Widescreen Wallpapers

I recently purchased a new Evga GX 260 core 216.

My games, whenever I run them on the right resolution (1440 x 900), always seem to stutter and lag a bit. They should run perfectly considering it’s a good card.

I have the latest drivers from nvidia’s website and it still doesn’t solve the issue.
I’ve tried re-installing them and it didn’t work.

Specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 2.53 GHz
Motherboard is made by Dell and model number is 0K216C
Chipset is Intel P35/G33/G31
OS is Vista SP1 32bit
2GB DDR2
Corsair 550w PSU

With the the big 3D push coming in 2010, I planted my eyes on three types of 3D technologies displayed at CEDIA (home theater expo) that you may have in your next TV…and passed some judgments without pulling any punches.

It should be noted, all designs require glasses. (More technical background on the types of glasses here.)

Panasonic’s 3D Plasma Concept
The Tech: Plasma with Active Shutter (alternating left eye, right eye progressive frames)
As a baseline reference to get our bearings, I took yet another look at Panasonic’s 103-inch plasma display that we’ve seen twice before. My original impressions stand. It’s decent—and definitely the best technology of the three that we saw at CEDIA. Why? There’s virtually no flicker in the image because of plasma’s instantaneous response times/ability to push legitimate high frame rates. Plus, it probably helps that we’re talking about a 103-inch display (that has its own trailer). The bigger a 3D display, the better the illusion. But glasses aside, it’s not what I’d deem a perfect experience. You see ghosting around some objects. And…OK, I still can’t ignore the damned glasses. It creates an inherent distance from the image inducing an unintentionally ephemeral viewing experience.

Sony’s LCD Concept
The Tech: 240Hz LCD with Active Shutter (alternating left eye, right eye progressive frames)
Even Panasonic will tell you that 240Hz is the baseline speed needed for an LCD to pull off 3D. But you know what? 240Hz isn’t enough. Watching Pixar’s Up, the color and sharpness are both great, but there’s an absurd level of flicker that’s nominally better than on old timey crank projector. And on this normal-sized LCD, it’s incredibly obvious when 3D objects break the illusion by reaching the TV’s frame. Granted, we’re not talking about a final product here, but the specs seem pretty much identical to what consumers can expect to see in the high-end display market next year.

JVC’s GD-463D10 LCD
The Tech: Polarized filter (two images are interlaced on the screen, each eye sees half the data, glasses don’t need power)
Of the three technologies here, JVC’s is the only final product that’s actually available now. And it costs $9,153. It’s also easily the worst of the three—completely unwatchable, in fact. The interlaced 3D means that the resolution takes a huge hit. But it’s worse than just a 1080i picture. Your brain can almost make out these lines. I could say more about the tech, but I honestly couldn’t stand to look at the screen for more than 10 seconds at once. Oh, and the kicker? For nine thousand bucks, you still only get two pairs of the cheap, polarized glasses. Sorry kids, Mommy and Daddy are watching TV tonight.

There’s no doubt that some home theater enthusiasts will go out and plop down $5k or more on a commercially available 3D display when they enter the TV lines of major manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic in 2010. But I’m hoping, really hoping, that the public can resist the gimmick until the technology is perfected. To me, that means when we don’t need to deal with these silly glasses at all. But for whatever it’s worth, plasma is definitely looking like the clear front runner in execution. [Image]

In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “What’s the deal with local dimming LCDs?” In the words of one Toshiba rep, “it finally allows us to compete with plasma.”

On the left, the recently announced Toshiba SV670, a locally dimmed LED LCD. On the right, Toshiba’s last gen, CCFL LCD display (click image for full size pop-up). Both were promised to be configured with the default “sports” settings—no special engineer tweaking.

Local dimming is one of the catchwords of CEDIA—the US’s big home theater trade show. It’s basically when a backlit LED display completely turns off backlighting in the dark parts of the image, pretty much making black as black as it can be.

Seeing Toshiba’s side-by-side, the TVs produced pretty much identical images in terms of color, sharpness and dark details. But the blacks were way blacker, even when the lights in the room were turned on. And the difference is even more pronounced in person.

In other words, from Toshiba or any other company, this what “local dimming” really means when you read it on a spec sheet. The more you know, kids!

I’m not sure you could ever call a 32-inch monitor portable, but if you could, the JVC LT-32WX50 fits the bill. Aside from the LCD’s 1/4-inch (6.4mm) depth, the display weighs but 12.5 pounds.

And with a 4000:1 contrast ratio along with a 90 percent of Adobe RGB color gamut, the picture should be pretty great, too, fed into 2 HDMI inputs along with a VGA if you’d prefer.

Of course, there’s always a catch.

