Hasta La Gadget!

These iPod headphones from Onkyo, the $270 MHP-UW2, probably sound amazing with their 30mm drivers and 50Hz-20kHz frequency response range. But — and you just knew there was a “but," right? — they’re wireless, and we really wonder why.

We understand that certain people want Bluetooth sound — snowboarders, for instance, may have helmets with built-in cans. But to buy a set of actual wireless headphones seems a little strange. Are we really so hateful of wires that running a cable a few feet from head to hip is impossible?

And in the case of these Onkyos, the Bluetooth component is even less compelling. The over-the-head style means that cable weight is not an issue, but take a look at that Bluetooth dongle. It’s huge, almost as big as the iPod itself (and if you use it with a Nano, it will seem even bigger).

Thankfully, the size means the battery life stretches to a decent eight hours (on a three-hour charge) and Onkyo has thoughtfully included both a USB charging cable and a couple of mini-jack cables so you can, presumably, keep listening via wire when the juice runs out. Also, they have remote controls on the headset itself and – most importantly – they look awesome. Available in Japan.

Product page [Audiocubes via Uncrate]

To accompany the dizzyingly high-specced new 500D SLR, Canon has also released a dazzlingly pedestrian new strobe, the 270EX, which replaces the old 220EX.

Here are the differences. The older 220EX had a guide number of 22 (meters at ISO 100). The 270EX has a GN of, can you guess? Yes, 27, hence the name. Both speedlights use a pair of AAs and recycle in around four seconds and both work in auto TTL mode with most Canon cams back to the venerable T90.

Then the big differences begin. The newer flash can zoom (not much, but 28-50mm is better than nothing) and tilt 90º, allowing you to bounce flash off the ceiling. The 270EX also features a manual mode, something that shows Canon has been listening to consumers. The power output of the flash in this mode can be dialled down to 1/64th.

If you’re looking for a compact unit that will let you bounce light around instead of firing it directly in a red-eye inducing beam, this might be for you. If you’re looking to do anything more, save your money — the 270EX doesn’t really do much that your built-on flash won’t. The price and shipping dates have yet to be revealed.

Press release [DP Review]
See Also:

• First Look: Strobist ‘Open Source’ Flashgun
• http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/03/canon-500d-hi-d.html

Anyone walking into the new $1.3 billion stadium for the New York Yankees this spring is bound to be amazed by the size of the center field LED scoreboard, as the first photos of the screen reveal.

Taken by a local CBS affiliate in New York, the pics show early tests of the 103-by-58-foot, 1080p HD Mitsubishi Diamond Vision LED display, which is six times larger than the screen at old Yankee Stadium. According to Mitsubishi, the display is embedded with 8,601,600 LED lamps (covering a total of 5,925 square feet), and can put up to four simultaneous images, with picture-in-picture capabilities.

Some fans are worried that the screen will overshadow the game itself. Since it’s located at the same height as the stadium’s second deck and seems to occupy a quarter of the whole outfield façade, this seems quite possible. That is prime viewing position for nearly everyone inside (including the players), and it’s only natural to continually glance over at a giant flickering thing rather than the serene pastoral slowness of the game.

So you’d think that with that enormous screen, umpires will be using it with the new replay system, right? Alas, no.

According to Major League Baseball, teams are forbidden from showing "a replay of any play that could incite either team or the fans." Judgment calls will continue being made by the umps, as they always have. It’s possible that once a play has been decided, the scoreboard will show versions of disputed plays, but with a screen that size, any possible mistake by the umps could be compounded.

The giant screen is part of a big display tech development for the new Stadium, which also includes about 1,400 other video screens of all sizes, and about 550 of them are flat-panel Sony Bravias.

All displays will be managed by an IP-based network from Cisco Systems. Every one of those TVs will have a singular IP address that can be manipulated for specific MPEG-4 compressed video.

Expect the system to be used to sell ads within the stadium and to show awkward baseball-themed marriage proposals.

Last but not least, big-screen specialist Daktronics also built a video/scoring system that manages a 1,280-foot long color LED ribbon board mounted to the facade of the second deck and will be one of the longest continuous displays in sports. Just like the giant Times Square screen we featured months ago, the LED ribbon board is made out of hundreds of smaller LED ‘cubes.’ This one will show lineups and other team info and will occasionally show psychedelic light shows during the night (see pic above).

We’ll see if the Yankees break from old-school baseball tradition and use all of those displays to put on the first legitimate pre-game light-show-in-the-dark introductions, just like the NBA does in most of its arenas.

The screen at the old Yankee Stadium. Photo: Broadway National Sign and Lighting

All other photos courtesy of WCBS 880. 

