AOC’s Aire Pro LED monitor provides a good entry point to screens that are nice to look at whether they are powered on or off. The extremely thin screen (less than ten millimeters thick) is quickly noticed for taking up only a small amount of depth while still offering a picture that is clear and comfortable. The 23” display keeps pace with larger, more expensive monitors, outputting a bright, clear, high-resolution picture that won’t set you back more than a couple hundred dollars.

With 2 HDMI ports, a VGA out, a 3.5 mm jack for audio, and just five buttons located on the monitor’s base, the Aire Pro’s angle is clearly minimalism, and it pulls that off very well. The lighting is subtle, the monitor is light-weight, easily transportable and a snap to reposition to fit your needs on your own desk surface. One aspect where I think this design betrays the overall aim of the monitor is that because all of the power, volume, and menu buttons are located on the monitor’s base, which is a silvery near-circle about six inches in diameter and an inch thick, the monitor can’t detach from the base. You have to have enough room for the base and mounting the screen is not an option whatsoever.

Other than that, the AOC Aire Pro LED performs as sharply as it looks. With a 50,000,000:1 contrast ratio, native 1920×1080 widescreen resolution, and backlit screen, one of the biggest perks about this monitor is how sharp it looks from all but the most extreme viewing angles. I was able to move all about my room and the picture quality stayed consistent no matter where I went, making this an ideal display for presentations or family or party viewing. Even when dealing with careful timing during precise gaming, the 5 ms refresh rate didn’t leave me disappointed – a sticking point I have whenever I’m looking into displays.

I was disappointed but not surprised by the quality of the monitor’s on-board speakers, in that they leave a great deal to be desired. Without hooking up any additional equipment, the sound is fuzzy, with highs too high and almost no bass to speak of. The second HDMI port can be put to use with high-end sound systems, but anything else is going to have to sacrifice at least a little audio quality using the 3.5 mm jack instead.

One of the features advertised on the box that may give some consumers, particularly gamers, cause for alarm is that the Aire Pro LED uses in-plane switching. However, the Aire Pro has no ghosting issues, almost no motion blur whatsoever, and really I can’t say anything bad about its use for any application you might put it to. Purists may protest, and sure there is room for improvement in the overall display, but for the price and the size, it’s pretty hard to argue against this display.

Editor’s Rating

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom Line: The AOC Aire Pro LED is competitively priced for somebody looking for a quality display that’s not too big or too flashy. As such, it’s not really going to compare to larger, high-end monitors, and it’s easy to see where the extra cost goes sometimes. Still, this is a great monitor for your average desktop user, and I found it very handy to carry around and set up at parties or gatherings for gaming thanks to its slim build and low weight. The Aire Pro isn’t perfect, but finds a comfortable balance between affordability, portability, and usability.

Pros:

• Backlit LED makes the picture pop out and look sharp regardless of most viewing angles
• Ultra slim design fits nicely onto desks or dressers without taking up a good deal of space
• 2 HDMI ports make this unit good as a multimedia center for both computers and personal media devices

Cons:

• Since controls are attached to base, mounting the screen is not an option
• Onboard speakers are tinny and aren’t really worth the addition
• HDMI ports and 3.5 mm jacks only exclude any optical-based audio solutions

The AOC Aire Pro 23” LED Monitor is available from Amazon for $197.57.

LG just poured onto the world another slimly build monitor, so slim and wispy in fact that the term poured does not seem out of place. I suspect they have fairies or goblins hidden away in some factory magically pouring these things out of thin air and into Ultra Slim displays.

The Ultra Slim E2290V Full HD LED-backlit Panel has a 21.5 Full HD display and is non-reflective, which, if it was, the fairies and goblins would be punished for severely.
It also has 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 2ms response time, 250cd/m² brightness, 2ms response time and 170/160 degree viewing angles.
It is LG’s claim that the E2290V is so unbelievably slim that it has outslimmed any other monitor that ever existed, making it the slimmest monitor in the whole world.