For one, we don’t know the resolution beyond that it’s “exceptionally high.” That could mean 1080P. That could mean 4-bajillion-K. That could mean…you know, it’s not defined. Plus, it’s $3,000 this November. I’m can’t know the precise amount of satisfaction you receive after inviting friends into your office only to turn your monitor on its side so that your guests can pretend to ooh and ahh at your extravagance, but it can’t be better than what $3,000 can buy you in the recreational chemical and escort industries. Trust me.

JVC Announces Super Slim & Light Flat Panel Monitor

32-inch LED backlit monitor measures just ¼-inch deep

ATLANTA, September 10, 2009 – JVC today announced a super slim LCD monitor for home theater use that measures a mere ¼-inch (6.4mm) deep across most of the panel and weighs just 12.5 pounds (5.7kg). The new 32-inch class LT-32WX50 will be available in the U.S. in November.

The new monitor’s super slim profile is made possible by the use of JVC’s edge LED backlighting system.
It offers a 4000:1 contrast ratio and wide color gamut for exceptionally high resolution of both video and still images.

The monitor’s shallow depth makes it ideal for consumers who want the design flexibility such a slim design allows. It also lends itself to a variety of commercial applications. Another attribute is that fewer material resources are used in making the monitor, reducing the product’s environmental impact.

Key features of the LT-32WX50 are:
• Taking advantage of JVC’s unique LCD panel edged-light LED backlight system, the LT-32WX50 is stunningly thin - just 1/4-inch* (6.4mm) deep at its thinnest point, with a slim module inset along the bottom third that houses the monitor’s inputs and other connections;
• Six picture settings: home, retail, movie, monitor, SLR photo mode, game;
• It covers a wide color gamut – 100 percent of sRGB and 90 percent of Adobe RGB;
• It uses approximately 50 percent fewer material resources and eliminates the use of mercury;
• JVC’s high definition picture engine is designed for reproducing both video and still images;
• It includes two HDMI connections along with analog RGB (D-Dub, 15-pin); the display can be controlled externally via RS-232C;

* When measured from the front surface of LCD panel to the rear surface of the cabinet.
The JVC LT-32WX50 will be available in November for less than $3,000.00.

Today Epson announced four new 1080p projectors at CEDIA, including the PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 that comes in at an “affordable” $1599.

The 3LCD-based 8100 features a contrast ratio of 36,000:1 and a brightness bump to 1800 lumens. It also includes a Dynamic Iris system that allows for frame by frame light control (up to 60 frames per second)—helping to smooth out movies with fast scene changes. Of course, the $1599 price tag doesn’t quite compare to the new crop of sub-$1000 1080p projectors that are starting to hit the market, but Epson’s 8100 does represent a second tier of affordability with specs that would probably have cost you at least twice as much a year ago. Of course the game is about more than just impressive contrast ratios, but even without a review these shrinking price points are encouraging. Expect the 8100 to arrive sometime in late October along with a $100 rebate offer that would bring the price down to $1499.

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Epson Adds Two High-Performance 1080P Projectors to
Award-Winning Home Theater Lineup

Feature-Packed PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB Offer Home Theater Enthusiasts Unsurpassed Image Quality and Affordability

ATLANTA (CEDIA Expo 2009, Booth 3353) – Sept. 8, 2009 – Epson America today announced two 1080p front projectors, the PowerLite® Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB, expanding its award-winning line of 3LCD™ home theater projectors. Featuring D7 technology for brilliant color and detail, and higher contrast, the Home Cinema 8100 reaches a 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and the Home Cinema 8500 UB achieves an unprecedented 200,000:11. The Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB also offer the latest in real color reproduction capabilities for more natural and precise colors, delivering an outstanding viewing experience for home entertainment and AV enthusiasts.

With pricing of $1,599 (plus an additional $100 rebate at launch) and sub-$3,000, respectively, the Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB offer consumers affordable high-definition 3LCD home entertainment, delivering bright and natural color, crisp image detail, and unsurpassed light efficiency and reliability. These 3LCD projectors use an advanced, three-chip optical engine for brilliant color and image quality without the possibility of color break-up, unlike DLP projectors that generate images using a spinning color wheel with a white segment.

“Epson is committed to leading the market when it comes to home theater performance and value,” said Marge Ang, senior product manager, Epson America. “These new models take advantage of Epson’s latest technology to offer consumers the highest-performing1080p solutions available at their respective price points.”

Epson Home Cinema 8100
The value-packed Home Cinema 8100 features an improved contrast ratio of up to 36,000:1 (double that of previous models) and higher brightness – 1,800 lumens color and white light output - for outstanding image quality in dark or lighted rooms. The projector’s exclusive Dynamic Iris system contributes to the dramatic contrast improvement, allowing light to be controlled on a frame-by-frame basis at up to 60 times per second, making it ideal for fast-action movies with frequent scene changes. Designed for home entertainment and AV enthusiasts on a budget, this projector offers high-quality home entertainment for enjoying movies, video games, sports, and more.

