Hasta La Gadget!

NHK is progressing with the development of equipment to enable to the broadcast of 8K Ultra High Definition television, with trial broadcasts to begin in Japan in 2016.

The camera head, co-developed with Astrodesign, has been made much lighter and more compact. They achieved this by packaging a 33-megapixel image sensor and its drive circuits in a housing just 10 cm square, with a total weight of around 2kg.

“The image sensor is small, just 25 mm diagonally. So, the lens can be made small, too. In particular, this lens is used for digital cinema, but it’ll also be usable for Ultra HD. So, a feature of this system is, it can be made very small overall.”

“The monitor has 4K resolution, but the signal processing is 8K. The image sensor itself can run at 120 Hz, but the signal processing component isn’t ready yet. So here, the display is running at 60 Hz.”

NHK, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric, has also developed the world’s first HEVC/H.265 real-time encoder for 8k Ultra HD.

HEVC is the latest video encoding system, which became an international standard this year. It has four times the compression efficiency of MPEG2, widely used in current digital HD broadcasting.

“This video is encoded at 85 Mbps. Considering the encoder input, it’s being compressed from 30 Gbps by a factor of 1/350. To encode Ultra HD video, which has very high resolution, encoding is done in real time by dividing the screen into 17 strips. Compression to 85 Mbps enables one Ultra HD channel to be transmitted using one satellite transponder.”

Information about the speed and direction of moving objects is shared across several segments, which minimizes loss of picture quality where segments join.

Currently, the encoding is done at 60 Hz, but NHK plans to work on 120 Hz real-time encoding, which is a part of the Ultra HD specifications.

Event: NHK Open House 2013

This Video is provided by DigInfo.tv, AkihabaraNews Official Partner.

Via:
NHK
ASTRODESIGN
Mitsubishi Electric

The Japanese Yen against the US Dollar has weakened dramatically in recent months – from less than 78 yen to the dollar on October 1 to a recent high of over 103 yen to the dollar on May 19.

Source: http://www.oanda.com

The weaker yen has been, so far, once of the biggest differences in the Japanese economy during the recent so-called “Abenomics” – a set of very aggressive fiscal policies implemented by new Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

Generally this has given a very big boost to the Japanese economy, helping make Japanese manufacturing costs cheaper in foreign terms and helping exports and stimulating the economy.

But, as pointed out in a recent analysis of Apple products, it has made the cost of foreign technology more expensive in Japan. The following data shows some of the price increases of Apple products recently here in Japan, up as much as ¥16,000 for the 128GB iPad Retina Display (Wi-Fi + cellular model).

◆iPod touch
・iPod touch(32GB) ¥24,800 -> ¥29,800 (¥5,000 UP)
・iPod touch(64GB) ¥33,800 -> ¥39,800 (¥6,000 UP)

◆iPod nano
・iPod nano(16GB) ¥12,800 -> ¥14,800 (¥2,000 UP)

◆iPod shuffle
・iPod shuffle(2GB) ¥4,200 -> ¥4,800 (¥600 UP)

◆iPod classic
・iPod classic(160GB) ¥20,900 -> ¥24,800 (¥3,900 UP)

◆iPad mini(Wi-Fi)
・iPad mini(16GB) ¥28,800 -> ¥32,800 (¥4,000 UP)
・iPad mini(32GB) ¥36,800 -> ¥42,800 (¥6,000 UP)
・iPad mini(64GB) ¥44,800 -> ¥52,800 (¥8,000 UP)

◆iPad mini(Wi-Fi＋Cellular)
・iPad mini(16GB) ¥39,800 -> ¥46,800 (¥7,000 UP)
・iPad mini(32GB) ¥47,800 -> ¥56,800 (¥9,000 UP)
・iPad mini(64GB) ¥55,800 -> ¥66,800 (¥11,000 UP)

