Business News Holding

Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • CAST Releases H.264 IP Core for HD Video Compression


    Silicon Intellectual Property (IP) provider CAST has launched a new H.264 encoder core intended for applications that require the transmission of the highest quality video over low bit-rate channels.

    The company claims that the CAST H264-E Encoder Core delivers some of the best looking compressed video available.

    Possible uses include remote medical diagnostics, military targeting, satellite reconnaissance and advanced surveillance systems.

    The core offers this quality for screen sizes from handheld (CIF, 352 x 240 pixels) to full HD (1080p30, 1920 x 1080 at 30 frames per second).

    It fully supports the Baseline Profile, Level 4.1, of the H.264 specification (MPEG-4 Part 10, also known as MPEG-4 AVC, Advanced Video Coding).

    The company said that every design decision in the CAST H264-E development process was made in favor of improving video quality.

    "This uncompromising approach led to excellent output and nearly constant-quality video for even the most demanding compression challenges: high-motion scenes, quick camera panning, rapid scene changes, artificial motion, and frequent zooming," according to a CAST statement.

    "Achieving this video quality with just Baseline Profile support means the CAST H264-E generally requires fewer resources—processing time, chip area, and power consumption—than competing cores that support higher-level profiles."

    The H264-E Encoder Core was developed by long-time CAST partner Alma Technologies in Greece.

    The core is available now, in RTL source code for ASICs or optimized netlists for programmable devices.

  • ASUS Enters HDTV Monitor Market


    ASUS has announced a range of HDTV monitors that it says offers the best in desktop monitor and LCD TV technology.

    The TV Monitor T1 Series comes in 22- (22T1E), 24- (24T1E) and 27-inch (27T1E) sizes and offers a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) panel, a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 nits of brightness, five millisecond response time, built-in TV tuners (for the UK market) and a pair of seven-watt speakers.

    The monitors come with VGA, HDMI (x2), component, composite, S-Video and a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack.

    There is no detail on pricing yet.

  • RIM Launches MyBlackberry Forum


    RIM has launched a RIM-operated community forum for BlackBerry users.

    MyBlackBerry is akin to a bulletin board and is intended as a place were any BlackBerry users can share tips, stories, review apps and discuss their handsets.

    RIM has said that it will keep tabs on what goes on with the intention of learning what’s working and what’s not for Blackberry users.

    This is undoubtedly a good idea – not least because BlackBerry’s App World store has not enjoyed the success of Apple’s App Store.

    With the aid of feedback from MyBlackberry, perhaps the Canadian company will be able to rectify complaints such as the store being hard to navigate and confusion over apps.

    It might be an idea that Apple could adopt since there are plenty of iPhone users that would be willing to talk about their apps.

  • Toshiba Integrates VoIP System With Microsoft OCS RCC


    Toshiba’s telecommunication division has announced integration of Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 Remote Call Control (RCC) capabilities with its Toshiba Strata CIX family of VoIP business communication systems.

    Brian Metherell, vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems, Telecommunication Systems Division, said that with the integration, enterprise users of Toshiba’s Strata CIX family of VoIP business communication systems can Click-to-Dial from Microsoft OCS 2007 using a Toshiba Strata telephone device.

    He said it is compatible with Toshiba’s most popular IP and digital telephones as well as Toshiba’s SoftIPT softphone.

    Users also gain telephony status information for other callers on the Strata CIX system, viewable from their Microsoft OCS Enhanced Presence screen.

    "In providing an integrated solution with Microsoft OCS 2007, Toshiba is delivering on its promise to expand its Unified Communications offerings by giving customers a choice in how they communicate with their Toshiba Strata CIX VoIP system," he said.

    The Toshiba Strata CIX VoIP system is available through authorized Toshiba dealers.

  • VoxOx Improves VoIP Freeware


    VoxOx is offering new freeware that comes with a Personal Assistant feature that includes call recording, call forwarding, call routing, and call screening.

    The multi-protocol messaging and VoIP communication client also has expanded social-networking features and stronger back-end support.

