SANYO introduces new full HD home cinema projector - the PLV-Z2000

SANYO has announced the launch of a full HD (1920 x 1080) home cinema projector, model PLV-Z2000. Featuring rich new 3D colour management, a high resolution and high contrast ratio of 15000:1*1, the industry’s most advanced lens shifting function*2, and the industry’s most silent fan system*3, the PLV-Z2000 will be on sale in the UK from November 2007.

The PLV-Z2000 brings the home cinema experience to the full HD digital movie age and is able to adjust to even the most complex homes through the industry’s best lens shifting capabilities, allowing a large screen to be projected onto from a variety of settings.

This new projector has already been on display at IFA 2007 held in Berlin, as well as in the United States at the CEDIA Show, where the unit was received with significant interest.

Main Features:
1. Able to project in full HD high quality, with additional built-in high resolution functions, including rich colour reproduction, a new 3D Colour Management system and a high contrast ratio of 15,000:1*1
2. Industry’s most advanced*2 top-bottom/left-right lens shifting function enabling large screen enjoyment from the living room to smaller spaces
3. Industry’s most silent*3projector, at only 19 decibels

*1 When using ‘Vivid’ mode
*2 As of August 24, 2007 for front Full HD (1920 x 1080) projectors
*3 As of August 24, 2007 for LCD projectors brighter than 1200 lumens

Outline:
As interest in low-profile, flat panel large screen televisions has increased, so has the interest in home cinema projectors that can easily project images of 80” or greater. The home cinema projector market is expected to see a total of 600,000 units shipped for fiscal year 2007. Also, with the beginning of digital transmission for television and the entrance of next-generation DVD units, the home cinema projector market will be constantly changing and improving to be compatible with the new formats. SANYO presents the new PLV-Z2000 as an answer for the home cinema projector market so that users can enjoy the new full HD signal from next-generation DVDs and the new digital transmissions with high resolution.

SANYO, since first introducing a built-in lens shifting function with the release of the PLV-Z1 in October 2001, has continued to develop home-use projectors with this function so that private consumers can easily enjoy their videos and movies with large screen sizes and high quality. The new PLV-Z2000 further advances the ease-of-use cultivated in the Z series for home cinema use while having a genuine full HD-compatible built-in high resolution function.

Detailed Explanation:
1. Able to project in full HD high quality, with additional built-in high resolution functions, including rich colour reproduction, a new 3D Colour Management system and the high contrast ratio of 15,000:1*1

Rich Colour Reproduction – the new “3D Colour Management” system
The PLV-Z2000 is equipped with a rich colour depth reproducing system brought to its maximum performance by the new “3D Colour Management”. In order to process operations for primary colours which are usually difficult to control, SANYO has realised in the Z2000 an increase of 1,100 times better*4 colour management ability (approximately 2,160 hundreds of thousands of combinations) when compared to traditional models, and the projector displays full HD with rich colour reproduction.

*4 Compared to the PLV-Z5

Projecting full HD without sparing any detail with high resolution and high contrast ratio of 15,000:1*1
The PLV-Z2000 is able to realise full HD through using the C2FINETM*5 D7 new
generation inorganic LCD panel and variable iris capable of the high contrast ratio
of 15,000:1*1. The Z2000 maximizes image details in high definition with a newly
developed high efficiency lens, bringing the most high definition potential out of every scene with the highest optical performance.

*5 C2FINETM property of Epson

2. Industry’s most advanced*2 top-bottom/left-right lens shifting function –
enabling large screen enjoyment from the living room to smaller spaces.
As well as being a full HD model with more than two times the image pixels of
traditional projectors*4, the PLV-Z2000 also has a built-in lens shifting function that allows the wide-range shifting up or down up to three screen sizes, and left to right up to two screen sizes. The projector also has a built in 2x zoom enabling large projection from living rooms to smaller rooms.

3. Industry’s most silent*3 projector at only 19 decibels
The PLV-Z2000 is equipped with built-in newly developed large aperture, low noise Sirocco cooling fan, that not only reaches the low noise level of 19 decibels*6, but has also been improved to effectively cool the inside of the projector unit. The reduction in noise allows movies and films to be enjoyed and heard during quiet or silent scenes, providing true home cinema enjoyment on a large screen in any room and during any scene.

