JVC is reviving the name Victor in Japan, which is actually quite cool. Victor, if you’ll remember, was the gramophone maker that advertised with little dog who tilted his head to the speaker cone, reacting to “His master’s voice.” It was a great proto-campaign that really sent a powerful message about audio reproduction. Enough, nostalgia, though, because the booth was also pretty cool. They showed off a number of their Everio HDD camcorder line — my personal favorite — and some of their audio products including over-ear headphones and earbuds. → Read More
Just because 10 Days of CrunchGear is over doesn’t mean we don’t want you to win something great. Your goal is create a cake wishing CG a happy first birthday. I don’t care if it’s a Twinkie with a candle in it — it has to say “Happy Birthday, CG” on it. Heck, throw a little party and take pictures. We love seeing you all in action. You’ll have until Friday to send in your pictures and we’ll pick a few winners at random. But what can you win? Hmmm… let’s see. → Read More
Fans of the hard drive-based JVC Everio line will be pleased to hear that a new three-chip, HD version will be available in early September. The GZ-HD3 will feature 1440×1080 HD recording, three, 16:9 progressive-scan CCDs, a 60GB hard drive, and will weigh a pound and a half. Recording is 1080i only, unfortunately, but should still be plenty good for everyday use. I have an Everio camcorder and like it a lot. Recording to a hard drive is a lot more convenient (and less expensive) than buying tapes and being able to transfer the footage directly to a computer within a matter of minutes is a huge plus. Aside from that, the battery life is pretty good and it’s small enough to take just about anywhere. The GZ-HD3 will be available in early September for around $1,300. JVC Announces New 3CCD High Definition Hard Disk Drive Camcorder [JVC Press Release] → Read More
With a box straight outta’ 1983, you can’t go wrong It’s Super Friday! You know what that means, folks. Time for really exciting gadgets! Today we have the JVC HA-NC250 headphones with “state-of-the-art” noise canceling features. How does JVC accomplish this feat?: The HA-NC250′s noise cancellation circuitry includes feedback technology that constantly monitors the noise cancellation process. As a result, the headphones eliminate up to 85 percent of extraneous background noise. To further block noise, the HA-NC250 offers two JVC innovations that help isolate the listener from outside sounds. First, each earpiece employs a double housing structure for an extra sound insulation layer. Second, JVC developed a new technique for attaching the headphone’s smooth memory foam cushioned ear pads to the housing that helps isolate background noise. The smooth pads also enhance comfort. These sound isolation features, for which patents have been applied, are especially important since the HA-NC250 can be used with the active noise cancellation switched off. The headphones use 50mm neodymium drivers in each earpiece for explicit sound and clarity. You can fold them up and throw them in the included carrying case, which you’ll want to do considering these babies cost $199.95. You’ll be able to snag a pair in late August at wherever fine electronics are sold (read: Tweeter). Press Release → Read More
Word is going around about a new 60GB video camera from JVC, the GZ-HD3. The teeny cam will support 1440 x 1080 resolution and include an SDHC slot. No real official announcements, and when CamcorderInfo talked to the folks at the big Vic they said they had no official announcements, so I guess we’ll have to sit on our hands and wait. JVC Shows Off New High Definition Everio GZ-HD3 [CamcorderInfo] → Read More
The JVC TH-L1 home theater speaker system contains five satellite speakers, a subwoofer and a control unit. If you have $299, you can trade it for the privilege of keeping the aforementioned items in your home until it or you die. Here’s what else you get: 360 watts Two 1080p-capable HDMI ports Two component inputs Two digital audio inputs Two composite inputs Two S-video ports Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital, and DTS encoding An iPod dock with track control, video output, and charging Front-mounted USB port with support for MP3, WMA, WAV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4, and JPEG That’s a spicy meatball for just under three Franklins. Were you to meet a girl in a bar and get up the nerve to approach her, you could invite her over to either listen to music, watch high-definition television and/or movies, watch downloadable iTunes content, take turns playing Turok complete with loud sounds and flashy graphics or maybe just have a quiet night at home flipping through whatever sounds, photos and movies you had on your killer Swiss Army flash drive. JVC TH-L1 → Read More
