~Tech Angel~

World's largest LCD TV launched by Sharp

Today, Sharp announced that they would begin selling the world's largest LCD TV. The 65-inch LCD will begin selling in Japan in August and should reach the States and other overseas markets by the end of the year. The LC-65GE1 Aquos will be high definition (1080i) and will take advantage of Sharp's QuickShoot technology that improves the responsiveness of moving video.

Sharp also announced a new series of TVs in the 22-45 inch range that have an advanced backlight for improved color production. They will also begin plans to start selling TVs in the 50-inch range by the end of the year.

via|Reuter.uk

Tags: Sharp, LCD TV, Aquos, technology, home theater, television, high-definition, HDTV

WMV HD

If you haven't already, check out some of the high-definition clips and trailers that Microsoft has available for download.  Their WMV HD Content showcase allows you to view and listen to their clips and trailers at resolutions up to 1080p and multichannel audio.  Each clip was encoded at 24 frames per second in order to deliver the ultra-high quality. There are a number of IMAX clips as well.

You can download thme at WMV HD.

Tags: HD, high-definition, movies, trailers, Microsoft, Windows Media, HDTV, films, technology, IMAX

Peerflix

Have some old DVDs you don't want? You may want to take a look at Peerflix. Peerflix is an online service that facilitates the trading of DVDs.  If you want to get rid of your copy of Nothing But Trouble, you could trade it with someone who owns Waterworld, if you were so inclined. 

When you first sign up, you list all your DVDs and list DVDs you want.  Peerflix sends you 4 mailers and will send more when you run low.  You earn "peerbux" which enable you to trade (you can also buy these).  Each movie is assigned a certain amount of peerbux and you receive the value when you trade the movie.  You pay just 99 cents a transaction, plus postage.  Right now the company is offering one free DVD when you fully activate your account.

Read more if you would like to see a review of the service.

Tags: Peerflix, DVD, movies, films, technology, internet, web

Worried about the hurricane season?

For $125,000 you can ride out the hurricane season in home theater luxury.  Acoustic Innovations has designed a safe room that it is pitching to residents in hurricane prone areas. The concrete room has a movie screen up to 14 feet wide, motorized leather recliners, plus $60,000 worth of electronics and other luxury comforts. 

The room's floors and walls are made of concrete and the door to the same room has to have the same strength as an outdoor one.  The walls are outfitted with acoustic coverings to absorb the sound in the room.

The idea for this type of safe room came about after the founder heard about a family that rode out a hurricane by watching TV in their safe room.

Read more.

Tags: home theater, movies, hurricanes, technology, safe room, television

HD Penetration Too Low

Here's an interesting article on the adoption of HDTV.  A couple of statistics listed:

• 12.9 million households had HD television at the end of 2004, only 3.9 million were receiving HD programming.
• It's estimated that approximately 200 million TV sets need to be fitted with converters or another system to receive digital programming.
• When the original analog-giveback bill was passed in 1997, there were 275 million  TV sets in American households.  Today there are more analog TV sets then when the original bill was passed.

~I suspect that the new date of 2008 will be pushed back as well.  Three years is not enough time to have the entire country switch over.  I'd be willing to bet my own HDTV on it.~

Tags: HD, HDTV, digital tv, home theater, technology, television, cable

PSP Home Theater

Nyko has created several new accessories that not only protect your PSP, but turn it into a home theater.

Nyko's Screen Armor ($9.99) protects the screen from scratches and fingerprints; the Charger Case ($69.99) provides storage and a way to charge the PSP and adds five hours to the battery; and the Theater Experience ($79.99), gives you the protection and extra battery life plus stereo speakers, adjustable viewing stand, and dual headphone jacks.

via|noticias.info

Tags: PSP, Playstation, home theater, video games, gaming, technology

DirecTV Customers protesting HD Pricing

Some DirecTV customers are protesting the pricing of the NFL Sunday Ticket that DirecTV offers.  About 500 customers have signed a petition notifying the company that they will cancel their NFL Sunday Ticket if the company continues to charge them an additional $99 to watch football telecasts in high-definition, a format that the country has to migrate to anyway. 

DirecTV has pointed out that the HD package does include other special features such as selecting different camera angles, calling up to eight games on the screen, and watching highlights of the game after it's over.

~Even though HD has been out for some time now, people are still suffering some of the problems that many early-adopters suffer through....a markup on the cost of the new technology.  Cable and satellite companies feel that they can charge additional prices for some of these services as long as there are different video standards.  Until HD becomes more mainstream, you can expect these type of additional costs.~

Tags: high-definition, HDTV, HD, DirecTV, NFL Sunday Ticket, satellite, television, technology, web

First Portable DVR in the U.S.

Echostar has announced that they will release the first portable DVR (a spinoff of the Archos AV700) in the U.S. later on this summer.  The product will be called the PocketDish and will store audio, photos and TV content.  It will be able to download a full-length movie from an EchoStar DVR in less than ten minutes.  With up to a 40 GB hard drive, it can store 180 hours of standard tv or 25 hours of HD content.  It will come in three different screen sizes, 2-inch, 4-inch, and 7-inch.

I don't think I would be interested in something like this unless the price was under $200.  Owning a laptop, a portable DVD player, and a PDA kind of cuts down on my need for yet another portable media player. This will probably appeal to parents and commuters.  This would definitely come in handy for the person who has to sit on a train for 60 minutes or more every morning.

Tags: echostar, pocketdish, dvr, pvr, media player

First Portable DVR in the U.S.

Echostar has announced that they will release the first portable DVR (a spinoff of the Archos AV700) in the U.S. later on this summer.  The product will be called the PocketDish and will store audio, photos and TV content.  It will be able to download a full-length movie from an EchoStar DVR in less than ten minutes.  With up to a 40 GB hard drive, it can store 180 hours of standard tv or 25 hours of HD content.  It will come in three different screen sizes, 2-inch, 4-inch, and 7-inch.

I don't think I would be interested in something like this unless the price was under $200.  Owning a laptop, a portable DVD player, and a PDA kind of cuts down on my need for yet another portable media player. This will probably appeal to parents and commuters.  This would definitely come in handy for the person who has to sit on a train for 60 minutes or more every morning.

Tags: echostar, pocketdish, dvr, pvr, media player

Will new game consoles increase HDTV sales?

With the upcoming releases of the Xbox 360 (this holiday season) and the Playstation 3 (next year), will the demand for HDTV increase?  Both game systems will have support for HD and games  will be displayed in HD and widescreen formats, along with Dolby Digital Surround.

We bought a HDTV about a year and a half ago and I am a HUGE fan of the technology.   There weren't a ton of offerings on our cable system when we first bought our TV, but it has increased quite a bit.  I just watched Shrek 2 on HBO HD this weekend and it was spectacular...unbelievable.  I can only imagine how realistic and beautiful the new Xbox and PS3 will look.  Personally, I'm hoping that the gaming systems will increase the demand for HD so that the cable companies and networks will increase the amount of channels offered.

If you don't already own a HDTV, would the ability to play games in HD convince you to invest in the technology?

Tags: hdtv, ps3, playstation 3, home theater