A world first, the HMZ-T1 promises to deliver a “movie theatre-like virtual screen experience” that Sony says is ideal for 3D movies and gaming.

The wearable headset has twin OLED screens, with a lightning fast response time of just 0.01 milliseconds that’s meant to eliminate crosstalk, and 5.1 virtual surround sound (users will be able to select from cinema, games, music and standard modes).

It also has an extended viewing angle of 45 degrees that simulates a 750-inch movie screen at a virtual viewing distance of 20 metres.

Sony claims its “shielding construction” will deepen this feeling of immersion.

Weighing about the same as a bicycle helmet (420 grams), the HMZ-T1 is adjustable in multiple areas and, unlike watching conventional 3D TV, the headset can be used in any position, with your eyeglasses on or off.

“Support pads and light blockers provide an individualised fit and an immersive feel,” the Sony press release says.

Most importantly, the HMZ-T1 will be compatible with a wide range of 3D products and 3D content production systems.

Panasonic will release its first 3D home theatre projector here early next month.

The AE7000 will retail for $5700 and will be Panasonic’s first new HD projector in two years.

A lower-specified, 2D model also is due this year, the AT5000.

Panasonic has yet to list the AE7000’s specs on its NZ website but there’s plenty to explore on its global site and in the US press release.

Early reviews in the US have been glowing, with ProjectorCentral awarding it a maximum five-star rating for each of its measures: performance, features, ease of use and value.

“When all is said and done, the Panasonic PT-AE7000U is a projector for the true videophile.

“It certainly has a boatload of features and yes, it has remarkably clear, stable 3D performance.

“But even if the AE7000 did not have 3D or a wide assortment of features, it would still stand out as a major video engineering achievement based on the strength of its 2D picture quality alone.”

The AE7000’s NZ release will come a month after Sony’s full HD 3D projector, the VPL-HW30ES (below, Sony Media Release_3D Home Theatre Projector VPL-HW30ES), which costs $1800 more (whereas in the US the price difference is only $US200).

In a shoot-out comparison, ProjectorCentral reckons Panasonic’s AE has the edge in picture quality, “primarily due to its contrast advantage, and in 3D due to both incremental contrast and better clarity/stability due to reduced crosstalk”.

Meanwhile, until the end of the month Panasonic is running out its AE4000 model with a promotion that includes a free 42-inch plasma TV or Blu-ray player among other redeemable options.

TVNZ says it will announce its Dolby Digital plans next week.

It’s been reported in some forums that the broadcaster already is transmitting in 5.1 audio, as TV3 has been doing since it went HD three years ago.

But a spokeswoman says this is not the case.

“As part of our preparations for launching 5.1 audio, we are currently broadcasting sound on the surround sound stream but it’s not surround sound — it’s stereo.”

She says TVNZ will confirm the launch of its 5.1 service “sometime next week”.

Meanwhile, today TVNZ reported a 164% hike in earnings and re-asserted its support for TiVo.

But the broadcaster also revealed it has “imparied” its investment in the company behind the media device, Hybrid Television Services, and allowed for a one-off “charge” of $17.7 million for its TiVo exposure.

Here’s the official press release:

Television New Zealand today reported underlying earnings of $31.8 million for the financial year ended 30 June 2011, a $19.8 million (164%) increase on the previous financial year.

TVNZ Chief Executive Rick Ellis said today that the company would be paying a dividend to the shareholder of $13.8 million, an uplift on the previous year’s dividend of $4.9 million.

TVNZ reported total revenue of $377.9 million, an increase of $22.6 million (6.4%) on the prior year.

 Advertising revenue was $302.7 million, $18.4 million (6.5%) higher than prior year.  TVNZ increased its share of television advertising revenue to 63% from 61% in the prior year and secured 80.6% of the total market growth for the 12 months ended 30 June 2011.  (Market growth for the 12 months to June 2011 was 5.1%).

