30000:1 Contrast Ratio Projectors from JVC

JVC has expanded its 1080p home theater projector line with the introduction of two new high definition projectors that achieve a native contrast ratio of 30,000:1.

By avoiding artificial means of inflating contrast specifications, such as a dynamic iris, the D-ILA projectors simultaneously deliver true blacks and sparkling luminance detail, providing a notably enriched cinematic experience. The new projectors are the DLA-HD100, to be marketed by JVC’s consumer group, JVC Company of America, and the DLA-RS2, from JVC’s professional group, JVC Professional Products Company.

To attain a native contrast ratio of 30,000:1, the projectors employ original and proprietary JVC technology in the 0.7-inch full HD D-ILA devices and optical engine used in both models. Three D-ILA devices are used, one each for red, green and blue. The projectors also offer HDMI 1.3, improved color rendition by broadening the color space, a motorized Fujinon 2x zoom lens, and customized on-screen gamma control.

The DLA-HD100 and DLA-RS2’s high performance 2x zoom lens made by Fujinon Corporation features a large-diameter, all-glass lens assembly with 16 elements in 13 groups. This lens minimizes chromatic aberration and provides a high-resolution picture by ensuring that individual pixels remain perfectly focused on the screen. For placement flexibility, the projectors feature ±80 percent vertical and ±34 percent horizontal lens shift. The projectors can easily be ceiling-mounted or placed on a tabletop or shelf.

The DLA-RS2 debuts at CEDIA accompanied by an array of certified peripherals as part of JVC Professional Product Company’s Reference Series line. Among these peripherals are the RSVP1, an advanced hub permitting single cable connection to the projector of a variety of HD and SD input sources.

The RSVP1’s embedded signal processing circuitry accommodates custom settings programmed by the installer. The RSAL1 motorized anamorphic lens enables 2.35 aspect ratio projection using all 1920×1080 D-ILA pixels. Constant screen height is provided when displaying 16:9 images.

Epson launches PowerLite Pro Projector

Epson has come released a new high-end projector that delivers true 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution and contrast ratios measuring up to 50,000:1. Incorporating the latest 3LCD optical engine – the D7 chipset with C2Fine and new UltraBlack technology.

Unveiled at CEDIA Expo 2007, the PowerLite Pro Cinema 1080 UB is Epson's new flagship model that is built on the new D7 chip set with C2Fine, a new inorganic substrate that uses 12-bit video processing and a new polarizing light filter. With this new technology, the Pro Cinema 1080 UB can deliver high blacks with good tone response, in addition to elevating contrast ratios to much higher levels than with previous models. Furthermore, by achieving brightness levels as high as 1,600 ANSI lumens, the new Pro Cinema 1080 UB is also well-suited for rooms where ambient light can’t always be eliminated.

“Beyond offering the best 1080p image quality the market has seen in this price category, our engineers have also discovered numerous ways to incorporate other unique features and control options that enhance the installation, setup and calibration process,” said Mike Isgrig, director of multimedia projection products, Epson America. “We’re certain that most of today’s professional home theater installers will appreciate these enhancements, but we also expect the incredible performance to satisfy the needs of today’s most discriminating home theater customers.”

Panasonic to Offer Large-Screen LCDs

According to AVZombie.com , Panasonic, which has always sworn by plasma technology, has now decided to sell large-screen LCD TVs.The company had so far restricted sales of LCD TV to sets 32 inches and under, but it will shortly ship 37-inch models into the Japanese market this fall season, to meet consumer demand. A world-wide rollout is likely in 2008. Hitachi, another plasma vendor, has announced similar plans.

Sony's Rolly Finally Rolled Out

Rumors of Sony’s rolling speaker system (called the Rolly, what else?) had been floating around on the Internet for a long time but finally all is revealed. The Rolly is a portable wireless speaker system with audio capabilities as well. It uses Bluetooth technology to connect to your player or PC. The best part is that the device is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and weighs just 300 grams.

