Tech Digest

Sony BRAVIA "Paint" TV advert debuts soon

Remember that grey building that we showed you back in July? Well, since then the guys promoting the new Sony Bravia high definition TVs have had a load of fun playing Paintball with it - firing huge globs (70,000 litres, in fact) of coloured paint at it.

Showing the Bravia's mantra "colour like no other" in spectacular style, the paint was fired using controlled firework explosions to blast the fountains of colour into the air and onto the side of the building.

For an advert, it's generated a lot of interest on the web. It will be available to view online before it goes to TV at colourlikenoother.com - presumably sometime in the next week or so as a 70 second version of the "Paint" ad will be premiered on Tuesday 17th October, 8.35pm during the Man U v FC Copenhagen Champions League match.

The official blog explains:

The ad took 10 days and 250 people to film. Huge quantities of paint were needed to accomplish this, which had to be delivered in 1 tonne trucks and mixed on-site by 20 people.

The effect was stunning, but afterwards a major clean-up operation was required to clear away all that paint!

The cleaning took 5 days and 60 people. Thankfully, the use of a special water-based paint made it easy to scrape-up once the water had evaporated.

Keeping everyone safe was also an important factor. A special kind of non-toxic paint was used that is safe enough to drink (it contains the same thickeners that are sometimes used in soups). It was also completely harmless to the skin.

Algol TV - classic design meets modern technology

Over at Brandish, Shiny's brand new men's blog is a TV that oozes style, despite being around 40 years old - the Algol TV.

Created by designers Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper, it's got a space-age design that can still turn heads in 2006. And don't worry - it's not a fuzzy black and white picture, upgrading over the years means you get something that's up with modern-day portables for just under £500. And of course, bucketloads more style.

Find out more at the Brandish website

Via Retro To Go

Sharp unveils PN-655E 65-inch HD ready TV

Sharp is showing off a large TV - the 65-inch PN-655E with full HD. There's just one drawback - it's for commercial use only.

Sharp believes the large screen and full HD makes it an ideal solution for a variety of commercial applications - including digital signage and audio visual hire. It also has other noteable advantages, including a non-reflective coating on the screen for good visibility (even in strong light), reduced power consumption and a reduction in weight (compared to a traditional plasma).

Other features include a four-wave backlight system for improved colour depth and accuracy, a pixel response time of just 6 milliseconds and a distortion-free, 170 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle. There's also split screen functions, the option of a daisy-chain network and a wide range of connection options, including digital DVI-D (supporting 1080P signal), analogue PC RGB (up to 1920 x 1080) and component (YCrCb).

Available in the coming weeks, price to be confirmed.

Sharp website

Middlesbrough names and shames antisocial behaviour on the fly

Be careful littering, skateboarding or fighting in Middlesbrough - talking CCTV cameras have arrived to tell you off. Control room operators surveil various parts of the downtown, and if they see anyone misbehaving - from drinking in public to riding a bicycle on the sidewalk - they activate a loudspeaker and instruct the offender to stop. Mr Bonner said: 'We always make the requests polite, and if the offender obeys, the operator adds 'thank you'. We think that's a nice finishing touch.' Mayor Ray Mallon (nicknamed 'Robocop') believes the talking cameras will dramatically cut not just anti-social behaviour, but violent crime, too. [GT]

Big Brother is shouting at you [via SciFi]

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Envirovision waterproof televisions with integrated Freeview

We've got TVs in virtually every room in the house - so why not the bathroom? You can pick up waterproof TVs these days (if you're worried about that water/electricity combination). but Presentation Systems has gone one better - adding an integrated Freeview tuner into their range if Envirovision waterproof TVs.

The idea is sensible enough - if you want to integrate a TV into your bathroom, it's as well to future-proof it. All of the 17-inch sets in the range now have DVB tuners, which means up to 60 digital TV and radio stations viewable from the bath. Other features include a stainless steel bezel, widescreen viewing area, a range of inputs for other devices (as long as they're water-friendly), top-up tv integration, a conventional analogue multi region tuner with teletext, interactive text and digital/nicam audio.

