High Def DVD Technology Faces External Threats

A lot of attention is paid to the fevered competition between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD-DVD High Definition DVD formats, but many analysts and the general public ignore the threats that high def DVD technology in general face from other technologies. Unlike the original DVD format that was introduced almost a decade ago and the video cassette technology that came before it, high def DVD's in general face competition from a number of other technologies that are threatening to make them obsolete before they even get a foothold in the market.

The most obvious source of competition comes in the form of all of the services that are offering movies in HDTV format for download over the Internet. For example, Sony's Bravia HDTV sets can display a variety of HDTV videos that can be downloaded from the Internet. While this service has the disadvantage of only working with Bravia HDTV sets, an increasing amount of HDTV content is expected to be made available and it certainly provides a glimpse of how we can expect to get our HDTV content in the future.

Another service that provides HDTV programming is Vudu. Vudu is basically a set top box that can be used to download movies from the Internet and display them in high definition on an HDTV set. The only catch with Vudu is that the device downloads the movies in standard definition format and then upconverts them to HDTV format before displaying them on the screen. This system has the advantage of conserving bandwidth for easier and faster downloads, but doesn't provide the same level of picture quality as a true HDTV download would. Still, the concept of upconverting standard def video to HDTV is sound and may be able to produce better results with the technological advances of the future.

The Sony Play Station 3 is not only a Blu-ray disc player, but is also expected to be capable of downloading high def movies from the Internet in the near future, making another alternative to High Def DVD's. The Xbox 360 from Microsoft is already capable of downloading HDTV movies from the Internet, but the device is plagued by depressingly long download times- sometimes on the order of eight hours for a standard length movie! Still, these two devices make it obvious that both Sony and Microsoft (which is a backer of HD-DVD) are hedging their bets by embracing the same technology that could make their investments in High Def DVD technology a loss.

One interesting option that has been proposed for getting HDTV content in the future is providing it for consumers on compact, portable hard drives. These hard drives would be enormous in capacity and contain entire archives of movies. Instead of paying for all of these movies all at once, consumers would be able to see what's available to watch on the hard drive and then pay to have the movie that they want to watch unlocked. That way having instant access to a huge number of HDTV titles could be extremely cost effective. Of course, the disadvantage of this is that it would be difficult to add new titles to the hard drive, but maybe that's where Internet downloads could come in- to supplement a larger personal archive, rather than to provide the viewer with everything that she or he may want to watch.

E.Sanderson writes articles for consumers who want to find the latest technonoly news aboutCable Television. She has written for many major publications about Comcast Cable Promotions and how buyers can find the best deals.

Apple iPod Shuffle: The New Face of Music Players

Apple launched the digital audio player with many expectations. Its entry was mainly after getting an excellent name in the electronic market. Apple Inc. took no time in having a large part of market share. The digital audio player became an instant hot selling device in the market, thanks to it’s really mind blowing features. The digital audio player iPod Shuffle was designed and marketed by Apple Inc that marked the beginning of a revolution in the field of musical entertainment. This media player is the budget model coming from the lineage of Apple, which got a big success in the mobile phone market. If looking for the specialties, this model is the first one from iPod to use flash memory. Prior to this model, all the models were storing data on a hard disk.

The Apple iPod Shuffle media player is the second generation model that weighs just 15 grams. The Shuffle model was introduced on January 11, 2005 with an eye catching design that could comfortably store songs and play them in random order. The availability of an “autofill” feature in iTunes makes it easy to select songs at random from a user’s music library. These songs could then be copied and fitted into the memory of the Shuffle. What makes the model important is its capacity to store up to 240 songs. Another attractive feature of the Shuffle is its bass response that is better than 4th generation iPods. Remember, the first generation Shuffle weighed 0.78 ounces.

The latest music player Shuffle carries various features offered by iTunes. The capability of this gadget to reduce the bit rate of songs to 128 kbit/s is just one among the many attractive features of the player. Let us now have a look at the physical appearance of the music player. We could see that the front of the iPod Shuffle comes with buttons for Play/Pause, Next Song/ Fast Forward, Previous Song/Fast Reverse and up and down volume adjustments. The model is also used as a USB flash drive. The user will find no difficulty in storing all required information and music in this music player.

