3D at CES

by David English on January 15th, 2010

You can read elsewhere about the specific 3D devices that will be available this year for watching 3D content in your home. I don’t want to duplicate that. What I would like to do is give a quick time-line and perhaps ramp back expectations a bit.

You can expect to see 3D-compatible televisions (both LCD- and plasma-based), as well as 3D-compatible Blu-ray disc players, starting to stream in from the top manufacturers around May and June. New 3D-cable and 3D-satellite TV channels will start up around the same time with an emphasis on sports (ESPN), nature documentaries (Discovery), and premium pay-per-view content (DirecTV). Blu-ray discs that are 3D-compatible will trickle in through the second half of the year, led by recent 3D theatrical releases such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (slated for “summer”) and A Christmas Carol (fourth quarter).

How will the 3D home experience measure up with seeing Avatar in 3D at a movie theater? James Cameron has been pushing for theaters to adopt digital projection and 3D for almost a decade, and has been thinking about how to use the new medium creatively even longer, so expect the quality of other 3D content to be uneven at best. Sports, theatrical movies, and games will best show off the technology, but also expect a flood of quickly produced 3D material that may induce headaches and nausea, quite literally.

Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba will include a 2D-to-3D conversion feature with their 3D TVs. It provides real-time conversion of broadcasts, DVDs, home movies, or any other non-3D video you can route through the television. Samsung demoed this feature at CES with some sports video clips, and it wasn’t all that impressive. The company rep I spoke with didn’t know what criteria was being used (such as contrast and/or motion) to distinguish one focal plane from another.

How much more will the 3D TVs cost over traditional 2D TVs? The premium could be $200-$300 initially. Within a year or two, the gap will probably narrow to next to nothing, as all televisions above a moderate price point become 3D compatible.

Will 3D ever become popular enough that we would want to wear the funny glasses for the majority of programs? No one knows for sure. And glasses-free 3D TVs aren’t likely to be technologically or economically feasible anytime soon, though there are some promising prototypes.

Call Routing

by David English on December 30th, 2009

You may have three different phone numbers: a home number, an office number, and a mobile number. Wouldn’t it be great to have a single phone number that could ring all three phones at the same time? Or route your calls at certain hours to one of your phones? Or automatically route your calls to specific phones based on the caller ID?

You could route family member calls to your home and mobile, while sending business associate calls to your office and mobile. And while traveling, you might route all your calls to your mobile number. If that sounds ideal, but expensive and overly complicated, you haven’t tried Google Voice.

It’s free, though you currently have to request an invitation and wait (probably a few weeks) to be accepted. Once you receive your invitation, you can sign up for a new phone number or use one of your current numbers. In addition to routing your calls, Google Voice offers Web-based voice mail, along with the option to have the voice mail automatically transcribed and sent to you as e-mail messages. You can set up custom voice mail greetings based on caller ID and use your Google Voice number to make low-cost international calls. Despite all the options, I found the Web interface to be very easy to use.

There’s even a BlackBerry app that lets you access your Google voice mail directly from your phone. You can use the BlackBerry app to call out using your Google Voice phone number rather than the phone number that’s normally attached to the phone.

You can choose from a variety of phone numbers when selecting your new Google Voice number — and it doesn’t have to be in your area code. Choose carefully, though. While the phone number is free, there’s a $10 charge if you decide to swap it for another number.

Is there a downside to Google Voice? There could be privacy concerns. If you prefer that Google not have access to your phone messages or current phone numbers, then you may not want to use this service. Otherwise, it’s an incredibly powerful application that could dramatically change the way you interact with your phones.

Refined Color

by David English on December 28th, 2009

Digital photos give us a great deal of control with our image processing. The problem for most of us? We don’t know how to make the color, contrast, detail, or shadow adjustments that can transform a lackluster snapshot into a professional-quality image. Even if we know how to access the tools in Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture, we’re not sure how to isolate the effects to a specific part of the image.

If that sounds all-too familiar, you might give Nik Software’s Viveza 2 a test drive. You can install it in Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture for simple, yet precise, color adjustments. The product began shipping last week, though I’ve been using a beta version for the past two months. Where similar plug-ins or standalone programs tend to give a unnatural look to your processed images, Vivena 2 can be subtle, as well as powerful.

