If you missed the opportunity to purchase your kitchen appliances or that home theater you wanted when the tax rate in Panama was still at 5% we’ve got some good news for you. Its not too late to save on that extra 2% hit. In fact, come to Tech and House in the month of August, and not only will we take care of the extra 2%, we will take care of the entire tax with our “Todo Sin El Siete” promotion. Everything is on sale! Take a look at our catalog below to see whats missing in your home.

If you would like to download our catalog, please click here to download.

Hot on the heels of their recent partnership with Univision (see my earlier blogpost here) regarding their exclusive coverage of the World Cup, Panasonic released an exciting new camera for the consumer market, the TS 2 Underwater Camera.

What’s amazing about this camera is not simply the fact that you can take crystal clear photos up to 33 feet (10M) under water, it’s the fact that you can drop it on the pool deck, spill your drink on top of it, kick it into the pool and then take crystal clear pictures or video as if nothing happened. And its got a sleek casing to boot.

This camera is ideal for both the rugged explorer to the clumsy weekend warrior. Some of its features include:

• 14 Megapixel resolution
• 4.6x Zoom lens
• 720p HD Video Recording
• Intelligent Resolution technology
• Face and scene detection
• 2M(6’) high fall
• Freezeproof up to -10°C (14°F)

One of the most unique features of this camera is found in its “Intelligent Resolution Technology”, or as it’s displayed in the Options Menu, the Happy Mode.  Not kidding. Happy Mode enhances colors, resolution and brightness in such a way as to increase the clarity and luminosity of a picture, making it more aesthetically pleasing to view.

The TS2 retails at $439.99 and is currently in stock.

Have you wanted to watch TV and surf the internet at the same time, but feel constrained by the limited availability of online programming? If so, we’ve got some exciting news for you. Recently Sony announced a partnership with Google to create web-enabled televisions called Google TV.

Why Now?

In contrast to past attempts at launching Web TV, Google and Sony are collaborating with some of the top names in Technology such as Intel, Adobe and Logitech to deliver a cutting-edge solution.  The TV itself is using Intel’s CE 4100 Processor, Adobe Flash v10.1,  Google’s Android 2.1 platform as the OS and Google Chrome as the default browser (naturally). Logitech is offering several options for system controls – an all-in-one Harmony Remote (source) complete with an embedded LCD touch screen as well as a wireless full QWERTY keyboard to navigate the embedded browser with ease.

What’s so cool?

Nearly six years ago, companies like Tivo and Replay TV revolutionized the way that people watch TV. It not only offered the promise of recording your favorite shows without the need for a separate piece of hardware, it also allowed viewers to pause live broadcasts and rewind them on the fly. Google TV promises to be Tivo on steroids: not only will you be able to store and sort through your favorite shows, you’ll be able to Tweet about them using a customizable home screen that stores your bookmarks, Picasa albums and favorite TV shows.

Buffering…

Ok so I know what you’re thinking, there’s gotta be some 900 pound gorilla lurking somewhere in the room. To an extent, there is.  His name is Buffering – the 30 sec + bout of frustration that occurs when a page loads slower than its broadcasted material. This is one of the major challenges that Google needs to address if they are to entice consumers of mainstream media to the web. For the time being, they are approaching this dilemma from the hardware side alone. According to Google’s head of TV Technology, Vincent Dureau, the minimum hardware requirements will include Intel’s ATOM processor, in addition to at least 1GB of unified RAM for video and audio processing as well as 4GB of persistent flash memory for system and data storage. (source)

Here at Tech and House, we are as keenly interested as you are in this product offering and will be posting details on this release as soon as we get our hands on them. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions. Until then, check out this video by Google explaining the technology.

Frigidaire Appliances are known for their exceptional value making it “A great product at a great price” with all the features included. Whether it is the cooking range with self clean, convection, 5th burner, lower warming drawer all for a fraction of the cost of its competitors. Frigidaire Wall Ovens are available in Single, Double & Warming Drawers. Frigidaire Cook tops come in gas & electric all have unique Frigdaire Style and really fit in flush to your countertop. Frigidaire dishwashers have the best price points in the industry as well as Frigidaire Air conditioners & Frigidaire microwaves. Frigidaire Gallery Series appliances are built to harmonize perfectly with your busy lifestyle. Through meaningful innovations, they’ve humanized their technology to create appliance design that’s uncluttered, controls that are intuitive, and features that are as sensitive as they are smart. The Frigidaire Professional Series is perhaps their most beautifully designed collection of home and kitchen appliances in the Frigidaire Lineup. Crafted in durable brushed stainless steel, each piece promises to add class and artistry to the heart of your home. And of course, all their appliances deliver the superior performance and solid craftsmanship Frigidaire is famous for.

