Hoping to spur interest in high definition equipment and content, Panasonic held their first ever “Living in High Definition” initiative event today. The event was held today at 11:45 am EST and lasted till 12:45pm EST and included speakers such as a Hollywood producer and director, academic experts, and Panasonic executives. Luckily, it was a web cast, which means you can still catch it by going to this link here:

http://4.78.165.100/PanaSonic_HD_Event/default2.asp

More importantly, this event was designed to launch Panasonic’s Living in High Definition program. The program will select families from across America and provide them with Panasonic’s high end HD products including a 50 inch 1080p plasma TV, an HD camcorder, digital cameras, a Blu-ray DVD player, and much much more.

So how do you enter to get this equipment? Starting on August 1st, Panasonic will be posting up challenges for families to compete in. What you’ll need to do is tell Panasonic how your family would complete the challenge and why your family would be the best spokes-family for the company. If Panasonic chooses your family, then you will receive Panasonic’s entire HD product suite and then asked to bring your ideas to light. Your final video might be shown online or become part of a documentary film that the company is making with Brett Ratner.

The folks judging the entries will include Brett Ratner, Justine Shapiro, Kevin Smith, and Robert Wilson. The selection panel will review the submissions, and then judge them based on several criteria. However, creativity will be the most important aspect to the submissions.

If you’re interested in the program, make sure to check out the new website - http://www.livinginhd.com  and also make sure to check out the web cast for additional information into the program.

[Check out the web cast]

[Check out Living in HD]

Technorati Tags: Panasonic, Living in High Definition, High Definition

There’s a funny article over at ExtremeTech written by Loyd Case detailing his latest home theater endeavors. Loyd decided to try out a new HDTV set - the Sony KDS-55A2020 - and in doing so, fell into the upgrade nightmare that I ran into earlier this year. You get a 1080p capable display and you end up wanting to go 1080p throughout the system. So Case went from just upgrading his television set to getting a new HD DVD player.. and then a new Blu-ray player.. and then finally, a whole new receiver in the form of the Onkyo TX-SR875.

Earlier this year, I went through nearly the same type of upgrade nightmare. I decided to get a new 1080p Samsung LCD HDTV monitor.. but in doing so, I realized I really should upgrade my receiver to support HDMI connections. Of course, now that I have a 1080p display, I’m looking into getting a new Blu-ray player (since I already have am HD DVD player in the form of the Xbox 360 HD DVD player). One upgrade begets another doesn’t it? Well enjoy the read!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Home Theater Madness, Home Theater Systems, ExtremeTech

Ever wish you had a real home theater setup at home? Is your home theater simply a 15 inch black and white TV coupled with some rabbit ears? Then you need to enter “the MakeShifters Ultimate Home Theater Makeover” contest sponsored by Denon, Boston Acoustic, La-Z-Boy, and Circuit City. To enter, simply take a picture or make a video of your home theater city and submit it to the website here. You need to convince the world why you ‘re the best candidate for a home theater makeover. Make sure your entry is “creative, funny, and original to increase your chances of winning.” You can submit up to five videos and five photo essays.  The contest actually began on May 25th but will continue until July 20th so get your pictures and videos together. Voting began on June 8th so you can view the entries thus far here.

So you might be wondering what kind of “Ultimate Home Theater Makeover” you will be getting if you win? Well here’s the component breakdown:

• Boston Acoustics P430 Left, Center, Right Channel speakers
• Boston Acoustics XB6 Subwoofer
• Two Boston Acoustics Bravo II Rear Surround Speakers
• Denon DVD757 Disc Player
• Denon AVR987 Receiver
• Denon D-Dock for iPod
• Denon AH-D2000 Headphones
• La-Z-Boy Matinee seating for 4-6 people (subject to winner’s home space limitation)
• Rug
• Tables
• Circuit City firedog service, Circuit City Content (DVDs, CDs) - up to $500 dollar value
• Video display and remote control (up to 3000 dollars)

The second place winner gets the following:

• La-Z-Boy recliner (est. value: 1,000.00)
• Circuit City CD and DVD shopping spree ($500 gift card)
• Boston Acoustics/Denon DHT687 Home Theater System

The third place winner gets:

• Boston Acoustics MicroSystem CD
• Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio
• Denon AH-D2000 Headphones
• Denon AH-C700 In-ear headphones

[Check it out via Home Theater Blog]

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HDMI cables are a great thing - video and audio combined into a single thin cable. How much better can it get for a home theater enthusiast? How about wireless HDMI connections? That’s the promise behind Gefen’s latest product, the Wireless for HDMI Extender which utilizes the WiMedia specification (WiMedia is an ultra wideband wireless specification). Gefen claims the device is able to wirelessly transmit 720p/1080i content over a range of 10 meters (or 33 feet). Now you can have your video source equipment in one location while setting up your flat panel display and receiver in a totally different location without worrying about cumbersome cables - even if they are just HDMI cables. Gefen’s extender has a throughput of 480Mbps and the package comes with a wireless HDMI extender, one 6 foot HDMI cable, two 5V Power supplies, and a user’s manual.

Here’s the feature list from Gefen’s website:

• Guaranteed bandwidth reservation: Full Quality of Service (QoS) based on WiMedia Alliance MAC specification
• Real-time, visually lossless HD compression
• Multiple video formats: 480p, 720p, and 1080i @ 24/30 resolution
• High error resiliency: Wavelet transform provides high-quality image under varying channel conditions
• Dynamic bit rate adjustment: Predictable, on-the-fly control of channel bandwidth consumption
• Fully compliant family of HDMI/HDCP products

Here are the specs:

• Data rates : 53.3 to 480
• Frequency band: : 3.1 - 4.8 GHz
• Resolution support : 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i
• HDMI v1.2a: Compliant and interoperable
• Consumer Electronics Control (CEC)
• Tzero RF Radio Chipset
• ADI JPEG 2000 visual lossless compression
• Power Supply: 5V DC
• Power Consumption: 20 watts (max)
• Dimensions: 8.75″W x 1.625″H x 5.875″D
• Shipping Weight: 6 lbs.

My only complaint - lack of 1080p support via wireless connectivity.

You can pre-order the Gefen Wireless for HDMI Extender right now for $699. Not exactly cheap is it?

[Check it out via CrunchGear]

Technorati Tags: Gefen, Wireless for HDMI extender

Toshiba is currently working on a new wireless communications standard that will allow for wireless streaming of high definition content around the home. According to PCAdvisor.co.uk, the new wireless standard will operate on the 60GHz band and will deliver well over 1 gigabite per second of throughput. This wavelength is known as the ‘millimetre waveband’ and is deployed in Japan, Europe, and in the US.

The new Toshiba technology was unveiled last week at the 2007 Symposia on VLSI Circuits in Kyoto Japan. It’ll be an interesting market for wireless HD streaming technologies. There are a number of wireless standard coming out - all with varying degrees of support for HD streaming. The only problem with having too much choice is exactly that - too many different options that are not necessarily compatible with one another. Here’s hoping for a single wireless standard that’s capable of HD streaming. I’m sick of routing wires around the home folks!

[Check it out]

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