Epson Home Cinema 8500 UB
Along with the latest D7 chip set, this high-quality projector adds Epson’s C2Fine® and UltraBlack™ technology for superb black levels and vivid images. Further boosting black levels, the Home Cinema 8500 UB includes brightness of 1,600 lumens color and light output and new dual-layered auto iris technology, allowing for an impressive contrast ratio of up to 200,000:1. As a result, the projector controls light intensity more effectively, causing dark images to appear even darker and blacks to appear even richer and deeper.

The projector also features Epson’s new Super-resolution™ technology to create a sharper, more detailed picture resolution ideal for broadcast signal noise reduction or enhancing the quality of poor DVD transfers. Super-resolution technology improves the resolution of a blurred image, allowing consumers to fully enjoy high-definition quality at all times. Epson has also added new real color reproduction capabilities, which delivers more natural and precise colors, allowing viewers to experience the true-to-life colors filmmakers intended.

To ensure sharp, clear images, the projector features Epson’s 12-bit 3LCD driver technology and a built-in Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX scaling and de-interlacing video processor. This processor reduces mosquito and block noise and augments multi-level contrast enhancement to further improve picture quality. The Home Cinema 8500 UB also features enhanced FineFrame™ technology resulting in smoother frame interpolation, sharper video quality and the elimination of judder.
Shared Features of the Home Cinema Line – The Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB share features designed to improve image quality and total cost of 3LCD projector ownership, including:

*
Cinema Filter: Delivers larger color space for improved color fidelity.
*
Fujinon OptiCinema™ Multi-Lens Optics System: Projects clean, precise edges with consistent image quality across the entire screen, expanding installation flexibility.
*
Pre-set Color Modes: Features seven color modes (Dynamic, Living Room, Natural, Theatre, Theatre Black 1, Theatre Black 2, x.v.Color) for optimal viewing in any environment.
*
E-TORL® (Epson Twin Optics Reflection Lamp): Provides optimum light uniformity and increased light output for screen sizes larger than ten feet with exclusive 200 watt high efficiency design; uses less energy for up to 4,000 hours of lamp lifeiii.
*
Advanced Dust Filtration System: Ensures efficient power use, reduced cool-down periods, lower fan speeds, quieter operation (only 22 db), and 98 percent efficiency for longer filter life.
*
Input Options: Features two HDMI 1.3a inputs with Deep Color support, high definition component video input, S-video input, composite video input, and VGA-type RGB input (D-sub 15).

Availability and Support
The Epson Home Cinema 8100 will be available in late-October and the Home Cinema 8500 UB will be available in November through authorized Epson projector dealers and select retail outlets, and come with Epson’s industry leading service and support. Pricing for the Home Cinema 8500 UB will be released at that time. This includes a two-year limited warranty with access to Epson PrivateLine® priority toll-free support, 90-day limited lamp warranty, and free two-business day exchange with Extra CareSM Home Service.

Epson’s Latest 1080P Pro Cinema Projectors Bring Custom Installers High
Performing
PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB Offer New Levels of Image Quality, Detail and Performance

ATLANTA (CEDIA Expo 2009, Booth 3353) – Sept. 8, 2009 – Epson America today announced two native 1080p 3LCD™ home theater projectors designed for custom installers and home theater buffs, the PowerLite® Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB. These projectors feature the latest 3LCD chips with D7 technology for amazing color and detail, and significantly higher contrast ratios – the Pro Cinema 9100 achieves a 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and the Pro Cinema 9500 UB attains an unprecedented 200,000:1 in its class . With professional-level color tools including ISF calibration and color isolation, the Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB offer professional installers full-featured solutions.

Available for $2,599 and sub-$4,000 respectively, the Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB offer state-of-the-art image quality and performance in each of their respective categories with enhanced color reproduction capabilities and 3LCD technology to deliver bright and natural color, crisp image detail and reliability. As Epson’s flagship home theater model, the Pro Cinema 9500 UB brings several technology enhancements to the market, including a new dual-layered auto-iris to control light reduction rates, Super-resolution™ technology for enhanced picture quality and improved FineFrame™ technology.

“Epson understands the needs of the custom installation channel and is committed to providing high-quality products that meet the needs of dealers in today’s competitive market,” said Marge Ang, senior product manager, Epson America. “These latest Pro Cinema projectors have been packed with a range of value-add features and technology refinements that allow custom installers to build a customized high-performance, home entertainment system for their discerning customers.”