*6 When using the “Theater Black Mode” Lamp Mode

4. Other Functions
Combines both interior design and functionality in stylish and automatic sliding shutter
Deep colour HDMI (ver 1.3a) equipment compatible (2-types)
Smooth gradient reproduction, 14 bit gamma correction circuit
Specifications:

Model name
PLV-Z2000
Panel
0.74 inch TFT p-Si(16:9),Micro Lens
No. of pixels
1920 x 1080
Lamp Life
3000hrs
Brightness (typical)
1200 ANSI lumens
Uniformity
85% (corner to centre)
Contrast ratio
15000:1
Throw ratio
Screen size
1.36 – 2.76:1
40R21;-300R21;
Color systems
PAL / SECAM / NTSC / NTSC4.43 / PAL-M/N
Connections
Input 1: Dsub15 (RGB/Scart-RGB)
Input 2: HDMI (HDCP)
Input 3: HDMI (HDCP)
Input 4: RCA (composite)
Input 5: S-Video
Input 6: Y-Pb/Cb-Pr/Cr
Computer compatibility
UXGA/ SXGA/ XGA/ SVGA/ VGA/ MAC
Scanning frequency
H-sync 15-80kHz, V-sync 50-100Hz
Voltage
100V-240V AC (auto voltage)
Dimensions (W x H x D)
400 x 146 x 346 mm
Weight
7.3kg

Sony Bravia outshines iPhone as most-wanted gadget this Christmas

The Sony Bravia High Definition TV has stolen the march on the Apple iPhone as the most-wanted gadget this Christmas, according to a survey of over 3,500 people conducted by consumer electronics reviews website CNET.co.uk.

Heralded by Steve Jobs as a “reinvention of the phone”, the arrival of the Apple’s iPhone has triggered huge excitement across the world with an estimated 1.05million sold in the US since the device hit the shelves in July. However, it is the 40-inch Sony Bravia high-definition LCD TV that has been named this year’s most coveted Christmas gift by the readers of CNET.co.uk.

Sony’s awarding-winning Bravia TV range has generated massive publicity recently, following the launch of “Play-doh”, Sony’s highly acclaimed Bravia advertising campaign which features 200 colourful plasticine bunnies hopping through New York. Created by a team of 40 animators who produced 100,000 still images over three weeks, the 60-second advert follows in the footsteps of previous Bravia campaigns which featured thousands of colourful balls on the streets of San Francisco and an explosion of 70,000 litres of paint in a housing estate in Glasgow.

Jason Jenkins, reviews editor of CNET.co.uk, said: “With the festive season just around the corner, competition is hotting up as vendors battle it out to produce the most desirable gadget in the crowded Christmas marketplace. Since Steve Jobs’ glitzy announcement of the iPhone in January, the hype surrounding the device has been phenomenal. But, now Sony has pipped Apple to the post in producing this year’s object of desire, with the Bravia’s bunnies giving the Bravia an extra bounce. As the iPhone hits the shops in the UK at the beginning of November, it will be fascinating to watch the battle unfold as we get closer to Christmas.”
The winners of the readers’ awards were unveiled at CNET.co.uk’s Editor’s Choice 2007 Awards. Other winners included:
1. Best social networking site - Facebook
2. Most wanted product feature - Wireless recharging
3. Most stylish product - Apple iMac
4. Most useless Facebook application - Harry Potter Spells and Charms

SANYO launches the new Xacti HD1000 High Definition digital camera

SANYO, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, has launched the world's smallest and lightest full HD digital camcorder*1, model VPC-HD1000.

The HD1000 is the latest addition to SANYO’s award winning Xacti HD range. It records video in Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) and also takes 4-megapixel digital still images. The HD1000 utilizes the advanced MPEG-4 AVC/H.246 video format and features a 10x optical HD lens and a large 2.7-inch widescreen display.

The SANYO Xacti HD1000 will be available in the UK during October 2007. Smallest, Lightest, Full HD Camcorder

The new SANYO Xacti HD1000 weighs only 268g and has a total volume of only 272 cubic centimetres, making it the world's smallest and lightest full HD recording (1920 horizontal and 1080 vertical pixels) digital camcorder*1. It incorporates advanced MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video compression, enabling up to approximately 85 minutes of Full HD (1920 x 1080) video recording or over five hours of TV-quality (640 x 480) video recording onto an 8GB SDHC Memory Card (memory card sold separately).