See also:

• Mine is Bigger: JVC Launches Giant 720p Screen in Times Square But Walgreens Beats it
• 180-inch 3D LED TV Announced But Resolution Quality is in Question

The rumors were true. Canon has crammed the $1500 50D‘s sensor and 5D-Mark-II-like 1080p video capture into an $899 entry-level Rebel. We ran it through its paces for a few hours, and it’s awesome.

So what we have here is almost the exact sensor from the 50D—a 15.1 megapixel CMOS with sensitivities up to ISO 12,800 at its top-end H2 boost setting. And almost the exact same HD capture from the 5D Mark II—the only change is that 1080p video is captured at 20fps, down from the 5D Mark II‘s 30fps. You can step down to 720p video at 30fps, though, for the same buttery smoothness we’ve seen on the 5D Mark II. Other aspects of the video capture mode have actually been improved over the 5D Mark II, which we’ll get to in a second.

But as far as the specs go, it’s almost a pure hybrid of the 50D and 5D Mark II, two cameras that are decidedly more pro-leaning, positioned into the top-end of their entry-level Rebels (above the XS and XSi). Crazy stuff:

• H.264 video capture @ 1080p/20fps and 720p/30fps with mono sound

• DIGIC 4 processor

• Nine-point autofocusing

• 3.4fps burst shooting for 170 JPEGs or 9 RAW files

• The 50D’s lens peripheral illumination correction

• Three-inch, 920,000-dot LCD (same as the 5D Mark II’s)

• Built-in sensor dust removal system

• Live view

• Canon’s “Creative Auto” mode for light exposure tweaks on full-auto

• Saves to SD/SDHC cards (class 6 or higher recommended)

• $899 with kit lens, $799 body only, available early May

We had a few hours to shoot photos and video with a pre-production unit of the EOS Rebel T1i in Manhattan, and here’s our impressions:

Image Quality

I’ve never shot with the 50D, but from what I’ve read, the 50D’s sensor is about as big as Canon can and should push an APS-C sensor, megapixels wise, while still preserving image quality and high-ISO performance. When it came out just seven months or so ago, it was found to be a good performer but not significantly better than the 10-megapixel 40D at high-ISO.

Here, you’re getting effectively the same sensor (Canon says there are a few minor differences that shouldn’t effect output in any significant way) for almost half the cost. So while you still won’t be on the noise-busting level of the full-frame 5D Mark II, you’re going to come mighty close, especially at 1600 and below. Here’s a quick unscientific comparision @ ISO 6400:

And, shots moving through the full ISO range of the T1i, starting at ISO 12,800 (H2) and moving on down to ISO 400:

Video Capture Mode

And here’s where things get crazy—the T1i’s video capture mode is almost exactly the same as the 5D Mark II, short of 10 extra frames per second at 1080p made possible by the 5D’s beefier processing power. But still, shooting at 720p will serve most people just fine (and it’s as high as you can go on Nikon’s D90, keep in mind). You do notice the lower framerate at 1080p, especially if you’re panning a shot, but for slow-moving subjects, it’s not significantly jerky. Some people may even prefer the ability to switch-up frame rates.

But aside from that, everything else from the 5D Mark II is there: the ability to capture stills while video is rolling, the same slow AF system, etc. In fact, the T1i actually makes some improvements over the Mark II—a quick menu summoned via the SET button can change resolution and video settings easily while you’re shooting, and the movie capture mode has conveniently been moved to its own spot on the mode dial, rather than only being accessible via live view.

Here’s our test footage so you can see for yourself (the file below was compressed into a 30fps Flash movie, but you can still see the slight difference in the 20fps 1080p shots):

Buying Decision

You can’t imagine Canon moving a lot of 50Ds once this puppy is out—and that camera was just announced at the end of last summer. So you have to expect Canon is up to something in their mid-range line. But with the T1i, Canon has taken a big lead in the HD capture arms race over Nikon, whose only video-capable camera is the mid-range D90 which costs a couple hundred bucks more. The resolution advantage is somewhat moot, as most people will opt for 720p @ 30fps over 1080p @ the jerkier 20fps. But here’s how everything stacks up, money-wise:

Rebel T1i: $899 MSRP with kit EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens, $799 MSRP body only

Nikon D90: $1,149 (street) with kit lens, $889 (street) body only

Canon 50D: $1,389 (street) with kit lens, $1,199 (street) body only

So with the T1i, you get a sizable chunk of the more expensive 50D’s imaging performance plus an arguably better spec-wise video capture mode than the D90—a pretty sweet deal here at an entry-level price where even the MSRP beats the street price of the 50D and D90 both.

