July 18, 2006, 4:21 PM PDT
Sony's fall camcorders
Posted by: Lori Grunin

Sony's going all out with its hard drive camcorder, um, drive, if today's announcements are any indication. The company announced a disk-based version of its HDR-HC1 model, as well as lower-end line mates for its currently shipping Handycam DCR-SR100. There's also an HD-DVD model that records in the AVCHD format.

The HDR-SR1 1080i uses Sony's ClearVid sensor and records on a 30GB hard drive, outputs HDMI to an HDTV for best quality, and includes built-in Dolby 5.1 recording. It's slated to ship in October for $1,500. Based on what I've seen with the SR100, I expect the SR1 to be a killer model.

On the flip side, the HDR-UX1 is the same camcorder, but DVD-based. As I've mentioned before, I'm not really fond of the idea of AVCHD recording on mini DVDs--it just seems like too many transition technologies piled into one product. At least the $1,400 camcoder will support dual-layer discs, for a total of about 60 minutes of recording time, when it ships in September.

Two of the low-end HDD camcorders, the DCR-SR80 and -SR60, will use a 1-megapixel sensor, which may be a bit too low resolution for decent MPEG-2 recording; I'm almost sure the 680K sensor in the SR40 is. The first two have 12X zoom lenses, while the third tries to compensate with a 20X zoom. They all have 30GB hard drives. All three ship next month, for $800 (SR80), $700 (SR60), and $600 (SR40).

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July 18, 2006, 1:37 PM PDT
Web-based competition for photo editing and library managers
Posted by: Andrew Gruen

Get ready to chuck your application-based photo editor/organizer in favor of a powerful duo of Web applications. A new, free, AJAX-y photo-editing package called Preloadr adds photo-editing capabilities into the Flickr photo-sharing site. Armed with Preloadr's editing capabilities and Flickr's excellent Organizr (for, you guessed it, organizing pictures), you should be able to replicate most key features of desktop applications--such as Apple's iPhoto, Google's Picasa or Adobe's Photoshop Album--in a totally portable package. With Preloadr and Flickr, you can go on a laptop-free vacation and still get your pictures tagged, edited, organized, and posted for sharing.

Preloadr uses the Flickr API to authenticate users and pull pictures directly out of their Flickr accounts. The first time you log in to Preloadr, a Flickr page asks if you'd like to give the external application access to your photos. Assuming you allow it, you're returned to the Preloadr front page, which allows you to select pictures by tag, set, or date.

Once you've selected a picture, you can edit it using filters, such as a blur, sharpen, or even a graduation curve. You can also rotate, crop, or flip the image; add and manipulate individual layers; view a histogram; and add text to it. If you're a Flickr Pro member, you can save your edited image directly over the old one; regular members can only save a copy into their accounts.

Simon Anderegg, a developer at Nexbyte (the company that develops both Preloadr and the NexImage Server back end it runs on) said Preloadr is still under development. Expect new features such as sepia filters and red-eye-removal tools.

Preloadr has the same look and feel of Flickr because it's just a skin on top of the NexImage Server. Anderegg said Preloadr is an advanced demo of what's possible with NexImage Server and will remain free. The company does sell licenses for the NexImage Server.

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July 18, 2006, 1:01 PM PDT
Sony CPF-IX001 network music player streams audio via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and power-line
Posted by: John P. Falcone

Network audio players are quickly becoming commodities, but Sony is hoping to add something new to the mix with the CPF-IX001. The tiny tabletop player handles the basics--it streams digital audio files from a networked PC so you can enjoy your music in a different room of the house. But unlike many competitors, it includes built-in speakers--including a mini subwoofer--so you don't need to attach it to a speaker system or an amplifier. Moreover, in addition to interfacing with any wired (Ethernet) or wireless (802.11b/g) home network, the Sony CPF-IX001 can connect to power-line-based networks as well--potentially a nice advantage for anyone who's intimidated by the vagaries of wireless-networking configurations.

The Sony CPF-IX001 is scheduled to become available in August for $300. (To our knowledge, it's just Sony's second network-audio product, after the larger Sony NAS-CZ1.) We'll have a full review of the CPF-IX001 soon--with an eye on how it stacks up against category leaders such as the Roku SoundBridge M1001 and the Slim Devices Squeezebox.

