full-Frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor (dubbed the 'FX' format)
12.1 megapixel full-frame sensor (8.45µm pixel pitch)
ISO 200 - 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25600)
Also supports DX lenses, viewfinder automatically masks (5.1 megapixels with DX lens)
5:4 ratio crop mode (10 megapixels, up to 9 fps, viewfinder masked)
14-bit A/D conversion, 12 channel readout
Nikon EXPEED image processor (Capture NX processing and NR algorithms, lower power)
Super fast operation (power-up 12 ms, shutter lag 41 ms, black-out 74 ms)
New Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 300,000 exposure durability
New Multi-CAM3500FX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage)
Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) now available (fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings)
Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor)
Picture Control image parameter presets (replace Color Modes I, II and III)
Custom image parameters now support brightness as well as contrast
Nine frames per second continuous with auto-focus tracking
Eleven frames per second continuous without auto-focus tracking
Ten / eleven frames per second continuous in DX-crop mode (AF / no-AF)
Dual Compact Flash card slots (overflow, back-up, RAW on 1 / JPEG on 2, copy)
Compact Flash UDMA support
3.0" 922,000 pixel LCD monitor
Live View with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast detect Auto Focus
Virtual horizon indicates if camera is level (like an aircraft cockpit display)
HDMI HD video output
'Active D-Lighting' (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
Detailed 'Control Panel' type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness
Buttons sealed against moisture
Dual battery charger as standard

Dell 3400MP DLP Micro Portable Projector

2008-08-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

Technology: DLP front projector, 2X color wheel
Native Resolution: XGA 1024x768
Brightness: 1500 lumens
Contrast: 2100:1
Zoom Lens ratio: 1.5:1
Lens shift: None
Lamp life: 3000 hours at full power, 4000 hours in Eco-mode
Weight: 2.4 lbs.

Dell 3400MP DLP Projector: Pros

Very bright in Presentation mode, good brightness in Film and Video mode
Physical size and weight - this projector provides a lot of punch in a tiny package
Very sharp image
Good warranty, with lots of options, including accident coverage
Lamp life, a most impressive 3000/4000 hour (eco-mode/full power) rating
Very good color accuracy in Movie mode, suitable for color accurate presentations
Some documentation is good, specifically the quick Setup Guide
Compression technology for handling widescreen resolutions is very good
Very g ood remote control, buttons are laid out logically, well spaced
Very good menus, despite requiring hitting an exit item to move back up levels
Physically cute, and yet impressive
Functional, small and attractive semi-hard shoulder case
Excellent - Remote allows control of presentations, and full remote mouse control
Audio output
Price performance - considering that you do pay a premium for such a small projector, this projector is an excellent value among the smallest and lightest competition
And of course, mobility

Dell 3400MP DLP Projector: Cons

Color performance in Presentation preset - Reds and Yellows are weak(although typical of most DLP portable projectors)
Documentation sometimes thin, weak index, for example couldn't find info about remote mousing in manual (fortunately they indicate it in the setup card)
Menu control system, despite four arrow system, relies on Exit key to move back up levels, requiring extra keystrokes (no big deal)
Limited inputs, only one computer in (accepts analog or digital), no monitor out (that means primarily for laptop users), you can't have component video and a computer hooked up at hte same time.
Very limited zoom range (1.15:1), although typical for such a small projector at least a couple do a bit better (InFocus 70+, for example has a slightly better 1.25:1)

Dell 3400MP DLP Projector: Typical Capabilities

Ease of Use
Audible noise levels (for a projector this small)
Build quality

Canon Vixia HF11 Camcorder

2008-08-27T22:14:00.001-07:00

Still Features (9.25)
Canon stocks its camcorders with ample still features, and the HF11 received the same set found on the HF10. While the Panasonic HDC-SD9 only offers 1920 x 1080 still image capturing, the HF11 can capture stills in the following sizes: (Photo Mode) 2048 x 1536, 1920 x 1080, 1440 x 1080, and 640 x 480; (Video Mode) 1920 x 1080 and 848 x 480. Images can be captured in Super Fine, Fine, or Normal quality and saved to either the 32GB of internal flash memory or an SDHC card.

We experienced a significant bug with the HF10—when capturing images to the internal flash memory, it would take an exceedingly long time to actually save each file. Up to 20 seconds per image could be spent waiting for the darn thing to save. Well, the HF11 has solved this glitch—to an extent. Now, there is minimal wait time after capturing an image, let's say roughly three seconds. However, we still experienced a random occurrences of huge lag times—up to 45 seconds to process. This is a finicky system, and Canon needs to fix it.

All Manual Controls that are available in Video mode are also available in Photo mode—Exposure, Focus, White Balance, etc. You can also set Scene Priority modes, though Cine color is not available in Photo mode. Image Effects can be applied in Photo mode, but they are limited to Black & White and Sepia Tone. A Self Timer can be set to 10 seconds and images can be played back in 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10-second intervals. The HF11's flash has three settings: Auto, Manual, and On.

Like all high-end Canons, the HF11 can meter an image in three different modes: Evaluative, Center Weight Average, and Spot. In Evaluative mode, the screen is divided into multiple sections to obtain an average exposure for the entire image, which is applicable for most shooting environments. The Center Weight Average mode hones in on the subject in the middle of the frame and adjusts the exposure according to the subject's information. In Spot Meter mode, a certain portion of the screen is matched to the subject in the center of the frame.