Epson Pro Cinema 9100
The Pro Cinema 9100 offers a high-value, customizable home entertainment experience. The projector includes ISF Day and Night modes for switching between picture modes and lamp output, as well as Epson’s Color Isolation system for fine-tuning of color saturation and hue without the need for blue and red optical filters, making set-up and calibration quick and simple. With a contrast ratio of up to 36,000:1 and brightness of 1,800 lumens color and white light output , this projector offers amazing big-screen image quality. Housed in a stylish black and silver design, the Pro Cinema 9100 features an exclusive Dynamic Iris system which contributes to the improvement in contrast. It controls light on a frame-by-frame basis at up to 60 times per second, making it ideal for fast-action movies with frequent scene changes.

Epson Pro Cinema 9500 UB
The flagship Pro Cinema 9500 UB offers custom installers the ultimate in image quality, combining Epson’s C2Fine® and UltraBlack™ technology with 3LCD and D7 technology to produce superb black levels and vivid images. The projector also features a dual-layered auto iris to control light reduction rates more effectively, contributing to its astounding contrast ratio – up to 200,000:1. With brightness of 1,600 lumens color and white light output, the projector delivers deeper blacks and crystal clear detail.

Adding to its high-quality performance, the Pro Cinema 9500 UB features Epson’s improved FineFrame technology for smoother frame interpolation, sharper video quality and the elimination of judder for viewing sports and fast-action movie scenes, and playing video games. Epson has also added new Super-resolution technology to sharpen blurry images or low-resolution pictures. This new technology is ideal for high-definition content, addressing broadcast signal noise reduction or improving the quality of poor DVD transfers.

The Pro Cinema 9500 UB also features new real color reproduction capabilities for more natural and precise colors, while Epson’s 12-bit 3LCD driver technology and a built-in Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX video processor and PW390 scaler ensure a smoother picture. It also includes pre-set color space selection to set color gamut according to geography and source material, a feature typically found only on high-end high-definition broadcast monitors. And, with an optional external anamorphic lens (available from Epson) and “vertical stretch” picture mode, the Pro Cinema 9500 UB enables anamorphic viewing without an external processor for a full theatrical image – projecting true 2.35:1 and 2.40:1 ultra widescreen images without the black bars above and below the picture.

Shared Features of the Pro Cinema Line – Epson’s Pro Cinema projectors share a range of value-add features designed to further enhance performance, image quality and total cost of ownership, including:

*
3LCD Technology: Delivers bright and natural color, amazing detail and road-tested reliability; uses an advanced, 3-chip optical engine for full-time color without the possibility of color break-up.
*
Cinema Filter: Delivers larger color space for improved color fidelity.
*
Fujinon OptiCinema™ Multi-Lens Optics System: Projects clean, precise edges with consistent image quality across the entire screen.
*
E-TORL® (Epson Twin Optics Reflection Lamp): Provides optimum light uniformity and increased light output for screen sizes larger than ten feet with exclusive 200 watt high efficiency design; uses less energy for up to 4,000 hours of lamp life ; both models include a spare lamp.
*
ISF Certification: Allows installers and calibrators to fine-tune picture quality and match output with front projection screens.
*
Input Selections: Features two HDMI 1.3a inputs with Deep Color support, high definition component video input, S-video input, composite video input, and VGA-type RGB input (D-sub 15).
*
Installation Options: Includes ceiling mount, reversible front panel Epson logo for various mounting positions, rear panel cable cover to hide wires and cable hook to ensure connections remain secure.

Availability and Support
Available in October and November respectively, the Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB can be purchased through authorized Epson projector dealers and select retail outlets. Both models come with Epson’s industry leading service and support, including a three-year limited warranty with toll-free access to Epson’s PrivateLineSM priority technical support, 90-day limited lamp warranty, and free two-business day exchange with Extra CareSM Home Service.

[Epson]

Points for being different, I guess. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Pureness spruces up an otherwise ordinary phone with an extraordinary, clear LCD.

We have no details other than its “talk, text, time” theme and what we can(’t) see: the Xperia is a no-frills candybar with a transparent, monochrome LCD screen.

You’ll notice that in the video, the black buttons aren’t even labeled with numbers. I actually prefer this absurdly minimal design to the still product render, however impractical, as it takes a phone designed purely to be striking and makes it even more striking.

The Pureness will be available in unspecified but select cities this November. And while I can resist the gimmick this time around, the first 100% transparent phone, no matter how crappy it may be, will be rewarded with my highly sought $300 w/ 2-year contract. [Sony Ericsson via unwired view via MobileCrunch]

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The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony is planning to introduce a 3D LCD TV by the end of 2010. Sony’s been in a bit of a slump lately, and a push to 3D would certainly provide some excitement.

This leak is all according to an unnamed source, so don’t get too worked up, but supposedly Sony is set to announce the product at next week’s IFA in Berlin. Panasonic has already committed to work on 3D TVs, but Sony could still be the first to get a product out the door. We’ll have to wait until next week to find out if there’s any truth to the rumor. [Wall Street Journal]