Apple iPod Shuffle Alice Erin is an Expert Author. He has written good quality articles on GPS Devices Have a look at Game Consoles


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Home Theatre System: Brings Theatre in Your Home

Entertainment is a part of life of a human being. Everyone finds some time to enjoy the life in one or more ways. There are many ways to have entertainment at any phase of life. Some enjoy reading books, some love watching movies and some other want to play games. Watching a movie or the favourite programmes on a TV in the home is very common in the households. It has taken place in the heart of viewers for a long time. Now the aura is expanding and exploring itself.

The idea of watching movie in home is getting huge popularity in the UK market. People now want to have a theatre experience in their home itself. The system has many attractive features which gives a thrilling experience to the users. You can enjoy the amazing sound quality and picture resolution of home theatre. It gives a real experience of watching a better size pictures sitting in your home. It is a fun to watch your favourite stars on home theatre which provides an unmatchable enjoyment.

We all have been watching a movie in the theatre by spending money for buying tickets. The cinema hall is designed in a way that it makes torealise that you are too a part of the characters of the movie. Now, this opportunity comes in your home after invention of Home theatres. You can watch your favourite movie without paying cash everyday. All you have to do to go a megastore and book one for you. You can also browse different websites and select the best one for you. There are certain points that should be taken care of when you decide to purchase a theatre system.
* First of all, the picture quality must be of high standard as it gives the real impact. Suppose you are watching the Spiderman movie, so the scenes like flying or throwing enemies should give a real experience of watching. A Home theatre is more than a TV. So, it should be placed in a bigger hall so that it can accommodate more people to watch.
* The sound system should be brilliant so that it can give you the similar sound quality of a theatre. It comes with 3-4 speakers but you can use 6 speakers too depending on the size of the hall. These speakers should be placed to all corners of the hall.
* The interior design of the theatre room should also influence the experience of watching a movie on your system. The factors such as colour schemes, lighting, the seats, air conditioning and many other things should be adequate.

Therefore, it is better to spend some more money to get a system since the quality is very significant in this case. Also you should invest money to find a better quality sound system in order to convert your theatre room to a cinema hall. Basically, there are four equipments generally found in a Home theatre system. These are as follows.
1) A DVD player capable of scanning process
2) A television with the measurement of 40 inches
3) A receiver with multi-channel facility. The number of channel should be at least 5.1
4) Minimum 6 large speakers capable of producing a digital sound quality.

There are many online options which provide you a good quality Home theatre system at a reasonable price. You can also take benefit of different offers and deals there. The market share of Home theatre system is rising in the consumer durable goods industry. The lowering price has also helped in this direction. The manufacturing companies are raring to go to capture the undiscovered markets. Hence, it is going to be a win-win situation for both the manufacturers and the consumers.

Jayson Pablo, a dedicated writer of Rupizcompare.co.uk which provide information on consumer electronics as home audio systems.

The Bluetooth Adapter: What Can It Do?

Bluetooth technology is all the rage these days. Most recently, the Belkin Company has designed and released a Bluetooth adapter that can access your iPod, another current rage with all age groups. With this Bluetooth adapter, even your iPod becomes a wireless remote of sorts, enabling listeners to enjoy song lists through their iPod stereo docks. By connecting the Bluetooth adaptor into a stereo and the iPod adapter into the iPod, users are able to control music choices as it plays from the iPod directly to the stereo. Cool eh?

Unfortunately, music enthusiasts will have to be patient for the national release of the Bluetooth iPod adaptor, which will become available in March in the United States, followed soon after by release in Europe, Australia and Asia. Fans of Bluetooth and those curious about Bluetooth adapter capabilities can learn more by accessing information about the Belkin Bluetooth Dock Adaptor for iPod. The Bluetooth adapter allows users to control play lists from within 30 feet of stereo systems, and requires no additional software. This new Bluetooth adapter is also compatible with other Bluetooth stereo equipment and works with most first, second, fourth and fifth generation iPods. The Bluetooth adapters designed to work with the iPod docking system will run about $130.

Another capability of a Bluetooth adapter is as a computer peripheral device. A Bluetooth adapter can now make it easier for use with all kinds of Bluetooth enabled wireless devices. Specializing in wireless network capabilities, a Bluetooth adapter can connect to almost any piece of equipment nowadays. At a recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, a company known as Newton Peripherals unveiled the world's smallest Bluetooth adapter called the 'MoGo Dapter', geared for laptop carrying business people from all over the globe. This handy little gadget will plug in to any free USB port on any computer without protruding into free space. Such a handy function in this Bluetooth adapter allows travelers and laptop users to insert the adapter and not have to worry about disengaging it when packing that laptop back into its case.

