Bang and Olufsen 46-inch BeoVision 10-46 LCD

Nearly everybody has a high-def LCD tv in their living room nowadays but that doesn't stop companies from trying to make the biggest and baddest one of them all. Competition in the tv market is fierce right now and each manufacturer is trying to out do everybody else, including Bang and Olfusen.

Bang and Olfusen have just unveiled a 46-inch LCD with some very nice high-end built-in speakers. As far as uniqueness goes, the BeoVision 10-46 is practically identical to the already existing BeoVision 10, which is a 40-inch LCD. Spec wise the BeoVision 10-46 offers an aluminum frame as well as a 200Hz refresh rate and LED backlight.

High-end speakers are built into the bottom of the tv and offer very good sound quality. What is really going to attract consumers is the design of the 10-46. The tv is a wall mounted LCD that measures 5.4cm thin and 46 inches diagonally. As far as other details go there really are none though it is thought that the 10-46 is to be exactly the same as the BeoVision 10 so refer to that for a general idea.

This tv is set to be released in April in "selected markets" which generally means not the US. There is no official word on pricing as of yet but the BeoVision 10 was released with a price that came just under $10,000 so be prepared to drop a pretty penny on this one as well.

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New Rumor: Apple's iMac Touchscreen?

There's a new Apple rumor out there and it has nothing to do with the new tablet computer (thank goodness). According to the Commercial Times, Apple is jumping on the touchscreen bandwagon and will be producing a 22-inch touchscreen iMac to become part of the iMac family, which already includes 21.5-inch and 27-inch versions. A lot of information about the new device is not available but it would most likely be manufactured by Quanta and produced by Sintek Photronic.

Some tech experts are really questioning the rumor, due to the fact that Mac as just begun putting multi-touch support in the iMac through the Magic Mouse. If past behavior is any indication, making such a major change in such a short amount of time is highly unlikely. Also, with the iMac already having a 21.5 inch display option, why would they make the new touchscreen 22 inches, not much difference from the old one?

Several PCs companies, such as Hewlett-Packard have been making 22-inch touchscreens lately, as the new Windows 7 made touchscreens all the rage last year.

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Videophone on your HDTV?

Skype has partnered with LG and Panasonic to bring videophones to your TV. The technology will be embedded in upcoming TV's with internet capabilities. Now you'll be able to get the whole family on the couch for your video chats with Grandma or stay in your lay-z-boy and have a conversation without holding a phone.

Skype users will also be able to use the technology without a brand new HDTV. LG and Panasonic will sell webcams that support the 720p high-definition technology intended to be used with televisions, unfortunately you can't just use the same webcam you use on your PC. The webcams will be available in the spring and will sell for about $100.

If you wait until the middle of the year to buy your new HDTV, LG and Panasonic will have the webcam and mic built-in, similar to those that already exist in laptop computers. Nearly 40% of LG's 2010 models will have the NetCast technology and Skype software included.

When you're watching TV and a call comes in, you can choose to accept or decline the call. If you accept the call, you can put the caller on full screen and keep yourself in PIP or use the split screen option. With echo cancellation there's full duplex audio, so you are able to talk over the person you're talking to and still hear each other.

You can also use your current Skype account, or if you don't have one, set one up directly on your TV with your remote control. You'll be able to have your TV automatically log into Skype each time you turn it on or you can log in manually if you choose.

With many new televisions coming out this year, I don't know that the Skype technology would be a #1 feature most buyers are looking for, but if it's included with the TV and more people may use it simply because it's there.

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Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!

Toshiba Reveals Details About Their 3D HDTV

On Wednesday morning, Toshiba held a press conference to introduce their new HDTV’s and Blu-Ray players, but most of their attention was given to the Toshiba KIRA2. The KIRA2 is the latest development from Toshiba. This LED HDTV has new features like video conferencing, 3D video, media sharing via a home network, and access to sites like Vudu, CinemaNow, Netflix, and Facebook.

The thing that makes the KIRA2 have these amazing abilities is the box that will be sold with it. The CELL Set-Top Box is a computer that utilizes the CELL microprocessor that Toshiba assisted in the development of. The KIRA2 and the CELL Set-Top Box will be sold together in a new line from Toshiba called the CELL TV Series.

