High Definition Hardware

Onkyo launches three new HD home cinema receivers

Onkyo has announced it is launching three new high definition capable home cinema receivers.

The TX-SR576 and TX-SR506 models, costing £300 and £250 respectively, are full 7.1-channel home cinema receivers both featuring seven channels of 130W power output, three HDMI ports (only v1.2a) and one output.

They also offer audio decoding of Dolby Digital Plus/DTS ES on the TX-SR576, plus Dolby Digital EX, Dolby ProLogic IIx, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, and DTS Neo 6, MP3/AAC music optimiser, Audyssey Dynamic EQ loudness correction, and iPod compatibility.

The TX-SR606 home receiver succeeds Onkyo's popular TX-SR605 released last year, and offers seven channels of 140W power output, four HDMI v1.3a inputs and one output, 720p/1080i upscaling, onboard audio decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, bi-amping capability, music optimisation and Audyssey Dynamic EQ and will be available for £400 from May.

(via HDTV UK)

Bert and Ernie go HD

US children's programme Sesame Street is celebrating its 39th series by going high definition.

Airing in the US from 11th August, the Sesame Workshop's production has been helped in part by Sony, which has provided high definition cameras and switches.

"The decision to shoot in HD has been so exciting because it has brought 'the Street' to life, making our neighborhood of adults, children, monsters, grouches and 8-foot birds come alive," said Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer of Sesame Street.

Whether we'll ever get to see Big Bird or Bert and Ernie in high-def in the UK we will have to wait and see, but there's no doubt that technological advances in childrens TV are being taken just as seriously as TV for us big kids.

(Via HDTV UK)

Denon launches AVC-A1HD high end integrated AV amp

Denon has launched a new flagship home cinema integrated AV amplifier, the AVC-A1HD based on their AVP/POA-A1HD separates.

The AVC-A1HD is feature packed offering THX Ultra2 certification, with 7 channels x 150 watts of full bandwidth high-current power.The AVC-A1HD has a HDMI 1.3a repeater with six inputs and two outputs, 1080/24p passthrough, REALTA sxT2 HQV processing, Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD decoders, Deep Colour and xvYCC support, auto lip sync, 12 channel preamp, fully networkable for media streaming, Internet radio, and auto set-up and room EQ.

As usual, there's a whole host of specifications related to the sound quality and futureproofing, further information can be found at Denon's web site.

Expect to pay around £3,799.99.

(Via HDTV UK)

AgfaPhoto DV-500Z - 720p capable camcorder

AgfaPhoto has released a camcorder, the DV-5000Z , capable of recording 720p high definition content onto SD/SDHC media.

The DV-500Z features a five megapixel Micron CMOS sensor, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD, and 3x optical zoom. Footage is captured in the H.264 format, with sound coming in a 16-bit stereo variety.

I n terms of size its pretty small at around 12 x 7 cms and weighs only 200g. Power is supplied by a lithium-ion battery. The DV-500Z has both USB and video out connectors, and will cost consumers around €249 (about £200).

It will launch in Russia later this month, but no word of when or if it'll come to the UK.

(Via HDTV UK)

Does size really matter?

It would seem that the folks at Samsung believe this to be the case.

They have been working hard to produce the world's first 175cm (70in) high-definition LCD  TV panel - a whopping 12.5cm (5in) bigger than the largest LCD TV currently on the market. This monster has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 which as most of you will likely know makes it a perfect match for a HD source such as SKY HD, or a HD DVD or Blu-Ray player.

Clearly it's not just about quantity however, and subsiquently the display provides a contrast ratio of 2000:1 and a brightness of 600cdmpm². Even with such a large panel the response time is still favourable, coming in at less than 8ms.

If you happen to want one of these you will have to wait  a few months as Samsung say they will not be available until the first half of 2007. The upside of this is that it gives you plently of time to work out where the heck to put the thing!

Evesham DVD1000 - Upscaling DVD player

If you’re anything like me you have probably spent the last few years building an extensive DVD collection full of all your favourite movies. With all this talk of new HD formats such as Blu-ray and HD DVD it’s easy to think that those DVDs might soon end up in a box in the loft next to the Videos!

With more and more people rushing out to buy HD Ready LCDs and Plasmas it is only natural that consumers want to get the best from their new equipment. However, according to Evesham there is still plenty of life in those DVDs yet.

Canon release smallest HDV camcorder

Canon has unveiled a camcorder which it says is the worlds smallest and lightest offering high definition video.

The HV10 is based on the HDV tape format and uses conventional MiniDV tape for high-definition video storage. Unlike previous HDV camcorders from competitors, the HV10 looks much more like a traditional compact consumer camcorder.

Acer Aspire 9800 - HD DVD laptop

If you’re looking for a laptop with the potential to fulfill all your multimedia needs, then look no further than the new Acer Aspire 9800.

This new Acer offers a massive 20.1 inch widescreen with a native resolution of 1,680 x 1,050 along with CrystalBrite high-contrast technology and an 8 millisecond response time. To make the most of this, Acer has chosen the popular 256 Meg version of Nvidia’s GeForce Go 7600 graphics card which should have plenty of puff for both games and multimedia tasks.

NVIDIA back Sony Blu-Ray

The graphics giant NVIDIA has publicly backed Sony's Blu-ray technology particularly with regard to its use in the new Playstation 3.

Given that NVIDIA are supplying graphics processors for Sony, having broken their ties from Microsoft's Xbox, this is not really that surprising.

The companies CEO commented that as one of the next generation of consoles set to be around for the next ten years, for the PS3 not to have Blu-ray is an “impossible scenario”.

A next generation console needs to last ten years, so has to have next generation media.

Of course it makes sense for NVIDIA to back the company they now manufacture components for. Ultimately however, the consumer will decide if the PS3 and Blu-ray are to succeed or not.

Xbox External HD Drive - Update

Microsoft has quashed recent speculation that the Xbox 360 will be upgraded with an internal HD DVD drive.

Many people saw this evolution as a logical step for the HD capable console but Microsoft spokesperson Cesar Menendez commented that it’s just not going to happen.