How slim is that? 7.2mm slim. And it costs €329. Buy it, or hope for the elves to use their superior magic to conjure an even slimmer device, but know that chances of that are slim.

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According to a Japanese report, Toshiba is readying a 3D HDTV for release sometime in the next year, maybe even by Christmas, that would not require glasses to view. (Note: the image above is not that TV, but hey, it’ll probably look similar…just a guess). The technology, called autostereoscopic 3D, is different than that of the Nintendo 3DS and should be better for larger-scale video. 3D HDTVs out already are impressive, but having more than a couple friends over to watch a movie quickly becomes an expensive act after buying a bunch of 3D stereoscopic glasses. If the image quality is good enough, these glasses-free sets could help 3D become a bigger force in the household.

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Amex Digital’s new MP-501 media player is small — measuring just 175- x 128- x 15mm and weighing 250 grams, but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerful. It connects to USB hard drives, flash drives, and has a SD card slot, and can stream 1080p video to your TV over HMDI thanks to its ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, making it the smallest player in the world capable of full HD video. Video support is broad, too, as long as it’s not DRM’ed. There’s also some standard def love with a composite video / audio output and mini-USB port. Best of all, the MP-501 is available now for $49.

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Netflix is on a roll. After yesterday’s news of a forthcoming Android App, the company announced today that titles from EPIX will be available starting September 1st. If you’re unaware, EPIX is a streaming network run by Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM that includes titles like last year’s Star Trek and Iron Man 2. Netflix will be getting them 90 days after they debut on premium VOD channels. Getting those movies instantly in HD is a big win for the company.

EPIX AND NETFLIX ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE INTERNET-ONLY DEAL TO INSTANTLY STREAM EPIX MOVIES TO NETFLIX MEMBERS

NEW YORK and BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., August 10, 2010 – EPIX™ and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced an agreement through which Netflix members can instantly watch an array of new releases and library titles from EPIX streamed over the Internet from Netflix. Movies from the multi-year deal will begin streaming from Netflix on September 1 and include movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM.

EPIX has subscription pay TV rights to new releases and movies from the libraries of its partners and will make these movies available to Netflix 90 days after their premium pay TV and subscription on demand debuts. Historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release.

For Netflix, the agreement is a significant step in building the company’s streaming offer, adding many popular movie titles from some of the world’s leading studios. It adds meaningfully to a growing library of movies and TV shows that can be watched instantly on TVs via a range of leading consumer electronic devices capable of streaming from Netflix and on computers.

For EPIX, the deal reflects the value of the EPIX platform which, from its start, has provided new rights and flexibility for the distribution of its movies. The agreement allows EPIX to continue the distribution of popular content on a variety of platforms and preserve the premium television, subscription on demand and online window reserved for cable, satellite and telco television partners.
“Adding EPIX to our growing library of streaming content, as the exclusive Internet-only distributor of this great content, marks the continued emergence of Netflix as a leader in entertainment delivered over the Web,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. “The EPIX deal is an example of the innovative ways in which we’re partnering with major content providers to broaden the scope and freshness of choices available to our members to watch instantly over the Internet.”

Mark Greenberg, president of EPIX, added: “Netflix is an incredibly popular service and we welcome them as our newest distribution partner. We are pleased to be able to continue our mission of bringing consumers the movies where they want to watch them, while satisfying the differing needs of cable, telco and satellite operators. This deal also underscores the tremendous value of our offerings in the marketplace.”

About Netflix

With more than 15 million members, Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) is the world’s largest subscription service streaming movies and TV episodes over the Internet and sending DVDs by mail. For $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited TV episodes and movies streamed to their TVs and computers and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes. With Netflix, there are never any due dates or late fees. Members can select from a growing library of titles that can be watched instantly and a vast array of titles on DVD. Among the large and expanding base of devices that can stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii consoles; Blu-ray disc players from Samsung, LG and Insignia; Internet TVs from LG, Sony and VIZIO; the Roku digital video player and TiVo digital video recorders, and Apple’s iPad tablet. For more information, visit http://www.netflix.com.

