Gizmodo Australia » full hd

LG Joins The Christmas Bonus Deal Brigade

Nick Broughall — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:28:51 +0000

The latest company to offer free bonuses with TV purchases? LG, who are offering a bonus 23-inch full HD LCD valued at $899 when you pick up a selected LG TV or fridge.

There are 20,000 bonus TVs available with TV purchases and 7000 for fridge purchases. The promo is running from today to December 31st. If this sounds like your cup of tea, check out LG’s promo page for more info.

[LG TV bundle & LG Fridge bundle]

Asus Designo MS Monitors Land In Australia

Nick Broughall — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:19:11 +0000

I saw these monitors at Computex back in June, and I have to say they were gorgeous. And now they’re coming to Australia!

Set to land next month, the MS monitors come in either 21.5 or 23-inch models, have 1080p resolution and a 2ms response time. They also rest on a circular ring, which apparently means their design was inspired by binary, with the flat monitor being a ‘one’ and the circular stand being a ‘zero’.

~~No pricing yet, which kinda sucks.~~ Just got pricing from Asus:

The MS246H will be available this month. It’s RRP is $389.
The 23” RRP is $369, available mid-Oct.
The 21.5” may be available in mid-Nov – no RRP yet.

Kogan Kevin37 LCD TV Now Full HD 1080p

Nick Broughall — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:00:56 +0000

Remember Kogan’s rather clever marketing to release a $900 TV called Kevin37 in the hopes of getting your stimulus money? Well, it just got even better, with the announcement that the Kevin37 TV won’t just have a vanilla HD 1366 x 768 resolution, but instead will come with a Full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution for the same price. And you still get your free T-shirt!Anyone who pre-ordered will have their order automatically upgraded to the higher-res screen. Apparently Kogan’s solid relationship with Chinese manufacturers, plus an improvement in the Aussie dollar has made this possible.

Without having seen the TV with our own eyes, it’s hard to recommend unconditionally, but for $900, 37 inches of 1080p is about as cheap as you’re ever going to get. And previous Kogan TVs we’ve tested perform solidly, so there’s no reason to expect any different from this one.

[Kogan]

Rumour: Nikon Planning 1080p-Capable D400?

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Whether it’s wishful thinking, educated guessing or true leakage is unclear, but the photo nerds are now abuzz about a Nikon D400 follow-up to the D300 we love so much, which would have D90-like video capability that could potentially rival Canon’s 1080p-shootin’ EOS 5D Mark II. If that was all gibberish to you, don’t think on it a moment further. But if what you just read gave you a feeling down in the nether regions that you’d prefer not to discuss, go check out Photography Bay for the full rumour rundown. [Photography Bay]

Lightning Review: Kogan 42-Inch 1080P LCD TV

Nick Broughall — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:02:20 +0000

The Gadget: Kogan’s 42-inch Full HD LCD TV, which features a 1080p LG panel, 2 HDMI inputs and a HD tuner built-in.The Price: $1,349
The Verdict: On a pure “dollars per inch” scale, it’s hard to go past the Kogan. It’s not the best picture quality in the world (far from it, in fact), the sound isn’t much to write home about, the remote control makes Ronaldinho look attractive and the feature set is fairly plain, but a 42-inch LCD for $1350 is a bargain no matter what way you look at it.

Picture quality – that indefinable measure that is the largest deciding factor when purchasing a TV – is pretty good, on par with Full HD TVs from 12-18 months ago. While LCD tech has progressed a long way over the past 18 months, if you’re watching an HD source on this Kogan, you’ll be pretty happy with the results. There are two HDMI inputs and a HD tuner built-in, so finding HD content shouldn’t be a problem. SD content doesn’t fair quite as well, appearing grainy and pixelated at times (especially the ultra-compressed SD Foxtel), but it’s still watchable.

This particular model doesn’t have a 100Hz mode, so fast-moving action tends to judder a bit, especially in SD. But for under $1500, are you really going to complain too much?

