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Samsung & GPEG Invent Video Wall With No Gaps

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According to reports, by using either 40 or 46-inch Samsung digital information display panels, a video wall that removes the unsightly gaps found with other LCD solutions can be constructed.


Click to enlarge

Electronicstalk says that the GPEG International VideoWall combines “easy installation and service with high brightness 700cd/m2, a high contrast ratio of 1200:1 and a panel resolution of 1366 x 768”.

The report notes that the VideoWall is fully featured and its “inbuilt computer accepts video signals from VGA through WXGA to WUXGA in either Pal or NTSC. Supported inputs include HDMI, DVI (HDCP) and RGB”.

The graphic-based OSD “supports five languages and the LCD brightness is controlled automatically by the built in light sensor or by manual control”, says Electronicstalk.

The VideoWall software is designed to allow a single image to be displayed across the whole screen area or a series of different images displayed on individual screens or a combination of both.

According to the report, the potential applications include “point of sale advertising in shopping centres; A/V systems and interactive displays in hotels and casinos; and information displays for dealers and traders in financial institutions”.

More Australians Going Bankrupt Than Ever Before

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The SMB market is feeling the brunt of a massive rise in bankruptcies with up to 86% of all new businesses failing. At the same time the high cost of living and easy access to credit have led to the highest number of bankruptcies in NSW since records began more than 20 years ago, the Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia (ITSA), accountants Hall Chadwick has said.

Referring to statistics released by the federal government body Hall Chadwick said that some consumers were struggling to manage burgeoning levels of debt.

According to ITSA, there has been a 23.39 per cent increase in bankruptcies in NSW for the year to June 30, with the figure of 9248 the largest on record since monitoring began in 1986.

Queensland recorded the second highest number at 5751, up 6.94 per cent, followed by Victoria on 5700, up 13.68 per cent.

Only one state, Western Australia, recorded a fall in the annual number of bankruptcies, down 1.42 per cent to 1392.

Australia-wide, the number of bankruptcies was up 13.2 per cent to 25,242.

 

The figures showed that some consumers were getting lost in the economic boom, insolvency partner with Hall Chadwick Paul Leroy said.

“Some say Australia’s prosperity and booming economy is great for everyone, but certainly the figures reflect another side to the story,” Mr Leroy said.

“These statistics are very significant and confirm that people are struggling with the increase in the cost of day-to-day living.

“It is especially hard for the battlers who don’t own their home, with rents rising, as the rental squeeze in Sydney bites.”

Rising petrol prices were also having an impact, Mr Leroy said, while the ease of obtaining credit was of major concern.

“With credit card growth at such record levels, it is clear why misused credit cards are behind so many personal bankruptcies,” he said.

“In an age when people are relying more and more on credit, something has to happen, we can’t continue to raise debt levels without long-term consequences.”

ViewSonic Announces Vista Certification

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ViewSonic has announced that its entire range of LCD monitors now carries Windows Vista certification.

This means that all members of the value, graphics, professional and X Series will carry the Certified for Windows Vista logo, so they will operate with Vista reliably and securely.

For example, ViewSonic and Microsoft have worked together to enhance productivity of the Windows Sidebar.

“We are living in a time when multi-tasking is commonplace, and that means the task bar on the bottom of every desktop is filled with numerous open applications,” says Dave Wascha, director of partner marketing for Windows Vista at Microsoft Corp.

“Widescreen monitors offer increased productivity benefits, and together ViewSonic and Microsoft are continuing the trend by offering user benefits that handle multiple tasks with greater ease and productivity.”

ViewSonic will upgrade its current range throughout the fourth quarter.

The company is also launching new large widescreen displays throughout December that carry the Certified for Vista logo.
 

 

 

Hutch plans 7Mbps mobiles

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Hutchison Telecoms plans to launch an HDSPA (high-speed downlink packet access) mobile system theoretically capable of speeds of 3.6 megabits
per second of in March or April next year, MD Kevin Russell told a media and analyst briefing yesterday.