About EPIX

EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. [NYSE: VIA and VIA.B], its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate [NYSE: LGF], is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, on-demand and online service. EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, on-demand and online. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available to subscribers this year. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through carriage agreements with Verizon FiOS, DISH Network, Cox Communications, Mediacom Communications, Charter Communications and NCTC. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com

For all your media needs, the CinemaGo BV-5005HD handles a wide variety of formats and plays 1080p content effortlessly via an external hard drive or network connection. It has an eSATA interface, USB 2.0 support, WiFi, a built-in BitTorrent manager and support for MUZEE internet radio . Codecs supported include: MOV, WMV, MKV, AVI, VOB, DIVX, FLV and RMVB.

The CinemaGo BV-5005HD Mini CG is available for pre-order now for $109.99, with no release date given. That price will jump up to $149.99 once its released, so you better get it while it lasts.

brite-View CinemaGo with Internet Radio Debuts

The Perfect Compact Player, CinemaGo Offers Personalized Entertainment at Home or on the Go

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ — brite-View by Xpike Innovation yesterday launched the CinemaGo (BV-5005HD Mini CG), a special version of the highly successful CinemaTube (BV-5005HD). The small, sleek CinemaGo’s eSATA interface data transfer speed is three times faster than a USB 2.0 interface. CinemaGo also includes a Wi-Fi adapter for easy network access, a torrent download feature and MUZEE internet radio channels.

CinemaGo’s vivid 1080p high-definition picture quality can be displayed on HDTV in all video formats, including MOV, WMV, MKV, AVI, VOB, DIVX, FLV and RMVB. Content can be delivered from a locally attached hard drive via the home network or the internet. MUZEE broadcasts thousands of sports, music, news and talk show channels from 210 countries. San Francisco Giants fans can listen to KNBR in a Miami hotel room, and music fans can groove to the latest European dance hits on Digitally Imported.

The CinemaGo’s compact design is perfect for enjoying personalized entertainment whether at home or on the go, even in the car. The eSATA interface, a feature requested by brite-View customers, lets users watch Blu-ray movies without waiting for the movies to load. Networking multiple CinemaGo devices enables content streaming and file transfer between attached hard drives.

“A good digital media player transforms your TV into an entertainment hub, showing content from your computer, a storage device or the network,” said Robert Lo, CEO of Xpike Innovation. “The CinemaGo does exactly that, with the potential to do much more.” Lo said talks with partners are ongoing, and hinted that firmware upgrades may bring even more web-based content and services to the CinemaGo.

The CinemaGo is available now for pre-order on brite-View’s website for $109.99.

About Xpike Innovation, Inc.®

Xpike Innovation, Inc. designs and manufactures consumer electronics that spice up your living room without breaking the bank. Xpike Innovation is a leading provider of home networking applications, online media access and digital home solutions, including full-HD media players/streamers featuring torrent download, powerline Ethernet adapters and 1080p HD wireless transmission kits. Backed by nearly 30 years of electronics industry experience, Xpike Innovation products provide rich Internet-based multi-media user experiences for consumers to enjoy with their HDTVs.

brite-View™ is a brand owned by Xpike Innovation, Inc.

So you got yourself one of those fancy new Sony 3D HDTVs, but the set only came with a couple pairs of glasses at most, if they came with any at all. Well, Sony’s got you covered now, since they’re selling the active shutter glasses separately at the Sony Store and other online retailers for $149.99. They even come in smaller, children’s-sized versions with fancy colors (for the same price). That’s on top of the IR transmitter ($50), and the 3D Blu-ray player that’s either a Sony brand or the PlayStation 3. But such is the cost of being on the cutting edge of technology.

I think the whole 3-D will come and go sooner than we think.  Looking past 3-D TV’s is what is being touted as Quad HD and it is going to totally redefine what you think of resolution.  The TV pictured above is the TVLogic LUM-560W and it spits out images at a cornea searing 3,845 x 2,160 pixels!