Toshiba went all out to make this new product something that people haven’t ever experienced before. The Cell Set-Top Box that makes everything possible for the KIRA2 is powered by the CELL Broadband Engine. Toshiba says that this engine is 10 times faster than most desktop computers. It includes 8 processors, each having 3.2 GHz. This means that it outputs a mind blowing 200 GFLOPS (floating point operations per second). Inside the Box is a 1 TB hard drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Wireless HD to connect the Box to the KIRA2 without any cables.

With all the amazing power within the Cell Set-Top Box, the KIRA2 will be able to offer:

Conversion of 2D video to 3D video: You will be able to watch anything in 3D.

Assist standard-definition video: The KIRA2 will be able to take non-high-definition content and easily convert it to high-definition for improved viewing.

Convert video to 480-Hz: This will make all video smoother by displaying it at 480 scenes per second.

Calibrate HDTV image: The color sensors on the KIRA2 will be able to detect the amount of light and the temperature of the light in the room and automatically adjust the brightness, contrast, gamma, sharpness, and color saturation of the TV to provide the best possible image based on the room its in.

Video Conferencing: A video camera, microphone, and video chat software will be included with the KIRA2 so that you can video chat over the Internet with compatible video conferencing platforms.

Access to Cell TV: You will have access to Internet content such as Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, and CinemaNow.

Accessible through your home network: You will have to ability to copy or retrieve any media that you store on the CELL Set-Top Box from your computer.

Toshiba has not provided a release date or price point yet, but hopefully soon we’ll have even more information about the fascinating KIRA2.

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Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!

Dell 27-inch UltraSharp U2711

Just like tv's, computer monitors are progressing to the LCD format to offer consumers the very best in picture quality. Ever since computer manufacturers have been making the transition over to bigger and better looking monitors, a few companies have really made an impression. Dell, one of the leaders in computers, mainly in the desktop and laptop format, has proven that there range of LCDs have been serious contenders in the market and today announced their first-ever WQHD monitor.

The UltraSharp U2711 is a 27-inch LCD monitor that is said to have a native resolution of 2,560x1,440. In the 27-inch LCD monitor market, no product other than Apple's 27-inch iMac had the proper resolution and specs to be worth it. Most had native resolutions more like a 23 or 24-inch monitor and to get a bigger screen worth while you would have done well to step up to the 30-inch market. It seems that because of Apple other companies, like Dell, are stepping up their products to contend in the 27-inch market.

The UltraSharp U2711 has a pretty solid spec sheet. The screen size comes in at 27 inches diagonally with a native resolution of 2,560x1,440 pixels. The monitor looks great with a 16:9 aspect ratio, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 350 cd/m2 and a 6ms response time (gray to gray). Connectivity wise, the U2711 has basically every connection port you could want. The monitor comes with 2 DVI connectors, 1 D-Sub/VGA connector, 1 HDMI connector, 1 composite connector, 1 Component connector, 1 DisplayPort connector and 4 USB 2.0 ports. In addition to this plethora of ports there is also audio jacks and an 8-format flash card reader.

Performance wise the U2711 succeeds. A lot of budget monitors out there tend to have problems with the high and low ends of the gray scale. The U2711 has no problem distinguishing light shades of gray from white and also was able to distinguish the darkest shades of gray from black. The U2711 uses a cold cathode backlight as opposed to the typically more energy efficient LED backlight. On the good side though, the sever backlight bleed issues that you typically find on low-priced LCDs was not seen.

The stand of the monitor is metal and slightly slimmer than most, especially considering that the monitor is a little hefty on the back side. But these traits do not take away the monitor's easy ability to tilt, swivel and adjust the height. The Dell UltraSharp U2711 is an excellent choice for any desktop computer, especially if you are a content creation specialist who needs good screen real estate or even if you are a hard core PC gamer who demands a high-res monitor for your latest game. The one problem with this monitor is that it will run you around $1,049. For around that same price you can get a 30-inch monitor with a slightly higher resolution and a bit more screen space. But overall this is one heck of a monitor and definitely one you should check out.

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Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!