You can use the built-in filter controls to apply the tools throughout the image. Or you can use the control point system to target the tools to a specific region or range of colors. Need to darken the blue sky, without darkening the green grass below? You can do that easily in just a few seconds. Need to brighten the bride’s face and add detail to her hair, without altering either the groom or the background? You can do that, too.

I now apply Viveza 2 to almost all my color photos. Sometimes I end up keeping the previous version, but more times than not, it’s the Viveza 2 enhanced version that ends up being the keeper.

I Want My 3D TV

by David English on October 7th, 2009

Prototype 3D televisions were a big draw at this year’s CEATEC, with Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and Mitsubishi pushing hard to build consumer acceptance. So far, there’s no broadcast or disc-based 3D standard, either internationally or domestically in Japan, so any 3D television by necessity would have to be a prototype.

The 3D televisions use a field sequential technology (alternating frames), and they require the viewer to wear 3D-enabling glasses that are synced to the video content. The depth effect on the displays was quite good, possibly even better than the 3D television Panasonic demonstrated earlier this year at CES.

With a growing number of motion pictures being released in 3D, there is certainly great potential. But just as no one is absolutely sure if 3D movies will endure theatrically beyond an initial fad, the same is true for 3D home theater. The Japanese manufacturers are forging ahead, assuming the demand will be there when the technology is ready and the standards are in place.

The success of 3D television will largely depend on the success of the theatrical 3D movies. If they fail, broadcasters and other media distributors aren’t likely to assume the risk based purely on specialized content.

Solar Phone

by David English on October 7th, 2009

Though you don’t usually associate Sharp with mobile phones—at least in the U.S.—it turns out that Sharp is the largest mobile phone manufacturer for the Japanese market.

At CEATEC, Sharp demonstrated a hybrid mobile phone that uses solar cells to extend the life of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. For every 10 minutes you expose the phone to sunlight, you gain an extra 1 minute of talk time.

That may not seem like a lot, but it could be handy if you need just a few more minutes at the end of a charge cycle. And it could be very useful if the power is out, and you need to make an emergency call—assuming it’s still daylight, and the sky isn’t overcast.

One interesting thing about attending CEATEC is discovering just how many innovative Japanese products never make it to American shores. In addition to this phone, manufacturers were showing televisions with built-in Blu-ray recorders.

High-Tech Chandelier

by David English on October 7th, 2009

Along with the green products that have immediate appeal, CEATEC had its share of green products that had many scratching their heads. LED and OLED light bulbs save energy, and we’ll likely switch over to those technologies, once they become brighter and less expensive.

So I guess it was inevitable that someone would create an Organic EL chandelier. In theory, it seems like a good idea. Plus, there’s the benefit of it being the first of a kind. That said, this has to be one of the most unusual chandeliers ever produced. Utilitarian? Yes. Good for the planet? Two big thumbs up. A worthy design that will add a touch of elegance to any décor? That you’ll have to decide.

Singing Robot

by David English on October 7th, 2009

Yamaha introduced its Disklavier piano way back in 1986. The Disklavier is a Yamaha piano with a built-in playback and recording system. When playing back the recording, the keys are pressed down, much like a player piano, so you hear essentially the same performance that was recorded on the same or similar piano. Because the performance is stored as a MIDI file, you could play a tune on a Disklavier in one city and have it play back—live or delayed—on another Disclavier in another city.

Recently, Yamaha has touted the benefit of this system for parents, by referring to the recordings as a lifelog. You could capture every performance of your child from the very first piano lesson to however far your child might progress on the instrument. MIDI files are tiny, so you could easily store a lifetime of practice sessions, lessons learned, and accomplished performances onto a single disk drive.

At this year’s CEATEC tradeshow, Yamaha added yet another twist to the technology. The company showed a prototype HRP-4C humanoid robot that sings in sync with a Disklavier piano performance. It not only sings—it has realistic facial expressions that mimic quite persuasively the human face. I spoke with Masahiro Koyama, Ph. D., who works for the Center of Advanced Sound Technologies in Tokyo. He said the facial expressions are based on what a face and mouth would look like when those particular sounds are produced.

There are no immediate plans to commercialize the singing robot, which uses Yamaha’s proprietary Vocaloid vocal-processing technology to create the lifelike singing voice (here’s a YouTube link to the performance at the booth). Cover bands across the world can rest easy, at least for the time being.

