"The Panel" Rechargeable LED Monitor

It seems that if you don't make something portable these days people just won't want to buy it. That looks to be the reasoning behind MEDL Technology and their plans to launch the world's first portable LED monitor. Typical, tiny secondary displays are old news because "The Panel", as MEDL Technology is calling it, is an actual 13.3-inch LED-backlit monitor that measures less than an inch thick.

According to CEO of MEDL Technology Eric Liao, "The technology wasn't available previously to manufacture an elegant, lightweight and durable portable display but with The Panel, anyone can add a second or third monitor their laptop and easily pack it up and go. Our vision is to make life easier for the laptop-toting public and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to launch our first product at DEMO."

MEDL Technology unveiled The Panel at IDG's DEMO conference in Palm Springs, California yesterday. The Panel is a multi-purpose LED display and is targeted at both consumer and business audiences. The Panel is lightweight coming in at only 2.2lbs and is perfect for work or entertainment. The device is Mac OS and Windows compatible and connects to easily to any computer through a standard USB cable and can be up and running as quickly as 10 seconds.

The Panel sports some nice specs. It has a WXGA resolution as well as a 5 hour battery life via the rechargeable battery. It has a slew of connectivity with DVI, VGA, Component, S-Video, mini-HDML and USB. But one of the best features about The Panel is that it is not restricted to use with a computer. The Panel also works extremely well with portable video players, cameras, DVD players, iPhones, iPods, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

According to MEDL Technology, should the company secure funding, they plan on launching The Panel in Q4 2010 with a price tag of $350. Hopefully, for all of us, MEDL gets the funding because this device looks to an awesome new innovation.

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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!

Panasonic's Portable Digital Viera TVs

Nobody likes to be bogged down with cords and wires these days. Every piece of technology we acquire these days has to be wireless, or at least have the ability to go wireless, or we don't want it. Due to the consumers desire for no wire, devices like computers, video game systems and even DVD players are all coming portable. But portable TVs seems to be the best idea of them all.

While portable TVs are not a new thing around the world, the idea never really caught the attention of us folks here in the U.S. But that hasn't stopped companies like Panasonic from rolling out the devices, especially in places like Japan. Over in the technological wonderland, Panasonic has unveiled two new digital Viera TVs, the DMP-HV100 and the DMP-BV200.

The 10.1-inch a-Si TFT TVs are so much more than simple portable TVs. Both sets sport a 1024x600 native resolution and can be connected to wirelessly to a Panasonic DVR to stream content via WiFi dongle. There are a few small differences between the HV100 and the BV200. The 200 model can act as a bulky PMP allowing you to download multiple forms of media files, like DivX and H.264 through an SD card.

Both models are able to watch any type of AVCHD Video from an SD, SDHC or SDX card including MEG-2, MPEG-4AVC/H.264 AVCHD, and ISDBT Mobile. Jpeg and MP3 can also be downloaded via USB or SD card. Once your DMP-BV200 or DMP-HV100 is connected to your wireless network, depending on whether or not you have a Panasonic Viera Home Theater and DVR, you can then receive streaming video or watch videos stored on your Panasonic DVR from the comfort of your couch or bedroom. This wireless option also allows you the ability to accessing YouTube or any other type of video available online.

Both these TVs have a lot of stuff crammed into them and seem like really great products. However, as of now there is no price tag attached at all as well as no official release date or whether or not the TVs will be available in the States. Until more details arise we will just have to wait and listen.

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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!

NVIDIA's 3DTV Play

NVIDIA has just announced there newest product NVIDIA 3DTV Play, a software solution that allows consumers to connect their GeForce GPU-powered desktop or laptop to any new 3D TV. Now many of you have probably been hearing the trouble going on when NVIDIA was faced with a certified standard for 3D and not having any GPUs that were able to meet it. Currently, the NVIDIA 3D Vision-compatible cards dish out the necessary pixels over DisplayPort or dual DVI plugs while the official specification for 3D TVs is an HDMI 1.4 plug which accepts data from both plugs simultaneously.

