3D Technology Primer
"2010 is poised to be a pivotal year for 3D entertainment..." - Joe Roberts, Executive Vice President, Products for Corel.
As of March 2010, consumer 3D TV & Projection is still some way off in Australia, but we're always looking out for the latest updates.
The most common method for producing consumer 3D is called Anaglyph 3D.
When viewed with two color glasses (each lens a chromatically opposite color, usually red and cyan). Images are made up of two color layers, superimposed, but offset with respect to each other to produce a depth effect. Usually the main subject is in the center, while the foreground and background are shifted laterally in opposite directions. The picture contains two differently filtered colored images, one for each eye. When viewed through the "color coded" "anaglyph glasses", they reveal an integrated stereoscopic image. The visual cortex of the brain fuses this into perception of a three dimensional scene or composition. [Source: Wikipedia]
In this example we've come up with a way to get some depth simply by shifting the colour hue, that's all we changed yet you see some depth and movement.
The visual system is easily fooled, another example is contrast how can you project a black number on a white projection screen? Make sure the white around the black is a lot brighter, the perception of contrast will have you seeing the less white as black. This works for say a player number on a jumper but can't work for a completely black screen in a light room so that's why Cinemas are darkened.
One more just for fun?
The two gray bars are the same, it's your perception that's wrong!
See more on how 3D works, and advancements in bringing 3D to the home at Ausmedia.
Back to the top.
Scanners
Unfortunately there is a gap in the film scanning world due to the discontinuation of the Nikon LS 50 and Nikon LS 5000 dedicated film scanners. However, Epson have a great all round solution in the Epson V700. The Epson V700 will produce similar results to the Nikon LS 50 and 5000, while also being able to scan in photos and documents. The major advantages that the Epson V700 has over other flatbed scanners is that they can scan up to A4 size in film (this is great for doctors who what to scan in X-rays) and it has the highest dynamic range (DMAX) in its price range!
Dynamic range is the ratio of the highest (lightest) signal which a scanner can record to the lowest (darkest) signal. The lightest signal would correspond to the brightest highlights in an image, the darkest signal to the deepest shadows. In simple terms this scanner can see more levels of grey, hence your black and white images are going to come out much better and also the contrast between colours is going to be much better too! We’re currently running a special on the Epson V700, so it’s even better value.
Canon's range of document scanners are aimed at helping you clear away ‘paper clutter’. The volume of paper that you need scanned will determine which document scanner is right for you. Currently our most popular document scanner is the Canon DR3010 – wedged in-between the introductory Canon DR2010 and the heavy duty Canon DR4010.
The Canon DR3010 is a dependable device for your most demanding workgroup scanning requirements. The DR-3010C delivers high quality results, is easy to use and handles the biggest workloads with ease. Canon’s New Retard Roller Technology uses a reversing separator roller which provides outstanding feeding and paper separation reliability across a diverse range of media types. The feeder handles anything from fragile documents to thick media, including business cards and ID cards.
CapturePerfect is Canon's own scanning application that makes it easy to get great scans straight out of the box. This imaging software, which is ISIS® compliant, was designed to maximise scanning performance (for example, you can scan directly to a searchable PDF), as well as streamline tasks for viewing, presenting, sending, saving, and printing office documents. CapturePerfect automates the image capture process and produces consistent, high-quality scans from even the most difficult original documents. Canon CaputrePerfect is available on the entire range of Canon Document Scanners including the Canon DR2010, DR3010 and DR4010.
View our Scanners range or go back to the top.
Laser Printers
Currently Fuji Xerox are leading the way in terms of colour laser sales, while in mono the Kyocera printers are always strong. The reason why Xerox sales are up is due to the 3 year on-site warranty given to models like the Xerox 3300DX and the Xerox Phaser 8560. This promotion will end on the 31st of March so be quick! As most consumers already know, Fuji Xerox are the world leaders in terms of colour laser printers - they are reliable, well-supported and produce a colour printer that really is second-to-none.
