Though we don’t yet know of a UK release date for Sharp’s Blu-ray recorders, at least the company has finally managed to bring a player to our shores. Priced to rival Sony’s BDP-S300 at £399, some smart design and a good feature set ought to make the Sharp BD-HP20H a decent alternative.

Importantly, the player is compatible with the new (-ish) Blu-ray Java standards, so any future discs featuring interactive aspects should work fine – which can’t be said of many older players. Full 1080p playback at 60 and 24 fps is supported too, with DVD up-scaling also on hand. Output is via an HDMI 1.3 port and 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD audio make it into the mix.

Continue Reading…

Sansa has developed a successor to their popluar E200 series with the new Sansa Vision. The Vision is a 110×48x9mm PMP that’s available in either 8 or 16 GB flavors. The player also features an integrated FM tuner, microphone, 2.4" 320×240 pixel LCD, micro SDHC slot and gapless playback.

The Vision is capable of handling MP3, WMA, WAV, and Audible audio formats, as well as MPEG-4, WMV, and H.264 video formats at 30fps. However, the Vision was designed for endurance, with 23hrs of music and 7hrs of video playback. Even though none of these features are exactly revolutionary, the Vision should offer Sansa a bright future due to its $150-$200 price tag.

Source: SanDisk

Continue Reading…

Paradigm has bolstered their flagship Signature speaker line with three new diminutive members, the S1 monitor, C1 center channel, and ADP1 surround.

The new speakers all feature Paradigm’s P-Be beryllium tweeter and CoIA cobalt-infused aluminum woofer, flush mounted inside a stunning Revel Performa style two-tone cabinet, making them by far the best looking speakers Paradigm has ever produced.

Source: Paradigm

Continue Reading…

If there’s one sure-fire way to push a next generation format, such as Blu-ray, then simultaneously releasing a whole host of recorders must be it. Sharp’s done just that and announced a whopping four new models for every wallet size.

The Aquos BD-HDW20 and BD-HDW15 will ship in Japan with, respectively, a 1TB and a 500GB hard drive, and can also record onto a selection of Blu-ray discs and DVD media. Unsurprisingly, the range of discs both can play extends to the majority of formats it can write to, plus a few extras, such as CD-R/RW.

Continue Reading…

Toshiba’s Japan headquarters has updated its line of Gigabeat media players, now complemented by the V41. The player has 4GB of internal memory, but can expand this with SD or SDHC cards for much greater amounts. SDHC cards may in fact be vital, because one of the player’s key functions is streaming 1Seg TV, which can be recorded through a program guide for a total of 20 hours or 99 shows’ worth, whichever comes first. Clips are viewed on a 3.5-inch LCD with 260,000 colors.


Continue Reading…

Sleek, Powerful Slingbox SOLO Supports HD or Standard Definition Set Top Boxes; Dramatically Increases Streaming Video Quality.

Sling Media, Inc., a leading digital lifestyle products company, today announced the retail launch of the new Slingbox(TM) SOLO, a freshly designed new Slingbox that can connect to a standard definition or high definition set top box and features increased streaming performance for less than $200. Slingbox SOLO transforms PCs, laptops, Macs and a variety of smartphones into personal, portable TVs and builds upon the goals of the original Slingbox — giving consumers the freedom to view their home cable, satellite or digital video recorder (DVR) programming on a wide range of devices anywhere they can access the Internet. Slingbox SOLO is available in retail stores and at http://www.slingmedia.com for a suggested retail price of $179.99.

Continue Reading…

Leading Retailers Discuss Challenges of Selling HDTVs, HD Service, Next-Generation DVD Players and Gaming Platforms at DisplaySearch’s 5th Annual HDTV Conference

DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research and consulting, unveiled plans for the Retailer Panel at its upcoming 2007 HDTV Conference on October 10-11, 2007 at the Hilton Los Angeles/University City, California. Featuring executives from leading retail outlets, the panel will discuss the CE spending picture for this holiday season, what products are likely to be the best sellers, what has and hasn’t worked in selling next generation DVD players, why 1080p TVs have been embraced in retail, and how to maximize attachment and service revenue.

Continue Reading…

The Only Networked Audio System That Delivers Digital Convenience and HD Audio Quality Better Than Vinyl

Olive Media Products developed the first OPUS in 2005, heralding a new age in music experience that combined the convenience of digital media with high-end audio components. With the introduction of the new OPUS No5, Olive has perfected this convergence with an audio system that delivers music with incredible sound clarity, while also offering the flexibility to browse, rip, store, mix, match and burn music libraries or listen to internet radio.

"We all know the market for CDs is coming to an end," explains Oliver Bergmann, Olive’s CEO, "but until now we just weren’t sure what would replace the CD player for the serious music enthusiast who really cares about quality music. We believe that the Opus No5 is the answer."




Continue Reading…

Tired of the same old speaker designs? Here’s some compact speakers with a decidedly different look. These Microbon speakers are have a hexagonal case design which is certainly unusual.

Instead of a typical cheap plastic case, these speakers have cheap wooden cases. While I’m certainly not going to say that 5mm thick MDF is the sturdiest construction material, I’d bet these wooden speaker enclosures produce a more pleasing sound than most plastic ones. They have a built-in 4W per channel amplifier, and come with an A/C adapter for power. They’ll also run off of USB power or on a rechargeable battery when traveling.

Continue Reading…