Samsung LN-S3292D
The 32 inch widescreen Samsung LN-S3292D is an HDTV ready television that has HDMI and VGA PC interface so it can be used as a monitor of your computer or laptop. It is HDCP compatible. The Samsung LN-S3292D uses TFT active screen matrix and has a resolution of 1366 x 768 to give a clear and crisp images. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and dynamic contrast ratio of 5000:1. Having of upto 12.8 billion colors, enjoy more realistic images with the best quality. It has a pixel response time of 8ms and an impressive viewing angle of 178 degrees, giving you a clear view even when almost at the side of the TV.
This television model that measures approximately 31.7 inch (W) x 4.5 inch (D) x 22.2 inch (H) uses NTSC Analog TV Tuner and has a PIP (Picture in Picture) functionality allowing you to view an inset of another channel so you won’t be able to miss a part of your favorite show. It has a stereo mode audio output and includes to speakers for better watching experience.
External TV Tuner
For TV goers, an external TV tuner would be one of the most useful PC peripherals that have been made. An internal TV tuner would be great, but if you’re using desktop computers, you could only use it in your computer in a single place, unless you’re willing to carry that bone-breaking weight of your computer.
External TV tuner enables you to bring it and plug it in any available computer whereever you are, so you could watch your favorite TV shows. The problem is, what if you’re using an antenna? Then you would also need to bring the antenna, anywhere you bring your external TV tuner. Not so portable at all, right?
Watch TV on your Computer
Some people choose to spend their whole day on their computer. I’m one. Play games? Watch DVD movies? I can do that in my PC. Watch TV? Yeah, you can do that as well. You just need a TV Tuner Card.
A TV Tuner Card is a computer component that allows you to watch television shows right in your computer. Imagine working double time to finish documents and reports. Without walking away from your computer, you could have at least a bit of rest by watching TV on your computer. A little time to relax to relieve you from stress. Commonly, it is plugged into a PCI slot on your motherboard. But there are also external TV Tuners that can be plugged through the USB.
Another use of this card is that it can record television programs. So with it, you could record your favorite shows and watch it all over again. You can’t do that with a normal television set!
The Multi-Talented Sharp Papyrus PW-TC900
Having a gadget that can translate across languages is cool. But it’s even better if you can also use that device as a television set. It’s way better if the gadget can serve as your photo viewer or even MP3 player when you insert an SD card or MMC with your media files. The Sharp Papyrus PW-TC900 does just that!
This is the first Japanese and Japanese-English dictionary with a 1Seg digital TV tuner and a SUPERB display. Only Sharp can make such displays, thanks to their ASV technology (resolution: 480×272). AS TV alone is never enough in Japan, the dictionary also has an MP3 player and an SD slot.
The TC900 will be available in Japan this December. Sharp has not yet announced pricing.
Watch Cable TV on Your Computer
While free TV was the only way to watch video content in the earlier 20th century, this was replaced by Cable TV. And while cable TV used to be the only way to avoid boredom from a limited number of freeview channels, today you can entertain yourself with downloads from the Web or DVDs.
Watching videos or even TV through computers is increasingly becoming popular, and is especially popular among households and individuals who would rather not spend extra for . This can be done either by installing a TV tuner on your computer via PCI, PCI express or USB 2.0 and plugging in directly to the cable TV outlet, or downloading from the Internet. Today’s proliferation of Broadband connections makes it easier and less costly to stream videos thru the Internet. Hence, if you don’t have an actual CATV connection, you can now ideally view TV shows online as long as there are content providers that are willing to do so.
One such content network is TVU networks, which has made available a freely downloadable player that lets Windows XP users watch several cable TV channels online.
I’ve tried it on my laptop using a 384 Kbps connection and the video and audio quality was decent enough for casual viewing. There’s not fullscreen mode, though, and the resolution is about half that of regular NTSC TV (which is about 640×400). I’ve experienced some choppy streams every now and then, but I’m not complaining since I do have an actual CATV subscription, anyway, and I only use TVU so I can monitor TV channels while working at places without TV (say, at the WiFi-enabled cafe).
Channels include Star TV, CNN, Al Jazeera, CW, ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Disney, Cartoon Network, and the Animal Planet, among others.
Turn Your Mac Mini Into a PVR
Two comapnies have come up with products that let you convert your Mac Mini into personal video recorders (PVRs). Okay, not really a cheap option (I’d rather use a Mac Mini as a computer), but it works!
The TVMax connects via USB 2.0 port but uses standard analogue only, though–so no digital input/output on this one.