We don’t want to get too gushy without giving this camera a serious real-world run-through, but as of now, the only major negative we can see is the ridiculous name. T1i? What? Why Canon USA doesn’t use its handy three-digit designation for the entry-level Rebels like it does in Europe (where the T1i is known as the 500D, matching with two-digits for the mid-range and single-digits for the pros) I will never know. I think Andre Agassi is to blame.

Look for more on this puppy when we’ve had a chance to really sink our teeth in.

CANON U.S.A. INTRODUCES THE EOS REBEL T1i DIGITAL SLR CAMERA, THE FIRST REBEL DSLR TO FEATURE HD VIDEO CAPTURE

Canon Breaks the $1,000 Mark Again with the First EOS Rebel Camera to Feature

HD Movie Recording Capabilities, DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor and 15.1 Megapixel Resolution

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., March 25, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today introduced a new addition to its Rebel lineup, the EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR camera, the first in the Rebel line to feature Full HD video capture. The new Canon Rebel T1i SLR incorporates some of the best technologies from the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II models into an entry-level juggernaut. With a 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and HD video capture, along with the DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, the Rebel T1i gives aspiring photographers plenty of reason to step-up to the latest and greatest model in the Rebel lineup.

The new Canon EOS Rebel T1i raises the entry-level bar with a host of enhanced Canon technologies now available in an entry-level DSLR. Along with the boost in megapixels and Canon’s most advanced imaging processor to-date, this latest Rebel camera has also been enhanced with HD video capture, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) monitor and user-friendly functions such as Auto Lighting Optimizer, Creative Auto Mode and Canon’s Live View modes, all the right tools to open new doors for imaging enthusiasts. From high-resolution to high-definition, the new EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR camera helps to give creative consumers a jumpstart on the next evolution in digital imaging.

“We are witnessing the emergence of a new phase in digital imaging history, as high-resolution still images and HD video can now both be produced in a hand-held device, for under $1,000. This is truly a great time to be involved in digital imaging as the advent of online communities are helping usher in this next great era in imaging,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The muscle behind Canon’s new EOS Rebel T1i camera is the DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor with 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion and the ability to process full HD video. The Canon EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR offers continuous shooting at 3.4 fps for up to 170 large/fine JPEG images or up to nine RAW images in a single burst when using a class 6 or higher SD or SDHC memory card. Whether capturing wildlife on the run or a child mid-stride on the soccer field, users will appreciate the fast shooting capabilities of the Rebel T1i Digital SLR camera.

With the combination of its 15.1-megapixel APS-C size CMOS image sensor and the powerful new DIGIC 4 image processor, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera provides ISO speeds from ISO 100 up to ISO 3200 in whole stop increments, along with two additional high-speed ISO settings – H1: 6400 and H2: 12800.

The EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR utilizes a precise nine-point Autofocus (AF) system and AF sensor for enhanced subject detection. The new EOS Rebel T1i DSLR provides a cross-type AF measurement at the center that is effective with all EF and EF-S lenses, while providing enhanced precision with lenses having maximum apertures of f/2.8 or faster. The cross-type AF measurement reads a wider variety of subject matter than conventional single-axis AF sensors and thus increases the new camera’s ability to autofocus quickly and accurately when shooting still images.

The EOS Rebel T1i camera is compatible with Canon’s complete line of over 60 Canon EF and EF-S lenses, to help provide an incredible variety of visual effects to both still and video imaging capture, including ultra-wide-angle and fish-eye to macro and super-telephoto. This includes all of Canon’s large-aperture EF L-series professional lenses.

HD and SD Video Capture

After the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark II in September 2008, the Company’s first HD video DSLR, Canon has integrated this must-have feature into the new entry-level flagship EOS Rebel T1i camera. The camera features 16:9 720p HD video capture at 30 fps as well as a Full HD 1080p video capture at 20 fps, and a third option to record 4:3 standard TV quality (SD) video capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps. The video capture mode is part of the camera’s Live View function, using the Picture Style that has been set for Live View still image shooting. The camera allows skilled photographers and enthusiasts to adjust image sharpness, contrast, color saturation and white balance, and have those settings apply to the movie image as well. When recording video, the camera’s rear LCD screen is letter-boxed by a semi-transparent border to match the aspect ratio of the movie recording size.

Like the EOS 5D Mark II model, the EOS Rebel T1i camera will record video up to 4GB per clip equaling approximately 12 minutes of Full HD video, 18 minutes of 720p HD video, or 24 minutes of SD video depending on the level of detail in the scene. Video clips are recorded in .MOV format using an MPEG-4 video compression and sound is recorded using linear PCM without compression. The camera features a built-in monaural microphone to record sound. To help show off those fantastic movies as well as still photos, the EOS Rebel T1i camera includes an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output to display crisp, clear images on a High-Definition TV.