Research results show that the demand for the nifty Bluetooth adapter is immense and that more than 200 million 'older' laptops will benefit from such Bluetooth adapter support and technology. Bluetooth adapter technology doesn't stop there, however. New Bluetooth adapters are being created using what is called Cambridge Silicon Radio designs, which enable increased wireless networking capabilities in gathering data and analyzing that data. Software is being designed to be compatible to Bluetooth adapters, enabling users to set up user accounts with Bluetooth, share work folders and allow secure password capabilities.

The best thing about a Bluetooth adapter is that they're user friendly and easy to learn and use. The popular growth of Bluetooth capabilities makes it one of the most popular electronics gadgets in today's electronics consumer's market. The Bluetooth adapter is the wave of the future, and learning a little bit about these tiny gadgets will definitely pay off in the long run.



Want to know more about the versatility of the Bluetooth adapter? Learn more about the Bluetooth adapter at WirelessRevealed.com.

Scanner Features and Review

A Scanner is machine which recognizes optical characters. It has a computer processor, a scan head and an output device. The scan head is used to read images which in turn is translated by the computer and produced in a usable form. For example, a scanner is used to read invoices that have been returned with the payment checks by a direct-mail marketer. The code on the invoice is picked up by the scanner that indicates how much was owed and which customer is paying.

It is a multipurpose tool that is used in the office. It reads the images as thousands of individual pixels or dots. The scanner does all this with the help of scanning software. The file which has the images then can be used to enlarge, reduce or store databases. It can also be transferred into an excel worksheet or a word document.

Scanners like digital cameras help the user convert slides and three-dimensional objects into files that can be posted on the internet, pasted into a brochure or inserted into a presentation. These images can be manipulated to fit in accordance to the space and size required.

A scanner can automatically convert information to digital files using optical character recognition software, so instead of giving money to someone to manually enter reams of data into the computer, we can use the scanner. A scanner can also help to create electronic filing cabinets for expense reports to invoice.

There are three main types of scanners which are used in the office. They are Flatbed Scanner which is particularly useful when required to scan more than one page of a document. Instead of copying each page individually pages from a book can easily be scanned. Sheet fed Scanner is very much like a fax machine. It can easily be adjusted between the keyboard and monitor as it is only a couple of inches deep. Lastly the Slide Scanner can only scan slides, though there are some new models in the market that can handle negative strips also.

There are scanners which are capable of reading preprinted specific fonts in alphanumeric characters, hand-printed letters or symbols or barcodes. Encoders are payment scanners. Document scanners are used to enter responses to direct-mail promotions that can read at speeds of 18,000 documents per hour. In order to read bar-coded information such as stock number and price, Wand scanners are used. As barcodes are used prices can be altered without doing any alteration with the price tags. This can be done merely by changing the instructions in the computer which interprets the barcodes.

Almost all the scanners can be connected by SCSI, USB, or ports that are parallel. The only difference amongst them is the speed at which they work. Common parallel ports are a little slower than the SCSI and USB ports. An automatic document feeder is of great importance for large data entry projects. All scanners come along with scanning software of different types.

The package usually has a color calibration software, driver program, and applications like image-editing programs or OCR. Cross checking the version of the software is also very important as sometimes we are forced to upgrade the software in order to use it to its utmost capacity. If it has the right software a scanner can also be used as a fax machine or a Xerox machine.

Buying a scanner does not hurt the pocket much, still people are going in for other equipments to keep in the office. A scanner can do much more than just scan a photograph, but is not being used to its full capability.




This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/scanner.php

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

Have Fun, Be Safe with GPS

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was created by the US Department of Defense to answer the second most important question an army has: "Where are we?" (The most important question being: "Where's the chow line?")

Today, GPS satellites constantly send signals ground-ward; these signals are picked up by GPS receivers, which calculate position. It didn't take long for police and fire departments, construction crews and other civilian operations to see the value of GPS.

