Archives for January2009

Canon EOS 30D

January 26, 2009 by admin in Cannon, Digital Cameras, Video and Photography | Leave a comment

Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras are becoming more and more accessible to the masses. Granted, DSLR cameras are still far from cheap, but with ever-increasing features thanks to very large scale integration circuitry, the feature-to-price ratio is becoming more and more attractive for amateurs and enthusiasts. Suddenly, dedicated photographers and students of photography can afford a DSLR more easily.

Canon, always a major player in the world of professional and semi-professional photography world, introduced their latest DSLR, the EOS 30D in February, 2006. The EOS 30D is marketed as the successor to the award-winning EOS 20D. In this review, we take a good look at the EOS 30D to see if it lives up to the success of its predecessor the EOS 20D.

Features

The Canon EOS 30D is a sleek black package with physical dimensions of 5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 inches, measured, of course, without the protruding lens and with the flash tucked away. Without the battery pack and lens attached, the EOS 30D body has a mass of only 700 grams. At the time of this review, these dimensions sit nicely in the middle of the spectrum of the pack of similar (price-wise and feature-wise) DSLRs from Nikon, Konica, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Pentax. Though lighter than other DSLRs, the Canon features a rugged magnesium alloy body frame and sturdy plastic exterior.

The EOS 30D’s LCD is a bright, TFT color display measuring 2.5 inches. It can display approximately 230,000 pixels, which is about 100% coverage with respect to the number of effective pixels.

The EOS 30D works with both EF and EF-S lenses and features an improved shutter (from the earlier EOS 20D). Canon claims the new shutter will last for about 100,000 cycles. The camera features a top-quality 8.2 (effective) megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor for high resolution images with excellent detail and color reproduction. The CMOS sensor integrates noise reduction circuitry for ultra-clean images even at high ISO settings and long exposures. The EOS 30D comes equipped with an RGB primary color filter and a 3-layer optical low pass filter for reducing “false colors” and chromatic aberrations. Finally, the brain of the EOS 30D is the DIGIC II Imaging Processor. This new advanced processor features faster processing performance and vastly improved color reproduction and razor sharp detail. The speedy DIGIC II boasts of a fast 5 frames-per-second continuous shooting speed, and a low speed mode of 3 frames-per-second.

There are six image composition modes available. For each individual mode, sharpness, contrast, color tone, and saturation are fully customizable. Users can tailor image quality settings as much as they want. The six modes are standard, portrait, landscape, neutral, faithful, and monochrome. Users can also save up to three custom profiles. The customizability of the EOS 30D does not stop there; there are also 12 shooting modes that are user-selectable.

Images can be saved in either JPEG or RAW formats with 7 selectable sizes and quality levels for both.

Advanced shooting and playback features of the EOS 30D include: ISO settings from ISO 100 to ISO 1600, expandable to ISO 3200. The camera can perform 1/3-stop ISO adjustment increments. The EOS 30D features single shot AE/AF lock for consecutive shots, eliminating the need to reset AE and AF settings between shots.

The EOS 30D features PictBridge support with enhanced options such as printing of up to 35 thumbnails (similar to sleeve prints for film negatives), index sheets, face brightening, adjustment of printing parameters, and a full range of print effects.

Operating system support includes both Macintosh and Windows systems. It uses a high speed USB 2.0 interface for transfering data to and from a computer and a video-out connector supporting both NTSC and PAL. It comes bundled with Canon EOS Digital Solution software, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Mk II lens (only in the lens kit package), a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, battery charger, neck strap, and video cable.

Pros and Cons

The Canon EOS 30D is a feature-filled and top-quality DSLR. Owners of its predecessor, the EOS 20D, may not find much in the way of new features to justify replacing their EOS 20Ds, but those looking to get into DSLRs will do very well to consider the EOS 30D.

The EOS 30D gets every aspect right. The 2.5-inch color LCD is bright and clear and makes reviewing shots a breeze. The controls of the EOS 30D are nicely laid out, and Canon tastefully did not go overboard with too many buttons and controls. The EOS 30D’s body is a solid package: the magnesium alloy core hints at sturdiness that would last long with adequate care, and the hard plastic outer shell feels tough and gives a nice handling feel.

On the performance aspect, the EOS 30D delivers quality and class in spades. A nifty feature is the ability to use EF and EF-S lenses in the EOS 30D without a change in the camera’s 1.6x focal length conversion ratio. The picture settings are extremely customizable and the auto mode is useful for less experienced and beginner-level photographers.

The EOS 30D boasts of excellent color saturation and richness. Pictures are not overly bright or sharpened; in fact, straight after shooting, images tend to be a bit soft, so using the built-in sharpening features of the EOS 30D is a great way to sharpen images. Low light handling is excellent. Very low noise is introduced into images, even at very high ISO settings. Purple fringing, a common problem with digital cameras, is very minimal. We attribute all these good things to the EOS 30D’s DIGIC II processor and APS-C sensor. The DIGIC II also gives way to the very useful continuous high speed shooting ability of the camera.