    The Personal Assistant feature introduced in the new version can also be set to answer all calls, route calls based on caller, as well as more standard uniform call routing.

    It also offers the ability to listen in on voicemails as they’re being recorded and users can set personalized ringback tones.

    With the new version VoxOx is setting out its stall as a one-stop communication hub.

    Instant messaging support has been expanded in the improvements to Facebook IM, MySpace IM, Gadu Gadu, and Skype.

    E-mail address book contacts can now be imported from Google, Hotmail, AOL, Mac, and Outlook address books.

    Both inbound and outbound faxes are included as part of VoxOx’s free feature set.

    The program automatically converts text documents to fax-appropriate signals when you’re sending out. Incoming faxes are received as PDFs.

    The freeware is available for Windows and Mac.

  • BlueArc Unleashes High-end Network Storage Solution


    BlueArc has launched its Mercury series network storage platform in a bid to address the storage challenges faced by many midsize companies.

    Michael Gustafson, president and CEO of BlueArc, said that as the volume of unstructured, file-based data continues to explode, and retention and archiving demands increase, companies of all sizes are struggling to keep pace.

    He said that while traditional network storage solutions have offered some relief, they have resulted in the unintended creation of storage silos, filer sprawl, poor utilization rates and lagging performance.

    BlueArc Mercury has been designed to address these storage inefficiencies with a powerful file system and hardware platform that allows companies to consolidate users, applications and storage systems in order to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their storage infrastructure, all without giving up performance.

    "Many midsize companies face enterprise-sized storage challenges and until now, traditional solutions have created unintended downstream challenges and costs," said Gustafson.

    "The Mercury Series brings the power of five generations of proven BlueArc technology to the customer who’s unwilling to compromise on price, scalability or performance."

    The Mercury platform is the first to deliver the company’s advanced file system performance and crucial data management functionality at a midmarket price point.

    Mercury’s performance and scalability support greater utilization of storage infrastructure to increase storage efficiency and promote consolidation.

    At the heart of Mercury is SiliconFS, BlueArc’s field-proven and award-winning file system. SiliconFS is the central engine that manages all data movement within Mercury, delivering sustained, predictable performance across the storage infrastructure.

    It includes a comprehensive virtualization tool set which simplifies administration of the file system, as well as enabling BlueArc Intelligent Tiered Storage.

    Intelligent Tiered Storage comprises BlueArc Data Migration and Dynamic Read Caching capabilities, which are supported by policy-based management functionality.

    These advanced features allow administrators to set policies based on common file attributes or access patterns to ensure that data is automatically and transparently migrated to the appropriate tier of storage—optimizing cost and performance.

    Bridget Warwick, vice president of marketing at BlueArc, said more and more, customers have created tiers of storage within their infrastructures in order to match the value of the content being stored to the right-value storage tier.

    "However, what they have found is that it is tremendously difficult, if not impossible, to actually move the data from one tier and system to another," she said.

    "With BlueArc’s built-in intelligent tiering, customers can employ policies to quickly and transparently move data from one tier to another without affecting system performance or requiring administrative time."

    When delivered through the BlueArc Mercury platform, SiliconFS helps customers consolidate their unwieldy legacy storage environments, improve their storage utilization ratios, and simplify the administration of their infrastructure, all of which result in cost savings and reduced complexity.

  • Texas Announces Microsoft Certification of RamSan-500 SSD


    Texas Memory Systems has announced that its RamSan-500 solid state disk system has been certified as interoperable with Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008.

    The RamSan-500 is an enterprise-class cached Flash storage system that delivers high performance, large capacity storage more economically than adding a similar capacity high-end hard disk-based RAID system.

    The SSD system can deliver more than sixteen times the performance while using 50 per cent less power.

    Woody Hutsell, president of Texas Memory Systems, said maintaining interoperability with all major platforms is vital as its customers’ IT environments continue to evolve rapidly.

    He said more demanding applications are being built on the powerful Windows Server 2008 platform.

    "The RamSan’s ability to solve most I/O bottlenecks and improve transaction rate increases customers’ overall IT return on investment by enabling more responsive applications and a richer experience for more concurrent users," he said.

