http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/links Latest links, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/reviews/183481 Streaming box aims to make viewing video on your television a simple affair, but the price is a bit steep. Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:01:00 -0500 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/Panasonic/HDC-TM300.htm The Panasonic HDC-TM300 is the flash memory sister-model to the equally impressive HDC-HS300 (which records to an internal hard drive). These two top-of-the-line models from Panasonic are stellar camcorders, and the HDC-TM300, which includes 32GB of internal memory, was recently awarded CamcorderInfo.com's 2009 Camcorder of the Year award. The TM300 combines a strong video performance with a comfortable body design and a load of manual controls to create one of the best all-around consumer camcorders we've seen. With a $1299 price tag the HDC-TM300 may be hard on the wallet, but if you're in the market for a top-notch camcorder, it is the best of the bunch. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:22:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/reviews/181327 Camtasia Studio 6 is a pricey but easy-to-learn tool for producing everything from clean home movies to slick training videos. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:15:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/hemag/articles/21397 Best Media Room Installation Robert's Home Audio & Video of Los Angeles, Calif. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:20:01 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13860_3-10389587-56.html?part=ecoustics-cnet It's given a new look to both its home page and the MSN butterfly logo. The main page now has just half as many links, with more videos and photos. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:25:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/news/181345 The emergence of multimedia niceties such as Windows 7's Internet TV and home networking standards such as DLNA 1.5 are starting to make streaming video all the more appealing. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:29:00 -0500 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/Panasonic/DMC-ZS3.htm The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 packs a lot of features into its small case: 10-megapixel resolution, a 12x zoom and high definition video capture. And we found that it has the performance to match this feature set, with sharp images and accurate color. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:43:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/secrets/home-theater-speakers/696 Do you fault a Mini Cooper for being a Mini and not a Honda Odyssey or a Porsche 911? In evaluating product, a question that is often unasked is "What is the reference?" Often times, particularly in audio or video, the question is unasked because the answer invariably is reality. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0400 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/LG/47LH90.htm The LG 47LH90 occupies an awkward spot on the spectrum of LCD HDTVs that doesn't have the performance of a mid-range model, but doesn't have the price tag of an entry-level. It boasts two major features, 240Hz mode and localized dimming, but neither had much of an effect on the viewing experience. The set is currently priced at $2100, which unfortunately places it a bit out of its class. If you can find the set at a discount, it will make a decent, 47-inch TV for a mainstream audience. Those who care about picture quality, however, might find the 47LH90's flaws to be too numerous. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:34:00 -0400 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/Nikon/D3000.htm Nikon is replacing the D40 as its least expensive digital SLR in favor of the Nikon D3000, a $600 camera that raises resolution to a more respectable 10 megapixels, the burst rate from 2.5 to 3 shots per second, modernizes the autofocus system, offers a sensor-shaking dust reduction system and comes with an image-stabilized lens. The question, though, is whether even with all these improvements, the D3000 competes effectively in what's now a highly competitive entry-level SLR market. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:42:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20981 Cisco is already a giant name in Internet infrastructure, making a substantial amount of the routers and gear that keeps the buts flowing within and between networks, but the company is also transforming itself into a major player in digital video with offerings ranging from the very high-end TelePresence video conferencing solution, the business-oriented WebEx service, and even consumer video hardware like the Flip digital camcorders acquired via PurRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0400 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/Sony/Cyber-shot-DSC-HX1.htm The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is a point and shoot camera with a trick or two up its sleeve: it can take panoramas in one pass, shoots good looking low light images and also captures high definition video. It also does a good job of capturing images and has a very long 20x zoom lens. But at $499, it's not cheap. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:04:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/news/172747 3D could be the killer app that will make Blu-ray players popular in the home -- perhaps as soon as next year. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:17:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20940 At this week's Intel Developer Forum, Intel formally unveiled "Sodaville," a new 45nm system-on-a-chip based on the comapny's Atom processor that's designed specifically to bring interactive, Internet-based services and content to televisions, set-top boxes, and peripherals like DVD players and DVRs. The chipset supports both Internet and broadcast applications, and has enough processing horsepower to handle both video and audio processing and 3D graphics in real time."Traditional broadcast networks are quickly shifting from a linear model to a multi-stream, Internet-optimized model to offer consumers digital eRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20938 Japanese electronics giant Toshiba has announced it's planning the first public showing of its long-gestating high-definition television with an embedded Cell processor at next month's Ceatec trade show in Japan on October 5. Toshiba has been quietly demonstrating prototypes of televisions with Cell technology since at least 2007, but has not made any concrete moves to bring the units to market. A public showing at Ceatec suggests the company is preparing to enter at least the Japanese market in the short term, although no pricing and availability information has been released.TheRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:20:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/hemag/reviews/21323 The iPod has had the same transformative effect on multiroom audio that the Mac had on computers: Both changed an unfriendly, daunting entity into something the average person could relate to. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:03:04 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/lm/reviews/36752 The fifth iteration of Apple's tiny portable media player keeps the same featherweight body as its predecessor but adds a bigger screen and video recording. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20920 JVC unveiled a whole slew of new products today at the DV Expo. JVC’s new Blu-Ray and HDD recorders, the SR-HD1500 and SR-HD1250, were previously revealed at CEDIA earlier this month and home theater enthusiasts rejoiced upon hearing they could take another peek at them today. With the SR-HD1500 and SR-HD1250 users can record and author professional BDMV or BDAV discs. Advanced MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (H.264) encoding provides support for HD and SD sources, and a built-in format converter can downconvert HD content for recording to a standard DVD. Unprotected DVD and Blu-ray discs are easily duplicateRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:38:18 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20919 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:37 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20906 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:12:09 -0400 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/Toshiba/Regza-46SV670U.htm The Toshiba 46SV670U is a modest TV with a modest performance to match. It's the first TV we've reviewed with local dimming of the LED-backlighting, which has become something of a buzzword in televisions recently. If the 46SV670U is any indication, local dimming has a way to go until we're impressed. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:50:00 -0400 http://reviewed.ecoustics.com/product/Sony/Bravia-KDL-46VE5.htm The Sony Bravia KDL-46VE5 is one of the TVs in Sony's "eco series" line-up, but don't count on a construction of wood and moss, powered by zero-carbon hydrogen cells. No, besides a modest power consumption, the 46VE5 doesn't do much to save the earth except turn itself off when it detects an empty room. It's a neat trick, but we're more concerned with performance. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:38:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20896 Back in 2006, movie rental powerhouse Netflix announced a competition: if someone—or a team of someones—could come up with a way to improve the service's movie recommendation system by 10 percent, they'd wein $1 million. As expected, the competition drew interest from a wide variety of programmers and statisticians—and, naturally, Netflix began to reap the benefits of recommendation improvements investigated by the competitors without having to spend a dime of its own money on additional engineering and research efforts.However, today Netflix put its money where itsRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:45:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20875 DXG is taking high-definition to the great outdoors with its new DXG-125V camcorder, designed to let outdoor soports ethusiasts capture all their greatest moments in 720p glory. The DXG-125V offers a ruggedized, weather-resistant candy-bar design for easy one-handed operation—plus the camcorder includes the all-important carabiner for latching onto packs and gear, and a compass…you know, just in case."The DXG-125V is a break-out product in the HD camcorder space," said DXG USA senior marketing VP Paul Goldberg, in a statement. "We are excited to bring such an exciting product toRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:35:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20874 Epson is looking to get into consumers living room and game rooms with two new home theater projectors aiming to let folks have big screen experience at a relatively checkbook-friendly price. The company's new Home Cinema 705HD projector supports 720p high-definition video, while the MovieMate 60 offers an all-in-one solution with integrated stereo speakers and a CD/DVD player.Epsons Home Cinema 705HD is a 3LCD projector offering 2,500 lumens of brightnessRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:15:00 -0400