Expandability of the EOS 30D is what you would expect from top-level DSLRs. The EOS 30D is plenty expandable. We’ve already mentioned the ability to use two types of lenses. Another point of expandability is the ability to use an external flash and two ways to connect it.

The cons? We really can’t think of any.

Summary and Recommendations

When we got our hands on the EOS 30D and performed a few tests on it, we were blown away: Canon can definitely chalk another one up to success. The EOS 30D is a winner in every aspect.

Nintendo DS

January 26, 2009 by admin in Electronic Gaming Consoles, Gaming, Nintendo | Leave a comment

Nintendo has always been the leader in handheld game consoles before I even knew what handhelds were. In fact, I think they coined the term and it is probably patented in their name. Anyways, Nintendo in the handheld console business is not that big a deal. It is for the most part expected of them in a way.

At first glance you would think, the developers at Nintendo are just yanking your chain. They just put the old handheld Nintendo console (Gameboy Advanced SP) in a new box, tinkered with the body’s design a little bit and called it something else. The Nintendo DS does not stray from their tried and tested design. The traditional buttons are still on the same place (D-pad, Power button, A, B, X, and Y buttons, Select and Start buttons, and the L and R buttons), its still as quad-shaped as its predecessor but when you open it the big difference is on the inside. There are two screens! Not just for doubling the action, no! The other is a touch screen. Wow!

Having two screens is one thing but its functionality is another. The touch screen is on the lower part of the console, along the buttons and directional arrows. With the Nintendo DS, the user is immersed in a full experience and a wider scope of what is going on in the game never before seen on handheld consoles. A stylus pen comes with the kit, another first for handhelds. The touch screen is primarily another way for the user to experience game play in an all-new manner as opposed to just pressing buttons. Another new feature of the Nintendo DS is its stereo surround sound, off course the performance of this feature will depend on the software you are using. As opposed to the previous Game boy line of consoles, the NDS has two speakers on either side of the upper screen in comparison to the older versions, which has always had stereo sound, yet only with the use of headphones or external speakers.

As with any other consoles out in the market today, the Nintendo DS is equipped for your networking needs. It is IEEE, Bluetooth and wireless LAN connection capable, which allows game play with anyone, anywhere (broadband connection should be available). DS-DS capability is also a great feature of this console, allowing players to battle it out with a max range of 60 feet. With certain select titles, players can play a single game without everyone owning the game, a sort of file sharing amongst “DS’ers”, the DS will download the certain file needed to play the game and you and your friends can duke it out, again this is only effective in a range of 60 feet. The DS is also Wi-Fi ready, allowing for more online game play.

As with any Nintendo release, the DS is stunningly amazing, perfect performance, new innovative features both aesthetically and technically awesome. One draw back is the lack of titles for mature gamers. Most games are designed for the G rated market, a younger audience. Then again, this befalls on the game developers I think. Overall, the Nintendo DS is still something I’d rather have when I get stuck on island somewhere.

Nintendo DS Specs

CPU: ARM946E-S – 32-bit RISC ARM7TDMI – 32-bit RISC
Clock speed: 67 MHz 33 MHz
Memory: RAM: 4 MB
VRAM: 656 KB
Power source: Lithium-ion battery
Battery life: 6-10 hours (4 hour recharge)¹ 5-19 hours (3 hour recharge)
Upper Screen: 3.0″ TFT colour semi-transparent LCD¹ 3.0″ TFT colour transparent LCD, 4 level brightness control²
Lower Screen: 3.0″ TFT colour semitransmissive LCD¹ 3.0″ TFT colour transmissive LCD, 4 level brightness control²
Weight: 280g¹ 218g²
Resolution: 256 x 192 pixels
Extra features: IEEE 802.11
Bluetooth
Wireless LAN
Touch screen

Nintendo N64 Console

January 26, 2009 by admin in Electronic Gaming Consoles, Gaming, Nintendo | Leave a comment

 

The N64 came out, in my honest opinion, in the wrong time. It was during the transition time of cartridges to CDs that the N64 came out and the developers at Nintendo opted to stay with their tried and tested cartridges.

During its press releases, the N64 seemed promising and was met with great anticipation by the gaming community. By its release, everyone was happy to learn that the console itself did not cost that much even in today’s standards. The consoles itself look great, with its grey shell and compact design, a button on the center, a cartridge hole and four inputs for controllers. The controller featured a new innovative design for its time; it had thumb sticks in the middle, the N64 was the first to feature that. Newer concepts were introduced in its game titles like the “roam anywhere” environment of their flagship title “Super Mario 64”. The graphics looked amazing and the sound even more superb. The future looked great for the N64

What shocked everyone was the prices of the game cartridges. Even for that time, the prices on which the games were marked up was unprecedented even in today’s gaming industry. This was the downfall of the N64, at a time when the Sony Playstation and the Sega Dreamcast was breaking into the scene of CD technology replacing cartridges. Production costs for making cartridges were high, thus the even higher mark up for the N64 games on the shelves. Game developers would later redesign games for the N64, trying to fit data into a cartridge that was originally written for CD’s. The end result for the N64 converted games were half-assed, scaled-down versions of the original games.