 “Our advertising revenue and share growth are a testament to the strength of our programming and our strategy of Inspiring New Zealanders on Every Screen.  19 of the 20 most watched programmes appeared on TVNZ channels.”

 Rick Ellis said the performance of the company had been a significant achievement.

 “The results for the past year confirm the growing strength of television in the modern media mix.

“In addition, TVNZ’s growing portfolio of digital channels and digital media solutions was being embraced by clients and their advertising agency partners,” he said.

During the year the company launched two new channels, free-to-air channel U, and a second pay channel, TVNZ Kidzone 24 on Sky.

 “The company completed the implementation of a new multi-million dollar digital infrastructure, enabling it to reach more New Zealanders in more ways with its leading local and international content.”

 TVNZ earned a number of top industry awards for content, business innovation and creativity.  It won the CAANZ Media Brand of the Year 2011 Award, and was named one of New Zealand’s top three most attractive employers by Randstad.

 “The Christchurch earthquakes and Pike River mine disaster brought home the vital importance of TVNZ’s news service to the country.  I want to pay special tribute to our hardworking staff who delivered unprecedented news coverage that kept New Zealand informed during these difficult times,” said Rick Ellis.

TVNZ reported an after tax profit of $2.1 million, compared with an after tax loss of $26 million for the prior year.

TVNZ has impaired its investment in Hybrid Television Services (ANZ) Pty Ltd, recognised a share of operating losses and made provision for future operating costs of the company.  This has resulted in a one-off charge of $17.7 million being recognised.

 “While the investment in Hybrid has not produced the expected returns, TVNZ is committed to Hybrid’s ongoing support of the TiVo PVR product in Australia and New Zealand.”

Excluding this one-off adjustment, the normalised after tax profit was $19.7 million, a $12.8 million (184%) increase on the normalised after tax profit for the prior year.  This non-cash adjustment was excluded from the results when the Board declared the dividend from this year’s operating results.

Rick Ellis said that although the business environment remains challenging TVNZ is confident about the future.

“As New Zealand’s leading television and digital media company, TVNZ will continue its strategy of transformation and diversification.”

Next week Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) will slash the price of its Blu-ray gaming console, the PlayStation 3, from $629.95 to $479.95 for the 160GB model.

The 320GB model will be reduced from $729.95 to $579.95 at the same time.

The new pricing is effective from Monday and mirrors — but doesn’t match — price cuts in Europe and the US, where the base model will cost only $US250.

Nonetheless, SCE NZ insists in its press release: “Through these price reductions, the upcoming line-up of blockbuster software titles for the PS3 system, and the industry’s strongest offering of entertainment services, SCE will continue to expand the PS3 platform and deliver a world of computer entertainment that is only possible on PlayStation.”

Within five years of its release in 2006, the PS3′s cumulative worldwide sales have reached a milestone of 50 million units.

“Equipped with future proof cutting–edge technologies, including the sophisticated processors, Cell Broadband Engine and RSX, as well as the Blu-ray disc player and HDMI terminal, PS3 has continuously enhanced its value to consumers through system software updates to support new features and services, including stereoscopic 3D content playback and support for the PlayStation Move motion controller,” SCE says.

“With the breadth and depth of services and content available for the PS3 system, including its impressive BD software line-up and the expansive portfolio of more than 60,000 games and video content available on PlayStation Network, the new price will make the platform more accessible than ever and will appeal to a wider audience looking to buy the best entertainment system for their home.”

As of June 30, the worldwide cumulative number of BD software titles for the PS3 system topped 2,495 titles and downloadable PS3 games on PlayStation Store, 3,100 titles.

Of these titles, more than 120 are stereoscopic 3D supported and 200 are PlayStation Move dedicated or supported.

Coming soon are:  FIFA 12 and Battlefield 3, from Electronic Arts; GoldenEye 007: Reloaded from Activision; Assassin’s Creed Revelations, from Ubisoft; and Resistance 3, The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception from SCE.