    Hutsell said the RamSan-500 delivers 100,000 I/Os per second (IOPS) sustained random read, 25,000 IOPS sustained random writes, and two gigabytes per second of sustained random read or write bandwidth, yet only consumes 250 watts of power.

    The system can be SAN-attached with up to eight 4-gigabits per second Fibre Channel ports.

    Multiple RamSan-500s can be combined to deliver additional high-performance capacity.

  • Freecom Adds RFID to HDD


    Freecom has launched an external HDD that requires the use of a keycard to get access to its data.

    Admission to the Hard Drive Secure is controlled by an RFID card which has to be swiped over the HDD to lock it – and again to unlock it.

    Freecom said that entry is possible "within seconds". The company provides two RFID cards with the drive.

    Freecom’s Hard Drive Secure is available now in four capacities, ranging from 500GB to 2TB.

    Prices start at USD $120.

  • WhipTail Introduces 6TB SSD Tier 0 Storage Appliance


    WhipTail Technologies has launched a 6TB SSD appliance which it claims provides mid- to large-sized enterprises with the highest-capacity SSD tier 0 appliance with the smallest footprint.

    Manufactured as a 2 rack unit (2U), WhipTail is now available in 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0 TB and varying levels of redundancies.

    It is best suited for enterprises with poorly performing databases, over-taxed virtualization storage pools and underperforming email systems.

    The company said that, when compared with traditional storage, the WhipTail SSD appliance:

    • Accelerates the delivery of data by a factor of 10
    • Reduces report run time by a factor of 10
    • Provides up to a 90 percent energy savings
    • Reduces the data center footprint by 60 percent
    • Reduces database report generation and load time by 90 percent

    WhipTail pricing starts at USD $46,000 for a 1.5 TB system.

    Ed Rebholz, CEO of WhipTail Technologies, said one of Tier 0 storage’s downfalls to date has been the perception within the industry that it’s too expensive.

    "Since WhipTail’s introduction earlier this year, we’ve already made significant strides in helping our industry peers to gain a new perspective," he said.

    "And in introducing the 6TB capacity, not only is WhipTail setting the bar for performance, footprint and affordability, but now we’re the SSD capacity leader."

  • Sony Launches Flagship HD Handycam


    Sony has announced two new flash memory-based high definition camcorders – the HDR-CX520V and the HDR-CX500V.

    Both cameras capture full 1920 x 1080 resolution video and up to 12 megapixel photos on internal flash memory.

    They offer support for up to 25 hours of HD video on the 64GB model.

    Among the features of both cameras are the ability to output 60p video – automatically converting convert to 60 frames per second on compatible HDTV sets.

    The camcorder’s Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode now comes with three way Shake Canceling.

    This reduces camera/hand shake in three different directions – the vertical and horizontal shake is corrected by optical image stabilization system while the lateral roll shake is now corrected by electronic image stabilization.

    There’s also the BIONZ imaging processor which now adds a Face Touch function. With Face Touch, users simply select a person to be prioritized by the camcorder simply by touching a detected face on the screen.

    Once a face is selected, the camcorder prioritizes and optimizes focus, skin color, and brightness for that selected individual.

    Other features include:

    • Back illuminated "Exmor R" CMOS sensor with twice the sensitivity of current front-illuminated CMOS sensor at F2.0
    • Built-in GPS antenna and NAVTEQ digital maps can geo-tag your videos and photos
    • Supports optional DVDirect Express DVD writer
    • Built-in zoom microphone with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound
    • Instant power-on feature when the LCD is opened
    • User interface comes with new operation bar for scroll searching of all menu items and a customizable shortcut menu
    • Highlight Scenario which saves up to 8 highlight scenes for viewing again later on
    • Record content onto optional Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX media

    The HDR-CX500V and HDR-CX520V will be available in September for approximately USD $1100 and $1300 respectively.

    The HDR-CX500V comes with 32B of internal flash memory while the HDR-CX520V comes with 64GB of internal flash memory.