While this TV probably costs around 15k, it’s safe to say that consumer grade Quad HD TV’s are most likely a decade off.  This is all news to me so I’m excited that I’ll have to buy all new stuff again!

What do you think?  Want one of these instead of a 3-D TV?

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Sony recently unveiled their new 3-D monitors at this years NAB and I’m sure they dazzled.  The 24” (LMD-2451TD) and the 42” (LMD-4251TD) both feature a micro-polarizer filter connected to the LCD panel and come with a pair of circular polarized 3D glasses.  Snaps.

Both monitors will also feature support for full HD resolutions (1920 x 1080), Chroma TRU color technology, and have have optional dual stream HD-SDI interface so you can use them 2-D style.

No word yet on pricing but they should be available this fall.  Holler at your Koala.

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Well, sort of.  For the time being, Samsung will give you their 3-D Starter Package for free if you buy a Samsung 3-D HDTV and 3-D Blu-Ray Player.  No telling how much that’ll cost exactly but the Starter Package does seem like a great deal when compared to going the Sony route.

The Samsung 3-D Starter Kit includes 2 pairs of Active Shutter Glasses and a copy of Monters vs. Aliens on Blu-Ray 3-D.  The glasses themselves cost about $150 a piece so it definitely sounds like a bargain.

Are you sold on all this 3-D hoopla??

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If you’ve been waiting for a beefy Blu-Ray burner, then the Buffalo BR-X1216U3 could be worth looking into.  Sporting USB 3.0 speeds up to x12, you can burn a 25Gb disc in about 11 minutes, which is about 50% faster than the majority of Blu-Ray burners currently available.

Also compatible with USB 2.o at slower speeds, the Buffalo BR-X1216U3 comes with software for converting and upscaling standard DVD’s to the Blu-Ray format.  The end result is going to be anything all that fantastic but if you’re looking to phase out your old DVD player it could be a good idea.

On sale in now in Japan, the Buffalo BR-X1216U3 goes for $450.  Do you need this?

[via EverythingUSB]

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For the aspiring voyeur, or for those who love candid video and spy gear comes the JTT WACA HD 8GB wristwatch. The attractive looking man watch conceals a video camera capable of shooting at 1280 x 960 resolution at 30fps, fluctuating between 720p and 1080i resolution.

Packing more technical prowess than other video watches out there, the watch can also shoot still images at the 8 megapixel range.  On sale now for $150.

I would never have a need for this gadget.  Would you?

[via Technabob]

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Over on Amazon, you can buy most anything cheap and easy, from TVs to home stereos to books to groceries.  But have you ever thought about buying your home theater accessories from them?

You will now – no more buying badly overpriced Monster cables for you, no sir or ma’am as the case may be.  Now, with Amazon Basics, you can pick up everything from HDMI cables to USB/Firewire cables to blank CDs and DVDs.

You can get free shipping on orders over $25 AND they promise that your gear will be shipped in “Frustration free packaging”, which I assume means “packaging you can open without the benefit of knives, heavy construction equipment and/or explosives”.

You can get cheap cables and such on Amazon already; you can get, for example, a six foot HDMI cable for one cent plus $3 shipping.  But the Amazon Basics gear comes with the Amazon brand name, plus you’ll get a warranty, something the third parties won’t do.  That and you can get a pack of blank DVDs for just over $18, which is pretty good as long as you get something else to qualify for free shipping.

So, not a bad move on Amazon’s part, I’d say–hopefully it works for them.

[via WalletPop]

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So in case you haven’t heard, Californian gadget buffs, there’s a push on in Sacramento to ban certain types of big screen TV that use too much energy.  Of course, by “certain types”, I mean roughly a quarter of all TVs in production today and every single plasma TV over sixty inches.  Needless to say, the people are not happy about this, and small businesses are firing back also, but perhaps the worst news came today with a simple pronouncement from Wired Magazine’s Gadget Lab that declared that such a law would be useless within two years, as “energy hogging TVs” would be gone by then anyway, thrown over in favor of LCD and “greener” TVs.