Innovations

Advanced Rinse Technology

Available on Frigidaire Affinity washers, this feature provides a final rinse of fresh water to ensure whiter whites and reduce allergens.

Balance Control System

Available on Frigidaire Affinity Washers, this system uses vibration control technology to keep even oversized loads balanced for smooth, quiet operation. Ideal for use on second floors.

Energy Saver Option

Available on Frigidaire Affinity Washers, this option reduces water temperature which saves energy when washing clothes.

Convection Cooking

This gives you the added advantage of airflow circulation, which allows for a more even distribution of heat. By using the forced flow of hot air, convection ovens cook 25-30% faster than conventional ovens at a lower heat, and bakes food more evenly.

Delay Start

This feature on Frigidaire dishwashers allows you to set your dishwasher to begin washing on your schedule. It can be programmed from 1 to 12 hours.

DishSense™ Technology

This feature on select dishwashers utilizes sensors to select the cycle based on your cleaning needs.

DrySense™ Technology

This feature on Frigidaire Affinity Dryers dries your clothes more precisely, reducing wrinkles.

Humidity-Controlled Crisper Drawers

These refrigerator drawers were designed to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh.

Keep Warm Setting

This useful setting on select ranges and wall ovens keeps food warm until everything – and everyone – is ready.

Keep Warm Zone

This area on electric cooktops and ranges keeps food warm until everything – and everyone – is ready.

PowerPlus™ Preheat

This feature preheats your oven in less than 6 minutes.

Real Stainless Steel

This stainless steel has been treated with a protective coating that reduces fingerprints and smudges, making it much easier to clean.

SpaceWise™ Adjustable Shelf

This shelf on select refrigerators easily adjusts up and down to create more space for taller items.

The new entry-level HTiB from Denon, the DHT-391XP is arriving in 2 weeks! The DHT-391XP is a complete 5.1 home theater system consisting of the AVR-391 AV receiver and the SYS-391HT 5.1 speaker system, and packs the latest technologies to fully enjoy HD material.

High Performance, High Value Home Theater System
Denon’s high performance, high value AVR-391 A/V receiver features a wide array of high resolution audio decoders, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as Dolby Pro Logic IIx which features Music, Cinema and Game modes, and is paired with Denon’s SYS-391HT 5.1 channel matched home theater speaker system.

HDMI 1.4a Includes 3D Blu-ray Compatibility
Equipped with 4 HDMI inputs, the AVR-391 includes the latest HDMI 1.4a specification, with support for 3D pass-through (Broadcast and Blu-ray).

Quality Discrete Power Amplifier Section
The equal power amp design features 5 discrete power amp circuits, and each channel is rated at 110 watts (6 ohms, 1 kHz, .7% THD).

3.5mm Front Panel Audio Input Jack
To fully enjoy your favorite portable audio tracks, the AVR-391 features a convenient 3.5mm stereo audio jack on the front panel, allowing quick and easy connection to your portable audio device. And, the AVR-391 features Denon’s exclusive Compressed Audio Restorer function, which completely re-constructs the full audio frequency range, restoring lost high frequency detail for the most natural and believable tonal balance.

SYS-391HT 5.1 Channel Matched Home Theater Speaker System
The perfect complement to the AVR-391, the SYS-391HT matched 5.1 channel home theater speaker system features compact front left/right speakers, along with a center channel speaker that incorporates the same drivers for optimum acoustic matching across the front soundstage, along with compact surround speakers for an expansive surround sound effect. The compact yet powerful subwoofer features a 100 watts amplifier and a high output 8” high performance driver.

More Information? – Download the DHT-391XP brochure

Its almost here…

We are pleased to introduce the new 2010 Bipolar Series, which is scheduled to ship in September 2010. This new and improved version of the BP Series is comprised of 4 SuperTowers with built-in active subwoofers, 3 high dispersion center channel speakers (two active, one passive), and 2 bipolar surrounds.

