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Sanyo has announced its latest Xacti camcorder, the 8-megapixel touting DMX-HD800 which is sort of an upgrade from the previously released Xacti HD700. Aside from its 8-megapixel high-speed CMOS sensor with 5x optical zoom, the HD800 features video recording with a maximum of 720p (1280 x 720) high-definition resolution and a 2.7-inch TFT display.

We are also looking at an Xacti model with face detection and an anti-shake feature, it has support SDHC cards up to 32GB in capacity, high ISO with up to 1800 sensitivity, comes bundled with Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 and an optional AV kit that lets you connect the HD800 onto your TV sets via HDMI. Additionally, this camcorder comes with a lithium-ion battery that would let you take 250 photos and up to 90 minutes of video in MPEG-4 format per charge.

The Xacti DMX-HD800 will be available in Japan on August 22, in Gold, Pink or Black colors. Unfortunately no official word yet as to whether this camcorder will be released internationally.

Via [I4U]

If you are in the hunt for a camcorder that is not so heavy on the pocket but still wallops some decent features, then the DXG-569v entry level camcorder which was recently released might be just what you are looking for. Retailing for only $170, this cheap camcorder offers 720p (1280x720) video quality aside from other powerful features that you’d think would not come in such an inexpensive camcorder.

These features include full speed video recording, direct video editing using various software and direct upload to YouTube without altering its native format. In addition to being a nifty camcorder, the DXG-569v also doubles up as a decent photo snapper able to capture still images at a 5-megapixel resolution. It can even record voice memos, which allows users to annotate their photos. The camcorder comes packed with 32MB of internal memory with support for expansion via an SDHC memory card slot that can accommodate up to 8GB of additional storage.

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Vizio is extending their popular “Evolution” range of LCD HDTV’s with three new models, the VO42LF 42-inch, the VO47LF 47-inch and the VO52LF 52-inch which are all full 1080p and have a impressive four HDMI inputs each.

“Key to the Evolution series of products is VIZIO’s understanding that HDMI affords consumers the ultimate in HDTV connectivity. As a result, each product within the Evolution VO series of products will include a 6’ HDMI cable and Deluxe Size Cleaning Cloth.”

At the same time they are improving the look of the whole range with a “bold and elegant contemporary flat black design” which is a move away from the piano black bezel construction that they are known for.

The Price and availability of the Evolution range is:

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Engadget has charted 1080p high definition footage in a viewing distance to screen size form. This is helpful if you are setting up your living room for the optimal media room environment.

Simply locate your viewing distance on the right hand side and screen size on the bottom, connect the two lines and bam, your optimal screen resolution.

This is not for everyone, but as 1080p televisions become more popular down the line this chart will become increasingly relevant. I’m yet to purchase a high-definition TV, but this link is bookmarked awaiting my purchase down the line.

View [Engadget]

After covering CES and Macworld all week, we somehow let the Apple TV slip by without giving it a fair share on the site. During Steve Job’s keynote, he announced what was previously codenamed the iTV. The Apple TV is Apple, Inc.’s solution to bridging the gap between the computer and the living room. It allows you to wirelessly play all your iTunes content from your Mac or PC on your TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts.

“Apple TV is like a DVD player for the 21st century—you connect it to your entertainment system just like a DVD player, but it plays digital content you get from the Internet rather than DVDs you get from a physical store,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Apple TV plays the same iTunes content that users enjoy on their computers and iPods, so now they can even watch part of a movie in their living room, and watch the rest later on their iPod.”

Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering 720p output. It comes standard with HDMI, component video, and analog and optical audio ports, and it hooks up to your computer and internet via 802.11b/g/n. Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV. Apple TV requires an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TV. It also ships with a remote that works from up to 30 feet away.

The Apple TV and Remote will be shipping in February for $299.

Read [Apple]

Finally a manufacturer is releasing a more affordable Blu-ray player (especially after we saw a $599 1080p player from Toshiba earlier today).

The Samsung BD-P1200 – 2nd Generation Blu-ray Player will be available March 2007 for around $799. It supports BD/CD/DVD format playback, 1920x1080 (full 1080p) playback, has a Hollywood Quality Video (HQV) image processor, up-converts standard DVDs to 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolutions , supports 192KHz LPCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, MPEG 2, DTS and MP3 audio formats for complete entertainment versatility, supports HDMI 1.3 with CEC for home theater control, and has menu functions that allows users to adjust the font and color of subtitles, menus and backgrounds.

In a world of compressed “iPod ready” tunes, MusicGiants offers totally lossless digital audio, stored on a server at home, available in any room of the home. The MusicGiants music that you download to your computer is in Window Media Audio (WMA) Lossless format (1100 kbps versus the 128 to 192 kpbs of other download services) and with Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management DRM. Downloads are available from the four major labels (EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner) with individual songs costing $1.29 each. The average download price for a complete album is $15.29 while multi-disc albums are a few dollars more—not a bad price to pay when you consider that you are actually getting the entire file.

As if that wasn’t enough, the company will be offering high-definition video as well, signing deals with Marc Cuban’s HDNet and other services to deliver music videos in high-def. Whereas other video download services stop at 480 lines of resolution, MusicGiants will offer video in 720p and 1080p. In the near future, MusicGiants plans to offer feature films, in high definition, the same day they’re released in the theaters, for a premium price.

Read [MusicGiants] Read [Dealerscope] Via [eHomeUpgrade]

As the price of flat panel technology continues to drop, many home theater enthusiasts will install multiple displays. For example, high-end home theater owners may install large Front Projection DLP for weekend viewing of movies and a smaller Flat Panel Display (Plasma, LCD) for daily use. This unique switch allows you to switch between 4 HDMI sources (set-top box, DVD players, video game stations, computers) and your Hi Def monitor. This switch passes both digital and audio signals through the HDMI ports with support for high resolution video at 480i, 480p, 720i,720p, 1080i, 1080p.

Read [Octava] Via [AV Magazine]