More Oh, Wow Photography

by David English on September 9th, 2009

I’m a big fan of the Leica M8.2 digital camera. So for me, the big news for today isn’t the announcement of the new Apple iPods or the remastered Beatles CDs — though both of those developments are important. For me, the place to be was the Leica press conference held in New York this morning for the unveiling of the new Leica M9 digital camera.

Rumors have been flying for weeks now about the M9’s imminent arrival. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a 9:00 a.m. press conference on 09/09/09 might indicate something to do with a “9″ designated product.

With a list price of $6,995 for just the camera body, the M9 clearly isn’t for everyone. However, based on my experience with the previous models, Leica has taken an incredible camera and made it even better. As good as the M8 and M8.2 are, they have two significant limitations. They don’t have a full frame sensor, and you have place an IR filter on each lens to prevent a color aberration from appearing in certain circumstances. The M9 solves both issues.

The M9 has a full frame sensor, which means a 28mm lens will function as a true 28mm lens (because of the 1.33 crop factor, a 28mm lens on an M8 or M8.2 has a field of view that’s closer to a 37mm lens). Equally important, there’s a significant increase in resolution because of the larger sensor size.

For the M9, Leica has brought the IR filter into the camera, so owners won’t have to add an IR filter to each lens. The IR issue might seem to be a flaw, but it’s actually a result of Leica’s obsession with delivering the sharpest possible image (it’s a long story — search Google for details).

The bottom line? The M9 is currently the smallest full-frame digital camera system. And it accepts the finest lenses in the world, which just happen to be manufactured by Leica. As you may have guessed, they aren’t cheap either, though there is a healthy market for used Leica lens. Essentially, any M-mount Leica lens going back to 1954 will be compatible. And third-party companies, including Zeiss and Cosina, manufacture new M-mount lenses that can be nearly as good as the Leica lenses, but cost far less.

Along with the M9, Leica introduced the X1 digital camera ($1,995 list price). Like the Sigma DP1 and DP2, it combines a sharp non-interchangeable fixed lens, DSLR-size sensor, and compact-size body. The X1 will produce terrific photos, though you won’t be able to change the focal length, as you can with any zoom lens. The DP1, DP2, and X1 have automatic focus, so they’re a better match than the M9 for camera buffs who aren’t quite ready to go mostly manual.

The Leica M9 doesn’t have automatic focus, but has what many regard to be the finest manual focus system available. Once you become acquainted with the M-series’ bright-line viewfinder, you may not want to go back to an automatic system where the camera always determines where to place the focus.

I’m only an amateur camera buff with limited talent, but I’ve been able to capture some of my best photos with a Leica M8.2, including this, this, this, this, this, this, and this.

Oh, Wow Photography

by David English on September 5th, 2009

It’s all too easy to become caught up in the numbers. With digital cameras, we fixate on the highest ISO numbers, largest megapixel numbers, and widest zoom numbers. The problem is these specifications don’t exist in a vacuum.

As you increase the ISO and megapixels, you also boost the amount of noise in the image. And as you increase the range of the zoom, the sharpness can suffer, as well as the ability of the camera to perform well in low light. Camera manufacturers have developed impressive workarounds for the accompanying drawbacks, but my point is you can’t just go by the numbers and assume that better specs are the end-all and be-all when choosing a product.

Case is point is Sigma’s DP1 and DP2 cameras. On paper, they seem very limited. In fact, they are limited — because they aren’t trying to be versatile cameras that take good, though unexceptional pictures in a wide variety of settings. The DP1 and DP2 don’t have a zoom lens, and you shouldn’t expect stellar performance from them at higher ISO settings.

Their strengths? They have a large DSLR-size sensor in a small point-and-shoot-size body, an extremely sharp fixed lens (a 28mm equivalent with the DP1, and a 41mm equivalent with the DP2), and a Foveon sensor that gives your photos a different look from the Bayer sensor found in almost every other digital camera.

I could go on and on about the situations where the DP1 and DP2 wouldn’t be the best choice. In those situations, you would probably be better off with a camera that’s more versatile, because it makes various compromises to even out its strengths. All I know is that during the year I’ve owned a DP1 (and more recently, a DP2), I’ve used it to snap some of my best photos. Yet if I had gone purely by industry specifications, I might never have considered it.

