Hello, Dave.  Your TV is calling…

Videophones have been Sci-Fi fodder almost since the birth of modern cinema. In fact, they were featured in one of the earliest Sci-Fi movies, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) – released even before the mainstream adoption of televisions.  They have been featured in most modern futuristic blockbusters, from Star Trek to Minority Report. Although it is not uncommon to find unreleased technology in films – one would even argue that conceptual technology is one of the most appealing aspects of futuristic films (just watch any Bond movie) – it would appear that we have had had the capability to build large scale videophones for years. The question then becomes – why haven’t we?

The wait is almost over

Panasonic entered into a partnership with Skype to integrate its Phone services with HD televisions. What does this mean? To understand the possibilities behind this partnership, first let’s look at Skype.

Web-based Phone Services

Skype has been around since 2003, providing streaming video and audio phone chats directly through the web. They were acquired briefly in 2005 by Ebay, who held onto them until 2009, when they sold them to an investment consortium. Skype offers a variety of phone plans, ranging from free Instant Messaging and phone calls between registered users “online landlines” that receive calls from anywhere in the world with plans starting at $24/year. This approach has caused quite a stir amongst phone companies—especially international calling plans—who are trying to change their business strategy to keep up.

Video conference on your TV

With a plug-in Panasonic video camera and an embedded mic (estimated retail: $170), it doesn’t take much imagination to understand the benefits of hosting a video conference on your 60” flatscreen in the office conference room or even your living room. There is no firm release date yet set for this offering but Panasonic plans to have a launch date before the end of the year. Please stay tuned to Tech and House for more release updates and feel free to email us with questions.

Check it out in action

Electrolux – EI24WC65GS

Electrolux’s 24” wide under-counter wine cellar is full of features you will love. With 5 Luxury Glide™ Extension Racks, two of which are half-depth, you can easily access all 46 of your bottles with ease as well as being offered a great deal of versatility. LED lighting can be set to turn on whenever you open the door or switched to display mode for always-on illumination. The blue LED control panel at the top of the reversible door puts it in an easy to use location. The controls and features on this model are very thorough. Temperature can be set between 1.5°-7°C (35°-45°F) and held within 1° at all times. The PureAdvantage™ air filtration system means that your cellar is always circulating crisp, clean air throughout. While the door is anti-UV coated and uses self-closing hinge mechanisms, there is an audible alarm that sounds after 5 minutes if the door is not able to close fully. Additional alarms include a rise in temperature of 10° for more than 4 hours as well as a power failure. For those following devout religious practices, this model is equipped with Sabbath mode (Star-K® Certified)

Electrolux – E24WC48EBS

Electrolux ICON series 24” wide stand-alone or under-counter wine cellar is a beautifully constructed 48-bottle option to showcase your collection while keeping it secure and in a properly controlled temperature. Comprised of five fully extendable (and removable) slide-out shelves which are vinyl coated, and a bottom display shelf which is canted forward allowing you to display your most prized bottles, there is room for all bottle sizes you might have in your collection. The top five shelves are all fronted with nude Maple so that you may stain them to match your other appliances or wood furnishings. There is an internal light with constant on option allowing you to use this wine cellar as a decoration piece. Anti-UV coated tempered glass door with a self-closing hinge mechanism ensures your wine is always kept away from the harmful rays of the sun and the accidental door left open. Additionally, the door is field reversible so you can have it open in whichever manner best suits your home. Legs are adjustable from 34” – 35 1/8” so you can ensure a proper and level fit under your counter. With three temperature zones between 7°-15.5°C (45°-60°F), you can ensure that your wines are all kept at a constant temperature depending on grape variety and storage preferences.

Ariston – WZ36

The Ariston WZ36 is a great wine cellar if you keep 40 or so bottles on hand. This insulated stainless steel cellar can be used as an attractive stand-alone appliance or fit it under a counter top and out of the way. With six removable and adjustable shelves, storing your collection is easy, especially if you keep a bottle or two of champagne or other larger sized bottles on hand. Whatever your tastes you can be sure that your wine is securely held and stored behind the anti-UV treated glass door. This level of protection means that the wine will not prematurely age or suffer from the harmful effects of the sun. An internal light allows for you to see inside without opening the door as well as providing ambient light to accent the bottles. A homogonous electronic temperature gauge keeps the cellar contents between 4°-20°C (39°-68°F) which is ideal for long term. The WZ36 has some very nice features that are sure to make any wine connoisseur feel comfortable and confident that their investments are taken care of and displayed beautifully.

