Panasonic's new PT-AX200E Home Cinema Projector is putting (wealthy) gamers in the forefront thanks to a "Game Mode" that promises a "life sized" experience. In Game Mode, signal processing is optimized to HD game content, which supposedly reduces response time from 15ms to 5ms. Panasonic also claims that the mode enhances gradation in saturated areas to achieve a higher degree of detail. Other features include: 720p resolution, Light Harmonizer 2 technology for a clear picture in all lighting conditions, a redesigned optical unit that delivers 2000-lumen brightness, Advanced Dynamic Sharpness Control, and a 2x optical zoom lens. Available for £1098.99. -Sean Fallon [Panasonic via Pocket-lint]
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Is there anything Ferrari won’t slap a badge on these days? We already have the Ferrari Art.Engine speakers, the Ferrari Home Gym and the Ferrari/Acer Laptop. Apparently they also make cars.
Anyway, meet the Ferrari Segway, the gyro-stabilised scooter. The Segway PT i2 Ferrari Limited Edition offers pretty much everything that the normal one offers - 24 miles of body-controlled scootering per charge - but, oddly, no discernible increase in speed. Mind your head though – one of the highlights for me at the CES 2007 Show in Vegas in January was watching some plonker showing off on a Segway in the press area, just before he forgot to duck zipping through a doorway.
The perfect synthesis of form, function and fun, the i2 lets you glide through your daily commute or zip from errand to errand without worrying about parking. The i2 can take you 24 miles/38 km or up to 480 city blocks on a single charge*, powering itself smoothly up and down stairs and curbs, and keeping you in control as it handles steep grades.
The one thing all of the Ferrari-branded kit has in common though is a noticeable price hike. The flaming red Segway, for instance, will set you back around £6,000.-Martin Lynch
[Ferrari]
car gadgets travel Ferrari
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Yesterday saw Microsoft finally flex some muscle on behalf of the HD DVD format by giving away five free movies with each HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 console sold.
Today, the HD DVD camp is celebrating again as the Transformers HD DVD has become the biggest selling HD DVD movie to date.
Dreamworks and Paramount have announced that in the US the movie sold over 100,000 HD DVDs on Day One and over 190,000 by the end of the first week. This makes it the fastest selling HD movie yet, displacing the singing penguins of Happy Feet.
The movie will not be available on Blu-ray either since Paramount recently pulled a U-turn and ditched the Sony format for a reputed ‘exclusivity’ fee of £75m.-Martin Lynch
HD DVD blu-ray movies
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If you love your vinyl record collection more than pretty much anything else then you may be interested in something that can repair one of the scarier vinyl diseases: warping.
Anyone who has ever left a record in direct sunlight on a hot day will be familiar with the process that turns a perfectly flat piece of plastic into something looking like a mini-fairground ride. Japanese audio specialists Furutech has launched the DFV-1 LP Flattener, described as a one-stop, one button solution for un-warping your plastic friends. The company says:
"The DFV-1 provides controlled-heat perfect flattening for all your warped records, even those with only slight irregularities just enough to unsettle your cartridge and cause mistracking. The DFV-1 doesn’t take up much room with its space-saving, vertical design. Improved film heating technology optimizes the entire heating and cooling cycle for a perfectly flat LP that your cartridge – and you – will love! Just unlock and open the DFV-1, place the LP on the spindle, close and tap a single button! An LCD keeps you informed of progress with a tone sounding when done."
The other innovative space saving feature of the product is how much emptier your wallet will be. About £990 lighter. You can get Furutech stuff in the UK at Metropolis Music.-Martin Lynch
[What Hi-Fi]
music hi-fi records
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One of the dividing lines between rival LCD and plasma TVs is that plasmas start at 40in and above, while LCD TVs control everything underneath.
While LCD panels have gotten bigger and less expensive, plasma panels have remained out of the sub-40in market – the biggest consumer TV segment. Until now. LG has announced what it claims is first 32in plasma display panel (PDP), the 32PC5RV.
Plasma TVs tend to have greater depth of vision, less motion blur and greater colour reproduction. With a blistering fast 0.001ms response time, the 32PC5RV should be the Daddy when it comes to fast action sports and movies. Good news, then? Ah, not really. You may want to ask why the hell isn’t this a HDTV?
That’s right, this “world’s smallest plasma TV” isn’t even HD Ready, with a dismal resolution of 852 x 480 pixels. It’s launching around the world next month but frankly, for the £500-600 asking price – the cost of a branded 32in LCD HDTV – why bother?-Martin Lynch
HDTV LCD TV plasma
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Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
