Crave

The Lenovo L215p laughs at your 22-incher's resolution.

(Credit: CNET)

Right now, many of you are reading this on a 22-inch monitor at a 1,680x1,050-pixel native resolution and you're probably thinking, "Man, this is it. I mean sure, it's not as big as some of my friend's monitors, but hey, 1,680x1,050 on a 22-inch screen ain't bad. Right?"

Wrong! I've already spoken about the 16:9 revolution that's sweeping this nation faster than Swine Flu hysteria and this is where it has its biggest impact, in the 21.5-inch to 22-inch category.

With a 16:9, 21.5-inch monitor you get a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, whereas with a 16:10, 22-inch monitor with a 1,680x1,050-pixel resolution, you have 16 percent less actual usable pixels.

For many, this increased resolution over larger monitors is reason enough to get excited, but check out our full reviews of two 21.5-inch monitors, the Dell SX2210 and the Lenovo L215p to see if anything else is worth getting excited over.

The monoscope pattern is used to test for motion resolution.

(Credit: CNET)

HDGuru.com has published a survey of the resolution capabilities of 125 high-definition televisions.

The survey was conducted by HDGuru's sole proprietor, Gary Merson, who subjected the sets to a variety of test patterns and recorded the results in a handy PDF table. The patterns tested for 1080i de-interlacing performance of both video and film-based sources, still resolution (bandwidth) and motion resolution.

The results of the tests make interesting reading for people who follow the evolution of HDTV technology.... Read more

This monoscope pattern can help measure motion resolution, but the results can be a bit too blurry to pin down.

(Credit: CNET)

In the course of testing for HDTV reviews here at CNET, I always compare displays directly against one another side-by-side using both normal program material--typically Blu-ray movies, HDTV, and standard-definition material--and test patterns from special discs. I'm always on the lookout for new test patterns, so earlier this summer when I spoke with another TV reviewer, Gary Merson of hdguru.com, about his tests for motion resolution, he was kind enough to pass along a Blu-ray Disc called "FPD Benchmark Software for Professional." It contains a variety of test patterns, most of which I've seen and used before, with one notable exception. A suite of patterns and program material is devoted to testing and demonstrating motion resolution, and I'm considering incorporating it into CNET's regular HDTV tests.... Read more

(Credit: DARPA)

A new type of binoculars developed by DARPA not only penetrates heat haze, it uses the shimmering distortion to magnify distant objects behind it, significantly extending target recognition and identification.

The Super-Resolution Vision System (SRVS) exploits an "atmospheric turbulence-generated micro-lensing phenomena", which acts as a lens, sporadically generating a better view of what is going on behind the haze.

The one disadvantage is that since the technique relies on a combination of images, you can't see what's going on in real time. Best case viewing from the approximately 4 lbs., 14 inch prototype will be one image per second.

These fleeting images are digitally strung together into a continuous strip; the result is three times more detail than many current telescopes manage to produce even without the heat haze. The military's goal is "90% accurate facial recognition of a moving individual from 1 km away, using a 6-centimetre lens", according to New Scientist. One hope is that this greater "target identification confidence" will reduce fratricide and collateral damage on the battlefield.

Testing is scheduled for 2009, with delivery to special ops in the field by 2011. The same turbulence-induced, super resolution principle could be applied to other optical systems like telescopes used in astronomy.

(Credit: DARPA)

(Credit: Crave Asia)

NHK has developed a prototype system capable of displaying 32 megapixels, or 16 times more details than any consumer panel.

The theater on demonstration at CommunicAsia comprises two LCoS projectors with a combined 8,000 lumens brightness and a towering 6.6 x 3.7 meter 300-inch projection screen. If you think that's impressive, wait till you have a go at its triple-tier 22.2-channel cinema sound system. We're talking dual subwoofers and speakers at the bottom, screen level, and overhead.

To reproduce the brilliant image clarity, the Japanese broadcaster has also developed a matching 8K studio camera, hard drive recorder and a high-bandwidth optical transmission system via IP networking. (Get more CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.)

(Source: Crave Asia)

Sony wasn't kidding when it said the next PS3 system update was coming in mid-April. Just in time to take the edge off tax day, the version 2.30 of the PlayStation 3 system software is now available for download. As revealed last week, the software update adds DTS Master Audio decoding (to deliver the best audio from compatible Blu-ray movies), as well as a major overhaul of the interface for the PlayStation Store (as explained in the Sony video walkthrough shown above).

The question is: what do you think? Does the DTS upgrade make the PS3 an even better Blu-ray player? Does the PlayStation Store makeover finally put Sony's online offerings on par with Xbox Live? Is all of this irrelevant compared with the forthcoming releases of Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4? Let us know what you think.

(Credit: CNET)

Sony has announced the details on the next PS3 firmware update--version 2.30, coming mid-April--and the big news for home theater fans is that the PS3 is getting onboard DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding for Blu-ray movies. Home theater fans have long lamented that the PS3 could not decode the new DTS soundtracks at their highest resolution, especially since movie studios like Fox have opted for DTS-HD Master Audio on many Blu-ray releases. Without getting too technical, DTS-HD Master Audio offers 7-channels of lossless audio at 96K sampling frequency and 24-bit depths--which means that the sound sent to your receiver should be identical to the studio master.