Later on N64’s life, merchants leaned more towards Playstation and Dreamcast games, largely in part of there wasn’t really any demand for the N64 games because they were too pricy, had limited titles and all together abandoned the N64 console and its cartridges in favor of the now more fashionable and most of all affordable CD games. The N64 is now just a sad footnote in the quest for the perfect gaming console.

Though the N64 was innovative for its time, a simple decision between cartridges or CD’s killed it. If you have an N64, keep it safe and take care of it. It would surely fetch a good price when the day comes. A relic of a forgotten era when cartridges rained supreme.

Nintendo 64 Dynamic Drive Technical Specifications

* Dimensions: 10.2 inches x 7.5 inches x 3.1 inches
* Weight: 3.53 lbs
* Magnetic Disk Storage Medium
* Error Correction Support
* Utilizes N64 console for data processing
* Battery-backed real-time Clock
* Built-in 36 megabit ROM (contains data files to assist developers, such as sounds and fonts)
* Ports: 4 inch front loading disk feed
* 4MB RAM expansion (installed in console Memory Expansion slot)
* Seek Time: Under 75 ms
* Data Transfer Rate: 1MB/sec
* “Burst Access” Streams
* Media: Hot-Swappable (multiple disk support), High Density, Double-Sided disks with 64.45 MB total capacity and Read/Write capability on their dynamic writable space of 1 – 38 MB. Shielded against data-loss. Disk dimensions 260mm (3.98 inches) x 190mm (4.06 inches) x 78.7mm (4 inches).

Nintendo 64 (1996-2001)

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Format: Cartridge
Controller Ports: 4
Save Capability: Controller packs, most cartridges save via internal battery
Number of games: 300+
Video Output: RF, Composite, S-Video
Initial Price: $199

Nintendo GameCube

January 26, 2009 by admin in Electronic Gaming Consoles, Gaming, Nintendo | Leave a comment

As the name might suggest, obviously it is simply a gaming console shaped like a cube. Very compact and came in two colors, indigo and black, a Japanese version of the Game Cube was released in orange. A limited Resident Evil 4 version of the console came in platinum and black. It is quite evident that this console was designed to be a “carry anywhere” type of unit, with a carrying handle and all.

The game Cube was the least expensive of the sixth generation consoles (Playstation, Dreamcast and the Xbox), which was a big plus for the consumers. Different from its kin, the Game Cube uses a different storage system, the Nintendo Game Cube Game Disc. Considerably smaller than the 12cm CDs or DVDs used by other consoles, its only 8 centimeters in diameter or 3 1/8 inches. With a capacity of 1.5 gigabytes and are encrypted with a key most DVD players will not be able to read. Though it is read like any normal CD or DVD, the move to put in a bar code was to protect their titles from unauthorized copying.

The Game Cube does not have a built-in DVD playback capability that turned off most consumers and preferred the Playstation to it. Nintendo later licensed Panasonic to produce a variant called Q that could play DVD movies but never made it to the world market and was only released in Japan and production was discontinued after a few months of its release.

The game cube has four controller inputs, controllers with the traditional buttons and pads, directional pad, two thumbsticks, and eight buttons: A, B, X, Y, Z, L, R, start and pause buttons. Coupled with a superior graphics engine and ProLogic sound, the Game Cube is armed for a full on gaming experience.

The strongest suit of the Game Cube is its connectivity to its portable little brothers, GBA, GBA SP and the Micro. Although in the Micro you still needed to purchase an accessory cable to plug it in. Once plugged in, your handheld console practically becomes your controller, information related to the game depending on the titles being played are displayed on your console and you can save games onto the Game Cube from your handhelds.

While their competitors focused more on the online gaming capabilities, Nintendo pushed their connectivity with their portable handheld consoles. Although they released network adapters for the Game Cube, they did not as much promoted it as their competitors, due in part of the limited titles that really needed the function.

Overall, the Game Cube is a mighty machine; its only drawback is that it does not have DVD movie playback capability. Which we all know what made the Playstation and all its kin skyrocket to where it is.