Photo credit: salonav.com

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July 18, 2006, 12:50 PM PDT
Razr V3i launch imminent?
Posted by: Kent German

The cell phone rumor mill has been buzzing for months that the Motorola Razr V3i will land at Cingular some time this year. Unfortunately, it's not clear when it will happen. Though Cingular store reps have also said the phone will soon arrive in stores, Cingular corporate has to yet to confirm the gossip. In fact just last month, Cingular told us it has no plans to carry the V3i at this point. So why did the carrier run an ad in the August issue of Lucky magazine announcing that very handset? Though we asked Cingular that same question, it has yet to answer. We'll keep you posted.

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July 18, 2006, 12:20 PM PDT
Sizing up an SSD system
Posted by: Dan Ackerman

Hard drives are almost a commodity item these days, with people stacking together several 250GB or 300GB drives in RAID arrays or just adding an extra drive when they run out of room. Sure, there are a handful or 10,000rpm drives out there, but is that a game changer? Not really.

One of the more interesting developments in the pipeline is a new use for a technology that's been around for years. SSD desktop hard drives are not exactly ready for prime time but could eventually radically change the way we think about storage. A small vendor from San Antonio, Texas contacted us recently, asking if we'd be interested in checking out a system with an SSD hard drive. SSD stands for Solid State Disk, and an SSD hard drive basically uses flash memory instead of spinning platters--kind of like a USB key.

The DV Nation Mini PC is based on AOpen's Pandora Mini PC bare-bones system, a small-form-factor PC that apes Apple's popular Mac Mini. The basic specs were a little dated--a 1.7GHz Intel Pentium M CPU along with 1GB of RAM and an integrated Mobile Intel 915 Xpress graphics chip. The unique thing about this system was the 16GB Samsung SSD drive that took the place of a regular hard drive.

With only 16GB of storage space, there isn't a lot we see doing with the system on a day-to-day basis, but we ran our standard benchmarks to see if the extremely fast performance promised by the SSD drive had a positive impact on everyday computing tasks.

As you can see, the SSD drive didn't help us in out Multitasking, Photoshop, or iTunes tests--but, to be fair, these are not hard-drive-intensive tests. Additionally, the older Pentium M CPU put the system at a distinct disadvantage when compared to more modern PCs.

We expected to see an impressively fast bootup time, but at 56 seconds from power-on until Windows was fully loaded, the DV Nation was no faster than a standard desktop, such as the Cyberpower Back to School 2006.

There are some advantages to SSD drives. They consume very little power, they run cooler than normal hard drives, they're quieter, and they have a longer potential life span, with no moving parts to wear out or break down (SSD drives are generally considered to be good for 1,000,000 write cycles).

At the moment, SSD systems are very expensive--the 16GB drive in this system cost $1,199 alone, for a total price of $1,738, but prices will fall as capacities increase. Right now, we can't see this as a practical solution for consumers, but in a year or two we might very well see more systems that include an SSD drive, although more likely as a companion to a regular hard drive rather than a replacement.

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July 18, 2006, 10:05 AM PDT
Sony unveils DAV-X1V Platinum DVD Dream System
Posted by: John P. Falcone

Sony has given its "Bose killer" a makeover for 2006. At first glance, the DAV-X1V appears little different than 2005's DAV-X1: it's a petite virtual-surround system that uses a sexy 2.1 design--two speakers and a subwoofer--to synthesize a surround effect. But the X1V includes at least two new tricks for the new year: it offers automated speaker calibration--the same function found on nearly all of Sony's 2006 receivers and home-theater systems--and a five-disc slot-loading DVD/CD/SACD player, as compared to the single-disc tray found on the older DAV-X1. Furthermore, the X1V boasts updated styling, with the subwoofer, the speakers, and the central head unit (which houses the receiver and disc player) all getting a makeover. There's also a front-panel minijack input for quick hookups to your iPod--or anything else with a headphone jack. And the DAV-X1V is keeping its predecesor's HDMI output, which can upscale DVDs to 720p and 1080i resolutions on compatible HDTVs.