Basically, California’s planning to blow a bunch of money it doesn’t have to make a law it can’t enforce that’ll be rendered moot in two years anyway when the kind of TV it would ban can’t be found on the market.

Way to go, California legislature!  Best start checking the want ads–come November I’d be plenty of you will be run out on a rail.

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Congratulations, folks–America is now officially the Land of the Geek.  We’re a nation of total gadget addicts, or so says a study from Forrester Research.  Here are some highlights from said study, which surveyed 53,668 households in the United States and Canada by mail:

Half are gamers.

Sixty-three percent have a broadband Internet connection.

Three-quarters have cell phones and PCs.

Ten million American households added an HDTV in the last year.

It’s clear, folks–we love our tech.  Whether we want to chronicle the growth of our children or just have some fun after work, we turn straight for boxes of plastic and metal to handle that.  This survey makes a lot of sense given that our economy is somewhere around seventy percent consumer-driven, and consumers have to have something to buy.  It’s small wonder we turn to devices that save labor or entertain.

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The past few years have ushered in a blast of small and affordable digital video cameras that have appealed to the amateur voyeur in all of us.  Looking like it has taken some design cues from the old Sony Walkman Sports line, the Median S47000 will be ready for your next adventure.

Don’t mind the little girl’s birthday party in the above pic for it is definitely not extreme let alone a sport, but the 2″color LCD screen is almost half the size of the entire gadget.  That’s nice.  Having only 90MB’s of internal memory, you are going to immediately need an additional card to jam into the SD/SDHC slot included with the S47000.

Other tech specs of note includes: USB 2.0 and HDMI ports, the ability to shoot in 720P through H.264 MOV files, splash resistance, earphone input, and a lanyard loop.

Looks cooler than the Flip Camcorders sans the faceplate customization options.

On sale now for $130.

[via OhGizmo!]

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Since Flip Video made waves years back with their market friendly series of pocket sized camcorders, competitors like Sony and Kodak have scrambled to catch up.  To stay ahead one must always up their game and in doing so comes the Flip Ultra HD.  Featuring the ability to record up to 120 minutes in HD it also has and HDMI direct port and removable rechargable batteries.  The body and shape is a little more bulky then the Mino but the HDMI port is a first for sure.  No word yet on true availability but the price will be at $200.

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If you’re like me you haven’t completely made the transition to a true HD experience.  By that I mean you’re still not utilizing HDMI and instead have opted for component.  Honestly, I don’t know if I could tell the difference between the two, but Gefen is willing to get you one step – actually more like a half of step – closer with the Gefen HDMI over RGB Extender.  Actually, and probably more importantly, it also lets you extend your HDMI reach by up to 330 feet using just RGB plugs.  The box supports 7.1 digital surround sound audio as well as HDMI v1.3 features, including deep color, lip sync, Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio formats.  No word on a price or launch date, but I’m checking now. It’s available now for $599.

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Don’t be mistaken, the Xcaster 5000 is no ordinary HD camera.  In fact, this thing is a balls out work horse.  It’s able to stream HD video to and from the device, capture high quality audio and all the while let the user engage in a full on conference call.  There are a few different versions available, with the top end including a semi-indestructible, waterproof build and 802.11n connectivity enabling a high bit rate wireless video stream.  Every Xcaster includes a rugged touchscreen and the icing on the cake…an open source OS: Linux.

The Xcaster wil be avilable this May starting at around $8,000.

[Pixavi]

I’m sure anyone using HDMI at this point has noticed that the connection on regular cables just isn’t that secure.  You’d think even expensive Monster Cable HDMI’s would provide a little more security.  PPC’s new cable offering is a locking HDMI cable available at 3 lengths and promises to be 3 times stronger than your average HD cable.  Other mouth watering features include:  gold plated fins, 100% shielding,  category 2 high speed compliance, and their special “Perfect Flex” jacket coating.  The video below demonstrates the toughness of the PPC HDMI, but it’s not going to save any lives.

Buy Here!