Hasta La Gadget!

We’d heard that the International Telecommunication Union was close to approving Super Hi-Vision as an Ultra High Definition TV standard, and the UN agency hasn’t waited long to confirm the rumors. The recommendation to use NHK’s 7,680 x 4,320 format has gone unopposed and should define the parameters for incredibly detailed 8K video worldwide. This shouldn’t lead anyone to return that 4K TV just yet — once again, it’s important to remember that NHK still won’t start any kind of wider testing until 2020. That’s also assuming that the first 8K sets are down to Earth instead of the incredibly expensive 145-inch variety.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

ITU approves NHK’s Super Hi-Vision as 8K standard, sets the UHDTV ball rolling very slowly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If your favorite audio or video broadcasts are spamming you with obnoxious ads (or anything else you don’t like) an Apple patent describes a process to cut them out — then substitute your personal content. First, the system would check media in real time through audio analysis or metadata scanning. Then, it would determine if it’s “of interest” to you by checking it against a profile based on your listening habits or personally defined preferences. Finally, if it thinks you’re into a particular stream, it would continue playing it, and if not, it could blast something from your own collection. The patent claims even describe a TiVo-like time-shifting function — ensuring you’d catch that entire guitar solo while not missing a single word from your favorite show.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

Apple gets patent for process that replaces unwanted media with user content originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Were you so entranced by Aereo’s approach to over-the-air TV broadcasting that you signed up even while the legal battles were just getting started? You’re likely being rewarded for your trust. The company has confirmed with GigaOM that New Yorkers who subscribed in the “earliest days” will have their cloud DVR storage doubled to 80 hours — no limited period, no extra charge. There should likewise be some improved tools for overseeing all that extra space in the near future, although just what that might entail is left to the imagination. We won’t fret about it much: given the service’s still-tentative existence, any upgrades are icing on the cake for customers.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Aereo doubles DVR space to 80 hours for early adopters originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first live Super Hi-Vision broadcast for public consumption was of the Olympic opening ceremony in London last week. We didn’t get to see that premiere, or the second or third screenings either — but the fourth? Oh yes. We grabbed a seat right up front of a small theater inside BBC Broadcasting House, watched a live 33-megapixel feed from the Aquatics Center and absorbed some very fond memories in the process. At the same time, a question hung over the footage like a watermark: why bother? The world is barely getting to grips with the notion of 4K, which already solves pixelation at regular viewing distances, so why did the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK go to the expense of sending a dedicated SHV video truck, a SHV audio truck rigged for 22.2 channel sound, and the world’s only three 8K Ultra HDTV cameras to London? Fortunately, we caught up with someone in charge who was able to respond to that question. Read on for what they said, plus a slightly fuller sense of what the footage was like to watch.

Continue reading BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re the reporter and camera operator for K-STIX, Sony’s got good news: they just unveiled the PMW-200 XDCAM, and you can control it with your smartphone. The camcorder features a broadcast-friendly 50Mbps data rate drawing from three half-inch CMOS sensors — bigger than any other broadcast handheld cam, according to Sony — though that size is still a far cry from its own super-35 filmmaking cams and others on the market. The Japanese company claims the chips provide “exceptional” low-light powers, and other features include 30fps at 1080P or 60fps at 720P, a 14x zoom lens, 3.5-inch 852 x 480 LCD display and a 15 second pre-record cache. The camera will be available by September, but the aforementioned WiFi adapter for Android or iOS remote control won’t fly in until the end of the year. Pricing has yet to be announced, but if you need an easier way to multitask or the approving nod from that rigid broadcaster, check the PR for all the specs.

Continue reading Sony broadcasts three-chip PMW-200 XDCAM with Android or iOS remote control app

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony broadcasts three-chip PMW-200 XDCAM with Android or iOS remote control app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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