Game Cube Specifications

  • MPU (“Microprocessor Unit”)* : Custom IBM Power PC “Gekko”
  • Manufacturing process : 0.18 micron IBM copper wire technology
  • Clock frequency : 485 MHz
  • CPU capacity : 1125 Dmips (Dhrystone 2.1)
  • Internal data precision : 32-bit Integer & 64-bit floating-point
  • External bus : 1.3GB/second peak bandwidth (32-bit address space, 64-bit data bus 162 MHz clock)
  • Internal cache L1: instruction 32KB, data 32KB (8 way) L2: 256KB (2 way)
  • System LSI : Custom ATI/Nintendo “Flipper”
  • Embedded frame buffer : Approx. 2MB sustainable latency : 6.2ns (1T-SRAM)
  • Embedded texture cache : Approx. 1MB sustainable latency : 6.2ns (1T-SRAM)
  • Texture read bandwidth : 10.4GB/second (Peak)
  • Main memory bandwidth : 2.6GB/second (Peak)
  • Pixel depth : 24-bit color, 24-bit Z buffer
  • Image processing functions : Fog, subpixel anti-aliasing, 8 hardware lights, alpha blending, virtual texture design, multi-texturing, bump mapping, environment mapping, MIP mapping, bilinear filtering, trilinear filtering, anisotropic filtering, real-time hardware texture decompression (S3TC), real-time decompression of display list, HW 3-line deflickering filter.
  • Sound Processor : custom Macronix 16-bit DSP
  • Instruction Memory : 8KB RAM + 8KB ROM
  • Data Memory : 8KB RAM + 4KB ROM
  • Clock Frequency : 81 MHz
  • Performance : 64 simultaneous channels, ADPCM encoding
  • Sampling Frequency : 48KHz
  • System Floating-point Arithmetic Capability : 10.5 GFLOPS (Peak) (MPU, Geometry Engine, HW Lighting Total)
  • Real-world polygon : 6 million to 12 million polygons/second (Peak) (Assuming actual game conditions with complex models, fully textured, fully lit, etc.)
  • System Memory : 40MB
  • Main Memory : 24 MB MoSys 1T-SRAM, Approximately 10ns Sustainable Latency
  • A-Memory : 16MB (81MHz DRAM)
  • Disc Drive : CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) System
  • Average Access Time : 128ms
  • Data Transfer Speed : 16Mbps to 25Mbps
  • Media : 3 inch NINTENDO GAMECUBE Disc based on Matsushita’s Optical Disc Technology, Approx. 1.5GB Capacity
  • Input/Output : Controller Port x4, Memory Card Slot x2, Analog AV Output x1, High-Speed Serial Port x1, High-speed Parallel Port x1
  • In select models – Digital AV Output x1 ( click here for more information), High-Speed Serial Port x2
  • Power Supply : AC Adapter DC12V x 3.25A
  • Main Unit Dimensions : 4.3″(H) x 5.9″(W) x 6.3″(D)

Microsoft’s Xbox360

January 26, 2009 by admin in Electronic Gaming Consoles, Gaming, Microsoft | Leave a comment

The Xbox360 is Microsoft’s much-awaited follow up to the almighty Xbox first released on November 15 of 2001 in North America. Described by most console enthusiast as a PC disguised as a gaming console, armed to change the way you look at your gaming console, as ‘just’ a gaming center. Beefed up, equipped and poised to be the center of your home entertainment system. The Xbox’s newest incarnation has been set up to out match any PC out there in the market today in terms of performance.

Initially released on November 22, 2005 in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico before Europe and the rest of the planet soon got their first view of the new Xbox360. Along with its launch was Xbox Live, where users can download free previews, game trailers, game demos and even chat with fellow Xbox360 aficionados. Gamers can go online and purchase gaming-related items thru this new online merchant module using Microsoft points.

Done with the chunky-clunky design of the previous Xbox, the design team of Microsoft gave it a concave shape and an all around excellent redesign to its packaging enough to make the entire wait for any ‘serious’ console lover awaiting its release worthwhile. Capable of handling four wireless controllers, solves the problem of wires all over the place while in the heat of your gaming experience. You can mount it in two different ways, on its side or flat on its belly. Three USB ports ready to connect wireless network adapters, wired controllers, an ethernet port and support for 802.11a, b, and g flavors of Wi-Fi for your networking needs. Supporting progressive-scan DVD movies and a number of DVD/CD formats. Additional features are streaming media capabilities from portable devices or Windows XP PCs, as well as ripping and storing music to the 360′s detachable, upgradeable 20GB hard drive. Along with different faceplates, that you can customize your console with by snapping on or unsnapping these plates to whichever look you desire makes the 360, aesthetically amazing. Oh! And they added a glowing green on and off switch, cool!

However, as retailing strategies go they released two versions of the 360 in the market, the Core System that sells for $399, which has one wired controller, a faceplate and a composite A/V cable and the deluxe system. The Deluxe system retails at $499, includes a 20GB hard drive, a wireless controller, and a wireless headset, Ethernet cable, component HDAV cables, and, for a limited time, an Xbox 360 media remote. Full access to Xbox Live can only be gained with a hard drive. Though both versions come with a Silver membership to Xbox Live, to actually play head-to-head online, upgrading your membership to the Gold at $5.99 a month or $50 a year is the only way you and your friends will enjoy the online capabilities.