The PS3 system also provides free access to PlayStation Network and its growing portfolio of marquee entertainment services such as Music Unlimited, Vidzone, Mubi and TVNZ Ondemand.

The new PS3 and PSP prices will be:

• PS3 Console (160GB) $479.95 (incl. GST)
• PS3 Console (320GB) $579.95 (incl. GST)
• PSP E1000 $179.95 (incl. GST)
• PSP Essentials Software Range $19.95 (incl. GST)
• PlayStation Vita pricing to be confirmed
• PlayStation 3D Monitor $849.95 (incl. GST)
• PlayStation Move Starter Pack $112.40 (incl. GST)

Oppo’s first Blu-ray 3D player is worth buying just for its 2D capability.

The BDP-93 is priced higher than most of the competition but picture purists won’t begrudge the $1350 price tag given the calibre of the extras – even if the appreciating dollar is making it harder to justify.

However, the premium’s partly due to one of the BDP-93’s most desirable features: it’s been hardware modified by NZ distributor RapalloAV so it can play back Blu-rays and DVDs from anywhere in the world, regardless of their regional coding.

This gives it a big advantage over the US model, although if you’re in the US you can use the BDP-93 for video streaming whereas here you have to be satisfied with merely its second-generation Qdeo video processing, dual HDMI outputs, wireless networking, universal audio, AVCHD and multi-media playback, 7.1/5.1/stereo analogue outputs (as well as optical and coaxial outs), eSATA and USB 2.0 ports (two)  … D’oh!!!

Everything about the BDP-93 exudes class. Even the polished packaging more befits Apple than a consumer electronics product while the substantial user manual puts Apple’s miniscule documentation to shame.

Lift the BDP-93 from the box and you’re immediately struck by its muscular heft and refined appearance.

I didn’t think a Blu-ray player could look more alluring than the 93’s predecessor, the BDP-83, but its successor is as eye-catching as its features are cutting edge.

Oppo even has managed to make its front panel more functional — and without compromising the fascia’s clean, uncluttered lines — by adding a USB port (the 83 has only one USB port, on the rear of the player that’s hard to access if rack mounted). (See comment below.)

Build quality is excellent while the solid backlit remote control is from the same mould as the 83’s, combining comprehensive functionality with a sensible configuration that makes it easy and intuitive to use.

All the most important features can be accessed with their own keys, from zoom to aspect ratio to output resolution, without having to access a multi-layered, on-screen menu.

Fire up the 93 and if the only Blu-ray 3D playback you’ve experienced is on a PlayStation 3, immediately you’ll appreciate its virtually silent operation.

Discs are quick to load and the multi-zone playback worked without a hitch. 3D playback, on Panasonic’s 50-inch VT20Z plasma, was just dazzling.

The Oppo flawlessly played Blu-ray 3Ds of Monster House, Piranha, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film, Clash of the Titans and Panasonic’s Avatar, but failed to recognise Jean-Michael Cousteau’s ocean trilogy was in 3D.

However, it’s not unusual for Blu-ray authoring to outdate Blu-ray player specifications and a firmware update is all that’s required for discs to play nicely.

It’s not only 3D playback that distinguishes the 93 from the 83: it also has different video processing — Qdeo instead of Anchor Bay — and two HDMI outs: one is for optimal Qdeo performance, using the dedicated DE2750 processor, the other for Oppo’s own processing.

Picture adjustment options are plentiful but, in my experience, should be used judiciously as it’s easy to introduce side effects that are just as unwanted as the problems you’re trying to eliminate.

The tweaking is more versatile than the 83’s Anchor Bay processor and can be customised for three different modes, which should be enough to handle the variability of DVD transfers.

The Qdeo certainly breathed new vigour into the 1972 western, The Culpepper Cattle Co, enriching it with a vividness and clarity that was breathtaking for unrestored, 40-year-old footage that wasn’t flash to start with.