20 years ago, Definitive started with a single bipolar loudspeaker with speakers on the front and rear panels of the enclosure to radiate sound. In 1995, Definitive pioneered the concept of “power towers” by incorporating powered sub-woofers into its Bipolar series floor-standing speakers dubbed “SuperTowers.” The new models represent the third generation of SuperTowers and make use of Definitive’s most advanced technologies, including a new patent-pending approach to bipolar speaker design called Forward Focused Bipolar Array, which combines the imaging of bipolar designs with the localization of soloists of traditional forward radiating speakers.

Preliminary Specifications

Bipolar SuperTower series floorstanding speakers

Model: BP-8080ST
MSRP: $1499
Height: 48-1/4”
Front Array: 2 @ 5-¼″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Rear Array: 1 @ 5-¼″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Powered Subwoofer System: 12″ active with 2 @ 12″ passive radiators 455 Watts

Model: BP-8060ST
MSRP: $999
Height: 44-3/16”
Front Array: 2 @ 4-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Rear Array: 1 @ 4-½” BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Powered Subwoofer System: 10″ active with 2 @ 10″ passive radiators 300 Watts

Model: BP-8040ST
MSRP: $799
Height: 39”
Front Array: 2 @ 3-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Rear Array: 1 @ 3-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Powered Subwoofer System: 8″ active with 2 @ 8″ passive radiators 300 Watts

Model:BP-8020ST
MSRP: $599
Height: 35-7/8”
Front Array: 2 @ 3-½″; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Rear Array: 1 @ 3-½″ Full-range
Powered Subwoofer System: 8″ Ported 150 Watts

CS Series High Dispersion (HD) center channel speakers

Model:CS-8080HD
MSRP: $999
Driver Complement: 2 @ 5-¼″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Woofer System: 1 @ 5″ x 10″ active, 2 @ 5″ x 10″ passive radiators, 300 Watt amplifier

Model:CS-8060HD
MSRP: $699
Driver Complement: 2 @ 4-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Woofer System: 1 @ 8″ active, ported, 150 W amplifier

Model:CS-8040HD
MSRP: $499
Driver Complement: 2 @ 4-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Woofer System: 1 @ 5″ x 10” passive radiator

SR series bipolar surround speakers

Model:SR-8080BP
MSRP: $349
Front Array: 1 @ 4-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Rear Array: 1 @ 4-½” BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Bass Tuning: Ported

Model:SR-8060BP
MSRP: $249
Front Array: 1 @ 3-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Rear Array: 1 @ 3-½″ BDSS; 1 @ 1″ AL dome
Bass Tuning: Ported

The Mythos XTR®-50 is an ultra-thin (1.5′′ deep) on-wall, on- shelf loudspeaker that delivers a level of high performance previously thought impossible in shallow enclosure speakers. Definitive developed the Mythos XTR-50 to look perfect on a wall or shelf next to an ultra-thin TV. It combines the thin profile of “panel” speakers with the high definition detail, bass, and dynamic range performance of a high quality dynamic speaker.

The Mythos® XTR®-50 comes supplied with a wall mounting bracket that allows either vertical or horizontal orientation with a total installed on-wall depth of only 1.6 inches (40mm) as well as smoked glass stands for vertical table-top use and horizontal shelf placement. Whether mounted on-wall or on shelf, used as Left and Right, Center or Surround channel speakers the Mythos XTR-50 looks terrific and sounds astonishing.

The Mythos XTR features a hand polished aircraft grade Aluminum extruded enclosure that measures 27′′ H x 6′′ W x 1.5′′ D (68.6cm x 15.3cm x 3.8cm), the perfect size for 46′′ – 55′′ TVs. The Mythos XTR- 50 has an MSRP of $699 and is now shipping. Three additional Mythos XTR speakers are planned for delivery later in 2010.

The XTR-50 was named an International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree in the High Performance Audio category.

Motionflow 240Hz

In a nutshell, Sony Motionflow inserts new frames between the standard frames of a video creating smoother movement. Motionflow 240Hz quadruples the number of frames seen in conventional 60Hz televisions by using image interpolation substantially improving image quality on scenes with fast movement. With the insertion of these extra frames the viewer perceives a movement that is more fluid and natural when compared to Motionflow 120Hz which duplicates the number of frames per second or a conventional 60Hz television that does not sport any image interpolation.

Image Blur (IB) Reduction

Sometimes the action in a shot is moving so fast that the object in the individual frame is blurry. Sony applies its IB Reduction technology to the individual blurry frame to create a crisp, clear image. Coupled with Motionflow 240Hz and IB Reduction the image quality is unprecedented.

Motionflow and IB Reduction in action

Credit: SonyConvergineer