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Everything posted by Christopher
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I just received a new addition to my VAIO family and here are a few pictures of the VAIO Frame VGF-CP1. I will be posting a follow up review on this frame and compare it to another Sony frame I own DPF-V900 (as well as show you all what the grandfather of Sony Digital Frames looked like - model PHD-A55). At first I was a bit surprised that Sony released another frame under the VAIO brand and was hoping they were not repeating the mistakes of their past when divisions within Sony would release similar products (ex. Audio Division was selling Network Walkman products and VAIO division introduced their own VAIO Music Player VGF-AP1L, though the VAIO player was one of the first ones to support native MP3 format after a firmware update). However the VAIO frame has an array of useful capabilities and really cool features which I will share with you later. First impressions, it is a well built, first Wi-Fi enabled Sony frame that follows the current trend Sony is working hard on - Networking - being able to connect to other Sony products seamlessly and share information. I was also surprised to see “Made in Japan” sticker as well as most of Sony products are assembled in China now (except some high end VAIO notebooks, Sony Cybershot and Handycam and certain accessories). View the full article
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Rick Clancy, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at Sony, recently posted on the Sony Electronics Blog about Blu-ray and the XBox360. This is a very rare post on Rick’s part, as the blog is often used in this sense to dismiss rumors that Sony finds necessary to address. However, its quite the opposite tone in a recent posting titled, “Microsoft Now Supporting Blu-ray?” There is no dismissive rhetoric whatsoever, and he even seems amused by the proposition, which leads us to believe that the drive is most certainly real and will happen soon. Rick goes on to say,”One possibility might be that the BD peripheral will be branded by another company, but still be designed to work with Microsoft’s game console.
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At today’s Apple Notebook keynote event, Steve Jobs was asked about Blu-ray and stated “Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It’s great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we’re waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace.” Phil chimed in with “We have the best HD movie and TV options in iTunes.” Honestly, it seems that Apple wants to control media distribution. BD is getting too big to ignore, and Steve Jobs complains about the complexity of BD licensing. This smells like a ploy to get the masses to believe in the superiority of the ‘far less than BD-quality’ AppleTV HD rental scheme. Currently you can’t ‘pay once for unlimited HD viewing’ and the quality is not much better than DVD. 720p on Apple TV is no where near BD quality. And we highly suspect they never want the user to pay only once for HD content. That’s why Jobs is downplaying and ignoring BDs growth among enthusiasts. Even 5 years into iTunes you still can’t download lossless tracks and now he expects us to believe AppleTV HD is really HD. Sorry Jobs, you are just this generation’s PT Barnum. You might have your followers but the vast majority of consumers see through your bag of tricks. View the full article
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Sony Electronics’ Digital Cinema Solutions and Services group has signed an agreement with Muvico Entertainment that will outfit its existing and new complexes with Sony’s 4K projection technology. Muvico’s Rosemont, Ill., theater was the first theater in the United States to be fully equipped with Sony’s 4K digital projectors and, following the success of that theater, Muvico made the decision to enter into this agreement with Sony. The rollout begins this winter with the opening of Muvico’s Thousand Oaks, Calif., facility. The agreement covers existing Muvico theaters, which will be upgraded to the digital technology, as well as new locations that Muvico builds in the future. In addition to committing to Sony’s 4K projectors for its full conversion to digital, the exhibitor plans to use a range of Sony products in its facilities. These include LCD displays in lobby and concession areas for digital signage, menu boards and full-motion video trailers; as well as VAIO
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In a rather stunning development, Sony Japan has released the fifth version of Sonicstage titled “Sonicstage V.” This is a very unexpected release for Sony, as we were just about certain that Sonicstage is dead since it is no longer really is talked about at Sony America/Europe and most of their current players are drag and drop. However, the Japanese Mora music service still lives on and Sony’s new Walkmans are doing somewhat well. I suppose Sony figured it was time to give Sonicstage a lighter frame (53.5mb download) and make it more attractive to bring continued success to their music store. At this point, the software seems to be Japanese only, but if we speak loud enough it might be possible to get a Sonicstage V english version. This version of Sonicstage has a complete user interface overhaul, and has several new features. Sony is really trying to make the entire experience as intuitive as possible. A big difference from before is that almost everything can be reached on a single screen. Album covers flow throughout the top bar and even in album viewing mode in a very smooth way. Playlists are created automatically* and you can even transfer to
