Digital Video

Comprising the 810 Reference Video Projector and the 810 Reference Video Scaler, the new US$185,000 flagship front projection system from Meridian is capable of a resolution of 4096 x 2400 or 9.8 megapixels, boasts a a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and is designed to optimize both High and Standard Definition inputs. Read More

August 4, 2008 In January, prior to the 2008 International CES, LG Electronics and Netflix announced their intention to team up and provide a set-top box for streaming movies and TV episodes from the Internet to the TV beginning in the second half of the year. Now, true to their word they’ve announced the LG BD30 - the first Blu-ray disc player that can stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix’s library of more than 12,000 choices directly to your TV. It also plays Blu-ray discs and up-converts standard DVDs to 1080p. Read More

July 29, 2008 Warner Bros. devoted six months to an unprecedented anti-piracy strategy for the release of "The Dark Knight", and have deemed the 38 hour period between the film's premiere screening and its first appearance on file-sharing sites to be a success - keeping bootleg DVDs off the streets as the film racked up a record-breaking US$158.4 million on its all important opening weekend. Read More

July 22, 2008 For those that find the touch screen on their iPod Touch or new 3G iPhone too small, Honlai Technology have introduced their QingBar MP101 iPhone projector. The portable unit that measures 102mm wide x 76mm long x 54mm high can throw images from 15 to 27-inches onto a wall or screen in a 4:3 aspect ratio at 640 x 480 (VGA) pixel resolution. Read More

Kodak’s new Theatre HD Player is a Wi-Fi-enabled set top box that connects to your HDTV. Kodak describes the unit as, "An interactive device displaying personal content - pictures, video, podcasts, music - and Web-based content on a HDTV, while wirelessly connecting to a household's private Wi-Fi network.” The Wi-Fi connection allows the unit to connect to websites such as Kodak Gallery and Flickr for photos, YouTube for video content, and RadioTime for streaming audio. Jumping on the Wii bandwagon the Theatre HD Player also includes a gyroscopic remote, which allows users to navigate the on screen menus with a wave of the hand. Read More

The Sony VRDMC3 DVDirect DVD Recorder does just what its name suggests – it records to DVDs directly from other sources, and it does so without the need for a PC. The VRDMC3 can record from just about any source such as camcorders, DVDs or VCRs, thanks to the provided USB, Firewire, S-Video and composite inputs. In addition to video, still images can be copied directly from memory card to DVD as a slideshow or for photo storage by using the built-in 5-in-1 card reader. PictBridge compatibility allows the unit to interface directly with a printer and images can be previewed using the 2.5-inch colour LCD that sits on top of the unit. Once selections have been made they can be copied to disc using the large "record" located just below the screen. Read More

LG Electronics has unveiled a new media device coupling a digital photo frame with portable DVD capabilities. The Digital Photo Frame and DVD Player (DP392G) is a single unit image and video display aimed at those seeking an easy way of loading their photos onto a digital photo display. Read More

Retailing for less than US$90, the Small Wonder EZ200 from RCA in Japan is a low-cost option for digital video capture. With a flip-out LCD and an expansion slot for additional memory, the EZ200 is an attractive option for those wanting to shoot web-quality content without spending a fortune. Read More

When a new technology usurps a previous one there are often casualties. With the downfall of VHS the casualties were the stacks and stacks of VHS cassettes people had collected over the 30 year period when VHS ruled the Earth. Of course there’s no need to say goodbye to those precious magnetic memories with a range of digital converting options available - but possibly none as easy as that provided by the imaginatively titled USB VHS Converter. Just connect the machine to a PC, pop a tape in the machine, select your desired output format and press play. Read More