Panasonic’s AG-HMC40 does 1080p24 on something of a budget

Panasonic's AG-HMC40 does 1080p24 on something of a budget

Panasonic’s latest camcorders have been well-liked by the masses, but haven’t quite had enough features to appease those consumers with higher expectations — or professionals on limited budgets. To captivate the eyes and ears of that prosumer market the company has announced the AG-HMC40, a 2.2 pound semi-pro cam that will do 1080i or 720p at 60 frames-per-second, but more important for many can manage a cinematic 1080p at 24 frames-per-second, all written to SDHC cards. With 10.6 megapixel stills and a 12x optical zoom on tap it sounds like a very well-rounded offering, and, while $3,195 may not fit into every budget, it should do well for modestly funded aspiring filmmakers when it ships in August — just in time for capturing some back-to-school teen angst drama.

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Panasonic’s AG-HMC40 does 1080p24 on something of a budget originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s 1080p-blasting A800B and A900 projectors unveiled, plus six more

Good ole’ Sammy’s announced an octuplet of new projectors, and while we’d like to say they’re all special in their own little way, two models definitely catch our eye more. The A800B DLP boasts a 1080p output, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 1000 ANSI lumens, two HDMI ports, and a variety of other input options. The luxury doesn’t come cheap, of course: retail price is $10,000. The other full HD model is the A900, and although we’re lighter on details with this one, we do know it’s packing 1000 ANSI lumens, only one HDMI port, an impressive 12,000:1 contrast ratio, and what we can only assume is price tag of equal magnitude. As for others, we’ve got the travel-sized $700 P400 with SVGA output, the L220 (price unknown) and $1100 L300 for bringing VGA / XGA to classrooms, respectively, the XGA-blasting D300 for large venues, and a $1500 A400B for home theaters, which features WXGA, 2500:1 contrast ratio, and 2000 ANSI. We kindly direct your attention to the read link for all the nitty-gritty details.

[Via About Projectors]

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Samsung’s 1080p-blasting A800B and A900 projectors unveiled, plus six more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prototype Sanyo projector throws up 1080p at near point-blank range

Sanyo’s had a knack for pumping out short-throw projectors, but its latest prototype unquestionably takes the cake. Debuting without so much as a model name, this here DLP beamer — which, at 93- x 20- x 25-inches, easily doubles as a bench — throws up a 100-inch 1080p image with just 24-inches of space between it and the wall. Better still, that can scale up to 150-inches by adding just another foot of breathing room — and just to remind you, we’re talking full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution here. Sanyo also tossed in 7,000 lumens of brightness, though mum’s the word when it comes to price or nearness to production.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

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Prototype Sanyo projector throws up 1080p at near point-blank range originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC intros 1080p GD-463D10 3D LCD monitor in Japan

Not that JVC‘s been avoiding the 3D bandwagon or anything, but it has yet to formally introduce a 3D HDTV to really take advantage of the in-home 3D revolution that 3D backers just swear is right around the bend. The GD-463D10 is a 46-inch LCD HDTV with a native 1,920 x 1080 resolution, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, twin ten-watt speakers and support for three-dee material. We’re also told that the set will come bundled with a pair of polarized glasses when it ships in Japan early next month. The only problem? That ¥700,000 ($6,978) price tag, which seems particularly painful with no real 3D programming to speak of. Yet, of course.

[Via Impress]

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JVC intros 1080p GD-463D10 3D LCD monitor in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic ships 22-inch VT2230 1080p LCD monitor

Not ready to go big screen? Just need a medium sized set to handle your bedroom Xbox 360 addiction? ViewSonic‘s got a new one ready to splash down in your abode — the 22-inch VT2230. Said panel checks in with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, VGA / HDMI inputs, a built-in ATSC / NTSC / QAM TV tuner and a relatively small price tag. Further specs include a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, five millisecond response time, 300 nits of brightness and twin 3-watt speakers. Sure, nothing mind-blowing or anything, but it’s not half bad for $349.