Consumer reports recently released preliminary results of their testing on Panasonic vs. Samsung 3d televisions where Panasonic has a little edge. While all televisions delivered impressive 3d effects in full 1080P resolution, the Panasonic 3d image was crisp, whereas the Samsung televisions shows a slight double image taking away from the 3d effect. Next, if you watch television lying down sideways, the glasses on the Samsung televisions fade to black where the Panasonic glasses provide clear 3d effects.

In addition to the 3d viewing, Consumer Reports noted that Panasonics “Infinite Black” technology delivered deep black levels which really enhanced contrast, giving images great depth and dimension where the Samsung televisions showed cloudy and patchy black areas.

Take a moment and check out the report:

Look ma, no glasses!

Autostereoscopy, or Auto-3D, is a type of technology that artificially creates the appearance of depth in a 2-D image by projecting separate images to each of the viewers’ eyes. This is similar to how 3-D glasses work – one eye perceives an image with red tones, while the other perceives one with blue tones.  The brain aggregates this data and perceives a 3-D image.

How does it work?

As of this publication, there are two primary types of Auto-3D projection: Parallax Barriers and Lenticular Lenslets. A parallax barrier is simply a liquid crystal screen placed in front of the monitor/LCD display that filters different sets of pixels to each eye, creating the illusion of depth. This barrier can be switched on and off, allowing the viewer to choose between 2- and 3D viewing. Lenticular Lenslets, on the other hand, are a sequence of cylindrical lenses integrated into the LCD screen that magnify images at different angles, depending on the position of the viewer. Think of a piece of corrugated cardboard…only made out of glass.

Ready for Prime Time…?

Unfortunately, each of these projection methods have fixed or limited viewing zones, unless they are equipped with advanced eye-tracking software.  They also have challenges projecting high-resolution images. Unlike a 2-D projection, since the pixels are projected to different points to create a binocular effect, not all pixels can be viewed at once.  Then there’s the issue of cost – this technology doesn’t come cheap.  Commercialized Auto-3D displays can run upwards of 25K.

Consumer availability

Several years ago, Philips released their first foray into the Auto-3D market called the WOWvx.  While this product was designed primarily for commercial usage by advertising and entertainment markets, they had intended to leverage their expertise to eventually create a consumer model. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen market conditions *cough* recession *cough* they discontinued the product line in March 2009.  Unless you live in Slovenia, where there is apparently a thriving aftermarket.

At the same time, Sharp announced plans to develop a Parallax Barrier 3D LCD for the consumer market, but has yet to release any more details about this product offering.

One Small Hope…

Despite the challenges associated with creating consumer-friendly Auto-3D peripherals, there is still a growing demand for 3-D entertainment. From international blockbuster films such as Avatar and the Harry Potter series to video games, 3-D is coming back in a big way. Look no further than this summer’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (June 15), where Nintendo is poised to announce the successor to its popular hand-held gaming system (the Nintendo DS) that its calling the Nintendo 3DS. Details are sketchy at this time but the display will feature a parallax barrier display.

Pro: 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz WPA, WPA2, WEP Encryption capable. Battery backup for clock. 1000+ free applications.

Con: No 802.11n. No full web browser. Not big on RAM but what it has is plenty fast for what it does.

Official Web Site

I am going to defy the conventional wisdom and tout a gadget other than the Apple iPad. Why? Because there is a new toy in town and I want it and you should too. In the technology game, the score is now Sony: 1, Apple: 1. How can I possibly compare these two? Read on.

While the iPad will keep you from sipping on your $8 soy mocha frappuccino until it is cold because of the frenzy you will create once you place it on your internet café table next to your smart phone and iPod, the Sony dash™ will have you peacefully sipping your hot beverage, on schedule, informed of traffic and weather, abreast of your emails, facebook, MySpace, and Twitter updates AND free to move about without drawing a crowd. That is, until you get home.

Sony understands that the more user-chosen information we can custom tailor and be privy to instantly, the better. But they saw beyond that need in a unique way. They also understood that just because we want to have access to all this information does not mean we want to act on each and every piece.  You don’t respond to every email you get do you? Neither do I.

Enter the Sony dash™.  Think of it as “computer lite” or as Sony dubbed it, a “Personal Internet Viewer.” This device puts nearly the same information at your fingertips as your laptop, desktop and yes, even your coveted iPad, but it does it for a fraction of the cost leaving money in your pockets and both hands free to…well….to do anything else!

