CES

December 30, 2008 – LG Electronics today announced the expansion of network entertainment options for its Network Blu-ray Disc players through new alliances with CinemaNow and YouTube.

Available on new LG Network Blu-ray Disc Players in the first half of 2009, these new services complement LG’s instant streaming from Netflix and advanced Blu-ray capabilities to deliver consumers an exceptional entertainment experience. (In 2008, LG was the world’s first manufacturer to stream movies instantly from Netflix on a Network Blu-ray Disc Player.)

CinemaNow – an innovator in digital entertainment technology, delivering high-quality movies, TV shows and videos to users through online connectivity – and YouTube – a leading online video community for people to discover, watch, and share originally created videos – will be available in LG’s 2009 line of Network Blu-ray Disc players to be unveiled next week at the 2009 International CES. Read more

December 30, 2008--LG Display announced today that it has developed the world’s first “Trumotion 480Hz” LCD TV panel, which has an impressive 480 refresh rate per second, accelerating the advent of ultra high-speed images, without sacrificing picture quality. LG Display’s ‘scanning backlight’ is the technology that enables a backlight to be repeatedly turned on and off to reduce motion blur. When combined with the company’s 240 Hz technology, the display can refresh 480 images per second.

In addition, LG Display’s “Trumotion 480Hz” display boasts an lower motion picture response time (MPRT) of 4ms, eliminating motion blurring for fast moving images and enabling a realistic, crystal clear picture. The display also makes dark images even darker and bright images far brighter — providing unparalleled, vivid picture quality. Moreover, it can reduce energy consumption by adjusting the backlight brightness.

The world’s first Trumotion 480Hz LCD TV panel is planned to hit the market in the second half of 2009. Read more

November 14, 2008 -- Lenovo just announced the ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive to give customers a secure way to protect sensitive data in a lightweight and easy-to-use design. The award winning, high capacity hard drive, available in either 160 or 320 GB versions, uses a numeric keypad allowing users to type in their passcode to access their data. At less than an inch thin, and approximately the size of a 3 x 5 inch index card, it’s small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.

The new secure hard drive meets the 128-bit advanced encryption security standard to help ensure information remains secure, and real-time encryption means users don’t have to wait for the “lag time” that typically accompanies encrypted drives. The hard drive features full-disk encryption for up to ten unique user ID’s and one administrator, making it an ideal tool for ThinkPad notebook PC users on-the-go or collaborating at work. Additionally, the self-powered hard drive eliminates the hassle of keeping up with power cords, and a convenient built-in USB cable makes transferring data simple and stores in the hard drive’s housing when not in use. Read more

September 5, 2008 - Delivering a solution that tames loud commercials and elevates the TV listening experience, Cirrus Logic Inc. has launched the CS49DV8 audio DSP featuring Dolby Volume technology.

The CS49DV8 is an eight-channel, dual-core, 32-bit audio DSP with Dolby Volume technology that allows consumers to set their audio volume at their preferred listening level – and have it stay that way. Targeting multichannel surround sound applications such as audio/video receivers, home theater-in-a-box applications, and speaker bars, the CS49DV8 additionally offers a wide variety of audio post processing capabilities, such as bass management, parametric equalization, bass and tone control, multizone generation and a multitude of additional third-party post-processing algorithms from companies such as Dolby, THX, SRS Labs and DTS. Read more

January 2008 – Impecca introduces the new Wi-Fi LCD digital picture frame which allows users to enjoy unlimited pictures, movies, music and more via the internet and search engines including Yahoo! and Google – all without a computer.

Wi-Fi Access to Photos, Music and Movies
Competitively priced to other standard non-Wi-Fi digital picture frames on the market at $349, Impecca's 10.4" Wi-Fi frame delivers a high-quality picture (800x600 resolution) and superior performance. These new frames can play slideshows of the user's favorite pictures and videos set to music and offer versatile features that can be managed via remote control. The USB 2.0 equipped frame also connects to one or more computers directly, allowing users to access and receive unlimited music, movies, photos and more. Read more

Want to know what's new in Bluetooth? What the best Bluetooth devices are? Look no further. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group called on member companies to submit their consumer electronics products featuring Bluetooth wireless technology for consideration in the organization’s 3rd annual Best of CES contest. Five category winners and one overall winner were unveiled at the Bluetooth SIG’s member appreciation party Tuesday, January 8, at Tao in the Venetian hotel.