SANYO developed a new high-speed image processing engine to handle the high capacity demands of full HD data. This engine utilizes SANYO's proprietary codec, enabling full HD compatibility with the AVC/H.264 format, and makes it possible to do with one simple yet powerful chip the complex processing which previously required two separate chips.

The required high compression ratio is achieved due to optimisation of the image process algorithm actuator, while consuming a mere 4.2 watts of power.

New Ergonomic Design
Designed for easy, one-thumb operation, the HD1000 is comfortable to hold, even for extended periods. The camcorder is the first to incorporate ergonomic results based on collaborative research between SANYO and Japan's Chiba University in regard to optimising the lens-to-grip angle to minimize strain on the muscle groups used while holding and recording. Extensive testing focused on muscle responses in six places in the right arm where the muscles are used during filming, as well as surveys asking for individual assessments and evaluations. As a result of these tests and responses, it was discovered that a lens-to-grip angle of 105 degrees was not as tiring, serving as actual proof that it was easier to use than other models with different angles. The angle subsequently used on the HD1000, was optimal.

As part of its stylish new design, the HD1000 also adds a distinctly useful feature frequently requested by users of previous SANYO Xacti camcorders - the ability to have the lens level with the ground when the device is used with a tripod. Full 1080i HD SensorIncorporating the latest high-definition C-MOS sensor, the SANYO Xacti HD1000 camcorder captures full 1080i high-definition video (1920x1080) at 60 frames-per-second.

Designed to record the rich and vibrant colours of real life, the HD1000 also captures the subtle tones to provide a natural-looking result. The HD1000's C-MOS sensor provides the quick responsiveness needed to capture fast moving subjects and SANYO's noise reduction technology helps obtain the cleanest signal from each pixel.

New "Xacti Library" Function for Easy File Saving and Playback*2
The large data size of full HD movies, along with demanding file saving and playback processing usually requires special hardware and/or burning video to a disc. The HD1000's new "Xacti Library" feature makes it exceptionally easy to save video and image files by simply connecting the included USB cable*3 from the docking station to an external hard disk drive*4 (hard drive not included). After connecting the docking station to an external hard drive and to a television (via an HDMI cable), the user places the camera into the docking station and - using the menu that appears on the television screen - can search through the thumbnails and choose either to play the file or save it to the external hard disk as required. 10X Optical HD Lens

At the front of the HD1000 is a commanding 10x all-glass HD lens.
The HD1000's fast f/1.8-2.5 lens is capable of allowing almost four times more light through to assist in lower light venues. Consisting of eight groups and eleven total lenses with a built-in neutral density filter, the HD1000's lens provides a spectacular field-of-view with a 38-380 mm range (35 mm equivalent). Combined with the 10x digital zoom, the HD1000 provides up to 100x total zooming capability. Large 2.7” Widescreen DisplayThe HD1000 features a large 2.7 inch widescreen Liquid Crystal Display (LCD).

The display flips out from the camera and rotates up to 285 degrees on its axis, allowing you to take great video or still images even from difficult-to-view positions, which is especially useful when shooting in large crowds or confined spaces.

4 MegaPixel Digital Images
The Xacti HD1000 enables simultaneous shooting of 4-megapixel still images and HD movie clips, with a simple press of the shutter button during the recording of a video clip. Users need never miss another precious photo opportunity. (Depending on the mode used to take still images, simultaneous video clip shooting may be interrupted. While shooting video clips, using the digital image stabilizer may change the angle of view for still images.)

HDMI High Definition Output
It's easy to view and share high-definition video on your HD television with the HD1000. Using the HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) terminal built into the base station, just one cable connects your camcorder to your TV for a totally digital output. HDMI carries both the video and audio signals in digital form for the highest quality playback.