Activate the egg-shaped device, and the ends (flaps) open up to reveal lights that actually work in sync with the music playing. It has two stereo speakers and 1GB of inbuilt flash memory for storing music. According to the Sony, the Rolly has a battery life of around five hours. It’s equipped with sensors to interpret directions, and volume can be controlled by turning the player clockwise or counterclockwise.

Specific motion programs designed for the Rolly can be sent to the device via Bluetooth from the PC. Various other programs for movement and choreography can also be downloaded. The device can also be used as an alarm clock. What's more, it's compatible with Sony’s ATRAC format and MP3s as well.

As of now the Rolly is available for purchase in Japan for approximately Rs 14,160 (40,000 Yen, or US$354). With any luck, since it’s already out in Asia, we can expect to see it in our stores soon.

Sony Launches the A700 D-SLR Camera

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Like Sony’s mainstream D-SLR A100 model, the new A700 unit incorporates Super SteadyShot Inside image stabilization in the camera body and is compatible with most Minolta Maxxum mount lenses in addition to Sony lenses.

"Discerning photo enthusiasts will be impressed with the rugged construction and outstanding performance of the A700," said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. "We also expect that this new camera will redefine the post-capture experience with HDMI output for high-quality playback of images on high-definition televisions."

The camera’s new 12.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor conducts analog-to-digital (A/D) signal conversion and dual noise reduction right on the sensor itself. Noise reduction is applied to analog signals before A/D conversion and the resulting digital signals are then subject to a second round of noise reduction.

A newly developed, auto-focus system features 11 wide-area sensors, including a center dual cross sensor comprising two horizontal and two vertical line sensors for exceptional AF precision. An F2.8 line sensor leverages the brightness of fast aperture lenses for even greater precision.

The A700 model features an HDMI output for connection to HDTV sets, putting a high-resolution spin on the conventional photo slideshow. When connected to an HD television, photos are optimized for viewing with the new "PhotoTV HD" mode.

The D-SLR A700 camera body, DT 16-105 mm lens, and DT 18-250 mm lens will be available for about $1,400, $580 and $550, respectively. The DSLR-A700K kit with an 18-70 mm lens will be available for about $1,500, and the D-SLR A700P kit with the 16-105 mm lens will be available for about $1,900. The camera body and D-SLR A700K kit will ship in October and the D-SLR A700P kit in November.

There is no news about the Indian launch and pricing yet.

Mumbai Malls Go Bluetooth-Active

Who says that India is far behind when it comes to being tech-savvy? The latest trend it seems is Bluetooth. It’s the new infrared. No more line-of-sight wireless transfer of data. In fact it’s so popular that you can see it in action in a shopping mall in our very own Mumbai city.

A company called Nexeia has developed a device they call Cellmagix that actually allows consumers to get information about movies, sales and special offers on their mobile phones, provided Bluetooth is enabled. The malls will also be able to provide customers with maps and layouts directing them to bargains etc. There are also plenty of other services and freebies like ringtones, wallpapers etc. that can be provided though the same medium.

According to the company, the service is free from viruses and spam. The question is: if your Bluetooth is activated, won’t viruses come in from other mobiles that are sending them out?

New 40GB PS3 on the Way?

Opposable Thumbs has word (from a reliable source) that there’s a new 40GB PS3 in the works, that’ll supposedly be priced at USD $399. If this is true, with pricing like this SKU will hit the sweet spot, boosting sales a good bit the coming holiday season. That said, if they actually go ahead with this move, it’ll be quite hypocritical of them; if I remember correctly, they’d ridiculed Microsoft for having multiple SKUs that could 'confuse' the customers.

All said, I hope that the PS3 goes on steam soon and that they sell enough consoles this holiday season to get back into the game.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Dated

Lara Croft’s male counterpart will be swinging his way into your living room when Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune hits the stores on November 20. As you all know, this highly ambitious project from developer Naughty Dog plans on fusing a number of elements borrowed from different games – such as the cover system from Gears of War, the platforming element from Prince of Persia etc. so I’m pretty interested to see how it works out . Here’s a slight heads-up for the ill-informed:

A 400-year-old clue in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake sets a modern-day fortune hunter on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The search turns deadly when Nathan Drake becomes stranded on the island and is hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.