JVC continues to expand its LCD 1080p line with four new models today. The 688 series has been revamped with 37- and 42-inch sets that now boast a sleek new black cabinet and will retail for $1,599.95 and $1,999.95, respectively. The 788 series one ups its little brother with 42- and 47-inch sets that feature the aforementioned black cabinet along with silver trim and Lohan-thin bezel. The 42-inch will retail for $2,099.95 while the 47-inch will set you back a cool $2,699.95. The New Kids On The Block all feature D.I.S.T. (Digital Image Scaling Technology) engines that upscale everything to 1080p. They don’t skimp on HDMI either with dual v1.3 inputs as well as having four picture modes, nine aspect modes and a USB photo viewer. Fantastic, right? Press Release → Read More
Football fans can rejoice knowing that there is now an even bigger screen to watch Tony Romo fumble on. Now you can experience failure on a 110-inch rear-projection screen of awesomeness thanks to JVC. This $53,000 TV set hasn’t hit the US yet and probably won’t be hitting your local Circuit City anytime soon considering it’s only in Japan at the moment. The set includes all the usual HD hookups for 1080p goodness, including HDMI, Component, D4, S-Video. It also features an ethernet and Firewire port so you can view pictures of Aunt Selma’s birthday party on the big screen. Oh yeah, good luck bringing this behemoth into your house. It weighs a staggering 730 pounds. That’s like carrying eight Nicole Richie’s through your front door. Plus it’s three feet deep and eight feet wide. I wouldn’t even know where to put this thing. Some would call this set overkill. I call it “out of my budget”. Product Page → Read More
Yee haw, partners! JVC’s goin’ ’round the country to county fairs, balloon festivals and air shows to show off its brand new products to the general public, no fancy press pass needed. Dubbed the “Focus on Hi-Def” tour, it will make stops at some 50 events in 24 states letting people see, hear, touch, taste and smell JVC gadgets, with an emphasis on the hi-def ones. Go ahead, marvel at its HDTVs and camcorders and whatnot. The company’s got a big bus filled with all sorts of electronics for you to fawn over, until the last show in Las Vegas in in November. The first stop on the tour is the Taste of Omaha event in Omaha, Nebraska. I see a few events near the CG headquarters. Who wants to BBQ and watch pigs roll around in mud with us? Focus on Hi-Def Tour [JVC] → Read More
Earlier today JVC announced its second-generation Clear Motion Drive high-speed LCD HDTVs. Keep in mind that JVC was the first to introduce this technology with a 120Hz refresh rate last year. So, come Fall, the new sets will be kickin’ out the jams like nobody’s business. CMD II isn’t the only bump in performance you’ll notice with the second-generation sets. The HD panels will use JVC’s fifth-generation D.I.S.T (Digital Image Scaling Technology) engine on a 32-bit Genessa chip coupled with a 10-bit panel to deliver more than one billion colors. Each set will offer three HDMI 1.3 inputs so feel free to go buck wild. It gets better because JVC wants to ensure that their design mantra of “maximum screen, minimum cabinet” is noticed on the next generation with a bezel that measures less than 1.5-inches all the way around. Think about that one for minute. Frothing yet? You should be. Press Release → Read More
JVC just dove into the home media center market and its latest offering is the Sophisti DD-3. Aside from an odd name, the DD-3 system is based upon speakers and a main unit. The main unit acts as a network media player, as well as a DVD player, AM/FM radio, CD player, and can stream audio from another PC. But one of the cooler features that makes the DD-3 stand out is the dedicated USB host port, which allows you to hook up an iPod, Zune, or whatever up to the system for playback. It’ll also stream music, video, and pictures from your home PC to a TV. Of course, with JVC, you’ll be getting big names with big quality on the inside. Dolby Digital, DTS, and Pro-Logic II decoding are built-in and the total system’s power is a sweet 220 watts. I saw the speakers used on the DD-3 during CES and boy do they sound incredible. Maybe that’s why the price-tag for the whole Sophisti DD-3 system is $1000. Ouch. Better start saving your pennies real quick, because it’s available now. Press Release → Read More