With over 1,000 free applications and another 500 being released within the month, you can:

• See your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail POP email inboxes.
• Stay on top of your MySpace, facebook, and Twitter feeds.
• Get real-time traffic and weather updates before leave the house.
• Get up to the minute scores, news, and world headlines from CNBC, CBS Sports, NY Times and more.
• Grab a recipe from Martha Stewart or Oliver’s recipes for a creative boost in the kitchen.
• Stream your favorite Internet radio station from Pandora, Slacker Radio and other music services.
• Play a movie from Netflix or a YouTube video.
• Sign into your Photobucket® account and it becomes a crystal clear 800×480 pixel 7” picture frame. And with the accelerometer, browsing those pictures (or any screen) in landscape or portrait is easy.
• With a built-in USB 2.0 port, you can also access supported format audio and video that you already have.
• The alarm clock radio uses your zip code and automatically sets itself via the internet. Set your alarms for once or recurring and then decide if you want to wake up to your favorite internet radio station, a movie, a YouTube clip, or the built in alarm sound options. Best of all, with an ambient light sensor, you won’t have that pesky glow in your room either.

This is an Internet portal. It’s not for word processing or data crunching but you don’t want to do that once you’re home anyway. It is a streamlined life tool that allows you to see into your many social networks and emails, get necessary news, weather, traffic and take full advantage of web presence that is designed to be shared and experienced. At a glance you can see what’s going on and be connected to the world without having to sit at a boring old computer. Set it once and let it do the rest!

Panasonic in the News

Like the World Cup? Want to take home a piece of the action? Well look no further, Tech and House has the latest scoop:

Panasonic recently announced that they have entered into a multi-year partnership with Univision as their official steadycam of major events coverage, beginning with the 2010 World Cup. They will be using the new P2 HD Shoulder Mount Camcorders. If you want to learn more about this exciting partnership, feel free to click here for more details. In addition, NBC Universal, Telemundo and CNBC have also signed agreements with Panasonic to standardize their media coverage using the P2 HD Camcorders.

So, how can I buy one?

With an MSRP for the P2 HD Camcorder starting at $5600, this model is priced above the mainstream consumer market. However, the increased visibility of Panasonic as a leading camcorder manufacturer means that they will, in turn, invest more R&D in its retail offerings as well. This will help them meet the growing consumer demand for its personal camcorders. Here at Tech and House we offer the latest models from Panasonic, including the brand new Full HD HDC-HS60 model. This model has a rich feature set including:

*Full HD 1920×1080 Camcorder

*25x Optical Zoom and 60x/1500x Digital Zoom

*120GB Hard Disk with SD Card

If you want to learn more about this product as well as the rest of our Panasonic collection, check out our Spring 2010 catalog here.

For millions of people around the world, soccer isn’t merely a national pastime; it’s a way of life—an escape. And nothing is more thrilling than the World Cup itself.  64 matches—one chance to be the best in the world. Its almost here, so close you can almost touch it. The anticipation is so intense it electrifies the air. The roaring crowds, the taste of victory…and a cold beer.

Wouldn’t you like to go to the World Cup? If you’re just starting to plan your trip, you may be too late. Thankfully, at Tech and House, we’ve got you covered with our very own World Cup Sale. With a 42″ Full HD Plasma TV from Panasonic at $749 and a complete Cerwin Vega home theater at $1559, you can experience the raw excitement of the games from the comfort of your living room.  Take a look at these special offers and more in our Spring 2010 catalog offered below, or download a copy and check it out later.

The Conventional Problem:

What’s the problem with my old microwave?  Nothing, if you like paying high energy costs for low quality results.  Let’s examine this a moment—have you ever considered what the different power levels on your microwave stand for? Chances are, your microwave appears to have a variant power scheme, represented by either a numbering system of 1-10 or a percentage grade (e.g. 60%).  In actuality, conventional microwaves use a very basic power scheme, much like a light switch. A microwave running at 60% power is actually running at 100% power…60% of the time. The rest of the time it’s idle—the light’s on and it’s slowly eating away at your energy bill.

More money, more problems…

This power scheme affects your energy bill in a manner of ways. To begin with, it causes recurring voltage spikes as the compressor cycles between on and off.  This also creates fluctuations in the temperature, which the microwave compensates for by delaying the cooking process. And yet food still comes out cooked unevenly—charred on the outside, cold in the middle. Wouldn’t it be nice if microwaves could maintain a constant temperature like a conventional oven?  That’s the principle behind Inverter Technology.

A Smarter Microwave?

Simply put, Inverter technology is an innovative type of power distribution that adapts to changes in the environment and regulates the temperature accordingly. Think of it as a conventional oven with a brain. Because it doesn’t rely on cutting the compressor on and off, it takes roughly 30% less energy to run than a conventional microwave. What’s more, regulating the temperature within cooks food evenly and in less time.  Want to find out more? Feel free to email or give us a call, we’d love to answer your questions.