The TVMax neatly supports both PAL and NTSC video standards - handy for UK and US usage - but the integrated TV tuner is analogue, so Brits will need to hook up a set-top box if they want to watch Freeview content. That said, the TVMax sports an array of analogue ports to grab video content from DVD players, VCRs, set-top boxes and the like.
The I-O Data box seems more attractive in terms of features (but not necssarily style!), as it has digital I/O and interfaces better with the Mac Mini’s own software.
I-O Data’s box offers much the same functionality, providing PVR features, analogue content capture and push-button iPod video conversion. The GV-1394TV/M3’s software hooks directly into Apple’s iLife 06 apps iDVD and iMovie. It offers some clever picture enhancement technology, but it too contains an analogue tuner.
Smallest USB Tuner from AVer Media
AVerMedia announced what it claims to be the smallest USB TV tuner ever. The tuner supports digital TV and can run on Windows Media Center Edition, Linux (some distributions, at least), and is tested to run on the upcoming Windows Vista. The manufacturer says this tuner is ideal for use on a notebook computer, as it only draws 2 Watts of power–hence saving on battery consumption.
The new DVB-T Volar weighs a mere 17.5g and measures in at 7 x 2.5 x 1.1cm making it ideal to slip in your pocket and out of sight when you boss heads your way.
We however don’t exactly think it’s great to bank on a gadget’s being the smallest, particularly since it’s USB. It’s deigned either to just sit there plugged in all the time (for desktop computers), or slipped into the bag (for laptops). No bid deal, really, but perhaps useful, indeed, for people who have to hide the fact they’re watching TV (while at work, perhaps!).
Freeview in a thumb-sized package
The Inquirer reviews the MSI Mega Sky 580 USB TV Tuner. The tuner basically lets your desktop or laptop computer receive freeview television signals. The USB tuner comes with the Presto PVR software that lets you record shows at programmed times. The included software also has a plethora of features, such as screen capture, picture-in-picture, and even HDTV support. You’d need at least a Pentium 4 processor running at 2 GHz or better to enjoy decent resolution and framerates. And if you want to watch and record into the PVR simultaneously, the Inquirer recommends a dual-core processor.
A very worthy nifty gadget, which comes just on time for the world cup. Pick them up before they are gone. I sincerely hope that MSI has more than enough in stock. Watching goals on your computer while working might not be work efficient but at least, you will be at your desk, not in the company canteen. But for it to gather more marks, I thoroughly expect the next Mega Sky to solve some of the problems I have encountered and to offer more functionality, even if it means a higher price.
Cute little 8-incher: the Evesham T807 LCD
BIOS Magazine reviews the Evesham T807 LCD TV. Meant for use on automobiles or any tight spot at home (say, your corner kitchen counter), this eight-inch display won’t likely turn heads in terms of visual appeal, but will make up for that in terms of portability and price (who can beat sub-£100 prices?). The only downside I see is that the set doesn’t run on batteries. I wouldn’t mind sub-par quality audio or absence of digital TV or inputs on a small, portable display. But a gadget is only as portable as its battery life (meaning zero battery support means near-zero portability).
If you’re looking for an inexpensive small set that you can view wherever you want in the house or on the move, Evesham’s 8-inch LCD set should more than fit the bill. Picture and sound quality were only average though, and our review unit had a dead pixel. Sound was also very tiny, but you could hook up a pair of external speakers using the 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s no Sleep Timer function either, and the lack of a digital TV tuner is rather poor given today’s TV climate.
Humax LGB40TPVR 40″ LCD with PVR
Here’s a little (big) something for your eyes: the Humax LGB40TPVR 40″ HD Ready IDTV LCD TV With Built In Hard Drive (now that’s a mouthful, too).
Doesn’t the model number say it all? The Humax features a built-in 40 Gigabyte hard drive and personal video recorder (PVR) that lets you record up to 44 hours of video, which you can then subsequently transfer onto your computer (say, for burning to DVDs). Price is a modest £ 1,625 or an equivalent of US$ 2,650. These big guys aren’t being retailed in the US at present, though.
Features include the following:
- 16:9 Wide Digital & Analog PVR LCD TV
- Analog and DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) receptions
- Digital 2 Tuner PVR (Personal Video Recorder)
- Built-in 40GB HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
- USB port connection capability with external HDD
- Interactive communication via MHEG middleware
- PIP (Picture in Picture) / DS (Dual Screen) functions
- Virtual surround audio: multi-functional SRS TruSurroundXT
- Common Interface slot
- VESA standard wall mounting support (not including bracket)
- WXGA video resolution support (1366*768)
- Brightness: 500 cd/㎡
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
- Main RCU & Sub RCU (Support Remote Control for Children and the elderly, in addition to the Multi-functional main remote)