The good news is that all of NVIDIA's cards upgrade to HDMI 1.4 no problem and every 3D Vision customer will receive the upgrade for free later this spring. 3DTV Play allows you to connect any compatible NVIDIA GeForce GPU-powered PC or notebook to 3D TVs. NVIDIA 3DTV Play can be run on GeForce GPU-based computers that have an HDMI or DVI connector, comes with full support for all HDMI 1.4-compatible 3D TVs, has advanced NVIDIA software and graphics drivers which automatically converts over 400 games to stereoscopic 3D in real time, allows you to enjoy full HD Blu-ray 3D playback with real-time GPU accelerated decoding and playback on GeForce GPUs, watch streaming 3D movies and directly view 3D photos.

Senior Vice President of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Bob Perry said in a statement, "NVIDIA is a premiere choice for gamers, and 3DTV Play delivers an easy way for them to game on the big screen, for the ultimate, immersive experience. We are pleased that NVIDIA shares our commitment to providing awesome technology to savvy customers, and we are happy to offer NVIDIA the opportunity to highlight their 3D solution as part of our nationwide road show." The roadshow mentioned, of course, is Panasonic's coast-to-coast 2010 "Panasonic Touch the Future Tour". NVIDIA will be showcasing their new 3DTV Play as Panasonic shows off their VIERA Full HD 3D TVs which launched this month.

They way this is looking you are probably thinking that the only way to get the 3DTV Play is by having all of NVIDIA's 3D Vision stuff. However, NVIDIA is going to be nice and offer this product in a standalone version for $40. This allows you to use the stereoscopic 3D glasses that come with your 3D TV. NVIDIA has all the high points of the HDMI 1.4 under control with 1080p24, 720p60 (considered the official specs for gaming) and 720p50. The cards themselves will also support 3D Blu-ray so it looks like you got everything you need. If you have ever wanted to throw down some sick 3D PC gaming on your giant living room flat screen then your wish is about to come true.

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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!

Panasonic G20 HDTV

Many people today think that the way of Plasma is coming to an end. However, more and more information is coming out to prove that that statement has been severely exaggerated. A perfect example is Panasonic's latest and greatest G20. The tv has already been put through a serious of tests to which the G20 barely broke a sweat. The G20 has an insane 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio as well as infinite viewing angles, rich colors and deep blacks all without the annoyance of any active cooling fans.

When companies improve from one model to the next, their improvements are generally considered revolutionary. However, the G20's improvements over the G10 are said to be evolutionary. The black levels are around the same and there have been slight improvements to the network functionality. Last summer, Panasonic acquired KURO technology from Pioneer and people are excited to see if the company has benefited from it.

The G20 comes with a very nice spec sheet with many features resembling the already popular G10 series. The G20 has a panel size of 42" with a native resolution of 1920x1080 and a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It has 16.7 million color support with an 8-bit signal processing for each color. It has infinite viewing angles in both the horizontal and vertical formats and the panel type is Plasma G13 (Panasonic). Full dimensions come in at 65.4cm x 102.9cm x 8.2cm without the stand. Input formats for the G20 include 480p/i, 576p/i, 720p, 1080i and 1080p.

The G20 has a slew of inputs that includes one VGA, one Audio In, two indgange SCART, one S-Video, one Composite, 4 HDMI and one HDMI 1.4. Output wise the G20 has one Audio Out, one SCART and one S/PDIF (optical). It also has Analogue, DVB-T, DVB-T (MPEG4), DVB-C and DVB-C (MPEG4) tuners. The G20 does not have an actual DVI input but that can be converted through HDMI.

Overall the G20 from Panasonic looks to be a solid device. Viewing angles are great and performance all around is top notch. The G20 truly shows us why plasma is not dead.

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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!