Tech Digest

Toshiba goes budget-friendly with the TDP-S35U DLP projector

Projectors are no longer the rich person's plaything, reasonable models with realistic price tags are becoming more commonplace on the shelves, like this Toshiba TDP-S35U projector, just launched in the US for $699 - that's around £376.

Don't expect HD/HDMI for that money, but it's still a decent model for dipping your toe into the water. It;s got an SVGA resolution, 2000:1 contrast ratio, 2000 ANSI lumens, DLP technology and a wireless remote. Ports include dual VGA inputs, composite / S-Video connectors, audio inputs / outputs, and a VGA passthrough to forward the signal onto an additional display.

It's out on the US later this month. No word as yet for a UK launch.

Toshiba website

Via Engadget

Denon roll out four home cinema AV receivers

Denon have released four feature-rich home cinema receivers, with prices starting at just £250. Each model builds upon the feature set of the lower spec one.

All decks including the entry-level AVR-1507 feature:
- Discrete 7.1 amplifier with 7 x 110 W output
- Auto Setup with high quality Audio Technica microphone
- New easy to use ERGO remote
- 32-Bit floating point DSP, full 96 kHz processing, 192 kHz DACs
- Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS-NEO:6, DTS 96/24
- Audio Delay (0-200 ms), Night Mode
- 8 channel EXT in for future sound formats
- S-Video, 3 component, 2 coaxial digital, 2 optical digital inputs
- Dock Control connector for ASD-1R dock for iPod

On top of that, the AVR-1707 (priced at £300) and above features assignable surround back amplifier for Front bi-amping, digital component video conversion, and 3 assignable component inputs.

Moving up, the AVR-1907 at £400 beefs up to 120W per channel, On Screen Displays for all functions including iPod, all aluminium front panel and controls, 3 digital inputs, and digital output.

Finally, the top of range AVR-2307 pumps out 135 watts per channel, 1080p HD-Ready HDMI repeater and switching, HDMI Video conversion, Auto Setup with Parametric Room EQ, Pure Direct mode for music, 5 S-Video inputs and 4 optical digital inputs, and a phono input.

Sorry that sounded like a compete spec sheet - believe me this is Denon so there's a whole lot more detail than that - they've never skimped on telling you exactly what their machines are capable of, that's for sure.

These units are generally a little easier on the wallet, too, which is good to see. They're labelled the 2007 Range, though they're available now.

Denon web site

Display your alien, glowing DNA in a GloFrame

Send Generate a DNA sample and they'll make art out of it. Using "proprietary 'edgelighting' technology" to smoothly light up this slice of your protoplasm, it looks somewhat like a rather expensive screensaver on a monitor gone walkabout. Comes in green, blue, gray, red, black, bronze and white. $900 USD for the 18"x24" size; $1300 USD for 24"x36". [GT]

Your DNA as Art [via Trendhunter]

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Google in talks with Apple over iTV?

  According to a report in Newsweek, Google is in talks with Apple with regards to supplying video clips for Apple's soon-to-launch iTV service.

iTV was unveiled by Apple last week's press conference as a solution for watching your downloaded movies and video clips on your TV - streaming the video via wireless technology. Talks between Google and Apple could result in access for iTV users to thousands of videos submitted to Google video via a simple menu item, with other menus offering access to movie trailers.

It all sounds like a nice add-on, but it's still not clear when the service will see a UK launch (the US is earmarked for early 2007) or indeed if they dare stick with that name over here. Hopefully both matters will be cleared up in the coming weeks.

Apple website

Via The Register

Marantz VP-1151 high-def projector

Marantz have launched a feature-rich high-definition projector in their VP-1151, and done it all for under ten grand. It also looks pretty good, and just a little different to other offerings out there.

It can display the holy grail of 1080p HD content, and the image can be up to seven metres diagonally and still be pin sharp. That's big, if you've got the wall to show it on. It has a contrast ratio of 6500:1 and a brightness of 700 lumens, and can generate over 68 billion colours.

It's based on the latest DLP 0,95” 1080p single DMD chip from Texas Instruments, has a 10-bit professional Gennum GF9351 Video Exellence Processing (VXP) chipset designed specifically for the projector, plus CEC (Chroma Error Compensation) for sharp edges, and a seven segment colour wheel with neutral density (ND) filter.

Connections-wise, there are two HDMI inputs, plus HD-ready component inputs. There's a remote handset with backlight. The projector has a noise-reducing aluminium chassis which almost eliminates fan noise.