For more on the game, head over to the official site.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Screens Leaked

Even though the game has not officially been announced till now, Ninja Gaiden 2 screens have been found floating around the Internet thanks to a certain NeoGAF forum member who grabbed them from the official Ninja Gaiden 2 page before they were taken off

As most of you already know, Ninja Gaiden is by far one of the toughest (ball-busting would be a better term) games to hit any console on the planet, and with Ninja Gaiden 2 I cannot begin to imagine the difficultly level. However, the game looks a lot more violent this time round and the gratuitous dismemberment definitely caught my attention.

Step right here for a bunch of shiny new Ninja Gaiden 2 screenies.

Orange Box's 99 Achievements Revealed

Achieve360Points.com has a list of the 99 achievements you’ll get to unlock on the Xbox 360 version of the Orange Box. The achievements stretch from something as bizarre as killing someone with a toilet seat, to killing five Barnacles with a single barrel.

If you plan on playing the game on your PC, you can Pre-Order it now to receive a 10% discount.

Intel Refreshes Core 2 Duo Range

In a quiet but very important product release, Intel has announced the latest refresh of its Core 2 Duo range of processors. This new lineup gets a speed boost as the FSB has been bumped up to 1333 MHz from 1066 MHz. The number of processors that are being introduced include 3 dual-core processors and one quad-core.

The opening processor in this lineup, is the newly introduced E6550, which is clocked at 2.33 GHz and is aimed at filling the gap between the earlier E6400 and E6600 processor range. This new processor will retail at US$ 163. The next processor being introduced is the E6750, which is clocked 330 MHz faster than the E6750 i.e. 2.66 GHz. It will be retailing at US$ 183. The final dual-core processor is the E6850 which is 330 MHz faster than the E6750 i.e. 3 GHz and will retail at $266. On the quad-core front the new processor being debuted is the Core 2 Quad Q6850, which is clocked at 3 GHz and will carry the “Extreme” tag. This is reflected in the pricing of the C2D Q6850 which is US$ 999.

Though these new processors offer a tangible bump in speed and performance, the good thing that comes out of the release of the new range is that the older range of C2D processors will no doubt see a slash in prices. These will make the current generation products far more competitive and cut into AMD's budget processor market. For further details please check out this link.

China Develops New HD-DVD Format

China has gone ahead and launched its own high definition format called CH-DVD, an abbreviation for China High Definition DVD.This is a little different form the regular HD-DVD, but now we can safely place our bets on the fact that cheap players and cheaper discs are going to be out soon, maybe even in our markets.

The Optical Memory National Engineering Research Center (OMNERC), a laboratory dedicated to optical disc research in Tsinghua University, announced CH-DVD, a new-generation high definition DVD format developed in collaboration with research institutes and manufacturing enterprises at home and abroad. The physical format of CH-DVD includes Chinese-owned intellectual property, and is based on HD-DVD, the next-generation high definition DVD approved by the DVD Forum.

The realization of CH-DVD was supported by the Chinese government, and will pave the way for the localization of blue-laser, high-definition DVD in China. On Sept. 7, 2007, OMNERC established CHDA – the China High Definition DVD Industry Association – in cooperation with the DVD Forum and Chinese and international partners. CHDA will play a leadership role in the promotion of CH-DVD, and will make a big push to launch CH-DVD player into the Chinese market in 2008.

The emergence of CH-DVD as a high definition format integrating Chinese-owned intellectual property clearly demonstrates that a Chinese optical disc technology is already at the world-class level. In the near future, all related industries in China are expected to make the transition from standard definition DVD to high definition DVD. CH-DVD is designed to play a central role in the sound development of the content industry, and adopts advanced copy protection technology that effectively thwarts piracy.

