This is an interesting rig, an all-in-one front projector from Optoma. Talk about gettin’ it done, this thing has a built-in dvd player and a couple of small speakers.

The design warrants a tabletop or bookshelf mount, since you’ll have to access the dvd player. Obviously audio will suffer with 5-inch speakers, but this looks like a great unit for a portable setup.

This machine retails for $1495, and you can get an optional subwoofer.

If you’re new to the home theater scene and don’t want to worry about mounts and wiring dvd players up, etc, this could be the ticket to get your game on.

Or, if you are constantly on the prowl, like to do your thing when and where you feel the urge, this portable system could just rock your world.
“Come on baby, I’ll bring my bling to your house.”


Full Revew

I’ve read a couple mentions of ABC’s feed interruption. I finally found an affiliate with a comment on it.

While it performs upgrades at its HDTV release facility, the ABC television network will be interrupting its HDTV feed to its affiliate stations beginning Tuesday, Aug. 23, and continuing through Friday, Aug. 26.

ABC will be replacing their HD router. At least this (hopefully) won’t interrupt the Monday Night Football game.

WMTW - ABC To Interrupt HDTV Feed

Ok, I had to do a double take when I was reading this. A triple-take actually. Whoever wrote this needs to switch to a lighter brand of crack:

The Compact Sound System, which is specifically designed for the PS2 Compact, features two 3-watt and two 1-watt stereo speakers, providing gamers with a high-quality simulated home theater experience while gaming, listening to CDs, or watching DVDs. The speakers swivel down to a flat position, allowing for easy storage, and are custom-designed to blend with your PS2 Compact.

Ahem. 2 three-watt speakers, and 2 one-watt speakers. Yeah mon, we be jammin now. But hang on - let’s get to the video!

Next, the Compact Color Game Screen allows gamers to play their PS2 Compact anywhere. It features a compact 5.4″ monitor that provides better game graphics than a TV, built-in stereo speakers (or you can plug in external speakers), dual earphone jacks for multi-player gaming, and easy reach front-panel volume and brightness/color controls. The screen attaches securely to the PS2 Compact and folds flat on top of the unit for easy storage.

Did you read that! A 5.4″ monitor that’s better than a TV! Awright!! I think I’ll go chunk my front projector now, there’s no way I can touch this “high-quality simulated home theater experience” with my rig.

Press Release

Sony Expands SXRD Rear Projection HDTV Line With 50 and 60-Inch Grand WEGA Televisions

Sony supplements their current RP offerings with these new 50 and 60″ 1080p models, the KDS-R60XBR1 and KDS-R50XBR1 Grand WEGA.

KDS-R50XBR1

KDS-R60XBR1

Among the regular PR marketspeak, I saw:

The panels produce a contrast ratio of 5000:1. Refinements to the panel circuit layout enabled Sony to reduce the pixel pitch on an individual panel to just seven micrometers, resulting increased pixel density, yields, quick response time and a brilliant film-like picture.

They come with CableCARD, dual HDMI inputs, three firewire inputs, PC input, and optical audio out. Oh yeah, the requisite memory stick slot will be there as usual.

The KDS-R60XBR1 and KDS-R50XBR1 units represent the upper end of rear projection from Sony, with the new SXRD panels. They are added to their current SXRD products, the 70-inch Qualia 006 and Qualia 004 front projector. The units are due to ship in September for about $5,000 and $4,000.

This is good news for HTDudes, mfgs please continue to bring the 1080p bling…

Press Release

When John Carmack speaks, the game industry listens. This guy is like the Yoda of first person shooters, game widsom great has he. John has made some very strong statements about developing for Xbox vs. PS3. I was very intrigued with what he had to say:

According to Carmack, Xbox 360 is “the best development environment” he’s seen for a console, telling the assembled Quake fans about the usefulness of the development tools and architecture of Microsoft’s next console. Conversely, he expressed doubts regarding the PS3’s hardware architecture, claiming that early work on games for the hardware “will initially be disappointing” and that it will take time for developers to fully get the most out of the machine’s parallel processing power.