The good looks and small size of the DAV-X1V will cost you a cool $1,000 when it hits store shelves in August, but that's the same price at which the X1 launched--it's since dropped to $800. We liked the DAV-X1 well enough, so it'll be interesting to see how the new features and improved styling of the DAV-X1V changes the mix. As usual, though, the goal posts have moved. Unlike last year, when it was hard to find 2.1 systems for less than $1,000, there's now at least one alternative--the Philips HTS6500--that's available for just $400.

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July 18, 2006, 9:41 AM PDT
Sony RHT-G1000: Home theater in a stand
Posted by: David Rudden

You've heard of home-theater-in-a-box--products that pack everything you need for home surround sound into one package. Sony has one-upped that idea with the RHT-G1000, which could best be described as home-theater-in-a-TV-stand. The system consists of a multichannel surround-sound speaker system--which is molded directly into the equipment rack--and an A/V receiver/amplifier breakout box. Just plop your TV on top, add a DVD player into the mix, and you're ready to go. Unlike its larger predecessor--the $1,500 Sony RHT-G2000 was designed to support big-screen rear-projection TVs--the smaller RHT-G1000 is intended to complement Sony's line of Bravia flat-panels.

The RHT-G1000 offers the same basics you'd get from other home-theater systems with more traditional form factors: it can decode Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, and includes a decent number of connections for your A/V gear--two component-video inputs and one output; three A/V inputs and one output; four optical digital audio inputs; three coaxial digital inputs; and four analog audio inputs. The RHT-G1000 houses four speakers and a subwoofer, but if you don't want to be limited to the virtual-surround option to simulate rear speakers, you can connect two of your own for a more palpable surround effect. Of course, we're guessing prospective RHT-G1000 owners hate wires, and will prefer to live with the stealthed front speakers instead.

The Sony RHT-G1000 will be available in October for about $1,300. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the Onkyo CB-SP1200, which is the only other integrated TV stand/speaker system we've seen, aside from the sibling Sony model mentioned above. The Onkyo lacks a receiver/amplifier, but it retails for $600--less than half of the Sony offering.

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July 18, 2006, 9:07 AM PDT
Sony's unique TAV-L1 slides onto the scene
Posted by: David Rudden

Sony has officially announced the TAV-L1, an all-in-one flat-panel TV with a built-in home-theater system and a unique slider design. The television portion of the TAV-L1 is a 32-inch Bravia LCD HDTV--but it's hidden behind a grill that houses a flat-panel speaker system. When the screen remains covered, the product acts as an audio system--the TAV-L1 accepts CDs and SACDs via a built-in, slot-loading disc player. When you're ready to watch a movie, just click a button to have the speaker cover slide down to reveal the TV screen. Pop a DVD into the player and you're off to the cinema, with the speaker's virtual surround effects kicking in. The system boasts dual subwoofers for added bass. A full range of inputs--including multiple S-Video and composite A/V inputs as well as VGA and HDMI--lets you connect a panoply of other devices (video game systems, cable/satellite boxes, and so forth) so you're not limited to just watching DVDs.

Although the company did indeed show the product off at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, we took the appearance of a sliding HDTV with a grain of salt, assuming it was simply a prestige prototype product in the same vein as the mammoth 100-plus-inch plasmas that won't be appearing in the aisle of your local Best Buy any time soon. At the time, Sony was calling it the TAV-32FL2, but the TAV-L1 is essentially the same product.

The TAV-L1 will drop in August for about $4,000, but the company has already taken great strides to make it the iMac of TVs by announcing a variety of colors for the speaker grill--gray, burgundy, green, metallic orange, and silver, in addition to the default black hue in which the product ships. The grill replacements will be available in September for $100 each. While we're curious to get an in-depth look at the product, we're a little bit wary of new TV technology that packs on the bells and whistles to distract from the onscreen picture (see Philips's Ambilight--or rather, don't). Still, we can't deny that the TAV-L1 has a certain wow factor that's been lacking from most products this year--but given the premium that Sony's charging for it, we wouldn't be surprised to see it on MTV's Cribs before we find it in a friend's living room.

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