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Blu-ray has had an interesting lifespan so far - it fought notoriously with HD-DVD for market dominance and customer acceptance, relentlessly crucified by numerous media outlets, and even given a death sentence by a middle ranked Samsung employee. From the good to the bad, you can’t deny the real fact is that Blu-ray is quality and will only get better. The real question is though - which studios have released the best Blu-ray movies? In terms of video, sound, and other elements, Sony rates the best as it was given an “A-” score in Sound & Vision’s
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PC Magazine was lucky to get their hands one of Sony’s high end VAIO all in one PC VGC-RT150Y and put through some tests. Amazingly, they came back to report that this PC did a stellar job and its LCD is awesome. 8 Gigs of RAM and 1 TB of storage will do you only good, I am sure. The only downside of this multi-media computer is of course its price. If you got four grand asking to be dropped on a new toy, go for it as you won’t be sorry, or if you are economically squeezed ask your local government for a bail out just wait a year or so and look for it on eBay where you will definitely score one for a reasonable amount of money. Check out the full review here. View the full article
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The inevitable has occured once again; Sony has announced a product and it will not be released on the date in which it was supposed to. According to Sony Fan, Sony is going to delay the release of the super functional VRD-MC10 portable DVD burner by up to three months. The software set to be included with the device is apparently on the fritz and they are working hard on stabilizing it accordingly. I wish Sony would have done that for their Minidisc players. It’s possible this writer will hit shelves by November, but there aren’t any absolute dates and we may have to wait till January 2009. Read our introduction post about the VRD-MC10 here. View the full article
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SI: Sony Releases New Marine Recievers with iPod/iPhone Connectivity
Christopher posted a question in Audio
For the marine enthusiasts amongst us, Sony has released a new set of CD recievers that are compatible with the iPod/iPhone and other digital music players via USB. The new units, models CDX-H910UI and CDXM60UI, have several new features such as the ability to connect directly to iPod/iPhones. New software features include MemoryBackup (saves the settings of radio stations and favorite tunes when the main boat power is shut down) and ZAPPIN (plays a series of short music clips from your own music library until you can find your favorite song to match your mood). Sony writes, “The CDX-H910UI and CDX-M60UI models’ DM+ technology enhances the sound quality of compressed audio files. They also play MP3, non-DRM WMA and non-DRM AAC music files, include a red and blue key illumination and have three preouts for expanding marine entertainment options. Additionally, the head units offer 52 watts x 4 high-power output, a direct sunlight viewable white LCD screen, and are also satellite radio and HD Radio™ ready. Both models require additional equipment for satellite radio and HD Radio compatibility. Satellite radio requires a subscription.” Designed with a retro, sporty look that is similar to the other dials found in a boat cockpit, the CDX-H910UI model is IPx5-compliant and splash-proof. -
Ok, the forum software has been upgraded to 2.3.6, and it has a harder CAPTCHA code thing to fill out upon registration so hopefully we should see a lot less spammers.
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Sony Japan has noted that the recording function of about 4000 VRC-NW10 Video Walkman Cradle models are not working correctly. The VRC-NW10 allows direct real time recording from TV, Video, Camera or other video sources straight to your Video Walkman. Apparently the off timer is malfunctioning, which creates a major annoyance for the user as they have to stop the recording manually. If you own this device, make sure your production number isn’t - “1000001 to 1004130,” as they are the series subject to recall. Those who have a recalled model and live in Japan can ring the “Walkman” Call Center at Tel. 0120-607-809 (Office hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 to 20:00 Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays 9:00 to 17:00). If you live elsewhere, just contact the customer service for Sony products in your locale. View the full article
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At first glance, it seems like the biggest difference between the two is build quality, color selection, and the S-Series has noise canceling. The E-series also lacks backgrounds, screen savers, Sense-Me technology, Intelligent Shuffle (a very nice feature), and has lesser quality earphones. There is also a 16GB variant of the S-Series named NW-S739, whereas the E-Series maxes out at 8.
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The forum software will be updated soon with better countermeasures as well to avoid this situation.
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Hm, that is strange. I was just doing a story about this product as they are issuing a recall because there is a malfunction with the off timer. I'm not sure about worldwide availability, and it isn't listed in Sony's Autumn release schedule.
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Hey guys, we hope to have it back up by Monday. ATRACLife and Minidisc Community Forums was moved to a new server, and there are some issues but it will be back to normal soon. Sorry about that!