But while this gave the 93 an edge over the 83’s processing, the trade-off was fleeting yet still distracting new image niggles.

With that in mind, Oppo’s 83 successor doesn’t offer enough new features or noticeably better performance to warrant upgrading.

But if you’ve yet to buy a Blu-ray player or want 3D capability, for under $1500 the BDP-93 is as close as you’ll get to one that scores nigh on 100%.

• For more in-depth appraisals, see: Home Theater Review, Soundstage, Home Theater, AVS Forum and Audio Video Revolution.

Sky TV will start installations of its 1TB My Sky+ PVR from July 11.

Orders for the uber-box can be taken from July 1.

It will cost $20 a month to rent (plus $99 for installation) but will offer four times as much recording storage as the $15-a-month My Sky HDi.

Alternatively, subscribers can pay a one-off, upfront fee of $649 instead of the monthly option.

My Sky+ won’t provide any functionality beyond My Sky HDi, which Sky will continue to offer for $15 a month.

But it will afford up to 130 hours of HD recordings – although only 640GB of its hard drive space is for personal recordings; the rest is for ondemand downloads.

HDi has been dropped from the model description merely because Sky thought My Sky HDi+ would be too much of a mouthful.

At this stage the only downside to the upgrade appears to be the inability, because of digital rights management issues, to transfer archived recordings from a My Sky HDi to the My Sky +.

So early adopters may need to undergo a catch-up marathon before the swap.

According to Sky’s director of marketing, Michael Watson, “The launch of My Sky has been a phenomenal success.

“The reason it has proven so popular with our customers is because it delivers so many real benefits and has truly changed the way many people watch television.

“Our customer feedback and research told us that a considerable number of My Sky users desired more personal recording capacity. This need is likely to increase with the growing prevalence of high definition shows.

“We developed My Sky+ to deliver that additional recording space, with four times more capacity but still with all the My SKY HDi features users are accustomed to.”

Sky is poised to triple the HD recording storage of its My Sky HDi PVRs.

It’s not known when the new 1TB models will be offered to subscribers – or how Sky will roll out the changeover.

Will it cost more? Will subscribers be able to transfer recordings?

Whatever the logistics, expect Sky to launch its new uber-box around the rugby World Cup, which will see My Sky HDi go into overdrive in many homes, and before the satcaster unveils two more HD channels (which it will promote during the Cup).

Currently, My Sky HDi has about 320GB of storage, which was double that of its SD predecessor, My Sky.

Nearly three years after its launch, it remains the best of the PVRs aligned with a platform.

It may not boast all the gee-whizz functionality of TiVo or the slick interface of T-Box, but it’s the simplest to use and the most responsive – which is why half of Sky’s 230,000-plus HDi subscribers opt for it without the HD package.

However, with TV One, TV2 and TV3 cranking up their HD content, and Sky planning to offer eight exclusive HD channels by Christmas, its usefulness always was going to be limited by its skimpy storage (especially when half of it is reserved for downloads).

Sky is being coy about its new HD channels. Chances are one will be an HD upgrade of an existing service, probably Discovery, and the other will be a new format that Sky will programme in-house.

It would be too much to hope for a Sky NZ version of BSkyB’s Sky Atlantic in the UK, an HD channel dedicated to top US cable dramas, predominantly from HBO.

Yet this is precisely the kind of distinctive and compelling content Sky should be offering when free-to-air TV foregoes this endangered programming species or relegates it to off-peak.

While the popularity of Prime’s Downton Abbey shows there is an appetite for quality drama, today’s best examples of the genre are being made for the likes of HBO, Showtime and AMC.

Some do turn up on FTA in primetime — TV3’s Californication, Nurse Jackie, Sons of Anarchy, The Big C; TV One’s The Pacific, Generation Kill – but others:

• are consigned to the late shift (Prime’s Mad Men and Weeds, TV2’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage);
• languish in limbo (Justified, Game of Thrones, TV One’s The Tudors, Four’s Breaking Bad);
• are too smart for their dumbed-down environments (The Box’s Dexter);
• go direct to DVD because broadcasters won’t buy them (Treme, Bored to Death).