Records to convenient SD/SDHC Memory CardThe SANYO Xacti HD1000 records high-definition and photos directly to a standard SD or SDHC Memory Card. In fact, the HD1000 is capable of recording approximately 85 minutes of 1080i high-definition video on a single 8GB card (sold separately). The SD Memory Card's compact size and weight makes it ideal for the diminutive HD1000. The minimal power requirements of the SD card also contribute to longer recording and playback times. When connected to the computer via the USB cable, the HD1000 acts as a standard card reader.

Transferring images and videos to your computer has never been easier. Image StabilizationHigh Definition will emphasise shaky or erratic camera movement. That's why SANYO's HD1000 comes with a sophisticated image stabilizer for both video and stills. This handy feature operates in both wide-angle and telephoto modes, giving every shot a solid, professional-looking feel. For video-compatible anti-shake correction, SANYO further developed the digital stabilizer based on previous proprietary image stabilizer technology, and has advanced the technology to be more accurate in its correction, by increasing the image area detection function. Also, SANYO has further developed its proprietary "Superposition function" for higher still image quality. This function allows for clear pictures of the subject even when moving or rotation occurs.

Automatic "Face Chaser" Function for Still ImagesThe HD1000 includes a new "Face Chaser" function that automatically detects and isolates faces to assist the camera's exposure and auto-focus. The HD1000 is capable of detecting up to 12 independent faces at a time whilst photographing groups. Depending on the area, auto exposure is also compatible with AF emphasis on the people in the centre. When looking at photos taken using this face detecting technology, users can zoom in on one particular face and see clearly the facial expression of each subject.

Manual Controls
The HD1000 features versatile manual controls for advanced shooting.

The following settings can be manually adjusted according to the shooting situation:
Manual focus adjustment (16 settings); aperture adjustment (6 stops); exposure compensation (1.8 EV, 0.3 EV steps); shutter speed (13 settings); and image-quality adjustment (for sharpness and colour saturation).

Additional HD1000 Features:

• Random Access: Each video is recorded as an individual MPEG-4 and each still as a JPEG so you can have true random access allowing you to review a specific image or video quickly and easily, without waiting for tape rewinding or fast forwarding.
• Easy Camera to PC Connection: One of the more frustrating aspects of working with any digital media camera is juggling all the wires and connections necessary when you want to use it with external components for viewing or to download files. SANYO's HD1000 streamlines the whole process with an innovative docking station that provides an instant HDMI, component, composite or S-video connection to a TV and a USB connection for a PC. The HD1000 even recharges its internal battery when nested in the docking station.
• Super fast Startup: With its tapeless design, the HD1000 eliminates the need to queue up a tape deck or get a DVD or hard drive spinning, allowing the HD1000 to begin shooting in as little as two seconds! When the HD1000 is powered on, closing the LCD display puts the HD1000 in standby mode. Simply open the display and the HD1000 automatically powers up and can begin immediately recording in as little as two seconds.
• Equipped with 'SIMPLE' mode so even beginners can create high quality, beautiful high definition movies
• Defaults for automatic settings can be accessed quickly with the "Full-Auto" button
• Adopts newly developed 2.7 inch 230,000 pixel, widescreen TFT-LCD monitor designed for viewing HD footage.
• Bundled with "Nero 7 Essentials" for playback and "Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 SE" for editing.
• Newly developed and long-lasting 1900 mAh Lithium-ion battery (DB-L50)
• Allows the use of external accessories such as an external strobe, video light, microphone, etc.
• Optional adapter lenses for increased telephoto or wide-angle conversion
• Six selectable video resolution modes and eight selectable still photo resolutions
• Continuous Still Image Shooting function - 7 frames per second*5
• Able to take still pictures while in the middle of Full HD movie recording*6
• 9-image quick display function
• In-camera editing
• 48 kHz, 16-bit, 2-channel sound
• Headphone Jack
• Approximate battery use time:- Continuous Movie Filming – 120 minutes, Stills Shooting – 340 stills, Continuous Playback – 275 minutes
  
  

*1　 For consumer-use Full HD digital movie cameras, size is by volume (as of August 30, 2007)
*2　 Via docking station
*3　 Uses a special cable (included), HDMI cable sold separately
*4　 SANYO does not guarantee that the docking station will be compatible with all external hard disk drives.
*5　 Recorded as 4.0 Mega-pixels
*6　 Recorded as 2.0 Mega-pixels