Keeping in mind that the DP1 measures just 4.5 inches by 2.3 inches by 2.0 inches, if I had been carrying a similar-sized, more-versatile camera instead of a DP1, would I have been able to capture this, this, or this?

What sold me on the DP1 was the quality of the images I saw posted just after it became available. It was a potent reminder that specifications have to take a back seat to the actual results you receive from a product. The specifications are guidelines that too often give you an imperfect, narrow view of the product’s performance.

Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct and support those manufacturers who are willing to buck the trend and create a product that isn’t focused simply on gaming the specs or appealing to as wide an audience as possible. With cameras, as well as many other products, it may make sense to choose a more specialized model, as long as you understand the limitations and trade-offs.

Convert MP3 Ringtones to iPhone Ringtones

by David English on September 4th, 2009

You don’t have to look far to find free MP3 ringtones on the Internet. They’re pretty much everywhere — including here on Beepzoid.

The problem for iPhone owners is, how do you convert them for your iPhone? iTunes can convert them for you, though the process is a bit confusing unless you have step-by-step instructions.

Here are 10 steps you can use to convert a standard MP3 ringtone into an AAC-based ringtone that’s compatible with your iPhone.

1. In iTunes, choose “Add File to Library” from the “File” pull-down menu.

2. Browse to the file you want to convert. Select it and open it.

3. Click on the newly created icon for the file to select it. You should find the icon in the Albums view of the Music Library, most likely labeled as “Unknown Album, Unknown Artist.” Once selected, the icon will have a blue border.

4. Choose “Create AAC Version” from the “Advanced” pull-down menu.

5. You can now delete the two new icons that were created for the Albums view — you won’t need them anymore. To delete an icon, right click it and select “Delete” from the menu options.

6. Now you’ll need to find the converted file in order to rename it. On my PC, the file is saved along this folder path: My Documents/My Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Unknown Artist/Unknown Album.

7. Change the extension of the converted file from .m4a to .m4r.

8. Back in iTunes, select the Ringtones Library. Then choose “Add File to Library” from the “File” pull-down menu.

9. Browse for the renamed .m4r file. Select it and open it.

10. Your converted MP3-format ringtone should now be available as an M4R-format ringtone for your iPhone.

That’s the method I used to convert MP3 ringtones to iPhone ringtones for Beepzoid’s Vintage Phone Ringtones page. I can’t guarantee this process will work for you, but it has yielded consistent results for me with minimal fuss.

Say What?

by David English on September 3rd, 2009

Do you fumble with your Bluetooth headset because you can’t remember how many times you’re supposed to press the tiny buttons? Or do you find yourself repeatedly taking the headset off your ear because you can’t distinguish the buttons just by touch?

Unfortunately, those are common complaints with Bluetooth headsets. BlueAnt’s Q1 headset promises to remedy those issues by making the commands almost entirely voice controlled.

I was highly dubious about this approach before I tried the Q1. What would I do in an exceptionally noisy environment if the Q1 couldn’t understand me? Would I miss the call? And how would I remember all the different voice commands, especially if I used the headset only occasionally?

BlueAnt has addressed the problem of exceptionally noisy environments — as well as situations where it may be awkward to speak out loud — by providing dual methods for dealing with incoming calls. Using the voice commands, you can say “answer” to accept the call or “ignore” to reject the call. Alternatively, you can press the Q1’s big button once to accept the call or twice to reject it. Both methods worked fine for me.

Remembering the commands hasn’t been an issue either. Hold that same button down until you hear the Q1 say, “Say a command.” Then if you ask “What can I say,” you’ll hear the available voice commands, which include tasks such as “call back,” redial,” “check battery,” and “settings menu.” “Teach me” initiates an audio tutorial. “Pair me” pairs the headset with your phone (it can handle two phones simultaneously and remember as many as eight different devices). “Call speed dial 3″ automatically dials one of your eight stored speed dial numbers.

The only times I ran into problems with the Q1 understanding me was when I was in an exceptionally noisy environment or when I didn’t have the headset positioned properly toward my mouth. You need to have the two microphones lined up for it to understand your voice commands or for the built-in noise suppression to function effectively. The detachable ear hook is handy for when you’re physically active, though I found the two different-sized ear tips did a pretty good job of holding the headset in place.

Most importantly, the audio clarity has been consistently top-notch for both ends of the conversation. If you don’t mind the price (it lists for $129), the Q1 is well worth considering.