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ViewSonic ships 22-inch VT2230 1080p LCD monitor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic DMC-GH1 handled on video, coming to North America in May

Panasonic’s HD Micro Four Thirds shooter honestly can’t arrive soon enough, with its continual autofocus while shooting, on-the-fly aperture switching and all around loveliness. Thus, it’s with a heavy heart that we present to you the following tidbit: according to Doug Borbath, a senior project manager at Panasonic Canada, the DMC-GH1 won’t ship to North America until “late May,” though the pricing remains pretty much in line with what we’ve been hearing. It’ll sticker at $1,899CDN, which equates to just over $1,500 here in the United States. That price does include the pretty astounding 14-140mm (28-280mm in Four Thirds terminology) stock lens, though it doesn’t include the optional external microphone ($200; available “around the same time”) nor the super wide angle Lumix G Vario 7-14mm/f4.0 ASPH (price unknown; available at GH1 launch). Check the read link for some seriously enviable footage.

[Thanks, Jive]

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Panasonic DMC-GH1 handled on video, coming to North America in May originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIA’s P710-HD module brings 1080p to EPIA-P710 Pico-ITXe board

We’ve got to hand it to ’em — VIA sure knows where the weak spot is in the netbook / nettop market, and it’s doing an impressive job bringing 1080p to areas where it was once thought impossible. After trumpeting its Surfboard concept and VX855 chipset, the company is striking yet again from the Embedded Systems Conference with its P710-HD module. Said device, which works in conjunction with the EPIA-P710 Pico-ITXe board, brings full HD playback support to a mainboard that’s almost small enough to fit in your oversized cargo pocket. The expansion module includes S3 Graphics’ 4300E embedded GPU, 256MB of GDDR2 memory and support for dual DVI and HDMI outputs. Sadly, there’s no mention of a price or release date, but we’d bet NVIDIA, Intel and the rest of the gang are definitely paying attention.

[Via HotHardware]

VIA’s P710-HD module brings 1080p to EPIA-P710 Pico-ITXe board originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic DMC-GH1 Micro Four Thirds shooter with 1080p video landing April 24th

While we patiently wait for the Micro Four Thirds format DMC-GH1 with 1080p video to pop for purchase, we have to feed on whatever retail crumbs we can grub off Panasonic. As usual, our Japanese camera overlords will have first dibs on this ¥150,000 (less than $1,500 when it arrives Stateside) bundle that includes a 14-140mm lens starting April 24th. Think about it; we’ve gone from zero to four HD-capable video DSLRs in six months. Ok, ok, three-plus actually, since Micro Four Thirds cams are technically not DSLRs due to the lack of an internal mirror and prism — just humor us with GH1’s interchangeable lens mount, DSLR-sized sensor, and bevy of manual controls ok? Geesh.

[Via PC World],

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Panasonic DMC-GH1 Micro Four Thirds shooter with 1080p video landing April 24th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HABEY intros Atom N270-powered mini HTPC, makes it crunch 1080p

An Atom N270-powered rig that can handle 1080p content? Say it ain’t so! The relatively unknown HABEY has stepped forward with a minuscule media PC that includes a fairly weak CPU and a potent hardware decoder that can supposedly handle 1080p content and even Blu-ray flicks. The BIS-6550HD is meant to be one of the most energy efficient machines on the planet to adequately play back 1080p material, with the entire system sucking down under 13 watts. Complementing the 1.6GHz processor is a single SODIMM slot for carrying up to 2GB of RAM, wireless / HDTV tuner options, a slew of video outputs, multicard reader, gigabit Ethernet and four USB 2.0 sockets. Unfortunately, pricing and availability both remain undisclosed, but we get the feeling you’ll be paying dearly for the chance to see 1080p sans stutter on a machine this tiny.

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HABEY intros Atom N270-powered mini HTPC, makes it crunch 1080p originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel admits that GN40 chipset is no match for Blu-ray

We know, we’re just being greedy at this point, but hey — did you honestly expect anything less? We knew Intel’s new Atom N280 processor, when paired with the equally fresh GN40 chipset, could deliver silky smooth 720p video playback. What we didn’t know, however, was how well it could handle 1080p material. According to Fudzilla, an Intel product manager has stated that the GN40 is “designed to do 1080p HD playback for typical broadband internet content,” but that it wasn’t engineered to “enable full Blu-ray capability where the bitrates and demands of multi-layer content are significantly higher than that of internet HD content.” The optimist within us is hoping that the GN40’s successor will take the next logical step and handle BD films, but we wouldn’t dare suggest you get your own hopes up that high if you’re not good with handling disappointment.

[Image courtesy of TechArena]

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Intel admits that GN40 chipset is no match for Blu-ray originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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