Fuji Xerox also produce a solid ink machine the Xerox 8560 - Fuji Xerox's exclusive solid ink technology is not only a viable, affordable option for those customers looking to add colour to their business documents, but has also become a competitive force in the printing industry. Other companies have tried to compete with Fuji Xerox's long history of colour expertise, but none have come close to matching the convenience and quality offered by solid ink technology. Solid ink printers produce brilliant, vibrant prints on a wide range of media, are easy to use and produce 90% less waste than a typical colour laser printer.
Leading the way in mono laser printer technology is Kyocera. For a long time Kyocera have been producing mono laser printers with the lowest cost of ownership in the market. Governments, schools and large offices have been turning to Kyocera to save money on running costs. A great feature is Koycera’s online Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator. Whether you're ready for a full managed print services program, or you are simply looking for more cost effective print alternatives, check out the Kyocera advantage through our exclusive TCO Tracker.
The TCO Tracker compares your current printer's running costs with a comparable Kyocera ECOSYS printer. What makes the TCO Tracker unique is that it is the only printer cost comparison tool in the industry utilizing IDC market data to compare the cost of the printers, including supplies and maintenance kits, based upon your typical monthly print volume. Kyocera also recognizes the burden that business activities can place on the environment. Kyocera strive to maintain a clear vision in pursuing a harmonious balance between economic development and environmental preservation.
View our Laser Printers range or go back to the top.
Projectors
The two biggest sellers in 1080P projectors at the moment would be the Sanyo Z700 and Epson TW-4500. The Sanyo is currently the best value full HD projector on the market. It offers 12 bit processing, true to life colours with exceptional clarity. It's Japanese made and offers an industry leading 3 year warranty on the projector as well as the lamp. Other standard features include a great 2 x zoom, lens shift and Sanyo's famous auto dust door which opens and closes when the unit is switched on and off. All this for under $3,000 makes this the value for money king.
The Epson TW-4500 comes in as one of the highest spec 1080P projectors around. Offering a monstrous 200,000:1 contrast ratio, Wow! The black levels on this projector are brilliant, it has 120Hz processing which is perfect for those fast moving scenes, D7 inorganic panels and its also one of the brightest home theatre projectors available. Epson has continued to produce class leading home theatre projectors and the EH TW 4500 is no exception. In the premium end of the scale, the Epson TW4500 is pick of the crop.
As for our data projectors, which are brighter and better suited to presenting text in bright environments, we're selling quite a few of the well priced Sanyo WXU300 and the almost-home-cinema-but-still-with-the-amazing-brightness-you'd-expect-from-a-data-projector, the Epson W8! If you have any queries about which projector would be right for your situation, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're happy to give advice about screen sizing and other home cinema queries too!
View our Projectors range or go back to the top.
Photo Printers
All the buzz in the first quarter of 2010 has been for Epson's new A2+ photo printer - the Stylus Pro 3880. The Epson 3880 replaces the highly successful 3800 model, which was a favourite among photographers and artists who required the highest quality prints up to 17 inches wide. The new 3880 expands upon the features of the 3800, adding Epson's new Vivid Magenta technology for a wider colour gamut and more vibrant prints. The 3880 also utilises the same three black cartridges (Matte or Photo Black, Light Black, and Light Light Black) that made the 3800 such a great black and white photo printer. As opposed to typical inkjets with only one black ink cartridge, the 3880 doesn't have to mix in colours to create shades of grey, so you don't get the colour casts that plague many inkjet photo printers. Also boasting a print resolution of 2880 x 1440dpi (maximum resolution) and 8 colours (using either photo black or matte black) the 3880 offers the best quality prints in it's class.
The Stylus Pro 3880 also features high-capacity 80ml ink cartridges, which provide much better running costs than typical desktop printers. In fact, if you were to buy the equivalent Epson model in A3+ size (the Epson Stylus Photo 2880, which comes with approx. 10ml ink cartridges), plus the equivalent amount of ink that comes standard with the 3880 (an additional 6 cartridge sets) you'd be up for a total of around $2,380 - which as of March 2010 is around $530 more than you'd pay for the brand new 3880. If you look at it this way, you're actually saving over $500 to go up to an A2 size printer! With a price tag well south of two grand, the 3880 opens up wide format printing to a whole new market.