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After being released back in Japan during May of this year, the white 1TB VGF-HS1 Home Server is now coming to Europe as the VGF-HS1E for
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I love these dissection pictures; it really shows you the amazing miniaturization ability that Sony has achieved in recent years. When we first announced the specifications of the Vaio TT to the world, many people simply didn’t believe that the Vaio TT could have such things like a 256GB solid state hard drive, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a Blu-Ray burner and writer, and so on. I even had my own doubts and in a conversation with one of our other writers, Stan, he assured me, “It’s a Vaio. ” Well, it most certainly is a Vaio, perhaps their best yet. Sony raised the bar with the TT, and at CEATEC they showed off the innards of this beautiful laptop. It’s hilarious to see that the Blu-Ray Drive is almost bigger than the rest of the components within the device. I want one so bad. Picture courtesy of Akihabara News. View the full article
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The DSC-T77 is touted to be the worlds thinnest touchscreen point-and-shoot camera at 13.9mm with 4x optical zoom and optical-based image stabilization. The body is made of stainless steel, common to the T-Series, and has a 3 inch TFT LCD. This exhibit at CEATEC Japan 2008 is really great because it shows you the intense engineering behind the product. The BIONZ and Super HAD CCD modules are on full display as well as the other components necessary to make this great product operate. Just don’t try this at home.. View the full article
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SI: Sony Launches 2TB, 1TB and 500GB Security Camera Servers
Christopher posted a question in Cameras & Camcorders
With the demand for IP-video network surveillance systems on the rise in the United States, Sony is enhancing its line of security solutions with the addition of three hybrid video network surveillance recording servers. The new high definition ready models include the NSR-1050H, the NSR-1100 and NSR-1200 units. Designed to provide users with flexible security options and advanced levels of response and readiness, the new recording servers come with powerful features including the ability to combine use of analog and IP cameras on one system, full high-definition video output (1920×1080), open platform operation that supports cameras from multiple vendors, and easy configuration modes and set up. The NSR-1050H, 1100 and 1200 units have internal storage of up to 0.5 TB, 1 TB and 2 TB, respectively. Each can be connected with up to seven units of the NSRE-S200 storage unit, which provides an additional 2 TB of hard-disk storage, for an additional combined storage capacity of 14 TB. “We’re answering the call from today’s security professionals by providing them with complete surveillance solutions for their applications and security needs,” said Miguel Lazatin, senior marketing manager for Sony Electronics’ security products group. “Whether the job requires strengthening the capabilities of an existing analog camera system through the addition of intelligent IP or megapixel network cameras, or taking steps to prepare for high definition, Sony offers the right combination of technology and support required by the industry.” The NSR-1050H model supports up to 20 cameras (including megapixel versions), and is -
In business news, Sony is showing off its latest HD professional equipment including just announced HD camera HVR-Z5E at the IFC 2008 taking place in Amsterdam. In addition at this year’s IBC, Sony will also launch the new HYBRID memory recorder, the HVR-MRC1K. The HVR-MRC1K demonstrates Sony’s commitment to offering ‘HYBRID’ recording options. The choice of media (Tape or CompactFlash), format recorded (HD&HD, HD&SD, SD&SD) and workflow (direct archive with tape or high speed NLE ingest with CompactFlash) can now be realized by all existing professional HDV users. This unit captures the HDV1080i, DVCAM, or DV stream output from the camcorder and allows users to record HDV/DVCAM/DV files to a standard CompactFlash solid-state memory card, while users are simultaneously recording to tape. The recording times on an 8 and 16 GB CompactFlash card in HDV, DVCAM and DV format are approximately 36 and 72 minutes, respectively (courtesy of press release). If you are a broadcaster and interested in “in-depth” review of the HVR-Z5E, dive into this well-done report by Kevin Cook. If you are in North America this model will also be available soon (model HVR-Z5U) Check out these videos that will present some of the features and capabilities of HVR-Z5E camcorder: View the full article
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SI: DSLR-A900 Available for Pre-Order on SonyStyle
Christopher posted a question in Cameras & Camcorders
The flagship Sony α (alpha) DSLR raises the bar with impressive features including the world’s highest resolution at 24.6 megapixels, and is now available on SonyStyle for the pre-order price of $2,999.99USD with 12 months no interest. The A900 listed at SonyStyle comes without a lens, as most people spending this kind of chow will not be looking to use a stock lens anyways. We previously covered the launch of the A900 here. View the full article -
I've been thinking about making Sony Insider the ultimate forum for Sony. I want it to be huge now and not have to wait. I was thinking about adding Minidisc Community Forums and ATRACLife into this forum, all logins will be the same, and all topic/urls will be the same but those sites will be subforums of this forum. It will be a huge project but I'm almost certain it can be done. What do you think?
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Something "ground-breaking" (at least for Sony) is coming. It will be pretty wild.
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Today Sony Japan announced a new model of prosumer camcorder HDR-FX1000 which will most likely replace the current model HDR-FX7. Surprisingly your HiDef goodness is still offered to be recorded on good ole MiniDV tape which proved to be a good and trustworthy media. In a couple of years we will most likely witness SSD (Solid State Drive) based camcorders but for now this consumer friendly camcorder will do just fine if you want to preserve memorable moments in HD quality. This camcorder features 20x optical zoom, both 24p and 30p modes, and Sony’s G-series lens, 3.2 XFine LCD, HDMI out, i.Link connection. More info on this camcorder can be found here (in Japanese) View the full article