Prices start at £999.

Find out more

Yay or Nay: Apple "iTV"

Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's plans for superiority over your living room TV by telling us that "iTV" (work in progress on the name) will be available from early next year.

Yay or Nay to the iTV?

Is iTV, coupled wirelessly with a decent desktop computer running iTunes, going to be a hit in the living room? Is this Apple innovation or too little too late? Will Apple be able to get the killer content needed for a system like this to work well, or will it turn out to be a niche system?

Share your thoughts below.

Virgin's Mobile TV unveiled for October launch

Virgin has unveiled its Mobile TV service, with the first broadcast set to commence from October 1st, coinciding with a huge advertising blitz, fronted by Pamela Anderson.

The service, which uses the DAB IP-based BT Movio platform, will offer four TV channels - BBC one, ITV1, Channel 4 and E4, along with 50 digital radio stations, 'red-button' interactivity and a seven-day electronic programme guide (EPG). Channel 4 will initially broadcast Channel 4 Short Cuts, a made-for-mobile TV channel, with a full Channel 4 simulcast to following at a later date. That's not the only limitation - some films, sports broadcasts and US shows will also be removed from broadcast, while the BBC's participation is on a 12-month trial basis.

Virgin is offering the service via the Lobster 700, its first Windows-based smartphone. If you sign up to a contract of £25 per month or more, you get the handset and the TV service for free for the life of your contract. You can also take the Lobster on pre-pay for £199, with the service free for 3 months, followed by a £5 a month charge.

Virgin Mobile

IFA 2006: HannSpree makes its mark in Europe

We've featured HannSpree's quirky/retro TVs previously, especially the eye-catching models launched at this year's CES. The one downside is the company's slow movement into the European market - but all that could be about to change with new product launches and a new European flagship store.

The Taiwanese company opened European offices at the start of the year, focusing on developing distribution deals. Sets are now available in 17 European countries, predominantly with small independent retailers. However, the company does have a flagship store opening later this month - albeit in Luxembourg and we'll hopefully see an online retail outlet for the European market like the one in the US. In the meantime, you'll have to dig around to find the company's latest models - the zoo series TVs (pictured).

Aimed squarely at the children's market, The 9.6-inch LCD screens have a soft plush cover featuring a giraffe or elephant, followed by a monkey, dog, lion, sheep and zebra later this year. The soft covers are removeable and washable and as they're aimed at children, the control buttons are suitably oversized.

Expect to pay around £180 for the zoo series sets. We'll have more on HannSpree and the rest of their European range very soon.

HannSpree Europe

IFA 2006: Philips 100inch LCD TV with Ambilight

There are a few 100inch LCD TVs floating around, however Philips is claiming a landmark with - wait for it - the first 100inch LCD set with full Ambilight. It isn't much of a boast admittedly but the TV set itself looks fantastic with superb quality high def pictures. There are no plans to put it on sale yet though.

Bang & Olufsen's BeoCenter 6-23 LCD TV with DAB radio

Bang & Olufsen has introduced a typically stylish new TV - the BeoCenter 6-23 LCD TV. And it's a first - the first time a TV has come with an integrated DAB radio as standard (unless you know better).

The 23-inch LCD TV promises a 180-degree viewing angle and a front glass screen to keep the picture bright and clear, even when it catches the sunlight. There's also DVI input if you want to impress your mates and use it as a computer monitor, while BeoLink offers connectivity to any other Bang & Olufsen TV in the home.

There is a downside though. The TV isn't HD-ready, which might well put you off such a hefty investment and perhaps its worth thinking about how often you listen to the radio stations on your digital receiver before you buy a TV on the basis of it having DAB. I can count that on one hand. 

Still, there's no doubting it will look good in your living room in either of the six colours - aluminium, black, dark grey, yellow, blue, and red. If you want one, it will set you back £2,740 or £3,070 with the motorised stand.

Bang & Olufsen website

More Bang & Olufsen:
Bang & Olufsen's £180,000 entertainment system
Bang & Olufsen for the car?