tv Archives - Joe Tech

What Is A Smart TV?

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The word â€˜smartâ€™ seems to be appearing all over the technological world; smartphone, smart refrigerator, smart oven etc.

Smart TVs have recently surfaced, and their capabilities are dramatically improving with each model that is released, keeping them on a path to becoming a type of all in one device. As a result it is quite difficult to keep up with the latest offerings, and here we look at some of these.

LG have been in the smart TV business for a while now and are one of the major competitors in the field. Their latest release, the G2 Smart TV, is their first smart TV that is 3D enabled. It uses the Google TV 2.0 interface and supports a dual core CPU. However the most impressive addition to this model is a gesture-controlled â€œmagicâ€ remote control.

The control has two parts, the right side with normal button functions and the left with an integrated touch area for controlling the set. The control also has a built in microphone, enabling voice commands to be sent to the TV. Similarly to Nintendoâ€™s Wii sensor bar, the TV has an IR sensor.

Samsung have taken a similar route with their latest smart TVs, using the Google TV 2.0 interface. They have also focussed on the remote control, completely stripping back the array of buttons to leave a smooth and sleek design. The remote doesnâ€™t quite have LGâ€™s integrated touch area but more of a laptop track pad. It does however include a built in microphone for voice commands.

But Samsung has taken steps in other areas that really give it an edge. Samsung has aligned itself with Microsoftâ€™s Kinect technology, installing a web cam that tracks and enables a user to move a cursor around the screen, Minority Report Style. A clench of the fist means to select the option. If waving your arms around isnâ€™t quite the look you want, you could always download Samsungâ€™s free SmartView app to your mobile device, turning it into the remote instead.

So you have set all your preferences, and then a family member takes over. Well fear not because Samsungâ€™s latest offerings also entail face-detection. The web cam recognises the person in front of it and opens their Smart Hub account, ready with all their preferred settings and favourites.

Although not released yet, and in fact no mention of a release at all, Appleâ€™s iTV is set to hit retailers at some point in the near future. Even though still rumours, the TV will incorporate a number of Apple technologies such as AirPlay, Siri and a built in iSight camera for making free FaceTime video calls.

With an increasing number of products and appliances becoming Wi-Fi enabled, such as wireless printers, refrigerators and ovens, it is only a matter of time before the TV will become the central control point of the household.

Video Conference In HD With Warpia ConnectHD

With the ability to watch movies and TV series on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, those of us without an Internet-ready TV have been settling for watching at a computer desk or on a smaller laptop screen. One way around this is to get the video from your computer to the TV as seamlessly as possible. Last year, I reviewed Warpia’s USB PC to TV video adapter, which provided decent wireless video up to 720p. After that review, many people asked about 1080p video and other features. Today, I reviewed Warpia’s latest product in this line, the ConnectHD.

1080p HD USB PC to TV Video Streaming

Like other streaming products, the ConnectHD includes a USB adapter for sending video and a receiving unit on the television end to convert the signal and display it on your TV. This is accomplished by Windows treating the Warpia adapter as a duplicated monitor and feeding it all the video you see on your screen. That video image is then streamed wirelessly to the receiver and shows up on your TV. I tested this with video in 1080p and it streamed very well. At the request of my wife, several additional tests were conducted with full episodes of Sons of Anarchy from Amazon.com. The 1080p video testing from YouTube looked great and the additional tests passed Michelle’s scrutiny.

HD Video Conferencing

The premier feature of ConnectHD is the ability to, well, connect in HD to others. The TV adapter includes a 720p HD video camera and the ability to stream video both ways. On your computer, the camera shows up as any other camera you might connect directly. This makes the ConnectHD uniquely suited to act as video conferencing hardware for applications like Skype and MSN Messenger. I tried it with Skype today and was pleased with the results. The video quality showed some signs of compression, but that may have been more Skype than the camera as the image was crystal clear in Skype’s video settings panel.

Warpia ConnectHD Video Demonstration

During my testing, I created video of some of the process, showing how well the ConnectHD works and demonstrating the features as seen below:

Conclusions

Listed on the Warpia site with a sales price of $199.99, ConnectHD is a good bundle considering the $100+ prices of most HD PC to TV video solutions and the cost of a good HD camera. ConnectHD bundles both to ensure they will work well together. If video conferencing is something you won’t likely do from the couch, $199 can seem steep, so Warpia and other companies offer cameraless solutions for a lot less cost. This solution performed very well in all of my testing and works great for the task at hand.

Going Big With Warpia’s Wireless USB PC To TV Adapter

Having a computer dedicated to your entertainment center is fine, but what if you don’t want to dedicate a computer just to that? That’s how I had things set up for a long time. I used the computer less and less after we got a new cable box that included a DVR. With HULU, I contemplated setting it all back up, but then I came across a device that promised to save me all the trouble.

The device pictured above is a USB PC to TV audio and video adapter from a company called Warpia and it’s designed to transmit the audio and video signal from your computer to a receiving unit attached to your PC.

Setting It All Up

The setup for this device really couldn’t have been much easier. Following some simple instructions, I installed the software from the included CD and then plugged in the USB PC adapter. After looking over the settings, I plugged in the A/V base adapter and hooked it up to the HDMI cable I borrowed from my DVD player (will connect via VGA, too). After a couple seconds, everything on my laptop screen was being displayed on my 42 inch TV as well. Check out the video of everything in action:

The refresh rate for video was pretty good, but could be a little better. Other than that, HD video came across as true HD and looked really good. All my applications refreshed seamlessly and I had a very clear picture.

Features and Flaws

One of the things I liked about this was that it’s treated as an additional display, so I can tell Windows to either Duplicate the display or Extend it. When I extend it, I get to keep my normal laptop screen just on my laptop, and a second desktop for the TV. A great example of how that’s beneficial presented itself the other night. I purchased a movie online for direct download and watched it on the TV over my wireless A/V connection. At the same time, I was able to tweet, read and respond to email, etc. from my original desktop. Pretty cool.

The SWP100A also comes with mounting screw slots on the bottom of the TV adapter and that end’s USB stick can plug in horizontally or vertically in case you want to wall mount it and keep it as flush as possible.

The only real concern this device presented was the heat it generated. The USB adapter can get pretty warm and the TV adapter gets downright hot. I’d have loved to see an on/off switch on the TV end of the setup. Not only would this help with the heat problem, but it would be a lot easier than having to unplug it and plug it back in every time I want to use it.

Conclusions

At $179.99, it’s not my cheapest device, but it’s cheaper than setting up another computer just for the TV and a lot, I mean a LOT easier. I went from sealed box to completed and in use in about 5-7 minutes. If you can handle the price, it’s a decent solution to get your audio and video from PC to TV in a snap.