What's also impressive is the price tag - ten pence short of £10,000 is very good going for a 1080p projector at the moment. If you're serious about HD projection, this could be a contender.

It's available now from Marantz (Product page)

Apple's grand plans: iTunes, movies, iTV, home entertainment Appleised...

Steve Jobs delivered a speech yesterday that initially sounded like a basic product and software update but became a glimpse at Apple's plans for moving into the living room. Here's the highlights:

iTunes 7

We expected an upgrade to the iTunes software. Available to download right away, the software better manages music and other digital media (most of which we can't get hold of in the UK yet). There are new views to display your music by track, album or virtual CD rack. Apple have offered anyone with an iTunes store ID free album art downloads, so long as that music is in the store of course.

The virtual CD rack looks pretty good, assuming you get a decent amount of album art - otherwise it looks a bit empty.

An aside, though, is that I've found both iTunes 6 and 7 crash out on an Intel Mac when trying to run the visualiser. Hopefully that'll get fixed in an update, unless it's something to do with my setup. Anyone else noticed this?

Movies

We also expected the iTunes Store to begin selling movies in earnest. What we got was something that seemed to show that deals are still to be done, and there could be licensing problems. Apple have managed to get Disney-owned studios on board (hardly surprising). Oh, and just to make us jealous, this is all US only at present:

Today, there are 75 films online from Walt Disney, Pixar, Touchstone, Miramax. Apple will be adding more each week and month. Downloads will reach near DVD quality (at least for a NTSC DVD) at 640x480 resolution. Steve Jobs cited a 30 minute download on a 5 Mbps broadband connection.

New releases will cost $12.99 for the first week, then $14.99. Many other titles $9.99. Steve says that they hope to go international on this from 2007, and that iTunes movie releases will be on the same day as the DVD.

New iPods

Read about the new Shuffle, nanos and 5G iPods.

iTV

The 'one more thing' this time is the iTV (working title) - Apple's planned entry into the centre of your living room.

Steve built up to it by talking about getting movies and TV programmes on your iPod and your computer (a Mac of course, he said he was biased) - but how about when you want to watch movies on your new big screen flat-panel TV (who doesn't?)

The solution? iTV - a box half the size of the Mac Mini that acts as a set top box in your home cinema setup, and wirelessly or via Ethernet streams digital content from your Mac or PC. It'll have a built in PSU, USB, Ethernet, 802.11 wireless technology (G or draft N is not clear), optical audio and HDMI ports, and RCA stereo audio. It will have an advanced Front Row system and use the Apple Remote.

Now, assuming that content is coming from your computer, and that content is available, there's no reason why this can't be released in the UK at the same time as the US - sometime in Q1 of 2007.

Apple don't usually do these advanced announcements, but it does make sense as a taster because the other announcements weren't that cutting edge and on their own (with or without John Legend playing at the end of the show) might've been a letdown - that's one problem of all the pre-event hype.

What do you think to these announcements? Will Apple make a bigger impression in home entertainment and gain control of your TV?

iTunes Store offlined for 'showtime'

We're building towards Apple's 'Showtime' announcement in just under 4 hours time, in which Steve Jobs is rumoured to be announcing a new iTunes version, movies, new iPod Nano, Mac streaming to your TV, and the like. Take your pick amongst the many speculations and 'insider knowledge' floating around at present - we'll all know in a short while.

In preparation, the iTunes Store has been closed down for an update.

Whatever happens, be sure to read the latest from Steve, and our own brand of reflection and analysis, here at Tech Digest.

Update: The Apple Store is also down.

KEF launches fivetwo series lifestyle loudspeakers

Contrary to what the picture shows, these aren't giant fans, they're the latest NXT-equipped speakers from KEF - the fivetwo series.

KEF’s fivetwo series features its own Uni-Q technology and NXT SurfaceSound to produce what they describe as "rich, room-filling sound" from an attractive-looking casing. The NXT SurfaceSound flat speaker panels in the back disperse the sound, while the Uni-Q drivers deliver sound from the front (left, centre and right) channels. KEF claims this produces an even dispersion of sound, offering optimum surround sound experience wherever you are in the room. It also means the fivetwo series can be a 5.1 surround sound home cinema system - but without the clutter of six speakers and additional cables and connectors.

There are two models available - Model 7 is a seven driver stand/wall-mount system whilst Model 11 is a floor-standing system with 11 drivers.  Finished in matte silver or high gloss black, the Model 7 is priced around £600 per pair while Model 11 is priced around £1,100 per pair. Available from Autumn.