With 200 hundred titles out now, this will definitely keep you busy. Amazing graphics, great add-on capabilities, top of the line design and personalizing options. Overall, the Xbox360 is one good buy. Moreover, the online services offered by Microsoft is unmatched by their competitors which, I for one as a consumer or any other would always like to have in my disposal.

Xbox 360 Specification

CPU

Custom IBM PowerPC
Cores: x3 symmetrical
Clock speed: 3.2 GHz each
2 hardware threads per core
1 VMX-128 vector unit per core

Memory

Custom ATI

RAM 512 MB GDDR3 (Shared with GPU)
VRAM 512 MB UMA (Shared with CPU)
eDRAM 10 MB

Memory Bandwidth

Main 22.4 GB/s
eDRAM 256 GB/s
FSB 21.6 GB/s
L2 Cache: 1 MB
Graphics: Custom ATI @ 500 MHz
Hard drive: 20 GB Removable
Max Resolution: 1080i
Audio: 5.1 Digital
Game Format: HD-DVD
Controllers: Supports four 2.4 GHz Wireless
Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi-ready IEEE 802.11 a/b/g (needs adapter)
Input/Output

3 USB 2.0 ports
Ethernet (RJ45)
2 Memory Slots

Other Features

Interchangeable Face Plates
Media Center Extender
Xbox LIVE

Eye-Toy like camera

Archos AV 500

January 26, 2009 by admin in Video and Photography | Leave a comment

 

Ever since the company’s inception in 1988, Archos has steadily churned out a line of functional portable media players to fit all budgets and pockets. In today’s tougher and fast-moving audio player market, Archos have felt the need to step up their efforts to come up with a player that will blow off the doors of the competition. Enter the Archos AV 500.

The AV 500 is actually marketed as a portable DVR (digital video recorder), rather than an ordinary portable media player. Still, its media playback capabilities are excellent, and later in this article we take a close look at the AV 500′s award-winning features.

Features

When it comes to features, the AV 500 flat-out shines. First, the physical dimensions. The AV 500′s gorgeous brushed aluminum case is approximately 7.6 x 12.4 x 1.8 centimeters, somewhat bigger than the competition’s players, but considering the wealth of features packed into this little big box, the size is actually not bad. The silver aluminum box is sleek and professional looking and weighs a mere 255 grams.

The Archos’ display is a bright, vibrant 4-inch (diagonal) LCD capable of a maximum resolution of 480×272 with 262,000 colors. Controls are laid out to the right of the screen.

Media support is quite good, but the format choices are not as comprehensive as players from other manufacturers. For audio, the AV 500 supports the popular MP3 format, up to a maximum bitrate of 320 kbps, Microsoft WMA (both protected and non-protected), up to a maximum bitrate of 320 kbps, and two types of uncompressed WAV: PCM and ADPCM. The AV 500 offers some basic sound-sculpting options in the form of bass and treble controls as well as a BassBoost feature.

Video is a decidedly straightforward affair: the AV 500 supports only MPEG-4 in AVI containers of up to near-DVD quality (720×480 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second for NTSC, 720×576 resolution at 25 frames per second for PAL), and Microsoft WMV9 (both protected and non-protected) of up to 352×288 resolution at 30 frames per second.

Recording is the AV 500′s main claim to fame, and this is where it shines the most. The unit records video in MPEG-4 optimized for TV, with a maximum resolution of 640×480 and a frame rate of 30 FPS. Its audio recording facilities include a line-in jack for recording from analog sources and a built-in microphone. The AV 500 can save recorded audio to plain PCM or ADPCM WAV formats.

Archos states that the battery life of the AV 500 should last about 15 hours for non-stop audio playback and 4.5 hours for video playback on the unit’s built-in screen. However, it should come as a pleasant surprise that on our battery test, the AV 500 ran for about 5 hours and 45 minutes.

The AV 500 comes with an array of accessories: gold-plated A/V cables, a leather carrying case, an infrared transmitter cable, USB cables, TV docking pod, and remote control.

Pros and Cons

After testing the Archos AV 500, one thing was very, very clear: the AV 500 smokes. The 4-inch LCD is big, bright, and sharp, and it is nicely viewable at an angle. It is actually bigger than most of the competition’s screens, albeit with a lower resolution than, say, the Creative Zen Vision which has a 3.7-inch screen that has a resolution of 640×480 pixels.

The controls of the AV 500 are surprisingly intuitive. Earlier Archos gadgets have a history of having less-than-intuitive controls, and it appears the AV 500 is the first step in the right direction. The navigation buttons and the center select button are sized just right, but the four context buttons could have been made a bit bigger.