Live View Shooting

Much like the EOS 5D Mark II, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i camera features Live View for both still images as well as video. The Rebel T1i features the Company’s three Live View AF modes – Quick, Live and Face Detection Live mode – which can be used to capture still photos or video images. Quick mode automatically sets One-Shot AF using the camera’s phase detection AF system. It also allows users to select the AF point, even while the Live View image is displayed. Although the camera’s reflex mirror must be lowered briefly to take an AF measurement in Quick mode, it is the fastest way to set focus automatically when the Rebel T1i camera is set for Live View.

Live mode uses contrast-detection AF with the image sensor and here, as with Quick mode, users can change the location of the active AF point using the Multi-controller. Face Detection Live mode uses contrast AF to recognize human faces. When multiple faces are detected, the largest face closest to the center of the frame is targeted as the AF point. While Live View is engaged, users can still change settings including the AF mode (Quick, Live, Face Detection Live mode), drive mode, ISO speed, Picture style, White Balance and more.

Auto Lighting Optimizer

Canon’s Auto Lighting Optimizer technology helps ensure that the subject of each picture is clearly visible by analyzing image brightness and automatically adjusting dark areas in images so they appear brighter. This is ideal when shooting high-contrast situations that include harsh shadow areas, such as landscape images where the foreground is brightly lit and the background detail blanketed in dark shadow. In a scene such as this, the EOS Rebel T1i camera’s Auto Lighting Optimizer technology maintains exposure of the highlight areas while lightening shadow areas for a more enjoyable and evenly illuminated image. The EOS Rebel T1i also supports Peripheral Illumination Correction for up to 40 Canon EF and EF-S lenses.

Canon’s Creative Auto Mode

Canon’s “CA” Creative Full Auto setting available on the EOS Rebel T1i, EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II cameras allows users to make image adjustments such as exposure compensation, aperture or shutter speed through a simple navigation screen on the camera’s LCD screen, allowing them to “blur the background” or “lighten or darken the image” with ease. These easy-to-understand image options allow learning-photographers to experiment with image options while still shooting in an automatic mode.

EOS Integrated Cleaning System

With the introduction of the EOS Rebel T1i camera, the entire Canon EOS system is now equipped with the highly acclaimed EOS Integrated Cleaning System. The Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit for the Canon EOS Rebel T1i has been upgraded with a fluorine coating on the low-pass filter for better dust resistance.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR Camera is scheduled for delivery by early May and will be sold in a body-only configuration which includes a rechargeable battery pack and charger, USB and video cables, a neckstrap, an EOS Solutions Disk CD and a 1-year Canon U.S.A., Inc. limited warranty at an estimated retail price of $799.99 . It will additionally be offered in a kit version with Canon’s EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $899.99 .

Earlier today, Mitsubishi assured TV lovers everywhere that production of its flagship television, the innovative LaserVue laser TV, is back on. A previously terse announcement noted it was being temporarily shut down due to an undetermined production problem.

According to Mitsubishi, the delay stemmed from an undisclosed problem with the manufacturing equipment used to make the TVs. No further details were specified. Mitsubishi has been overwhelmingly secretive about this TV and its components from the moment it was announced, so their public reticence isn’t surprising. 

Unfortunately, the lack of transparency has been unhelpful and has caused others to fill in the blanks, to the detriment of the TV.

For example, when the sudden production stop of the flagship TV was announced six weeks ago, it caused a run on negative speculation. Many reasonably believed that the economy was far too crippled to support a $7,000 TV, even one whose picture quality was immediately viewed as top-tier upon its ‘08 holiday season release. It didn’t help matters that around the same time, the highly-regarded Pioneer plasma Kuro televisions were killed in the face of cheaper competition from LCDs that were almost as good.

Others said that even with its obvious quality advantage (with twice as much color range as other TVs and a third of their power consumption), the LaserVue’s throwback (and slightly fatter) rear-projection design couldn’t compete in a culture of thinness.

Despite these reasons, it was thought that Mitsubishi could manage the recession problem and sell a few TVs based on the quality, as long as it brought the price down a couple thousand bucks.

Unfortunately, that still hasn’t happened. It’s not a surprise that as of today, it occupies the sales rank of #76,640 in Amazon.com.

We’re glad the Mitsu Laser plants are back to work and would love it if more people got to experience the vivid reds and crazy image details it offers. But it’s not going to happen if they don’t bring the number down. People who can afford premium goods will pay for the quality, but the value proposition here is just too skewed towards the company. No one wants to feel like they’ve been fleeced.

See also:

• Product Reviews: Mitsubishi LaserVue HDTV
• Laser TV Wins Early Color Showdown Against Pioneer Kuro in Early Tests