They are as follows: Read more

January 10, 2008 --Sony expects to shake up the industry with the introduction of its 2008 line of DVD Handycam camcorders featuring hybrid and hybrid-plus movie recording. “People have been drawn to the DVD category because they are so easy to use,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “Our 2008 line offers greater convenience through multiple recording options so you don’t have to worry about running out of media or missing a moment.”

At the top of the line is the DCR- DVD910 camcorder with 15x Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* optics and 2.3-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor technology. It features hybrid movie recording on two recording media, a Memory Stick PRO Duo media card, and a 3-inch DVD disc to provide longer recording times. Almost 11 hours of video can be stored on Sony’s new 16GB media card (sold separately), and close to two hours of recording (LP mode) on an optional 2.66GB, double-layer DVD. Read more

January 10, 2008 – Runco is again expanding the brand’s Video Xtreme line of 1080p DLP projectors with the introduction of its VX-22i featuring CineWide with Autoscope. The VX-22i joins the prestigious line of Runco 3-chip projectors, building upon the best-selling platform of Runco’s VX-22d and featuring an integrated, advanced all-digital controller. Like the Runco VX-22d, the VX-22i offers a high-definition integration projector, tested and certified by the THX Certified Display program with legendary Runco 3-chip projector performance and screen-filling power.

Combining the video controller/processor into the projector, the Runco VX-22i offers an integrated solution for the discerning home theater enthusiast. Integrated into the projector chassis, Runco’s acclaimed DHD controller features HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) connectivity for optimum compatibility with a broad range of source components. The widely-heralded DHD has been such a success that Runco focused the engineering changes only to those necessary for optimal 1080p performance with the new projectors, retaining the features and performance that have made its proprietary DHD so popular. For the ultimate in viewing flexibility and enjoyment, the VX-22i has Runco’s exclusive award- winning CineWide and CineWide with AutoScope technology. This ground-breaking solution can transform a superb home theater system into a true home cinema experience, reproducing 2.35:1 CinemaScope movies with unparalleled accuracy and full vertical screen image height, eliminating useless black bars. Read more

January 2008 — This week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Logitech unveiled the Harmony One advanced universal remote control, marking a significant leap in the evolution of the best-selling line of Harmony remotes. Offering the same one-touch, activity-based control as other Harmony remotes, the Harmony One makes controlling home entertainment even easier with a full-color touch screen, an intuitive button layout and an exceptionally comfortable user-friendly design. The product has received the CES 2008 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in Home-Entertainment Accessories.

As home-entertainment systems become more sophisticated and complex, people are often frustrated and overwhelmed by the need to have multiple devices, the frequent necessity for family members to have written instructions to control the system (otherwise known as a cheat sheet) and the growing number of remotes on the coffee table. And, according to industry research, more and more families will face this problem. IMS Research’s report, “The Future of High-Definition TV – 2007 Edition,” forecasts strong worldwide growth for HDTV over the next four years (nearly 148 million HDTV households by 2011). And in the U.S. alone, consumer spending on digital-living products is on track to hit $300 billion in 2010 (Parks Associates, “Digital Living Forecast,” Dec. 2006). Read more

January 2008 – Sony is advancing the digital SLR category for mainstream photographers with today’s introduction of the new α (alpha) DSLR-A200 camera.

The DSLR-A200 model features upgrades influenced by the recently-introduced, enthusiast-class DSLR-A700 camera and replaces the former Sony DSLR-A100 model, which was Sony’s first in the DSLR class.

The new model is designed to be faster, lighter and easier to use. Upgraded features include a wider, 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD screen for easy playback viewing; a more compact body and an easily-accessible mode dial; an easy-to-use function menu (camera function display); improved noise control for higher quality images; an auto focus speed 1.7x faster than the previous model; improved predictive control performance; quieter shutter sound; automatic pop-up flash; and a battery life indicator that displays the percentage of battery life remaining so you know exactly when to recharge. Read more