Video and audio playback on the AV 500 is excellent. Audio comes out loud, clear, and clean. Unfortunately, the bundled earphones simply don’t do the sonic quality of the AV 500 any justice at all. We highly recommend replacing them with better earphones; the difference in sound quality will be like night and day. Also, the AV 500′s equalizer consists of simple bass and treble controls – not a great deal of sound-shaping there. Photos and videos look clear and sharp on the AV 500′s LCD. Too bad, though, that the selection of supported file formats is somewhat limited, especially when compared to players from the competition, such as Creative or Apple.

Video recording with the AV 500 is a pleasure and a joy. It does, however, irk us a bit that the unit must be docked into the included TV docking pod (which should also be plugged into a wall outlet) before any recording can be done. The AV 500 has varying levels of quality for recording, up to a maximum of 2.5 Mbps variable bit-rate, which is very good quality. Even at the lowest recording quality settings, video came out adequately watch-able. The AV 500 is flexible enough for normal recording tasks; we were able to set up a recording schedule for our favorite TV shows and the AV 500 did the rest. One can even attach the included infrared transmitter to the docking pod and the AV 500 will switch on the television, VCR, or set-top box at the appropriate time.

Summary and Recommendations

The Archos AV 500 is an excellent portable DVR and media player. With a big, bright screen, good media format support, excellent audio and video output, solid recording features, and a wealth of accessories, the AV 500 integrates functionality and fun in a package that exudes a lot of class. It’s by no means cheap, but the AV 500 is worth the price.

iRiver Clix

January 26, 2009 by admin in MP3 Players | Leave a comment

Not one to be left out of the booming portable media player market, iRiver has released their iPod Nano equivalent, the Clix. The iRiver Clix is actually a rebranded version of the iRiver U10 which was introduced in 2005; it revamps the U10 design with a nicer user interface, better performance, increased capacity, and a lower new price. The Korea-based iRiver is on a roll with their high quality portable media and music players. Let’s see how the Clix clicks with the pack of similar offerings from the competition.

Features

The iRiver Clix is a fairly straightforward media player. Its physical dimensions are 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches and it weighs a feather-light 2.5 ounces. The chassis sports a sleek black front bezel with silver sides and back. The front face plate is actually a four-way rocker button, almost resembling a touch screen. Other controls are neatly laid out on the sides of the player. Connectors and interfaces are also found on the sides: the Clix has the standard issue USB 2.0 port, a proprietary connector for the optional Clix cradle, stereo headphones, and battery charger. The Clix utilizes flash storage to store data, music, and videos. The player is available in 512 Mb, 1 Gb, and 2 Gb options.

For audio file support, the Clix supports MP3 and Microsoft WMA up to a maximum of 320 Kbps bitrate, and Ogg Vorbis files up to Q10 encoding quality. For video, the Clix can play MPEG-4 SP (Simple Profile) files up to a maximum of 15 frames-per-second, and Macromedia Flash movies. For pictures, non-progressive JPEG files can be viewed. A handy additional feature is the built-in FM tuner with the standard frequency range of 87.5 – 108.0 Mhz. The unit uses the earphone cable was an antenna. Also, the Clix can play simple Flash-based programs, commonly games.

On the output side, the display on the Clix is a bright, little 2.2 inch LCD screen. For a low resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, it’s surprisingly sharp, and it can display up to 262,000 vivid colors. The audio output features 10 built-in equalizer settings with the ability to store customized EQ settings. The Clix also supports SRS WOW surround sound.

The Clix also integrates support for an upcoming online music joint venture between Microsoft and MTV. Called the Urge service, it aims to provide similar services to the Apple iTunes Music Store. When playing a song that the user doesn’t own yet, the Clix provides a way to mark a song for purchase, and the next time the Clix is hooked up to a PC with Internet access, it automatically downloads the necessary “rights” to own the song.

Pros and Cons

When we got our paws on our first test unit, we were delighted by the innovative “touch screen” on the Clix. It isn’t an actual touch screen per se, but it works in a similar way. Unfortunately, touching the screen often can lead to fingerprints and smudges on the screen. It’s a good thing iRiver provides a little wipe cloth with the Clix’s neoprene sleeve. The player is light and compact and has a solid feel. We also loved the bright TFT LCD. At 2.2 inches, the screen displays rich vibrant colors at a resolution of 320×240.

We were disappointed to find rather limited media file support on the Clix. Of course, there’s the usual MP3 and WMA for audio, but the Clix does not have plain WAV support. Interestingly, it has support for Ogg Vorbis, an open file compression standard that is growing in popularity due to its higher compression ratios and better audio quality than MP3, as well as the absence of license restrictions such as those of MP3. For video, the support is extremely limited: only simple-profile-encoded MPEG-4 files are playable by the Clix, and iRiver does not provide any software to convert videos to that format. Fortunately, there are open source tools available online to do just that. Picture support is limited to JPEGs. As a sort of bonus, the Clix can play Flash-based programs and games.