Many content holders have confirmed their support for CH-DVD and will launch movie titles in the format. In the next year, China will start broadcasts of high definition TV programs. In combination with HDTV, CH-DVD is expected provide a wide variety of HD content that will enrich the lives of viewers.

F-Secure Unveils Internet Security 2008

F-Secure Corporation has announced a new milestone in its efforts to enable internet users to take full advantage of the opportunities of their networked lives with ease and safety.

With the new F-Secure Internet Security 2008 solution, the company is introducing Online Well-Being as the primary way for PC users to experience data security, as opposed to the traditional threat and fear-oriented approaches the industry has used.

The product will enable consumers and small businesses to enjoy the benefits of global networks without fear. It keeps the PC healthy and free from malicious applications with the help of a number of security features. The solution is specifically designed to require minimal user interaction, and eliminates the need to maintain and update several separate security programs.

Also included is a 12-month subscription to a fully automated and continuous update service from the F-Secure Security Labs. The speed and reliability of this update service ensures that a user's PC stays immune to new and evolving threats. The product includes a protection technology called F-Secure DeepGuard that aims to reduce the response time to zero.

The new solution claims to use less computer resources than before, improving the overall performance of the system. This enables users to focus more intensively on important activities in their networked lives. It also features parental controls with new categories of controlled Web content and a 'safe list' (whitelist of Web sites). For better protection, the anti-phishing feature has been enhanced so that identifying emails that pretend to be from financial or other trustworthy institutions is made easier.

"Security is no longer defined in terms of fear, but the new measure is enablement and opportunity. Our task is to enable our customers to soar with the possibilities of the Net, leaving their security worries to be handled by our professional service," says Ari Alakiuttu, vice president, products and services at F-Secure Corporation.

F-Secure Internet Security 2008 is available through the F-Secure online store and to resellers and retailers as of today. The solution provides protection for up to three PCs in the same household, supports Windows Vista, and has a localized user interface and electronic user manual in 25 languages.

The solution also helps users take care of their smartphones, thanks to the inclusion of a free trial version of the F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus solution for Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphones.

Orissa Villages go Wi-Fi, Have an E-postman

In Orissa, a state transport bus service is contributing to Internet connectivity. Every time the bus passes through Raghurajpur village in the state, it becomes the villagers' ticket to Internet connectivity. The bus is fitted with a Wi-Fi box and is a source of help to many villagers.

"The Internet has really improved my sales. In my 30-year career as an artist, we never had such facilities. Now, I can contact customers, and they can contact me,” says artist Sarat Mohapatra.

The United Villages kiosk in Raghurajpur is equipped with a Wi-Fi antenna and computers, and Mohapatra saves his emails on the hard disk. When the Wi-Fi enabled bus passes through Raghurajpur, it picks up his email and delivers it to a nearby town with Internet connectivity.

"Many villages cannot be connected because of lack of infrastructure and because most people can't afford it. With this, email is Re. 1 and attachments cost an extra Re. 1. The infrastructure is just a bus,” said Kishore Sutar, manager, United villages.

The United Village concept is also called Daknet, or Internet Post, and the bus is like a postman. It connects 25 remote villages in Orissa to already Internet-enabled areas.

A Self Help Group worker, Pranati Mishra, now doesn't have to travel 30 km to Puri to check email from funding agencies. "It's good to have these facilities to contact head office and funding agencies. Now it's very easy; it doesn't waste time or money,” she said.

The Daknet service is not real-time click and surf, but it is still a step towards creating one big global village.

Apple Sells A Million iPhones

Apple announced on Monday that it has sold the millionth iPhone. Great! So now there are a million of those uncustomizable generic bitten-apple phones out there. Okay, let me eat my words, you can now have custom ringtones (yeah, wow...) with iTunes v7.4.1.

On a more serious note, the iPhone reached the magic figure in just 74 days, making it the fastest selling mobile phone ever! That is a little longer than experts who presumed it to sell that many in about two months. But then it also beats the iPod that took almost a year to reach that figure.