JVC has perhaps the strangest digital audio player right now and it’s currently floating around Japanese bathtubs. The XA-AW33 is a waterproof DAP that’s supposed to cause you to relax. When music bellows out of its mono speaker, it generates water ripples; a blue LED is also said to enhance the calming effect of the DAP. It’s got 265MB of flash and plays MP3s and WMAs. I predict this will do well in the crazy person market, ’cause only such a person would want to soak in a tub with a DAP floating around like an iceberg. At least it’ll calm them down. Product Page [JVC via Fareastgizmos.com] → Read More
If you missed seeing JVC at CES you probably weren’t alone. That’s because the company typically does their own thing off the show floor. So every year they invite the press out to see their offerings during the company’s annual dealer showcase. Among the products that might have been lost in the mix in Vegas were their new sleek home audio products, which now feature connectivity for the iPod, as well as XM Satellite Radio readiness. The line up includes the soon to be released UX-EP100 ($149.95), an ultra compact two-channel desktop music system with CD/MP3/WMA playback and the MX-KC58 ($199.95), a 400-watt mini system that is XM-ready. Both systems include an iPod connection for control and charger of the player, and both will be out in April. But the showcase at the event was the UX-EP300 (pictured), which will debut this fall for $249.95. This 2.1 channel DVD theater system features 3D phonic front sound technology to convincingly simulate surround sound. It features a USB host, allowing playback of files directly from a flash audio player or flash memory drive, with WMA, MP3 and WAV files. Finally a feature that people might actually use. → Read More
If you’re going to be flying this holiday, you may want to grab a pair of the recently released JVC HA-NC80 Headphones, as they’re “suited for travel.” These over-the-ear style headphones can give you all the protection you need from your mother-in-law with up to 75 percent noise reduction with two separate modes of noise cancellation. This is where stuff gets extreme: There’s a “wide” and a “low” setting for noise cancellation. “Wide” should be used for when you’re flying and “low” should be utilized when on a bus, train, or whatever else it is you’re on because you were too cheap to fly. The JVC HA-NC80s require a AAA battery to operate and will be on sale for $59.95 in December. Not a bad price for a decent pair of headphones. → Read More
JVC is giving us a new HD camcorder on October 3, part of their Everio series. You’ll forgive our lack of details, but there aren’t many, and those we do have are in Japanese. We do know that this compact little shooter can capture all the action of that brawl on the sidelines of your son’s soccer game in 1080i, and can be fitted with the new FUJINON 10x optical zoom lens for real, pro-type video action. And apparently, it can also turn into a steam-powered robot to battle these Gumby-like aliens, but that’s conjecture based on what we’ve read and our two credits worth of Japanese at the community college down the hill. JVC also knows tapes are so 2006, so they’ve outfitted the Everio with an internal hard disk. Chances are it’ll be swappable, and as current JVC HD camcorders top out at 30GB, look for it to include something in that capacity range. Prototypes will be available for the press at the Japanese CREATEC convention next week, so we expect more news on this guy at that time. With luck, we’ll see it stateside sometime early next year, probably late Q1. JVC Everio [Impress.co.jp, translated via Babelfish] → Read More
Don’t throw away that VHS copy of Animal House yet, brother. You can now watch it on your High Definition TV without wanting to scream bloddy murder. Or so they say, “they” being JVC. The new JVC DR-MV7S DVD/VHS can apparently use Voodoo to up-convert your old VHS tapes to 1080i or 720p for viewing on your HDTV via HDMI. No, really. We’re not sure if this works, but if it somehow does, then that 10-for-$21 bin of tapes at Blockbuster might start looking pretty sweet. If you like old episodes of Captain Power, that is, but then again, who doesn’t? Upscale your VHS to 1080i [Fosfor Gadgets] → Read More
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