There are also four speed modes that images can be captured in: Single, Continuous Shooting, Hi-speed Continuous Shooting, and Auto Exposure Bracketing. In Single mode, only one image is snapped per press of the Photo button. About five images are captured per Photo button press in Continuous mode. In Hi-speed Continuous Shooting mode, five images are recorded at once but at twice the speed of Continuous Shooting. Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) will capture three images—one at Auto exposure, one at an EV notch up (+0.25EV), and one at an EV notch down (-0.25EV) for a selection of different Exposure levels.

The Photo menu can be accessed by pressing the Function button located on the LCD panel. All options are arranged vertically like the Video Function menu. The Photo menu contains the following items:

Photo Function Menu
Shooting Modes	Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Portrait
Shot Metering	Evaluative, Center Weight Average, Spot
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual
Image Effects	Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Soft Skin Detail, Custom
Digital Effects	Black & White, Sepia
Capture Speed Mode	Single, Continuous Shooting, Hispeed Continuous Shooting, AEB
Image Quality	LW (1920 x 1080), L (2048 x 1536), M (1440 x 1080), S (640 x 480)

The Photo Administrative menu contains the following options:

Photo Administrative Menu
Camera Setup	Self Timer, Zoom Speed, AF Mode, Focus Assist, AF Assist Lamp, Focus Priority, Image Stabilization, Auto Slow Shutter, Review
Memory Operations	Memory Info, Card Info, Media: Movies, Media: Images, Initialize
System Setup	Battery Info, Wireless Remote, Beep, Power Save, Quick Start, Image Numbers, Component Out, HDMI Status
Date/Time Setup	Time Zone/District, Date/Time, Date Format
Close	Close

The HF11 is close to a low grade digital camera in terms of features, so you will get a lot out of still image capture on this camcorder.

Still Performance (5.5)
The still performance of the Canon HF11 was tested shooting an X-Rite Color Checker chart, then running the stills through Imatest imaging software to determine color accuracy, noise, and saturation. At best, the Canon HF11 produced a color error of 10.9.

This color error was identical to the Canon HF10. The HF11 scored more poorly than everything else in its class, sadly—the Panasonic HDC-HS100 (and HDC-SD100, presumably), the JVC GZ-HD40, Sony HDR-SR12 (and Sony HDR-CX12, presumably), and Samsung SC-HMX20 all offer more accurate color in their still photos.

The noise measures 1.4825%. This score, fortunately, is closer to the average. Only the Samsung SC-HMX20 and Panasonic HDC-HS100 were better—though both were better by far. Finally, the saturation measured 114.6%.

Out of the lab, the Canon HF11's stills produce a very noticeable amount of noise. The manual control set, described in the previous section, is quite good, but this is no replacement for your still camera.

Still Resolution (23.98)
The still resolution of the Canon HF11 was tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light. The photos are then run through Imatest imaging software to determine the resolution, measured in line widths per picture height (lw/ph). At best, the HF11 produced a horizontal resolution of 1341 lw/ph —with a 0.97% clipping and a 3.02% oversharpening. The vertical resolution measured 1312 lw/ph—with a 2.07% clipping and a 7.55% oversharpening. These scores were a little lower than the Canon HF10, inexplicably so, but was otherwise average for a camcorder in this class. We're planning on re-running these tests immediately, so stay tuned for an updated set of results soon.

Step Forward with Nikon’s New D90 Finally a mid-class D-SLR with movie function

2008-08-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

ikon D90 Other Features

Gives you quick response, with 0.15-second start-up, 65 ms shutter release time lag and 4.5 fps continuous shooting.
3-in., approx. 920-k dot high-resolution LCD monitor with wide viewing angle that lets you change composition of the frame during shooting from various angles and easily confirm your image during playback.
Built-in flash with 18mm lens coverage, Guide Number of approx. 18/59 (ISO 200, m/ft., 20°C/68°F) and Nikon’s original i-TTL flash control; works as a commander; controlling up to two groups of remote Speedlights.
Highly efficient energy-saving design allows approx. 850 images on a single charge of the Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e. (CIPA standard, with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, with 50% of pictures taken with flash)
Extensive playback functions offer ample options for viewing and selecting the right shot, including 72-frame playback, calendar playback and histogram display for magnified portion of the image. ? Versatile Pictmotion menu creates slideshows combining five choices of both background music and image effects.
Compatible with HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output.
Supports the Nikon Creative Lighting System when using the SB-900, SB-800, SB-600 Speedlight, or Wireless Close-up Speedlight System R1C1; ensures accurate exposures via i-TTL flash control.
Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D80 (Optional, in common with the D80) gives you the choice of using one or two Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries EN-EL3e or six R6/AA-size batteries to extend battery life.
New optional Remote Cord MC-DC2 enables shutter release and long time exposures (bulb) remotely.
With the new optional GPS Unit GP-1, location information such as latitude, longitude, altitude and time is automatically recorded to each image’s EXIF data.
Included Nikon ViewNX image browsing and editing software lets you organize, label and select images as well as perform RAW image editing adjustments and conversions.
Optional Capture NX 2 photo-editing software features patented U-Point® technology and powerful tools for quick and easy photo editing including enhanced RAW (NEF) Editing.

Sony VPL-VW60 Home Theater Projector

2008-08-27T21:51:00.001-07:00

* 1080p native resolution home theater projector
* Almost identical to previous model - Sony Pearl VW50, including very flexible placement
* Very film-likeThe Sony VPL-VW60 projector.
* Average lamp life
* Out of the box color is not good, needs serious adjustment
* Average brightness in "best" movie mode, below average brightness overall
* Flexible in terms of placement with 1.8:1 zoom and lens shift
* Black levels and shadow detail improve only slightly vs VW50, however they are better than any other sub-$5000 1080p projector tested so far
* An excellent projector value for those primarily seeking best movie viewing or for general use on small to medium sized screens