In other good news, the software unlocks have gone retail. Wireless Imports in the US, iPhoneWorldwideUnlock in Australia, 1digitalphone in Germany, and iPhone4arab in Saudi Arabia have all purchased bulk licenses from the iPhoneSIMfree team and are selling unlocks to individuals. The iPhoneSIMfree team could not sell their unlock to end users due to a run-in with the AT&T legal team.

What? More good news? Fine. The Hackint0sh DEV team today released the first free software unlock solution. The GUI version is still in an early development stage, but expect it within 24 hours.

And even more drama unfolded overnight. Yesterday, Apple's VP of Hardware Product Marketing Greg Joswiak defined Apple's stance on third party apps and unlocks as 'neutral'. But that statement was recalled late in the day by an Apple spokesperson who said that Apple was 'most likely' to neutralize such apps and hacks with future updates. Guess we know who the *real* voice behind that mouth is...
Excellent! (Mr Burns style) Now all I have to worry about is how fast I can reach a decision between an iPhone and an iPod Touch... D-oh!

Star, Sony Ericsson to Offer Mobile Content

Star India’s mobile entertainment division and mobile handset company Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications India Private Limited announced a partnership to bring comprehensive mobile content services to Sony Ericsson users.

Under this partnership, the recently launched PLUS mobile service from Star’s mobile entertainment division will be exclusively pre-embedded on a range of Sony Ericsson phones in India.

Targeting the consumer’s need for entertainment on the go, the PLUS application from Star will be preloaded on Sony Ericsson’s Walkman and Cyber-shot handsets from November.

For the consumer, preloading of PLUS in Sony Ericsson phones brings together world-class mobile technology, allowing consumers to get entertainment and Internet-based services on their Sony Ericsson handsets.

"We are pleased to be an exclusive partner of Star’s Mobile Entertainment division to offer the unique PLUS application pre-embedded in a range of Sony Ericsson phones. The PLUS application from Star offers instant entertainment via a wide range of exclusive content,” said Sudhin Mathur, general manager, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications India Private Limited.

Viren Popli, senior vice president, Star Mobile Entertainment said, “Star’s mobile entertainment division aims to serve mobile consumers in India with entertainment and information anytime, anywhere. This partnership brings together great phones and great content and services. PLUS on Sony Ericsson phones will allow the consumer to search shop and consume not just entertainment but all Internet-based services from their phones in a simple and easy way.”

PLUS will give Sony Ericsson users easy access to over 200 videos of TV, Music and Bollywood genres, access to sports scores and updates, movie reviews, music downloads, news banking services, travel booking through Makemytrip, Travelguru and Yatra , Yellow Pages and much more.

As a part of this partnership, Star’s mobile entertainment division will also pre-load on Sony Ericsson phones a variety of specially created mobile video clips of different genres with an intent to offer superior video experience.

Sony Ericsson users will also be able to access a range of fresh content, updated every month through a Sony Ericsson zone on the PLUS application.

India Hosts World Cyber Crime Conference

India is hosting the 7th international conference on cyber crime hosted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at New Delhi from September 12 to 14.

Delegates from 37 countries include senior police and cyber crime experts, in addition to experts from EUROPOL, UNODC, UNICR, Council of Europe, multinational IT companies, Indian Public Sector Undertakings and Department of Electronics, Government of India. The three-day conference is being organised by Interpol.

The CBI, which is the nodal agency for training law enforcement officers in cyber crime investigation in India and has experience in investigating cyber crimes with international ramifications, will make a key presentation on 'International Cooperation in Cyber Crime Investigation', said G Mohanti, CBI spokesperson.

Expressing concern over the increasing level of online child pornography, trafficking in contraband items and e-commerce frauds, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said that these offences should capture the priority attention of lawmakers and law enforcement agencies.

In the context of cyber law enforcement, Patil suggested that unless domestic efforts are leveraged with international cooperation, combating such crimes will be ineffective. Patil also called for effective collaboration between public and private entities in investigation of cyber crimes.