Just imagine if there was one channel that showcased these series in HD, along with telemovies, documentaries, re-runs of classics like The Sopranos and Deadwood, and hot-off-the-satellite airings of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (neither of which, inexplicably, screen here on Sky’s Comedy Central, even though they’re staples of its US namesake).

Although FTA rights would complicate the availability of some content, most of it should be able to be secured for a pay window, especially in the case of HBO, which isn’t aligned with TVNZ or MediaWorks.

Sky’s growth has outstripped that of other pay operators – it’s now in more than 50% of households.

But if it’s to maintain that momentum, it will need to offer not only more affordable and flexible subscription deals but also a wider range of content beyond sports, movies and SD channels comprising largely FTA re-runs.

Quality and diversity have to become as important as quantity – and not just for subscribers willing to pay extra for services like the Rialto and Arts channels.

Loewe’s Art LED range for 2011 has gone on sale in screen sizes of 32, 40 and 47 inches.

Prices range from $6,643 to $9,710, with some models incorporating 250GB or 500GB integrated hard disks.

They also have up to 200Hz refresh rates, to optimise motion reproduction; edge LED backlighting, for maximum contrast; and, for the first time, Loewe’s MediaHome portal for accessing photos, videos and music from a home network or USB storage device (online content can be accessed on models with integrated hard disks).

The Art LED’s design, created in cooperation with Phoenix Design, references design elements from the Loewe Spheros and Loewe Art SL models.

Despite a full range of integrated functions, the televisions are slimmer than their predecessors and can be bought in two colour options: High Gloss Black and Chrome Silver.

Optional accessories include a rotating table stand with adjustable incline, an equally flexible floor stand and VESA wall mounts (the support for which is already integrated in the rear of the chassis).

Loewe says its closed two-way speakers “guarantee” precise treble, a clear midrange, and powerful bass (2 x 20 watt stereo power plus 40 watt for the low frequency range); all models have Dolby Digital Plus, AC3 and DTS.

International Dynamics Australasia today announced the release of two innovative motorised TV mounts from Sweden’s People of Lava.

The mMotion Swings come in two sizes: $599 for the large, which handles TVs weighing up to 45kg, and $499 for the small.

According to the IDA press release, they combine silent and smooth operation with the convenience of flexible TV viewing – up to 180-degree rotation — and easy one-stud installation.

They even include an infra-red learning receiver that can learn most remote controls.

Further additions to the mMotion TV bracket line will be made during 2011, including mMotion Top (motorised ceiling mount), mMotion Twist (motorised table and floor stands), and mMotion Lift (motorised TV lifts).

For more information, email enquiries@internationaldynamics.com.au or visit www.internationaldynamics.co.nz.

Loewe has announced a world first in video streaming: programmes that can ‘follow’ users of its TVs around the home.

Known as DR+ Streaming with ‘Follow Me’ function, it allows viewers to pause any programme, then pick up exactly where they left off on another television in another room without missing any of the action.

It’s initially available only as a software update for the Individual SL series range but Loewe will be expanding it to upcoming series.

How does it work?

An internal hard drive in the main television records the chosen programme and simultaneously streams it to the TV of choice.

This can happen in real time, as the programme is broadcast, or archived recordings can be streamed to a second Loewe TV while another household member views live programming on the main set.

The feature supports video streaming over LAN, Wireless LAN or Powerline (networking over the home’s electrical wiring).

To use it, you’ll need two or more current model SL series Loewe TVs, one with DR+ hard drive recorder (the software can be downloaded from the Loewe support website for updating via USB).

Selected Loewe TVs also can be used to surf the web, using their integrated MediaNet portal to access content in a format optimised for big-screen viewing.