For consumers, the industry needed to refine GPS tracking system into user-friendly, consumer electronics. For example, it does little good to know you're at 40 degrees 33 minutes 24 seconds north 118 degrees 48 minutes 36 seconds west, unless you already know that's where Overstock.com is located and you're trying to parachute onto the office roof. So, manufacturers added street by street visual directions.

The Global Position System has three sectors:

Satellites
Twenty-four active plus five standby satellites orbit the Earth twice each day. At least four should be 'visible' to the ground at all times, allowing GPS tracking system users to precisely determine latitude, longitude and altitude.

Command and control system
Currently under the direction of the Air Force Space Command, certain areas are managed by other agencies, such as the Coast Guard Navigation Center (for maritime issues).

GPS receivers
GPS units are receive-only electronics; they do not transmit data or interact with other sectors of the system. This allows an unlimited number of simultaneous users. In other words, this may be the only operation of the US government that is available 24/7 and will never put you on hold!

Consider its use before buying a GPS unit:

Car GPS
Probably the most popular application, all car GPS units include street maps; high-end models offer turn-by-turn voice instructions. Frills include touch screen operation, cell phone connectivity, video games, radio, CD or DVD players and computer links to receive software updates.

Cell phone GPS
Mandated in the aftermath of September 11th, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) required cell service providers to make GPS tracking of cell phone calls possible. All phones made since 2005 are GPS-trackable. Cell phones including handheld GPS receivers are also available, but may not operate properly if you are outside your cell providers' service area.

Recreational GPS
Wrist, armband and handheld GPS units are especially good for hikers and bikers.

Marine GPS
Marine GPS is, of course, waterproof (most electronics don't react well to water!) and they float--not a feature you actually want to use, but most welcome should extreme circumstances arise. Ocean maps are notoriously dull to read, but shoreline maps and features like tide tables and fish-finders can be very useful. Marine GPS tracking is especially valuable when entering or exiting crowded harbors.

GPS accessories and add-ons enhance their use:

Maps
GPS units have factory installed street maps of the United States. World travelers can purchase additional GPS system maps of Canada and other areas.

Data storage
GPS users can store even more if the device supports removable memory cards like those commonly used for digital cameras.

Combo packs
For most people, GPS receivers work great on their own. For the serious user/traveler, portable GPS devices are available with personal digital assistants (PDAs) and two-way radios built in. As noted, car GPS units can also include entertainment or media extras.

GPS holders
These attach to the car dashboard or console so your handheld GPS doesn't have to be handheld while driving.

GPS antennas
These amplify GPS signals and are especially useful in urban areas where there is more chance of interference from terrestrial sources.

GPS chargers
Obviously, a handheld GPS must be recharged; at home and car adapters are available.

Some GPS terminology:

Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System
Commercial GPS receivers are almost always on target to within about 50 feet, but many users see accuracy to within 30 feet. NDGPS is a joint Transportation-Commerce-Homeland Security program using fixed, land-based reference stations. When near an NDGPS marker, GPS accuracy may increase to less than 10 feet.

Geocaching
Geocaching (pronounced /GE-oh-CASH-ing/) is a new and exciting game gaining popularity every year--a sport that exercises the mind and body. Simply put, it's GPS hide-n-seek; gamers place objects ranging in size from a 35-mm film can to a military ammo box in plain sight. The locations (latitude and longitude) are logged onto web sites. Players use their GPS units to locate the caches or 'waypoints'. It's a whole lot harder than it sounds. Waypoints can be disguised as plants or rocks and getting within 30 feet still leaves a lot of ground to cover. Some waypoints are pick-n-place, meaning they have prizes inside; when you find one, trade a trinket you bring for a trinket you find.

Benchmarks
One early means of determining locations was small metal markers placed by the Commerce Department's National Geodetic Survey (NGS). These are still in place and are found all over the US on street corners, mountain tops, in parks and other obvious and not so obvious places. All benchmark locations are logged and available from the NGS. They can be a quick test to see if your GPS unit is working properly or for geocaching.

Question--can the government really track me through my cell phone?

Not only the government, GPS tracking via cell phone is a commercial service available for parents (to keep tabs on their children), business owners (to track delivery vans and employees) and others (even pet owners can hook a GPS receiver to their pets, in case Rover lives up to his name). Safety, quality of service and fraud prevention have been recognized by courts as legitimate use of GPS tracking systems for surveillance by non-government entities.

