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Posts with tag Australia

Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV finally coming to Australia next month

by Darren Murph Mar 25th 2009 @ 7:39PM


Sony's XEL-1, widely known as the first consumer-level OLED TV to hit the market, has done a pretty decent job of traversing the globe. For reasons unknown, however, it has yet to touch down in the great nation of Australia. Thankfully for deep-pocketed Aussies who passed up on the Kevin37 deal, all that changes next month. CNET is reporting that Sony will launch its 11-inch wonder Down Under in "mid-April," with pricing expected to be anywhere from AU$6,000 ($4,209) to AU$8,000 ($5,612). Call us looney, but we get the idea that most mates will be passing this opportunity up without thinking twice. We mean, do you have any idea how much, um, stuff that kind of dough buys in Nimbin?

[Via Sony Insider]

Sharp bringing dual Freeview tuning HDTVs to Australia

by Darren Murph Mar 24th 2009 @ 5:49AM


Details are frustratingly sparse at the moment, but Smarthouse has it that Sharp is gearing up to offer HDTVs in Australia with a unique Freeview tuning system. Specifically, these sets will boast MPEG4 and MPEG2 tuners which will allow consumers to continue receiving their digital TV signals "without the threat of their TV recording being restricted." You see, the MPEG4 tuners would be used to restrict recording and limit ad skipping, but apparently no such strings can be attached to MPEG2 processors. It's said that the sets should be available "soon," but details like size, features and price have yet to be revealed. Patience, mates.

Kogan hopes you'll spend stimulus bucks on Kevin37 HDTV

by Darren Murph Mar 8th 2009 @ 12:01AM


This, folks, is the tell-tale sign of someone eager and willing to capitalize. Kogan, the guy who almost made a QWERTY-packin' Android phone, has conjured up a brilliant way for Aussies to spend their forthcoming stimulus checks. You see, the Australian government has sent out AU$900 checks to citizens who made under AU$100,000 last year in an effort to boost the overall economy, and lo and behold, this 37-inch HDTV (comically named Kevin37 -- the locals know what's up) is priced at exactly AU$900. As for specs, you're looking at a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, 1,200:1 contrast ratio, six-millisecond response time, 600 nits of brightness, a PAL / SECAM / NTSC tuner and a slew of connectors. Get your orders in now before you think better of it, and watch for it to head your way in late April.

[Via Gizmag]

Blu-ray catching on in Australia

by Steven Kim Feb 2nd 2009 @ 2:21PM

Blu-ray AustraliaIt sounds like Blu-ray is ever so slowly catching a toe-hold in Australia, where the format just landed in 5-percent of homes and disc sales crested the 1-million units. Not great numbers, but considering there are only 29 titles on the market there, it's not insignificant either. That's some good news/bad news if you ask us, but consistent with what the BDA has been saying, the growth has outpaced DVD's initial start. Color us cautiously optimistic -- getting into 5-percent of homes a whole year sooner than DVD did is nothing to sneeze at, but let's see how the numbers scale in a country with very similar broadband penetration to the US.

UPDATE: We don't know where The Sydney Morning Herald got its figure of 29 titles from, but readers have let us know there's way more Blu-ray choice in Oz. Thanks, everyone who commented.

Pioneer launches new KURO plasmas in Australia

by Darren Murph Jan 19th 2009 @ 7:20AM


No need to wait for the CEDIA Gold Coast expo to see new plasmas from Pioneer, as the company has just announced a few new KUROs for those residing in Australia. The 50-inch PDP-LX509A and PDP-C509A have both been officially announced (though whispers of 'em have been circulating for a few weeks now), and the MSRPs are expectedly staggering. AU$6,499 for the LX model, AU$5,499 for the C509A -- yeah, ouch.

[Via CNET]

DirecTV provides best HD view of Grand Slam tennis tournaments

by Darren Murph Jan 16th 2009 @ 9:37AM


We tell ya, DirecTV has the cable carriers at their mercy when it comes to these Mix Channels. For tennis enthusiasts in particular, you'll be hard pressed to find a viewing setup superior to this. Starting on January 18th with the Australian Open, the company will be integrating ESPN2 and Tennis Channel feeds into its six-screens-in-one Mix Channel, and for the first time ever, it will all be in high-definition. Viewers will be able to see the network channel and five court channels on a single screen, with each screen providing its own audio stream. Better still, DirecTV subscribers can expect the same kind of coverage for the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open tournaments later this year. And don't be shocked to hear of something similar for the upcoming golf season -- we get the feeling DirecTV is really going for the jugular here.

Australia's Seven, Nine and Ten not leaping to add new digital channels

by Darren Murph Jan 3rd 2009 @ 3:33PM

Australia's Seven, Nine and Ten -- the three free-to-air networks in the country -- are now free to launch new digital channels to supplement their current offerings, but on the whole, there's not much excitement about doing so. Thus far, the only one that has even announced plans to launch a new channel with distinct programming is Ten, which hopes to debut a 24-hour HD sports channel dubbed One. If everyone would follow suit, the commercial networks alone could offer a total of nine stations with unique programming. Sadly, the networks have known about this opportunity for two years now, but it seems to us that everyone might be waiting around for another to seriously approach the opportunity before they follow suit. Monkey see, monkey do, right?

