Cutting the Cord
During the so-called golden age of television, families huddled around a tiny cathode-ray tube to watch a dizzying dozen channels. What’s so golden about that? Perhaps it was the simplicity of not having a rat’s nest of cables tangled up behind the set. If that’s the case, the Samsung 94 Series 1080p Plasma HDTV may mark a new golden age for television, because as in the pre-cable era, this flat-screen set receives its picture and sound wirelessly, only now it’s via new 802.11n technology.
With the 94 Series, instead of connecting to the television, components like DVD players, game systems, and DVRs are plugged into the set’s wireless receiver, which can transmit audio and video up to 200 feet. The display comes in either 50 or 58 inches, and the wireless receiver has plenty of bandwidth to broadcast from high-end devices with its three HDMI ports, two component/video connections, and one S-video jack. Unfortunately, the television still uses a power cable, but at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before that’s a relic too. (50-inch $3,599, 58-inch $5,299; samsung.com)
Blu Ocean View
A “blue ocean strategy,” as coined by authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, is one in which a company stakes out a market where there is no competition. Coincidentally, with its DZ-BD7HA Blu-ray Disc Camcorder, Hitachi is way ahead of the pack. A hybrid camcorder that records to a 30-gigabyte hard drive or a Blu-ray disc, the DZ-BD7HA can capture about four hours of 1920x1080 high-resolution video on the hard drive. The editing mode, coupled with the transcoding mode (which down-samples video on the hard drive and allows users to burn DVDs from the camera), allows users to bypass their PC completely. ($1,499.99; hitachi.com)
Little Big Shot
We’ve solved a lot of video problems with projectiondesign’s M25 1080p DLP Projector. First, its bevy of connections (component, S-video, HDMI, DVI, and VGA) eliminates any need for a complex video receiver. Second, its crystal-clear native 1080p picture has solved any dilemma over what size HDTV to buy (because with the M25 you won’t need an HDTV). And finally, at 3.7 inches high, 9.2 inches deep, and 10.8 inches wide, it’s the smallest full HD projector on the market — so we can put it wherever we want. Only now we’ve got a new problem: we’re going to need a bigger wall to project onto. ($9,995; projectiondesign.com)
VUDU Economics
Someone might need to teach the makers of VUDU, a new on-demand movie console, how to make money. Like many other services, VUDU allows users to buy or rent films instantly. But unlike cable companies or Web sites that charge monthly rates for similar services, VUDU only takes your money when you buy or rent movies (apart from the initial purchase of the svelte black VUDU box and its smartly designed five-button remote). No word on how they’ll survive without milking customers through subscription fees, but we don’t care. The service kicks out everything from Alpha Dog to X-Men with super-fast Internet downloads in resolutions from 480i to 1080p. ($399; vudu.com)
World Wide Wabbit
If the Internet is a virtual wonderland, then it’s only natural for a rabbit to guide you through it. The Wi-Fi-enabled Nabaztag brings you everything from weather conditions to stock market reports, all while playing podcasts, Internet radio stations, MP3s, and even messages relayed from other Rabbit owners. Programmed full of personality, the rabbit can read e-mail and instant messages out loud and even prods owners to be more active robo-rabbit users. It’s a great alternative to surfing the Web with a boring old mouse. ($189; nabaztag.com)
Desktop Touchdown Dance
It’s the fourth quarter — do you know how your team is doing? Chances are you’d have to click around the Web to find out, but Ambient Devices’ Football Scorecast already knows the score. This discreet 5-by-8.5-inch device sits on the desktop and automatically updates schedules, scores, and standings using Ambient’s InfoCast Network — the same system used to monitor stocks on Ambient’s award-winning orbs. No computer necessary. So now, instead of Alt-Tabbing to your Web browser, you can watch the scoreboard by simply turning your head. The only thing easier is actually watching the game. ($124.99; ambientdevices.com)
(Green Machine)
iStraw into Gold
Topics like fossil fuels and carbon offsets are all the rage among environmentalists these days. What’s next? According to the World Water Council, a shortage of potable water will be the next big crisis. The group reports that the use of renewable water resources — defined as water available for society’s use — has grown sixfold over the past 70 years, and it’s showing no signs of slowing.
So be prepared for more gadgets like the iStraw. The device is a drinking straw fitted with a special membrane, meaning there’s no need for tablets or powders. Small enough to fit into a purse or a large pocket, it removes 99.999 percent of micro-organisms, protozoa, and waterborne bacteria, and one straw filters up to 500 liters of water. Also, using the iStraw is kinder to the environment than buying bottled water and filling landfills with empty containers. ($40; istraw.co.uk)
— John Patrick Pullen
(The Way It Works)
How Does Progressive Scanning Improve
Video Quality?
This holiday season, as retailers slash prices on their selection of flat-screen high-definition televisions to record lows, it’s important to know what features really matter and will help your big-screen investment retain its value. Progressive scan — the p in those 1080p television displays — is one feature that buyers should know about.
“The big thing about the progressive scan is that the entire image is drawn at one time, as opposed to an interlaced image where the even lines are drawn first, followed by the odd lines,” says David Carnoy, an executive editor of CNET.com, a Web site specializing in technology trends and product reviews. “A progressive scan image will look more stable than an interlaced one. Progressive scan also introduces fewer motion artifacts, such as jagged diagonal lines and movement in fine detail.”
All television broadcasts use two interlaced signals. On interlaced displays (or the i in 1080i HDTV), the even lines get drawn first, in 1/60th of a second, and then the odd lines are drawn in the next 1/60th of a second. The result, to the naked eye, is a good picture — the eye cannot discern the alternating transmission. But progressive scan displays assemble the odd and even lines simultaneously, smoothing out the image even further.
“They make a big deal about 1080p TVs, but it’s very difficult to tell the difference between 720p and 1080i,” Carnoy says. “You would need a pristine 1080p source — like source material from HD-DVDs and Blu-ray players. Even then you’re talking about subtle differences.” For example, Carnoy notes that he recently watched the same movie as an HD-DVD and as a DVD on a 32-inch TV. “I could barely tell the difference between the two,” he says.
“Where progressive scan video helps is if you’re looking at a 100-inch image projected on a screen, or as you get above 50 inches, it makes sense to get the higher resolution,” says Carnoy.
Still, if you want to be satisfied with your TV for years to come, it makes sense to buy a progressive scan display. “In the next couple of years, 1080p will be the standard,” says Carnoy. “The way things move, whatever’s the high-end selling point for TVs today will be a standard feature in a couple of years.” — J.P.P.
FLY & BUY
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