GPS tracking abuse and misuse are inevitable, but that's true of every modern convenience--for the positives of GPS, there are also a few negatives. However, the day your son, daughter or $100,000 load of someone else's property goes missing, you definitely won't be screaming "Invasion of privacy!" at the FCC.

Caring for GPS units:

Dust, heat, humidity and impact damage are primary causes of failure. Don't drop your GPS unit, not even onto something soft like water--especially not onto something soft like water!

Wipe it down with a clean cloth before you put it away and, if your GPS receiver has openings like a data card slot or battery compartment, blow those clean with canned air--never your humid breath.

If you own a car GPS system, mount it out of direct sunlight. Even on cool days, the dashboard can get dangerously hot for electronics and excessive exposure to the sun's radiation can damage the memory--yes, sunburn can be terminal for a GPS terminal.

Like all modern consumer electronics, a GPS receiver has few moving parts to break, so it can provide years of valuable service (and a whole lot of fun!) if not abused. Enjoy!

For more information:

Locate a benchmark with the National Goedetic Survey (http://geodesy.noaa.gov).

Visit the Official Global GPS Cache Hunt website (http://www.geocaching.com).

Phoenix Roberts has been a journalist, freelance writer and desktop publisher for over 10 years. Presently, he is an SEO Content Writer for Internet discount retailer Overstock.com (http://www.overstock.com).
©2008 Overstock.com; all rights reserved.

The Working of MP4 Players

This articles talks about a brief history about mp4 players, and their support for many audio and video formats.
Portable Media Players or Digital Audio Players, which are mostly produced in China, are known as Chinese MP4/MTV Player or MP4 Players. These players can display images and text files and play videos. These players have nothing to do with MP4 or M4A or M4V audio or video file formats. In fact, the previous players were able to play only limited file formats like MTV, DMV, AMV and MPV. But recent MP4 players can also play video files with MPEG4 format. Most of them are a mixture of S1 MP3 Players.

The first MP4 Players were developed by a French Company Archos in the year 2002. Thus, to gain an upper hand in the market, the Chinese Companies made slight enhancement to their MP3 Players and started to market them as MP4 Players and dubbed them as the `Successor of MP3 Players`.

Most of these players were unable to play MPEG4 format video files and even fewer could have played DivX or Xvid format video files. But when more and more companies promoted their players with enhanced video and audio qualities, Chinese companies started a `True MP4 Players Vs False MP4 Player Campaign` and successfully drove the less advanced MP3 players to the MP3 market and hence stabilized and standardized the Chinese MP4 Market.

Most of these MP4 Players contain an image file viewer and you can see a JPG or BMP file. They can also play MP3 and have other audio format`s codecs. Videos are mostly played in MTV or AMV format. Videos are converted to these formats using conversion software. E-books can be read through an ASCII text viewer. Some also have additional enhancements like phone book, voice recorder, FM or AM radio. Thus you can also record FM broadcasts. Some MP4 Players also have video games in them.

These players are available in many types. Most of them are extremely light weighted and have 1.2 screens, while others can be more forceful with screens of 1.5 to 2 inch and also containing two earphone sockets and built in speakers instead of conventional one earphone socket. Some of them have OLED display which is capable of producing brighter images when compared to normal LCD displays, but the picture quality does suffer.

It is extremely easy to operate these players and only few buttons perform multiple actions. many players have extra buttons but most of them have star configuration next to the screen with a joystick in the centre of the star. These players have memory up to 8GB if they are flash based and 100GB for micro hard drive based. Some recent MP4 players also support an external, third party flash memory cards. These players have generally USB 1 and USB 2 support. Earphones are generally offered with the players but they are of inferior quality. Package also contains a USB cable with proper drives and a charger. many also come with a special case.

The battery generally lasts for several hours, but this varies greatly with the model of the player and its usage. The recent batteries can now run for 12 hrs as compared 6 hrs for older batteries. But most of the batteries are of cheap quality and swell abnormally. Thus most new MP4 players support batteries from Nokia Phones and these are highly recommended.

MP4 Players were a part of marketing strategy of the Chinese manufacturers and has gained a lot of popularity over the years. These players are enhanced every day and have rightfully captured the market and have rivaled iPods for a long time. This Chinese version of iPods are also known as ChiPods.

This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page: here.

Author of this article is Roberto Sedycias.