Australia's iiNet hits 85Mbps in VDSL2 trials, could bring HDTV / internet to apartments

by Darren Murph Dec 18th 2008 @ 9:20PM

iiNet, which is based in Western Australia, has reportedly achieved download speeds topping out at 85Mbps and upload rates of around 47Mbps in field trials held in Perth. The live VDSL2 trials are being used to determine the feasibility of eventually wiring up multi-dwelling units with an array of services. In theory, the service could bring high-speed internet, digital phone and HDTV to apartment complexes via a single wire, much like AT&T's U-verse and Verizon's FiOS suites in America. Regrettably, there's no mention of when this will move beyond the testing phase and into the for sale stage, but as always, here's hoping for the answer to be sooner rather than later.

Buy a Toshiba XV500 HDTV, get a NB100 netbook free (in Australia)

by Darren Murph Dec 3rd 2008 @ 2:56AM


What's up with Australia and its promotions? Last year, the big deal was Toshiba giving away free HD DVD players with an LCD HDTV purchase and Sony tossing in a PS3 with select 1080p BRAVIAs. This year, we've got Panasonic throwing in a Wii with an HDTV and Toshiba handing out netbooks. You heard right -- for Aussies who plunk down for an XV500 series HDTV at 37-, 42- or 46-inches between now and January 15, 2009, they'll also receive an 8.9-inch NB100 (AU$799) netbook free of charge. Of course, that's "while supplies last," so we'd get on this pronto if you're even mildly interested. As for we Americans? We're taking home free movies with pricey Blu-ray decks. Awesome.

[Via SmartHouse]

Pioneer's pricey BDP-LX71 Blu-ray deck reviewed: great, mate

by Darren Murph Nov 27th 2008 @ 7:14PM


Don't freak out, Americans -- you haven't seen Pioneer's BDP-LX71 hanging around at your favorite A/V store for one simple reason: it caters to the European / Australian crowd. And with an MSRP of AU$1,299, it obviously caters to the affluent, too. The Aussies over at CNET's AU branch were able to get ahold of the spectacularly shiny deck, and while they admired the lovely picture and sound quality, styling and selection of ports, they couldn't easily overlook the elephantine price tag, lack of Profile 2.0 and omission of internal DTS-HD decoding. Additionally, the slow loading speed put more of a damper on things, but all of those knocks still didn't sway critics from recommending it for those with the cash. For everyone else, we'd probably definitely look elsewhere.

Sharp's 108-inch LCD HDTV goes Down Under

by Darren Murph Nov 21st 2008 @ 12:15PM


It has already taken Dubai, Las Vegas and now-sunk Somali pirate ships by storm, but Sharp's 108-inch behemoth has yet to officially launch in Australia... until now. Yep, starting today, Aussies with AU$169,000 to burn can order up their very own LB-1085, which offers a viewing area of around 3.2 square meters and a native 1080p resolution. The only question that remains is: how much is delivery to Cockatoo Island?

Kogan intros AU$349 Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player for Australia

by Darren Murph Nov 20th 2008 @ 9:29AM


Well, would you have a look at this. Out of seemingly nowhere, Aussies have been shown a remarkably affordable option for diving into the deep, crystal clear world of Blu-ray. Kogan Technologies is just 24 hours away from releasing its apparently unnamed Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player in the aforesaid continent / country, and with it will come 1080p output, an HDMI 1.3 port, DVD upconversion and Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD decoding. The online-only e-tailer is taking orders for the unit as we speak, and for just AU$349 (that's $218 in greenbacks), we can definitely see it moving quite a few units.

[Via ITWire]

Foxtel offers up free iQ DVR for 12 months

by Darren Murph Nov 17th 2008 @ 9:35AM


It's no iQ2, but it's free, and free is hard to complain with. Australians teetering on the fence about buying into pay-TV from Foxtel have a little more incentive thanks to a fresh offer from the company. For folks who sign up, they'll receive a free iQ DVR for a full 12 months, and better still, installation will also be free. We're actually a bit fuzzy on whether this deal is in effect now or starting in 2009, but it can't hurt to call and plead, right?

Australia's Network Ten to launch 24-hour HD sports channel in 2009

by Darren Murph Oct 28th 2008 @ 12:24AM

Australia's Channel Ten has been known to snag some pretty enticing sporting events in the past, but all that will pale in comparison to a new channel launching next year. Yes, Aussies -- in mere months, you'll have the pleasure of enjoying a free-to-air 24-hour sports channel in glorious high-definition. For those not paying attention, you should also know that Ten has thrown down winning bids to show US NBA basketball, US Major League Baseball and the US Open golf tournament (among other events). There's no set time frame for launch outside of sometime in '09, but worst case scenario, you've got just over 13 months to wait.

RRsat to broadcast Fashion TV Paris HD to overseas markets

by Darren Murph Oct 24th 2008 @ 11:20AM

For fashionistas looking for even a smidgen of HD in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and / or Africa, take your eyes off the mirror a second and check this out. Fashion TV has chosen RRsat Global Communications Network to provide uplink and playout services for the new Fashion TV Paris high-definition channel (FTV HD). Folks in Asia, Australia and Africa can catch it via THAICOM 5, while it'll be distributed via EUROBIRD 9 to Europe, Middle East and North Africa.




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