Review: 3M MPro150 pico-projector

Posted by Tech Thursday, March 25th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">

Short version: Half PMP, half pico-projector, and unfortunately, not quite fully baked. But the next one is going to be awesome. Features: Tiny, lightweight LED-based projection 1GB of onboard storage MicroSD slot Support for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MP3, MP4 files Charge and access via USB Pros: Still a compact, fun projector USB connection is handy Battery actually lasts tolerably long Cons: Doesn’t support many video formats No fast-forward, rewind, or aspect correction in videos Bigger than its predecessor Full review: I’ll keep this short: the MPro150 is essentially the MPro120 with an on-screen menu, internal storage, SD card slot, and support for displaying several file formats. The projector part is almost exactly the same as the MPro120, so head on over to the original review for info on that . I can summarize for you, though: as long as you’re willing to restrict yourself to using it in a dark room or have a very small display size, the MPro150 and 120 are fun and effective. The resolution and brightness are limiting, but you know this isn’t an HD display going in. The new features in the MPro150 are welcome, but it seems pretty clear to me that the MPro170 (or whatever the next version will be called) will actually be the one to get, at least if you plan on watching any video with this thing. Let’s be fair, though: the MPro150 supports Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF, BMP, JPG, MP3, and MP4. Sounds like a lot, and if you’re in an office it kind of is. Text is sharp and navigation, while a little slow, is straightforward. You can zoom and scroll easily in any of the Office formats and PDF, and photos were surprisingly sharp and vibrant (if slow to load), though line drawings and diagrams showed pixellation. It should be said, actually, that the whole on-screen display is slow to respond to button presses, though it never “forgot” any that I’d pressed. (The rainbow effect you see is in my camera, not the projector. Also, you can be significantly further away and get a good image, I just needed it bright enough for the camera) For the rest of us non-desk-jockeys, there’s no support for many files we get off the internet – FLV, WMV, MKV, MOV, OGG and so on. MP4 is a popular format, to be sure, but not even all the MP4s I threw at it worked. One I’d made and encoded myself with H264 (the MPro’s preferred format) only gave me an error message. I popped on an AVI movie and it played, but was stretched to 4:3, with no way of changing the aspect ratio. Worse, there is no way to navigate within video; you can only pause, play, and advance to the next video. I was looking forward to some Zatoichi projected on my ceiling while lying on my bed, but no. Sound is, as it was before, tinny as hell but quite loud enough; I played quite a bit of Super Mario Kart on this thing and never felt the need to pipe the sound elsewhere. You might feel differently when playing God of War 3 , though. Not of lot of bass — or any at all, really. The fan sounds a little whinier on this model when it kicks in, but I suspect that’s a unit-by-unit variation. The device itself has gained a little bulk. It’s longer, and they neglected to move the tripod mount back to compensate for it, and consequently it’s more difficult to balance on the spindly little tripod that’s included. I managed, though. The controls are changed to allow for navigation. I found the buttons a bit hard to depress, which can be trouble if you have the tripod in a perfect position, since the pressure of your finger will bend its legs. Conclusion: At just under $400, the MPro150 is no bargain. For much less (~$250), you can get its predecessor, which is fine if you’re running video from an external source. If the ability to project Word files on the wall of a dark room is something you really need, then this is your gadget. But if you want to watch movies, or load your old web video collection on a MicroSD card and have it on tap, I’d wait for the next generation. I appreciate 3M wanting to keep it simple, but media management isn’t simple, and I’m guessing 3M will learn a lot from the reviews of this generation and put out a killer product in six months or so. Product page: 3M MPro150 pico projector

Coming soon: 50% lighter LCD TVs

Posted by Tech Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">

Another possible breakthrough for LCD TVs? Researchers at Japanese chemical company Teijin and Yamaguchi University claim they have developed a new technology that makes it possible to halve the weight of LCD TVs. Conventional LCD displays are based on silicon solid-state devices on glass substrates, which “sandwich” liquid crystals. These devices generate heat when used, forcing manufacturers to go for heat-resistant (heavy) glass substrates. But according to the researchers, they placed a thin layer of heat-resistant silicon dioxide on plastic (polycarbonate, to be more exact) instead. The plastic is lighter than glass substrates, which need solid frames to make them more stable. Plastic substrate frames are considerably lighter, with Teijin saying this will pave the way for LCD TVs that weigh 50% as much as normal. The company also claims their production method will lead to clearer images (using plastic substrates makes it possible to build higher-power solid-state devices into the TVs). Teijin plans to enter a joint venture with a major electronics makes and commercialize their technology within the next three years. Via The Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Hitachi Japan rolls out 11 new plasma and LCD TVs

Posted by Tech Monday, March 15th, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">

Last week it was Sony, and today it was Hitachi announcing [JP] a flood of new flat-screen TVs for the Japanese market. Hitachi does sell TVs outside this country , too, so chances are the four plasmas and seven LCDs find their way into other markets as well. (Some models will be offered in different colors, which is why you see more than 11 TVs in the picture above.) The company has divided their new line-up of Woo TVs into three series (XP05, HP05 and H05). XP05 The flagship XP05 series consists of three plasma TVs, namely a 42- ($2,650), a 46- ($3,100) and a 50-inch model (P50-XP05 for $3,650, pictured above). All of these devices are full HD, support DLNA, feature 4 HDMI ports and come with a 320GB internal HDD. The two LCD TVs in this series, a 32- ($1,900) and a 37-inch model ($2,200), just have a resolution of 1,366×768 (IPSα panel). But a 320GB internal HDD and DLNA support are on board as well. HP05 The HP05 series includes just two TVs, a plasma (the P42-HP05 with 42 inches for $2,200 is pictured above) and an LCD model (32 inches, $1,600). Buyers will get a resolution of 1,024×768 for the plasma and 1,366×768 for the LCD. Both TVs offer DLNA support and a 250GB internal HDD. H05 The four LCD TVs of the H05 series are entry-level devices with 1,366×768 resolution. Hitachi offers a 19- ($770), a 22- ($880), a 26- ($990) and a 32-inch model (the L32-H05 for $1,100 is pictured). All of these TVs have an IPS panel (just the 32-incher has an IPSα panel), support DLNA (client only) but lack an internal HDD. The TVs of all three series will hit Japanese stores on April 17.

Sony opens 3D Experience in Vegas

Posted by Tech Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
&h=&q=90&w=90&h=65&zc=1" class="alignleft" alt="">

Well, TV manufacturers are definitely embracing 3D for the home. Obviously it’s going to require the networks to jump in too, as evidenced by Sony and CBS building the “Sony 3D Experience” in the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The showcase is designed to give consumers a chance to really understand how the 3D technology will work, and is going to feature the latest television and Blu-ray technology that Sony has to offer. People will walk through several demonstrations of exactly how 3D broadcasting is done, and get a taste of what they should expect from channels like ESPN 3D (that’s launching this summer), and the newest content from Sony, IMAX, and Discovery. They also plan on having different examples of the latest 3D glasses as well, showing off the latest from RealD. The “Experience” will be in the CBS Television City research facility inside the MGM Grand Hotel, and should be similar to the displays that the manufacturers had set up during CES2010 . [via CEPro ]

© 2012 Headline News. All Rights Reserved. Log in

Blog WebMastered by All in One Webmaster.
- Designed by Gabfire Themes