While some sticklers will point out that the PS3 can't output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bitstream format, it's definitely a non-issue. Decoding the audio at the source is actually better than having the ability to bitstream high-resolution soundtracks, since it means even people with older HDMI-capable receivers can enjoy the high quality audio. Sure, your receiver won't light up the pretty DTS-HD Master Audio logo, but who cares--you still get the same great sound.

We have ranked the PS3 as the best Blu-ray player for quite some time, and this only sweetens the deal. Almost all of our major complaints have been addressed, except for the fact that it still doesn't work nicely with a universal remote. Some diehard home theater fans will cringe at the idea of using a game console as their main disc player, but they should get over their hang-up as the PS3 is currently the best Blu-ray has to offer and it also happens to be the cheapest. And you can play high-def games and stream music, movies and photos.

The new firmware will also include a much-needed overhaul to the PlayStation Store. The official PlayStation Blog posted a walkthrough of the new store, and we have to admit it looks pretty good. Check it below.

I'm among the legions who fume when the investigator on the TV show zooms in endlessly on a photo to uncover some minute detail that in reality couldn't have been photographed by any camera. Worst is when the investigator clicks some "increase resolution" button to smooth a bunch of blocky pixels into a richly detailed image.

This low-resolution image shows the greater detail that can be shown in the license plate by combining data from several frames of a video. The lower view of the plate is enhanced.

(Credit: MotionDSP)

Although that Hollywood hokum is an information-theory impossibility with a single image, some limits are lifted when you have multiple shots of the same scene. And a start-up called MotionDSP is working on commercializing that technology to improve photo and video quality.

The image above demonstrates the technology in action. Clicking the arrow buttons will load different images; my favorite is the mariachi band in the gazebo, in which the process reveals arches and architectural details otherwise lost in noisy murk.

The technology also can get rid of chunky compression artifacts, smooth jagged lines, enrich colors, reveal details, and make text readable. It's an example of computational photography--or videography in this case--in which sophisticated computer processing can improve a photo or video after it was taken.

MotionDSP has been funded by In-Q-Tel, the Central Intelligence Agency's venture investment arm, which naturally is interested in software to extract information from grainy or low-resolution images. But the San Mateo, Calif.-based company is raising a new round of funding to underwrite a more consumer-oriented application of its software, said Chief Executive and founder Sean Varah.

The company showed off its FixMyMovie.com technology for improving lower-grade video at the Demo conference last fall, but the company has other applications of the technology in mind, Varah said.

Most recently, the company added the ability to create a single high-resolution 1280x1024 JPEG image from a 320x240 video. The company also is contemplating use of the technology to stitch together smaller frames into a wide panorama, to improve image tones to retrieve detail in bright highlights and murky shadows. And it's possible, if there's demand, that the company could pursue resolution-enhancing technology to let photography enthusiasts improve their images, Varah said.

Improve your photos?
MotionDSP's technology works by comparing as many as 25 views of the same subject matter. The FixMyMovie site uses the consecutive frames of a video, but the technology also works on a collection of still images.

A burst of five or six images--"it's better if your camera moves a bit"--can be combined into a single still image with four times the resolution, Varah said.

"If you have good 10-megapixel image, do you need to make something bigger? It might make sense if you want to crop or make a billboard," he said.

I suspect there's a significant population that might be interested; some purchase tools like OnOne Software's Genuine Fractals to increase the pixel count of their photos for large-printing purposes. The MotionDSP method might not be a simple process, though, for example in a case with moving subjects.

For videos, FixMyMovie can make several improvements. A video shot with a cell phone at 7.5 frames per second, for example, can be increased to 15 frames per second.

Right now, the Web site is free, but eventually MotionDSP will move it to a "freemium" model in which customers would pay for improvements to longer or higher-resolution videos, Varah said.

Better video from set-top boxes?
MotionDSP also is exploring licensing deals that could enable companies to embed the technology in devices such as set-top boxes. "Everyone wants to take Internet video to the television," but today's low-resolution YouTube videos aren't inspiring on a large screen, he said.

Right now the software takes a little time to improve videos, but with multicore machines growing more common, on-the-fly processing will arrive soon. "I think real-time is less than a year away," Varah said.

The company also is seeking new investors. "We're out raising a round now to take FixMyMovie and really expand on it," Varah said.

One area of interest is building an online service that can be embedded elsewhere--Facebook, for example. Another is improvements to the FixMyMovie site that would let users automatically push videos to one's YouTube account or a blog.

MotionDSP got started about three years ago with technology from the University of California-Santa Cruz. The company now has 18 employees, with much engineering work done in Serbia.

The New Year's resolution might be way up there on the great list of journalism clichés, but that's no reason not to go back to the well and see what our pals in the tech industry are pledging to do in 2008, at least as far as their gear and gadgets are concerned.

"Make spam a priority, and eliminate clutter." --Don Sears, eWeek.com

"Hack and/or overclock what I have more, so that I don't have to always race out to get the latest and greatest. And buy an iPhone if they ever finally add proper word processing." -- Darren Gladstone, Games for Windows magazine

"In an era of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, Facebook vs. Twitter, blogs vs. magazines, less family time than hyperproductive hours, and more gadgets with more gee-whiz features than common sense, it's important to never lose sight of the medium's most important benefits and greatest applications." --Scott Steinberg, DigitalTrends.com

"Play the Wii more, so I don't feel guilty about all the dust it gathers." --Alex Brewer, HighWater Group

My New Year's tech resolution is somewhat less ambitious--I'm pledging to clean out my wire box.