KEF website

More home cinema:
LG launches LHRH760IA and LHRH361SE home cinema systems
B&W VM6 flat-screen TV speakers

Review: Optoma DV10 MovieTime projector

The Propaganda

The MovieTime DV10 from Optoma is a projector aimed at those who occasionally want a massive screen, without the commitment of having a projector installed. It's one stop shop solution, which means that you've got a DVD player and speakers built into the projector.

There are a few of these types of projectors about, such as the Epson TWD1, but it does come in at about £100 cheaper than other models.

The Good

The MovieTime DV10 is designed with simplicity in mind - you can take it out of the box and have it up and running in about 5 minutes. It's simply a case of plugging it in and loading your DVD into the player positioned on the top. The DVD function is automatically selected, so there's no searching for sources. The speakers are also in-built, so you don't even need to wire those up.  For those that want more than the 5.1 Dolby sound supplied by the two 5 watt speakers, there is an audio output dock for you to hook up your own speaker system.

You can also hook up your television or games console for the full cinema experience via the RGB connection - great if you're hooked on Sing Star on the Playstation 2. Finding the input is also easy, as the projector will scan through all the options until it detects a feed.

In keeping with its brief, you don't need a cinema room to get a decent size screen - you don't even need a large room. 1.5 metres away from the wall gives you a screen size of about 1.5 metres square (which is big enough for you to pretend you're in a cinema, albeit a small one).

The projector uses DLP technology rather than LCD. This is often criticised for creating a kind of rainbow effect on dark images which only some people can see. Now, either I'm not one of those people, or this projector doesn't suffer. But out of the four people that watched the film, nobody could see the rainbow effect, prompting me to conclude that Optoma have it licked.

The native resolution of the DV10 is 852x480, so it's can't be classed as HD, which starts at 1,280x720. However, it can handle the HD input signal, so can be branded 'HD Compatible'.

The Bad

I projected onto a beige wall, which was absolutely fine as a background, although there is an optional screen you can purchase. However, whilst it's bright and crisp in darkness, it's no good in the daytime, even with all the curtains shut. In fact, it's really annoying to be watching a film and then for the sun to emerge and completely wipe out the screen.

The positioning of the projector can also take a bit of getting used to. It's designed to be set up on a coffee table, so doesn't come with the option of mounting it. It can adjust up to 16 degrees of correction, which is useful when you need to project onto the space above a book case/television/whatever and need to set it at an angle. However, it takes its air input from the bottom of the projector, so piling magazines underneath it, or even carpet, can be a risky business. There were several remarks made about the burning smell that the fan gave off after a while.

The design of the projector itself ensures that it's not something that would take up permanent residence on your coffee table. The top loading DVD player reminded me of cheap CD players we used to get given for our birthdays from Argos, and the white plastic finish didn't help. The remote is also fairly old-fashioned. Noticeably, it's not backlit, which is annoying when you really need to be using the product in total darkness. This is likely a result of them trying to keep the costs down, but is annoying when it comes to using the controls.

Geek Sheet

Contrast ratio: 4000:1

Brightness: 1,000

Lamp Type: 200W

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)

Projection Distance: 1.5 - 10 metres

Audio: 2 x 5W stereo speakers

Video Compatability: PAL, SECAM (576i/p), NTSC (480i/p), HDTV (1080i, 720p)

Weight: 3.5 kg

In our opinion

Personally, I can't yet justify spending £560 for a projector bought especially for watching films in the evenings, but if you want a projector that you can set up anywhere in the house, or cart about to mate's houses with you, this is a comparatively reasonably priced option. It's not designed to be a solution to replace your television, so I can't whine about the brightness during the day and the like.

Rifftrax: Mike Nelson reinvents MST3K for DVDs

Of course you miss Mystery Science Theater 3000; we all do.  It's not exactly back, but RiffTrax may well be better.  Mike Nelson (the second guy; not Joel) provides MP3s for download which you then synchronize with your DVD (or other format) of the movie you want, ah, annotated, and Mike's MST3K-style commentary plays alongside.  It's only $2 now since it's in "beta", although it's not clear exactly what being in non-beta would provide.  The test clips aren't quite as funny as MST3K, but on the other hand, he's not restricted by being able to afford to air given movies, so he does have commentary for recent turkeys like Roadhouse.  [GT]

RiffTrax

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