Whoa, that’s pretty telling of which system will take off more quickly with new development. He did pull Sony back out from under the bus though, and dust them off a bit:

He wasn’t completely down on Sony, however, explaining where PlayStation 3 had a potential advantage over the Xbox 360: “The particularly interesting thing on the other side of the fence with Sony is that they are at least making noises about having it be an open platform. This has always been an issue I disliked about consoles. I don’t like closed development platforms and the fact you have to be a registered developer. I’ve always loathed that aspect. It’s why I’ve always preferred the PC market, so we can do whatever we feel like – we can release mission packs and patch things - all of this good stuff that you’re not allowed to do on consoles.” Although he admitted that it wasn’t clear how or if this openness would work, it was clearly something he would embrace if it existed: “If you had something like the Amiga used to be, which was a fixed format with a graphics focus, that would certainly be very interesting.” And this was clearly his perceived advantage for PS3, saying that “Microsoft are certainly going to have nothing to do with” such an open attitude.

Hmm, I see the balance of power swinging in Big Bill’s favor…

Article

Two new PureVision plasma televisions introduced today by Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

The new whiz-bang tech includes “newly designed Crystal Emissive Layer” and “Pioneer’s PureDrive II circuitry” with claimed result of the improved contrast ratios and black levels.

The Pioneer PDP-5060HD and PDP-4360HD should be available in September - estimated prices $6,000 and $4,500.

Bring on this Fall, Papa wants a new set of toys.

Press Release

[For this sytem] The SuperView 3000 video windowing display processor was chosen because it could display up to 12 video windows on the screen, and it could save window configurations as presets.

The SuperView processor is wired to receive nine HI-DEF satellite feeds which include local cable channels, a DVD player, and a computer. The combined signal is sent to an 6.75′ x 9′ screen fed by a JVC SX-21U projector . A Crestron control system makes it simple to operate.

The SuperView processor was the perfect solution to enable the family to watch multiple events simultaneously without having to change channels. The configuration presets make it easy to switch screen layouts when they want to view a different number of feeds, and to switch screen priorities when they want to assign a larger portion of the screen to a particular event. The Frieman family confirms that they are very happy with the system.

Happy with their system? You think? Man, to be a kid in the Frieman house! Where was this stuff when I was a kid? It sure smokes “kick the can.” Question is, where’s the xbox? Maybe little Johnny stays busy upstairs memorizing the encyclopedia.

This processor is over 12 grand. I wonder if I should start charging for all the NFL events at my house this season…

Multi-Image Display for Home Theater

Bummer news today as HD-DVD, once touted as the next new bling for your rig, is losing some of its much needed Christmas push.

Paramount Pictures was to release 20 titles, is now committed to none.
NBC Universal plans to release around a dozen, down from 16 releases promised.
Time Warner has no definite plans and wants the format war worked out. (yeah, don’t we all!)

Toshiba will likely have the only stand-alone hardware in retail channels for the holidays, at around a grand.

This may not mean much to Joe Htdudes in general, but this kind of slack in the push towards the next tech will hurt. Why? Because the bling-kings who buy on the bleeding edge, taking the hardest hit for Joe Consumer, won’t be snapping this stuff up at Christmas time if it ain’t on the shelf.

Maybe a format negotiation would be best for this industry. I’ll stick my screwdriver up for that.

Source

Pros:

• Excellent customer service
• Magnificent construction, fit and finish
• Elegant design
• High screen performance for all types of projectors
• Huge bang for the buck

Cons

• None

This reviewer really liked this screen, it looks like a great value for the quality, and it was wife-unit approved! Carada is definitely on the htdude approved screen list.

Carada Projector Screen Review

Looking for a rear projection unit, and budget is not a restriction? (man I love it when money is no object!)
The Sony Qualia 006 is the answer.

At 70″ diagonal with a resolution of 1920×1080, and weighing in at 463 lbs with stand, this widescreen is one big, bad mamma-jamma. Nothing says bling like a big honking permanent screen! And at this size and weight, let’s see some dopehead try to carry it off.

SXRD stands for Silicon Xtal (crystal) Reflective Display. [This technology] does not use backlighting, which means the pixels can be placed closer together (there’s no need for the addressing circuitry to run between the pixels), eliminating the “screen-door” effect that is so common on LCD sets.

So with this tech, Sony has eliminated the #1 problem with LCD - SDE (screen door effect.) It’s not every day a corporate behemoth makes such strides in technical excellence.

Bottom Line
This television offers high-definition images as precise and pleasing as I have ever seen. That is the crowning achievement of the Qualia 006. Its portrayal of DVDs was not perfect but generally superb. It could not portray conventional NTSC TV in a manner I found pleasing to watch. But all in all, this may be the best rear-projection television out there.

‘Nuff said.

Full Review