Sound quality is the Kogan’s Achilles heel. It’s tinny, with almost no bottom end to speak of. But there is a digital audio out port, so anyone with a proper home theatre setup can pump the audio out to external speakers without too much difficulty.

The remote control is quite possibly the ugliest remote ever, devised by demonspawn to drive you insane. Fortunately, the on screen menu is a lot cleaner, simpler and easier to use than the last Kogan TV we looked at, and while it won’t win any awards, it’s definitely usable (even with their remote). For the price, it’s definitely worth spending a bit of extra cash on a cheap universal remote.

If you’re considering picking up a cheap LCD TV, this is a pretty good place to start looking. It’s far from the quality of the latest and greatest sets from the major manufacturers, but it’s still good enough quality to let you enjoy your Full HD entertainment on a budget. Just make sure you’re prepared to put up with the set’s weaknesses as well as its bargain basement-price…

[Kogan]

Sony’s 9.9mm Thin ZX1 LCD TV Heading To Oz Early 2009

Nick Broughall — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:56:48 +0000

Jesus had a nice up close look at the ZX1 TV from Sony back at IFA a few weeks ago, and his response was pretty similar to our own after seeing it at UCHI this week: Wow.

The TV, which manages its ultra-slim body by outsourcing its TV components to a separate box, only needs a single power cable to power the screen. It connects to the other box – which includes all the same connections and controls you’d find on a Bravia TV – using a proprietary wireless technology from Sony. Apparently it doesn’t interfere with any of your other wireless techs (like your garage door or wireless headphones), and the box can be hidden away up to 15 metres away. The screen itself is stunning, showcasing Full HD images at 100Hz. I asked the rep from Sony when we can expect to see models with Sony’s new 200Hz technology, or direct wireless internet access, and I was told we can expect things like 200Hz to be introduced in the 2nd or 3rd generation of the ZX series, while the wireless internet functionality really depends on the state of broadband in Australia.

There’s no word on pricing, but it’s almost certainly going to be pricey. It’s expected to cost $US4500 when it launches in the US, and if that’s true it will likely approach $6K locally.

[UCHI on Giz]

Panny Brings 14 New Viera TVs To Australia

Nick Broughall — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:38:56 +0000

Alongside the Blu-ray recorder Panasonic unleashed yesterday, there were 14 new Viera TVs. That’s right. Fourteen. That number includes nine plasmas – including a new 46-inch model – and five new LCDs. 11 of these new sets will be available in time for the Olympics.

Six of the nine plasmas are Full HD, offering 1080p pictures, 24p cinema mode, 100Hz technology, 134 billion viewable colours and 30,000:1 native contrast ratio.

Panasonic have reiterated their position that plasmas are better for bigger screen sizes, while LCD TVs are perfect for smaller sizes and brightly lit rooms.

In the LCD department, sizes range from 32-inch to 37-inch, with Full HD models available in both sizes.

Hit the jump below for the full press releases, including release schedules and pricing:

Sony HDR-TG1 Priced And Dated For Australia

Nick Broughall — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:00:14 +0000

For everybody who’s been hanging out for the local release date and of “the world’s smallest Full HD camcorder” from Sony, we’ve got the details here.

The HDR-TG1 is available now for the bargain price of $1,599.

I had a little play around with this camera the other day – one of the coolest features is the ability to automatically bookmark people’s faces as you film, so when you’re playing back on the camera you can select a face and playback will start from the point in time their face was registered.

Stay tuned for a more detailed look at this impressive little camera soon.

[Sony]

Acer Goes True Blue With Aussie Launch Of Gemstone Notebooks

Nick Broughall — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:02:08 +0000

Last month, Acer held a big exciting event in New York to launch their new range of Gemstone Blue Entertainment notebooks. Yesterday, they held a much smaller, low-key affair to launch the laptops in Australia.

The range, which includes both 16-inch and 18.4-inch models, are available now for RRPs starting at $2,499 for the 16-incher and $2,699 for the 18.4 monster.