Audio playback on the Clix is great. The audio is pretty customizable, thanks to the built-in software equalizer. With the stock earphones, audio is clear and loud. Naturally, we slammed the equalizer to a V-setting and thoroughly enjoyed the sound playback quality. The SRS WOW surround sound is pointless when used with earphones, but when the Clix is hooked up to the (unfortunately) optional Clix cradle with built-in speakers, the effect adds a little extra depth to the sound. One gripe we have with the video playback is that it’s too slow for watching full-length videos. At a choppy 15 FPS, probably the only things that are adequately viewable are short movie trailers or advertisement clips and nothing more.

One thing that could be a big selling point for the Clix is the built-in support for the upcoming Microsoft and MTV music subscription service called Urge. We were able to purchase tunes from Urge when we hooked up the Clix to a PC that had Internet access. Urge works just as well as Apple’s iTunes, but has a long way to go in terms of user base.

Another thing we absolutely loved about the Clix is the extra long battery life. After a full charge, our Clix was able to play audio non-stop for a whopping 27 hours with MP3s encoded at 128kbps, equalizer set at normal (flat), volume at 20, and LCD turned off. That’s two long hours more than the Clix’s advertised battery life as stated on the iRiver website. Unfortunately, we were also absolutely turned off to find out that the Clix’s battery is not user-replaceable (iPod batteries, anyone?), though we hope that having the battery replaced won’t be a costly affair.

Summary and Recommendations

Overall, the iRiver Clix is a tidy little player with some nice features built right in. The faux touch screen is a nice touch (pun not intended), the package itself is compact and light, and audio support is more than adequate. We gave plus points for Ogg Vorbis support, which we believe would become an important audio compression standard in the very near future. The video playback and support is nothing to write home about, but then we don’t consider it a major feature of the Clix. The ability to play Flash videos and games is interesting, if not time-consuming. The battery life is definitely something to be happy about, but we just hate how it’s a proprietary battery. On the whole, for people who want a serious portable media player with the most common features and the ability to use an online subscription service, the iRiver Clix is a good solid choice.

Atari Jaguar

January 25, 2009 by admin in Gaming | Leave a comment

Remember Pong?
Atari was the pioneer on console, cartridge or TV games, but the effort of theirs to go in to the 3D generation of gaming consoles did not even meet the most juvenile of expectations. Released in the early 90’s (’93 -‘96), it had a short-lived, ill-fated lifespan. Claiming to be the first 64-bit console (though it really could process 64 bits at a time), it was later exposed that the CPU itself is not even a 64-bit engine but rather a 32-bit. This produced controversy and bad publicity Atari did not need at that time.

The console itself, looked slick and simple, few buttons on it, a bright red on and off switch, a cartridge slot and two inputs for the controllers nicely placed on the console. The controllers featured a weird numeric keypad (which few game developers took use of or found a use for) and only three buttons, albeit that the SNES made the six-button controller a standard a year before.

The cartridges were about the size of the Genesis’ and were ergonomically designed for easy pull out but none of the consumers really took notice of this and it was really never rewarded any merit. The CD on the other hand, did not really have an upper hand to the cartridges; they only took up more time loading and were much more easily broken compared to the cartridges.

Claiming to be all this and that, it all boiled down to how the games played and felt. The graphics and sound are good enough by its day’s standards but still falling short of what everyone expected. A few good titles did emerge from the Jaguar but not enough to keep the system and its titles in demand as Atari would hope.

The Jaguar also released an add-on CD attachment and an eight-button controller with shoulder buttons later on, but it was too late and interest for the Jaguar never really boomed. The system’s unsuccessful run subsequently led to the company’s demise and thus dissolving Atari.

Merits for collection, but for the lack of good titles (both on the cartridges and CD’s) and if you are expecting to have the time of your life playing the system, it is just a waste of time to go look for this “cutting edge” console. Unless if you love polygons.

CPUs:

“Tom”
(contains 3 video-related processors), 25.59 MHz

  • Graphics processing unit (GPU) – 32-bit RISC architecture, 4K internal cache, provides wide array of graphic effects
  • 64-bit object processor – programmable; can behave as a variety of graphic architectures
  • 64-bit blitter processor – high speed logic operations, z-buffering and Gouraud shading
  • 64-bit DRAM controller (not a processor)

“Jerry”

  • 26.6 MHz
  • Digital Signal Processor – 32-bit [RISC]] architecture, 8k internal cache
  • CD-quality sound (16-bit stereo)
  • Number of sound channels limited by software
  • Two DACs (stereo) convert digital data to analog sound signals
  • Full stereo capabilities
  • Wavetable synthesis, FM synthesis, FM Sample synthesis, and AM synthesis
  • A clock control block, incorporating timers, and a UART
  • Joystick control
  • Motorola 68000 (processor #5)
  • General purpose control processor, 13.295 MHz

Other Jaguar features:

  • RAM: 2MB
  • Storage: Cartridge – up to 6MB
  • Support for ComLynx I/O

Sony Playstation 3 Features Review

January 25, 2009 by admin in Sony | Leave a comment

The newly distributed Sony Playstation 3 is fully equipped with all the operations and features that a gamer needs in order to get satisfied. It is designed with all games in high definition, PSP-like user-friendly interface, plays high def Blue-ray movies, built-in Wifi and flash media reader, 60 gb hard drive, HDMI output with 1080p support, no external power supply, free online gaming service, and to top it all, it plays PS2 and PS1 games.

