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Sanyo Canada Launches New Full HD Digital Camcorder

andPOP Staff — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:22:36 +0000

SANYO Canada has launched the SANYO Xacti HD1000, the world’s smallest and lightest full HD digital camcorder. — (For consumer use Full HD digital movie cameras, size is by volume (as of August 30, 2007))

The SANYO Xacti HD1000 records in Full HD (1920×1080i) MPEG-4 video with the new AVC/H.264 Video compression ( File size up to 25% smaller than typical MPEG-4 files) and takes 4 megapixel stills (with a CMOS sensor). It also sports a 10X optical and 10X digital zoom, has a 2.7-inch LCD, and includes digital stereo sound, built-in stabilizer, in-camera editing features and a webcam function.

The HD1000 is HDMI compatible with its docking station and introduces a new ‘Xacti Library’ function that allows for easy HD movie saving and playback between your cameracorder, HD television and external hard disc drive. It is SD/SDHC card compatible with optional conversion lenses available in tele, wide and semi-fisheye formats.

The SANYO Xacti HD1000 is available at Canadian retailers including Centre HiFi, L.L. Lozeau, 2001 Audio Video, Bay Bloor Radio, Henry’s, TeleCity Electronics, Audio Warehouse, Advance Electronics, A&B Sound, NCIX, Best buy Online and Dell.ca for an MSRP of $1,099.99.

Sam’s Club Introduces Asia’s Best Rated Hi-Definition Multimedia Player

andPOP Staff — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:38:45 +0000

Every so often a company gets it right and that is exactly what Toronto-based MLC MediaLink Communications has done. The all-in-one Canadian home entertainment hardware distributor recently acquired exclusive representation of a diskless multimedia player that can store and playback well over 100 DVD movies and 1,000 audio CDs. This latest breed of media player technology, known as M-5000A or TViX-HD, hit the European and North American markets strong by January 2006 and has dominated the scene for storage and playback devices ever since.

From November 29th, to December 24th, 2006, Canadians will be able to purchase the limited quantity
TViX-HD, available exclusively at select SAM’S CLUB Canada locations. MLC MediaLink will be at the following locations with a complete demonstration and showcase of these amazing devices:

Richmond Hill SAM’S CLUB
Nov. 29th. – Dec. 10th, 2006 *Official Launch Site*
255 Silver Linden Dr

Etobicoke SAM’S CLUB
Dec. 13th. – Dec. 24th, 2006
1604 The Queensway

The release TViX-HD with an extreme 250GB** hard drive at SAM’S CLUB, will mark the first time ever that the Korean based multimedia manufacturer DVICO has been able to enter the retail market, and offer such a complete package of high definition home entertainment solution.

MLC MediaLink Communications Inc.

MLC MediaLink Communications is a Toronto based digital media company that focuses part of its business on the distribution of PC based entertainment systems for retail and commercial markets via large distribution channels. The company has been providing the service of integrating PC technology with home entertainment systems since 1979. The company specializes in providing PC based high end digital entertainment home theatre media systems, as well as top of the line professional solutions for noise-free work and entertainment centric environments.

With MLC MediaLink Communications, all your PC-home technology needs involving media, telephony, security and the ever challenging home automation, can be linked together seamlessly through products and services provided by MLC MediaLink Communications Inc.

SAM’S CLUB

SAM’S CLUB Canada, a division of Wal-Mart Canada Corp., is a members only warehouse shopping club with six club locations in Canada. SAM’S CLUB offers exceptional value on brand-name merchandise for both business and personal use. SAM’S CLUB is a place where business operators and their families, as well as informed deal seekers can find consistent savings on more than 5,000 items from appliances to electronics, auto supplies to office supplies, fresh food to home furnishings, as well as in-club services including Optical, Tire & Battery and Photo Centres. For more information, please visit our website www.samsclubcanada.ca

Review: TVIX HD M-5000A – Portable Media Centre

Michael Levine — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:29:01 +0000

Technology companies have been trying for years to develop the ultimate portable media center – a product that can finally bridge the gap between the computer and the TV. I’ve always felt that whoever could develop this product would have a strangle hold on the living room for many years to come.

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to test out a product called the TVIX HD M-5000A distributed by MLC MediaLink Communications Inc. that will give the big guys some serious competition. Just by taking one look at the back of the unit, your jaw will drop at the vast array of gold plated outputs available. Output connections include RCA, S-Video, Optical, DVI, USB and HDMI. It’s safe to say that this product will connect to anything. It’s also one of the only products that can output at 1080p, in addition to 1080i, 720i/p and 480i/p.

The Setup

The TVIX easily plugs into your home network using the Ethernet port on the back. Simply configure the network settings to either DHCP or static IP on the unit, and you’re ready to begin transferring files to the internal hard disk, or streaming them wirelessly over the network, with the help of a wireless hub. Using an FTP client or the included NetShare software, your entire media catalog is now available for viewing on your TV.

By using the feature-laden included remote, you can browse the screen and select the videos you want to watch. Whether it’s video formats such as Windows Media 9, Divx, XVid, MPEG1 or 2, audio formats such as MP3, AAC, PCM, OGG or WMAM or any image format, the TVIX displays them with no trouble at all.

Take it anywhere

What I really liked about the TVIX is its portability. You can take this thing anywhere. Because it uses a hard drive, which can be easily upgraded at any time, the TVIX can store all your media and is easily transportable. Its unique cylinder design and easy-to-read LED screen, adds to the overall look and feel of your home entertainment system.

Missing Features

It’s easy to overlook some of the missing features, considering what this product already includes. However, we really wished that the product included built-in wireless, to truly create the ultimate media center. It’s hard to imagine that with all the outputs already included, wireless was left out. We think it’s because the current technologies at the time were just not fast enough to stream large HDTV file formats, but with the upcoming 802.11n specification, we’re sure they are already working on a wireless model. If so, Apple and Microsoft better watch it.

Final Word

Priced competitively at under CAD$400 for the base model, and with an upgradeable hard drive, it’s kind of difficult to figure out what could really be better than this. With the price of hard drives falling, you could have a fully loaded, portable media center for under CAD$500. Visit http://www.tvixcanada.com or http://www.tvixamerica.com to get one. You better hurry up, because these things will be the hot item this holiday season.

Comparison Between Mvix 760HD and the Tvix 5000a

	Mvix 760HD	Tvix 5000
Ease of Use	3.5/5	3.5/5
Wireless	Yes	No (Requires USB Wireless Adapter)
Streaming	Yes	Yes
Setup	3.5/5	4/5
Design	4/5	4/5
FTP Support	No (Coming Soon)	Yes
Hard Drive Support	Yes	Yes
HDMI Output	No	Yes
Price	$299	$399

We reviewed two very similar products that compete for space in your living room. We found both products to have very strong offerings for a media centre, however, we felt that the TVix just slightly beat out the Mvix, although it may really come down to personal preference. While the Mvix 760HD has built in wireless support, if your house is already networked with Ethernet wires, this feature won’t matter as much. Furthermore, streaming video is much quicker through Ethernet than through a wireless setup.

Another feature that we felt was helpful was the FTP server feature, currently only available on the Tvix unit. If you use a Windows based PC, this feature is not as important for you then if you have a Macintosh computer, since the software for streaming only runs on PCs. With the FTP support, a Mac user could upload their media files directly to the unit.

The lack of an HDMI output on the Mvix is another feature that really depends on your personal preference. You can still get an HD signal through the composite outputs.

Nevertheless, adding either of these units to your home theatre is a must. Find one that fits your personal needs for features and design, as we found both units adequately did the job they were advertising.