Each model incorporates its own Blu-ray player, a widescreen, 1920 x 1080p screen and Dolby digital sound. There is also their stylish, touch-sensitive CineDash media console, which looks awesome, but could be a little awkward for some people to get used to.

The 18.4-inch behemoth also features six integrated speakers for “surround sound”, which could pump out decent audio, although not as loudly as you would expect. There’s a port on the back for those who want their digital music through dedicated speakers though.

Battery life is around two hours playing back a Blu-ray disc, or so they said.

There’s a fair amount of cool technology crammed into these machines, and the price is actually pretty decent when you take it all into account. If you’re after an entertainment or desktop replacement notebook, this actually looks pretty damn decent.

[Acer]

Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam Is World’s Smallest 1080p HD Camcorder

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Meant more for geeky vacationers than pros, Sony’s calling its HDR-TG1 Handycam the world’s smallest “full HD” camcorder, packing 280 grams into a 1.3 x 4.7 x 2.5-inch titanium frame. Sony is all about face-detecting as of late, which comes standard here on both video and still shooting. It can identify up to eight mugs, and supposedly adds extra “encoding bits” to faces for the best possible rendering of your subjects. Unfortunately, Sony’s still forcing the Memory Stick standard upon the world, this time, a choice between PRO Duo or PRO Duo Mark2. (How many more MS flavors can we stand, Sony??) It’ll be US$900 in May, though you can pre-order tomorrow online. Full press release below. [SonyStyle]

SONY ROLLS OUT WORLD’S SMALLEST FULL HD CAMCORDER

JUST IN TIME FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION

SAN DIEGO, Apr. 2, 2008 – The new pocket-sized Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam® camcorder’s weighty high-definition capability will appeal to vacationers who prefer to “travel light.”

This diminutive camcorder weighs in at only ten ounces. It has an ultra-portable body measuring just 1.3-inches wide by 4.7-inches tall by 2.5-inches deep.

It is a full-featured camcorder that can record 1920 x 1080 HD video and 4-megapixel digital photos directly to Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo™ or PRO Duo Mark2 media cards. Its size and full recording capability makes it the world’s smallest full HD camcorder.

Another bonus for any traveler is the camcorder’s durable titanium body and special hard coating that makes it highly resistant to scratches and quite fashionable.

It ships with a supplied 4GB PRO Duo Mark2 media card so it’s ready to go straight out of the box and you don’t have to make space in your travel bag for extra discs or tapes.

“Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980’s, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection.”

Face Detection for the Best Possible Picture

This new model incorporates face detection technology for both video and still images, a technology also shared with select Sony Cyber-shot® digital cameras. It can identify up to eight faces in the camcorder’s 2.7-inch touch panel LCD screen, and automatically adjust focus, exposure, colour control for natural-looking skin tones, and when photos are taken, flash control.

The model also allocates more encoding bits to a detected face during the encoding process for the best possible picture when people are the subjects.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

The camcorder features advanced video and audio technologies with simple, intuitive operation. It is equipped with a high-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® 10x optical zoom lens and 2-megapixel ClearVid™ CMOS sensor with Exmor™-derived technology, engineered to minimize picture noise.

The camera’s BIONZ™ processing engine also features noise reduction capabilities in addition to fast processing speeds. This engine powers the model’s dynamic range optimization feature, which automatically adjusts under- or over-exposed areas in a picture. These technologies together produce high-resolution video and photos with natural colour reproduction and rich details.

Audio is recorded in Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and features a built-in zoom microphone, delivering clear recordings of your subjects along with the video.

Designed to be the perfect travel companion, the HDR-TG1 camcorder will ship with supplied accessories in May for about $900. There is also an optional travel kit (Sony ACC-TCH5) that includes a battery, travel charger and pouch for about $100. Plus, there is a custom-fit case (Sony LCM-TGA) for about $50.

All can be purchased, along with other accessory options, direct at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (sonystyle.com/retail), at authorised dealers nationwide, and at military base exchanges. Pre-orders begin on Apr. 4 at www.sonystyle.com.