The discussion on police response to cyber crimes and cyber terrorist activities would include topics like ID thefts, banking frauds, online gaming, child pornography and abuse, and importantly, the use of the cyber arena by terrorists for various forms of cyber terrorism.

Patil has suggested four simple steps, including sharing of experience and technology at individual and national level to tackle the growing menace of cyber crime. "Every country needs to honour and quickly respond to Interpol's references and bilateral requests for information sharing and data preservation. There should be a liberal sharing of forensic technology for achieving standardization of expert efforts. There should be more cross-country training exchange programs, and timely alerts should be provided by affected countries to others about new forms of cyber crimes and new modus operandi", he said.

"The cyber world pervades almost every aspect of our existence today. The rapid growth and astonishing rise of internet has been attributed to its borderless and transnational nature without any barriers," Mohanti added.

However, till date, efforts to prevent or deter cyber criminals have not been very effective.

Apple to Launch 16GB, 3G iPhone?

It's not official, but leaked iPhone campaign ads from T-Mobile Germany portray a different story. The iPhone is not likely to be announced in Europe until November, but the grapevine has it that it's to be equipped with 3G, supporting both US-friendly HSDPA format and the Europe-specific UMTS. The leaked ad also claims a 16GB iPhone, with a 2MP camera in keeping with the version launched in the US.

According to the ad, the 3G iPhone will be priced at 499 Euros and will come with a coupon for the iTunes store. T-Mobile has obviously not confirmed any of this, but it's been seen posting text banners and product shots on its own website, as posted by ZDnet.

iPhone Finally Unlocked

After a lot of hullabaloo, some geeks on IRC channels claim they did manage to unlock the iPhone. The word is out and buzzing wildly on live blogs like Engadget , and it seems the unlocking can be achieved without any hardware changes. It all started with the wise people at iPhoneSIMfree releasing the application, and lot of eager people getting into action. How exactly it was done? Well, read it for yourself.

HTC May Develop Google Phone

The Google Phone has been in the works for a long time. Concepts for this phone have been floating around for ages. Of course nothing is conclusive as to whether or not Google is actually going to be coming out with a mobile of their own.

However, some of the designs are way out there and look astounding. What specs these mobiles will have are also a little vague. But there’s no harm in dreaming, is there?

Naturally, we expect it to have G-Talk, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Search as standard applications. Let's not forget YouTube as another feature that's likely to be included by default. Apparently, all of this could be going down in Google’s office in Cambridge, UK, but it’s all very hush-hush.

It also looks likely that HTC just might be the guys hired to get the phone off the drawing board. According to Om Malik down at gigaom , he has a bit of a scoop on a few facts that Google is incorporating into their phone. For instance, he says it should run on a Mobile Linux platform and have Java capability.

The biggest question on everybody’s mind is – will it be here before the next-gen iPhone and how will it compare? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what Google comes up with. When we get the dope you can bet you’ll know as well!

Unlocked iPhone Selling in Mumbai's Gray Market

The Mumbai gray market seems to be brimming with the latest offerings in the market. You can get the iPhone (unlocked and running) for a whopping Rs. 52,000. Hopefully, seeing as only this morning some sleepless soul managed to make a hardware-free hacking method to unlock the phone, enthusiasts won't have to wait for a day at Heera Panna for the unlocking to happen.

Also, with Apple announcing the latest iPod Nano only last week in the US, some shops in Heera Panna (the gray haven in Worli in downtown Mumbai) have started stocking them already. While the official launch in India still happens to be sometime tomorrow, the availability of the new Nano brings relief to customers who won't have to wait for ages for the products to start hitting the stores.

The 4GB 2-inch Nano is selling for around Rs. 8,000 (based on how well you can bargain, I suppose), and the now upscaled 80GB iPod classic and 160GB available for around Rs. 14,000 and 17,000 respectively. We looked around some more, and couldn't find the 8GB Nano yet, but according to some shop owners, it won't be long before you get them as well!