 The service will apparently be linked to Telstra’s HDSPA 850 network, now being rolled out across Australia and set to eventually replace Telstra’s
current GSM and CDMA mobile operations. Telstra now shares Hutch’s 3G network.

While the HDSPA system is technically capable of 3.6 Mbps, Russell said heexpected available handsets would see it initially constrained to about
1Mbps. But he forecast speeds of 7.2Mbps by 2007 and possibly 14.4Mbps bymid 2009.

Russell said the faster speeds would allow Hutchison to offer a morefixed-type wireless broadband service over the 3G network. Analysts quoted by ZDNet yesterday were speculating that it might partner with wireless operator Unwired which is moving into WiMax with a $37 million cash
injection from Intel.

Russell said Hutchison plans to trial DVB-H (digital video broadcasting:handhelds) services in Australia later this the year, possibly with
Broadcast Australia.

He also raised the possibility of a future Hutchison VoIP offering, perhaps in partnership with IP telephony leader Skype. However, it could be several years before his company could capitalise on the opportunities, he said.

First Microsoft Webcams

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Microsoft has responded to the growing demand for tools that allow you to speak face-to-face over the Internet by announcing that its first ever line of webcams will launch in Australia in August.

Microsoft’s LifeCams are intended for use with Windows Live Messenger, which is the next generation of the MSN Messenger service. Live Messenger users will appreciate features such as the Windows Live Call Button, which allows users to place a video call with the touch of one button; the LifeCam Dashboard, which provides easy access to functions such as pan, tilt and zoom; and one-touch blogging, which allows users to post images from their LifeCam straight to their Windows Live Space blog.
At first, there will be two members of the LifeCam product range: the VX-6000 and the VX-3000. The VX-6000 (RRP$149.95) will provide 5.0 megapixel still photography, 1.3 megapixel high-definition video and 3x digital zoome. The VX-3000 (RRP$99.95) will provide high-definition still photography (1.3 megapixels) and 640x680pixel video. Both will have a built-in acoustic noise-cancelling microphone and a universal attachment base so they can be attached to most monitors.
Microsoft has also gone for fun with its webcams. The LifeCams will come with included video effects – such as twinkling stars – so the user can personalise the background when making a video call.
The LifeCam range was developed internally at Microsoft by its Hardware division, which usually sticks to mice and keyboards. Although the cams won’t be available in local stores for another two months, retail giant Amazon.com is currently taking preorders.

Australia A Target For Ecommerce Abuse

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Australia’s low adoption rate of effective security filters amongst ISPs is making it a soft target for ecommerce abuse, according to one industry figure.

John Debrincat, managing director of ebusiness solution provider eCorner, says that ISPs must shoulder some of the responsibility for Australia’s vulnerability.

“The lack of high-quality spam and phishing filtering in Australia is one of the major inhibitors to successful ecommerce adoption in this country,” Debrincat claims.

“It’s leaving ISPs and their customers exposed to risk of existing and emerging messaging threats.”

Debrincat is calling for a greater pool of information that smaller ISPs can access in regards to security threats.

“Local ISPs need access to a global pool of data to protect their customer base and their businesses from existing and new classes of messaging threats,” he says.

www.ecorner.com.au

Defrag Increase Backup Performance

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Defragmentation (defrag) has an advantageous effect on the backup performance of systems, according to a new study.

The study, which was conducted by systems tool developer Diskeeper, found that the rime required to back up data from a typical hard drive volume can be decreased and the data transfer rate increased by performing a defrag prior to backing up.

Fragmentation occurs when the data on a disk is scattered around the disk in various pieces. The data can still be accessed, however additional time is required to find the data in a particular file when it is not contiguous, Diskeeper claims.

The study found improvements in backup time by up to 69 percent in a defragmented system – or nearly 1.7 times as fast.

Consolidating directories also improved backup performance, the study found. Times were improved by a further three percent for a local disk backup, and 41 percent for a network disk backup.

More information on the study is available at www.diskeeper.com