GW-69

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J@pan Inc Magazine Presents:
G A D G E T W A T C H
The Hottest Gadgets and Gizmos from Japan
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Issue No. 69

Thursday, 08 August 2002
(Long URLs may break across two lines, so copy to your
browser.)

Name: Canon IXY DV M
Category: Digicams
Price: Open (but approx 130,000 yen)
AK-550 accessory kit: 25,000 yen
Release date in Japan: early September 2002

The Gist: A prize this week to anyone who can decipher what on earth
this camera from Canon is all about. The IXY DV M 1,330,000-pixel
miniDV digital camcorder is Internet capable and has "manual blur
correction capability" as well as MACS (Multi Architecture Camera
System); a proprietary camera signal management LSI that manages the
signal for appropriate color reproduction for playback on a monitor
when recording to the tape and the optimum color balances for
printouts when recording to the card. Whatever the hell that means.
Both ensure that you get the sharpest, best possible reproduction of
images with natural color conditions, irrespective of whether you're
in still camera or camcorder mode. And stop the footage coming out
like you're standing on Mount Vesuvius during an eruption, presumably.
Or sitting on a washing machine.
The IXY DV M is the spiritual successor to the IXY DV3, mentioned in
GW 58, and for the same price brings a much higher pixel count,
doubling the potential resolution of the images, whether recorded to
tape or the SD memory card, basically successfully addressing perhaps
the only weak area to the previous machine. It is, however, a bit
bigger and heavier at 60x119x118mm and weighing 520g (the IXY DV3 was
440g and 50x89x111mm). It's also possible to make a direct connection
and print photos taken in still camera mode directly to the
CP-100/CP-10 Canon Card printers and the BJ 895PD/535PD Direct Photo
model bubble jet printers by way of a dedicated cable. No PC required.

More info: www.canon-sales.co.jp/pressrelease/2002-08/pr_ixydvm.html

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Name: Samsung LT15S13C
Category: AV
Price: 108,000 yen
Release date in Japan: now, direct from Web site
(www.samsung-shop.eins.ne.jp/html/index.html)

The Gist: This week's "world's thinnest 15-inch LCD television," the
LT15S13C displays over 16 million colors on the 1024x768 dot TFT
screen, has dimensions of 346x26x35mm and weighs only 2.7kg. No great
shakes for a regular PC LCD panel, you might think but of course this
one has that all-important integral TV tuner and therefore allows the
viewing of high quality BS Digital "digital high vision" programming
via the D4 terminal located round the back of the unit. Virtual Dolby
Surround sound comes as part of the package and of course users can
hook it up to their PC too to hear 360-degrees of horror while playing
Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Oh yes, nearly forgot: in case you're
challenging for the crown, the world's thinnest accolade can be won
next week by knocking out a 15-inch LCD television at under 26mm,
which is the record set by Samsung's new baby here.

More info:
www.samsung-shop.eins.ne.jp/html/product_lcdtv/lt15s13c/spec.html
and to buy at: www.samsung-shop.eins.ne.jp/html/news/n_020802_01.html

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Panasonic TH-20TA3
Category: AV
Price: 240,000 yen
Release date in Japan: September 10, 2002

The Gist: Panasonic is also having another crack at the LCD TV market
with its 240,000 yen, 20-inch TH-20TA3. Reproducing a 640x480-dot
image in a regular 4:3 ratio, just like Sharp's Aquos line of LCD
televisions, the 20AT3 puts out 450 candelas brightness-wise and is
compatible with 480p digital input thanks to its D2 socket. The panel
has a contrast ratio of 400:1 and a 16ms response time, if you need to
know, and a viewing angle of 165 degrees, which isn't bad, but isn't
quite up there any more with the big boys. In case you need to compare
it with the Samsung unit above (although they're very different
beasts) or any other. And even the most puny will be able to lift its
8kg mass off the floor to take with you when you go off for a soak.

More info:
www.matsushita.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/jn020805-1/jn020
805-1.html

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Name: Sony KLV-23HR1
Category: AV
Price: Open (but approx 300,000 yen)
Release date in Japan: October 1, 2002

The Gist: Sticking with gorgeous display panels for a moment, Sony has
thrust a new LCD Wega model into the ring, capable of a 1280x768 dot
display and sporting a built-in digital D4 connection. The new
23-inch panel boosts the "Wega LCD" lineup to three (15 and 17 inch
models are already available) and is taking no prisoners when it
comes to prospective pricing, but on the upside, you get a very fine
looking, very thin, high-definition-capable wide-screen television for
your money. At that resolution, 525i, 525p, 750p and 1125i
high-definition formats are supported, so whether you like your video
progressive or interlaced, Sony is your boy and it even comes in black
or silver surround options for your increased viewing pleasure.
The big deal here is that DRC (Digital Reality Creation) digital
mapping technology has been brought over from the company's fantastic
CRTs (plain vanilla flavor televisions) to be incorporated into the
new display, which converts the regular horizontal NTSC signal into a
progressively scanned variety to make everything look a whole lot
prettier. Or, to put it in Sony-speak, and I quote, "Technology that
doubles the vertical scanning lines and horizontal pixel resolution to
improve picture density by four times more than conventional
televisions." Hurrah! The KLV-23HR1 weighs 8.8kg complete with the
stand.

More info: www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200208/02-0801/

Name: Victor UX-Z11WMD
Category: AV
Price: 55,000 yen
Release date in Japan: early September 2002

The Gist: Sometimes, some piece of gadgetry comes up that is not only
a world's first, heroically pushing the awe-inspiring boundaries of
technological innovation further apart, but is also insanely, utterly,
mind-bogglingly useless to boot. The "Rainbow Illumination" Double MD
Mini Combo is such a gadget. The world's first bit comes in the form
of the double MD player in a mini combo which, apparently, has never
been done before despite being so obviously useful (recording MD to
MD, for instance, or a CD to MD at four times normal speed), not to
mention indispensable to modern day living. And the mind-bogglingly
useless bit comes in the form of the "rainbow illuminational mode"
which lights up the front panel of the machine with a dizzying and
ever-changing array of eight types of light in 64 different color
combinations to er, to er....to, oh what the hell! I have no idea what
for! Even more uselessly, the UX-Z11WMD is available in two different
versions: the UX-Z11WMD-S with silver speaker surrounds and the
UX-Z11WMD-M with wooden surrounds. Good grief!

More info: www.jvc-victor.co.jp/products/compo/UX-Z11WMD.html

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STAFF
Written by: Max Everingham (max@everingham.net)
Edited by: J@pan Inc editors (editors@japaninc.com)

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