BT Group principal research scientist Jonathan Mitchener continues to cast an expert eye over what's new in the devices market.I've just taken delivery of the new PX70B Plasma TV from Panasonic and am very pleased with the result.
It has all the required connectors (2xHDMI, component input, SCART etc.) and copes with up to 1080i resolution on its 37 inch screen. At this lower end of the plasma screen size range, there is significant competition from LCDs but the main potential concern with plasma types, is that of screen burn-in of static images.
This is mediated by some clever picture detection and automatic contrast reducing functions. Given the dearth of freely broadcast HD content for some years yet, the quality of the in-built Freeview tuner is the other very important parameter. The PX70B does an excellent job of rendering standard definition (SD), something that cannot be said for all HD-ready televisions.
Those who may be looking for a home cinema system with 6.1 surround sound to complement a new television may want to consider the Philips HTS9800W, which seems to get rave reviews.
Sony has now announced the interesting Go!Cam accessory for its PlayStation Portable (PSP). Priced at £35, the manufacturer claims it effectively turns a PSP into a mini camcorder, capable of recording both still and moving images to the device. A built-in microphone records audio too. The camera comes with Sony "Go!Edit" software which lets users edit what they capture on the PSP and upload it to the internet.
Still on the subject of viewing video content, my next item is another iPod accessory. In a previous column, I mentioned a DVD player that provided a bigger screen to watch video from Apple's music player. This time I'm covering the Viewsonic PJ258D projector for an even bigger image on your wall. This is the first projector to include an iPod dock within it and will set you back around £700.
Finally, I've looked at the Haier Elegance mobile phone, currently the world's smallest GSM cellphone with built-in MP3 music player, about the size of a lip-stick case. It holds your music on a microSD card and features an interesting, almost 3D display. Not being one of the household named brands, it comes SIM-free for around £170.
Note: While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, BT accepts no responsibility for any information contained in Jonathan's article, nor does the company endorse any product or service mentioned.