The new model is capable of standing vertically or lying horizontally in an AV rack, but keep in mind that it’s not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. Dimensionally, the device measures 12.8 inches high by 10.8 inches long, in line with the over-all volume of the Xbox 360. It weighs 11 pounds including the power supply.

As compared to other gaming devices, PS3 has a front slot-loading Blu-ray optical-disc drive, which contributes to the unit’s slicker appearance as discs slide in and eject smoothly. On the front portion are the USB ports to be used for connecting and changing controllers and other accessories, which include the USB keyboards, thumbdrives, and the PSP. You can view on the front panel a built-in memory card reader that supports not only memory cards from Sony’s entire Memory Stick family, but of course Compact Flash and SD/MMC cards as well.

At the back of the device you will see the ports for Ethernet, HDMI output, optical digital audio output SPDIF, and the proprietary Playstation AV output for analog audio and video. More to it is the composite AV ship and it utilizes the smaller 2.5 inches drive size.

Another good thing about the unit is when it comes to recharging the built-in battery; it simply requires connecting the included USB cable between the console and the controller. It is very praise-worthy because you can continue to play as the battery juices up. The controller has a standard mini-USB port similar to the one found on many digital cameras and PC peripherals.

As to the design of the device, the L2 and R2 trigger buttons are a bit bigger and the increased depth offers players more subtle game control. To make the consumers stick to their device models, they ensure the increased tilting angle of the analog joysticks will give you more precise control and a wider range of motion. PS3’s controller holds 10-bit motion detection.

You will see the difference of its interface among the other units. With this, individuals will be able to navigate horizontally top level selection categories, including users as system settings, and media options such as photos, music, videos, games, network, and friends.

Sony Playstation 3

January 24, 2009 by admin in Sony | Leave a comment

 

Sony Computer Entertainment, the company that redefined the entertainment lifestyle with its release of the PlayStation2, is set to launch its long-awaited next-generation platform.

The PlayStation3, as it is now officially called, will unleash an exceptional high-definition entertainment experience. The core of its system is called the Cell Broadband Engine, which has up to eight Synergistic Processor Units (SPUs) that tops the processing speed and efficiency of traditional “single-core” processors like its predecessor the PS2.

It boasts a graphic chip from NVidia called a RSX (Reality Synthesizer) which operates at 500 MHZ, with high definition output of up to 1080p. And according to Nvidia, it is more powerful than two GeForce 6800 Ultra graphic cards put together.

The media format the game is stored on is called the Blue-ray. A Blue-ray disc is five times more in storage capacity compared to the conventional DVDs, where a single-layer disc can hold up to 25 GB and 50 GB on a dual-layer disc. Also, its Blue-ray drive has backward compatibility with current CD and DVD formats. That means PlayStation and PlayStation2 titles can be played on this drive, as well as ordinary CDs and DVDs.

The PlayStation3 controller is aesthetically the same as the PS2 DualShock controller except for a new multi-axis motion sensing system that enables users to move the controller with high-precision just like an extension of the body. The PS3 also supports wireless Bluetooth technology that can accommodate up to 7 players. Plus, there are the USB 2.0 slots where additional controllers can be connected. In addition, PSP owners can connect using a Wi-Fi port that can be used either as an additional screen or a controller.

The PS3 comes in two system configurations where the price and several feature varies. The basic system costs $499, while the system with a 60 GB hard drive, 1080p video, Memory Stick/SD/CompactFlash Slots, Wi-Fi and HDMI slots costs $599. It will be available on the 17th of November 2006 in North America and Canada.

SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Cell Broadband Engine
GPU: RSX

Memory: 256MB XDR
Main RAM 256M
GDDR3 VRAM

HDD: 2.5” Serial SATA 20 GB (or 60 GB – available only for $599 configuration)

I/O: USB 2.0 x 4
Memory Stick/SD/CompactFlash Slots (available only for $599 configuration)

COMMUNICATION:
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi (available only for $599 configuration)
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Wireless Controller Bluetooth (up to 7)

AV OUTPUT:
Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i (and 1080p – available only for $599 configuration)
HDMI: HDMI out – (x1 / HDMI) (available only for $599 configuration)
Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1
Digital Audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1
Blue-ray/DVD/CD Drive (read-only)

DIMENSIONS:
Width: 325mm
Height: 98mm
Depth: 274mm
Weight: 5 kg

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