◆iPad 2
・iPad 2(16GB、Wi-Fi) ¥34,800 -> ¥39,800 (¥5,000 UP)
・iPad 2(16GB、Wi-Fi＋3G) ¥45,800 -> ¥53,800 (¥8,000 UP)

◆iPad Retina Display model (Wi-Fi)
・iPad Retina Display model (16GB) ¥42,800 -> ¥49,800 (¥7,000 UP)
・iPad Retina Display model (32GB) ¥50,800 -> ¥59,800 (¥9,000 UP)
・iPad Retina Display model (64GB) ¥58,800 -> ¥69,800 (¥11,000 UP)
・iPad Retina Display model (128GB) ¥66,800 -> ¥79,800 (¥13,000 UP)

◆iPad Retina Display model (Wi-Fi＋Cellular)
・iPad Retina Display model (16GB) ¥53,800 -> ¥63,800 (¥10,000 UP)
・iPad Retina Display model (32GB) ¥61,800 -> ¥73,800 (¥12,000 UP)
・iPad Retina Display model (64GB) ¥69,800 -> ¥83,900 (¥14,100 UP)
・iPad Retina Display model (128GB) ¥77,800 -> ¥93,800 (¥16,000 UP)

Toshiba is releasing 2 models of the Windows 8 Ultrabook “dynabook V713″ (V713/28J and V713/27J). It features the ability to split the keyboard from the LCD panel as needed so that it can be used as either a PC or a tablet to match your purpose.

The handwriting input function using the included stylus is something that Toshiba says it has put a lot of effort into. They worked on “4 important elements of the feel of a good pen”:
– smoothness
– pen pressure equilibrium
– display position of the tip of the pen
– pen pressure responsiveness

The CPU is an Intel Core i5-3339Y processor that reduces the amount of heat generated and helps the battery run longer, and it features an 11.6 inch full HD LCD touch panel (1,920×1,080 dot). High-rigidity resin is used for the body to make it strong in the event of dropping.

Price is open price.

The specs are very similar for both models:

V713/28J
OS: Windows 8 64bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-3339Y Processor
Memory: 4GB
SSD: 128GB SSD
Display: 11.6 inch full HD LCD touch panel (1,920×1,080 dot)
Wireless connection: Wi-fi (IEEE802.11a/b/g/n), Intel wireless display, Bluetooth
Weight: 870g (as a tablet), 1.47kg (as a PC)

V713/27J
OS: Windows 8 64bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-3339Y Processor
Memory: 4GB
SSD: 128GB SSD
Display: 11.6 inch full HD LCD touch panel (1,920×1,080 dot)
Wireless connection: Wi-fi (IEEE802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth
Weight: 825g (as a tablet), 1.43kg (as a PC)

Pioneer is releasing a portable wireless DJ system – XDJ-R1 – in late July. It’s for family use, and you can easily enjoy playing music as a DJ by controlling via your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch at home.

Today, the Pioneer Plaza Ginza store started displaying “XDJ-R1″ in advance.

Connect iPad/iPhone/iPod touch with the mobile application “remotebox” installed to “XDJ-R1″ wirelessly, and you will start to be able to control music saved in a USB storage device connected to “XDJ-R1″ or add effects or many other functions.

Because “XDJ-R1″ consists of 2 players and mixers, you can DJ music saved in a USB storage device or CD by using only “XDJ-R1″. You can use MIDI control as well.

A portable bag (DJC-SC3) that makes it very convenient to carry “XDJ-R1″ around will be out in late July.

The price of the DJ system and the bag are not yet set.

Logicool is releasing a 9.3mm ultra-thin USB wired keyboard “Logicool Illuminate Keyboard” on June 7.

The illumination intensity of the built-in backlight is adjustable. Since the keyboard is featured with the PerfectStroke key system, typing feels smoother and quieter than regular keyboards. “Logicool Illuminate Keyboard” is less straining on your fingers for a long period of use.

Price is 8,980 yen.

Size: 457 × 190 × 9.3mm
Weight: 1050g
Compliant OS: Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
Connection: USB