The Basics to Buying a Blu-Ray Player

If you see a Blu-Ray player being utilized on an HDTV, you can easily see how it makes all the difference. With a traditional DVD, the picture quality is made up of less than 350,000 pixels, but with 1080p HD video there are more than two million pixels in use. If you enjoy high-resolution details, Blu-Ray is the way to go.

Now is the time to grab your Blu-Ray player because they are offering the best possible new features for the lowest price tags we’ve seen yet. Features like Web connectivity, fast disc-handling, and video and audio streaming can be found on players that are under $200. Now there are definitely some things to consider when looking for your new Blu-Ray player:

Basics
Now those who have a 1080p HDTV have full HD and are equipped to show every one of those pixels, therefore they will gain the most noticeable improvements from a Blu-Ray player. 1080p is becoming standard on most TV’s which is a fantastic development allowing for Blu-Ray to shine its brightest. It is very obvious that Blu-Ray is going to be replacing DVDs. The difference is incredible and soon everyone will have Blu-Ray players and DVDs will no longer be released. The good thing about all this is that Blu-Ray players are able to play DVDs as well, so you don’t have to worry about trashing your whole DVD collection.

The two newest features that are becoming more common on newly released Blu-Ray discs are Bonus View and Blu-Ray Live. The Bonus View is essentially a picture-in-picture view, while the Blu-Ray Live offers a multitude of additional downloadable steaming multimedia or interactive content. Blu-Ray Live does require an Internet connection to reach all of this extra content. There are some Blu-Ray models that will state that they are “Blu-Ray Live ready.” What this means is that these players lack the internal storage to support Blu-Ray Live, but if you add more memory to the player, you will be able to utilize this feature.

Most Blu-Ray players are fairly energy efficient. The majority of the newest players consume an average of less than 25 watts during playback. A few of the players provide the option of a QuickStart feature that greatly decreases the wake time from standby. The issue with this feature is that it increases the standby power consumption and therefore causes much more energy to be used.

Connections
Every single Blu-Ray player includes an HDMI port that gives you the ability to stream audio and video with one single cable. HDMI is the best way to hook up your player to your TV because it supports maximum video resolution and all audio formats. Some manufactures will include an HDMI cable, but with most it is something extra that you will have to purchase. The newer Blu-Ray players feature Ethernet ports and integrated Wi-Fi that allows you to connect your player to the Web to access Blu-Ray Live features.

Extras
Players with Wi-Fi capabilities are able to stream different video and audio content from places such as Netflix, YouTube, and Pandora. A few manufacturers also include widgets that will allow you to display customized information like news and weather right up on your TV screen.

Like I said, this is a great time to buy a Blu-Ray player. There are some new great features available on players, and the price tags are finally something you won’t wince at. If your looking to stay current with your media technology, Blu-Ray is where you need to look next.

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Planning your next trade show or big event and looking for a Plasma Rental, or large screen Monitor Rental? Then call 800-736-8772 for affordable AV Rentals nationwide!

Connecting Your PC to Your TV Wirelessly

Have you been searching for a way to connect your PC or laptop to your HDTV? Well search no longer because Warpia has created a USB audio/video adapter that can effortlessly connect your computer and your TV without all the long cables.

With the new adapter, you are given the ability to connect your computer to your TV by simply plugging in the USB PC adapter and then using a display base station that will allow you to connect to your computer via VGA or HDMI. There are two pieces that come in this adapter kit, a wireless PC adapter that connects to your desktop or laptop through a USB 2.0 and a display adapter that receives audio and video signals from your computer and transmits them to the TV.

This fascinating adapter will work at a range of up to 30 feet and supports a maximum resolution of 1400 x 1050. This means that it will work for HD videos in 720p but not 1080p. This new wireless solution from Warpia is a rebranded product that was first developed by one of their partner companies, Wiseair. Along with the audio/video adapter, Warpia also offers just a video adapter. Depending on what you will be utilizing the adapter for, it could be smarter and cheaper to simply get the video adapter.

The audio/video adapter will cost you $179.99, while just the video adapter costs $119.99. This could be the perfect solution for your computer/TV connection problems. They are now available in retail stores and online.