If you only require printing up to A3+ in size and can't justify the initial outlay of the 3880, the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 is still a strong performer. With 8 colours (including the gloss optimiser) and a print resolution of 5760 x 1440dpi (optimised) the Epson 1900 delivers excellent quality colour photos. Thanks to a bit of wheeling and dealing by the team in Hot's own warehouse, we're also able to offer heavily discounted genuine Epson ink sets for the R1900. With an RRP of over $180, stocking up on these discount sets can drastically cut your running costs - and if printing is your business, this provides a much greater return on investment. Be quick, as this special offer is limited to current stock and these bad boys will move fast!
While we're on the topic of unbelievable value, let's not forget the Kodak ESP 3 all-in-one printer. The ESP3 multifunction offers colour print, scan and copy modes at a price point of around $140, making it excellent value for home use. The good people at Kodak also believe in lower running costs. The Kodak ESP 3 will save you up to 50% in ongoing costs when compared to similar consumer inkjets - so while there are several multifunction printers available for less than $200, the Kodak may provide the cheapest total cost of ownership.
At the other end of the scale, Canon are leading the way with wide-format and specialist printers. In-built features such as colour calibration and nozzle cloggage detection systems, combined with Canon's 12 colour pigment ink systems make Canon the undisputed leaders of large format printing. The Canon ImagePrograf IPF5100 is the big gun of professional A2 printers. The IPF-5100 is much faster than it's competitors, allowing businesses to do more work in less time - which brings more money through the door. With built in colour calibration it also delivers constant and reliable colour day after day. The advanced cloggage detection system also saves you from disaster's half-way through a print, which on any other printer would result in wasted time and media. These features are carried on throughout the Image ProGraf 12 colour range, which is comprised of the Canon ImagePrograf IPF6100, IPF8100 and IPF9100.
View our Photo Printers range or go back to the top.
Computers
I know technology is all about getting more poweful things in smaller spaces, but my jaw is seriously dropping with the latest line on netbooks launched in Australia. Cementing my jaw's place on the floor is the latest miniature notebook from Lenovo (IBM’s computer division) is the super small, lightweight – and dare I say it, sexy Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3T. It's a little beauty of a netbook that also doubles as a tablet. It's kind of what I'd expected from Apple for their iPad, but with a real keyboard, available now and backed by the excellent support of Lenovo Australia! The S10 also comes standard with Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, or you can upgrade it to Windows 7 Home Premium easily enough. We also offer the IdeaPad S10-3 which is the slightly less sexy (in my humble opinion anyway) vanilla netbook variety with no tablet functionality, but still great value nonetheless.
View our Computers range or go back to the top.
Cameras
Touch technology seems to be everywhere these days. It is like a little bit of the future has finally arrived and we can enjoy some of the technology we'd been promised years ago. Need proof? The Canon IXUS 200IS is a great little 12.MP digital camera that's compact and feature packed with facial recognition technology, intelligent auto-focusing and the standard stuff like red-eye reduction. But what really separates it apart is the thing that you look at each and every day – a beautiful, colour-rich 3" LCD screen that is also a touch screen.
That's right; you'll be pinching your fingers across the big screen to be zooming out in no time. It kind of reminds me of the disruptive technology we saw from the old Sharp ViewCam when it introduced a bright LCD screen to video cameras – and made it a central feature in the mid '90s. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes other camera manufacturers to catch up and start adding touch screen LCD displays in their premium offerings. We’ve got Canon's latest pocket rocket in the full variety of colours – including the Purple IXUS 200IS and the not-quite-gold Brown Canon IXUS 200IS – great technology in a great package at a blockbuster price.
If you’re a bit of a photography pro, you’ll most likely be after a digital SLR camera to get more control over the photo process. And well we’ve slashed the price on the Canon 5D Mark II body - offering an expanded ISO range from 50 to 25,600 at a massive 21.1 megapixels - at a rock bottom price!
View our Cameras range or go back to the top.
