New Products

Computers and Peripherals
Computers and Peripherals

In late July, AVADirect launched two new 3D gaming notebooks that include FireWire. The Clevo W860CU 3D and ASUS G51JX-3D both use NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology to make the most of the increasing amount of 3D content available and promise to make the most of existing 2D media. Both models include active shutter glasses, which coupled with the 3D compatible screens will give the full stereoscopic 3D experience. The Clevo W860CU 3D includes a 15.6” 1366x768 display and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285M with 1 GB GDDR5 memory; just about everything else is customizable. Users can configure the CPU from an Intel Core i5-450M running at 2.4GHz up to a quad-core i7-940XM. The notebook is available with various configurations of RAM from 1GB to 8GB DDR3 at either 1066MHz or 1333MHz.  Various internal storage options are available, topping out at 1 TeraByte of mechanical HDD storage, or 512GB of solid-state storage. A DVD writer is the default, but Blu-ray combo/recorder drives are available as options. Standard components include a 7-in-1 card reader, 2.0MP camera, fingerprint reader, and the NVIDIA 3D Stereoscopic glasses.

Along with 1394, the notebook features four USB 2.0, eSATA, IEEE 1394, DVI, HDMI, and audio in and out. Gigabit Ethernet and Bluetooth 2.0 are also included. Base price is $1,500. http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_configurator.asp?PRID=16491

The other new machine available from AVADirect is the ASUS G51JX-3D. It features a 15.6” 1366x768 display, but this is coupled to a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M with 1GB GDDR5 memory. Unfortunately, this is still not DirectX 11 compatible. Like the Clevo machine, it is highly customizable with almost all the same options available. The standard specification is more generous though with a quad-core Intel Core i7-720QM, 6GB DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB 7200RPM HDD.  The base price is $1,600. http://www.avadirect.com/plist.asp?keywords=ASUS

Belkin, a leader in 1394 products, has introduced its newest hub product, the F5U507, a low-profile design engineered to stack on top of or below the Mac mini. The hub features two FireWire ports to connect up to two FireWire devices. A FireWire port is located on the front of the hub to give easy access for quick, temporary connections of thumb drives, media readers, small accessories such as the Apple iPod and iPod shuffle, and more. Priced at $50. http://www.belkin.com/iwcatproductpage.process?product_id=199941

ICs

MosChip Semiconductor announced a new Audio Video SoC processor for digital content management and routing of AV streams, which enables recording to external 1394-based drives.   The new SoC is based on an ARM9T processor and is designed as a next generation digital content manager and AV stream router to manage AV streams over 1394 / FireWire and USB connections for fast and reliable storage.

The MCS60C80 Digital Content Management Processor is the only AV 1394 secure storage controller with a Flash card interface and support for multiple storage interfaces: Secure Digital, Compact Flash and Memory Stick. Many of the functions required to move video content are handled directly in on-chip hardware functions controlled by the processor.

The MCS60C80 performs the majority of the work requiring only minimal servicing which leaves the device's main processor free for other chores.  Advanced AES encryption / decryption engines allow for protection of content while it is flowing through the MCS60C80 without the need of the main processor's intervention. It also incorporates the Digital Transmission Content Protection (DTCP) Specification, which defines a cryptographic protocol for protecting AV entertainment content.  www.moschip.com

Boards

The 1394-equipped MSI Big Bang XPower Motherboard has been designed using the Intel X58 Northbridge and ICH10R Southbridge chipsets. This chipset duo allows the board to support the following technologies: the Intel LGA1366 Core i7 processor line, DDR3 memory operating in Triple Channel memory mode up to 1333MHz officially, and either NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFireX graphics mode using matched video cards. MSI integrated support for the following devices in to the XPower: 6 SATA II ports on the Intel ICH10R controller (RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5 capable); 2 SATA 6G ports on the Marvell controller (RAID 0, 1 capable); 2 eSATA ports on the JMicron JMB362 controller; 10 USB 2.0 ports (4 in rear panel, and 2 onboard headers supporting 2 ports each); 2 hybrid USB 2.0 / 3.0 ports in the rear panel; 2 IEEE 1394ports (1 in rear panel, and 1 onboard header supporting 1 port each); 2 Realtek GigE Ethernet ports in the rear panel; Realtek 8-channel HD audio codec with integrated S/PDIF optical and RCA component output ports; integrated power, system reset, CMOS reset, green power and OC Genie overclocking buttons; integrated 2-digit LED diagnostic display; the V-Check Point header block; integrated OC Dashboard port in the rear panel; and PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports in the rear panel. $300.  http://us.msi.com/

Industrial Instrumentation

Unibrain has introduced a brand new lineup of 1394b cameras with a wide (and expandable) range of CCDs, frame rates and resolutions.
The cameras feature dual FireWire ports for multi-camera connectivity and a compact and lightweight housing.   The small form factor provides more versatility in space and weight considerations. Using the fast IEEE-1394b digital bus protocol and an external trigger to streamline the capture, digitization and processing of color video signal, these cameras are designed to simplify real-time uncompressed color video streaming, digital still image acquisition while maintaining high resolution in various applications.

The cameras are equipped with a C-Type Lens mount for flexible use of industrial C-Mount lenses and also the 1394 port comes with industrial screw lock cable support to ensure stable camera connection. Various models incorporate VGA 1/3" CCD at 86 fps, SXGA 1/3" & 2/3" CCDs at 30 fps (featuring Sony ExView HAD CCDs) and 5 Mega pixels, 15 fps based on the dual-tap ICX-625 Sony CCD sensor. http://www.unibrain.com/Products/VisionImg/1394bcam.htm

Unibrain also introduced its Bonsai series of 1394-based industrial and machine vision cameras, with very compact housing and  lightweight at less than 65 grams. The ultra small form factor provides more versatility in space and weight considerations. Using IEEE-1394a digital bus protocol and an external trigger to streamline the capture, digitization and processing of color video signal, these cameras are designed to simplify real-time uncompressed color video streaming, digital still image acquisition while maintaining high resolution in various applications. The cameras are equipped with a CS/C-Type Lens mount for flexible use of industrial C-Mount or CS-mount lenses and also the FireWire port comes with industrial screw lock cable support to ensure stable camera connection. Most common areas of application, are machine vision, ITS, robotic control, RFID, microscopy and inspection, medical applications, navigation & GPS mapping www.unibrain.com

Point Grey Research has fully redesigned its Grasshopper2 camera series, the next generation version of the high performance Grasshopper and offers users a choice of IEEE 1394b or GigE Vision digital interface. The Grasshopper2 uses the same form factor as the existing Grasshopper and a selection of the same image sensors, and adds several new features, including enhanced opto-isolated general purpose I/O and improved imaging performance. The first Grasshopper2 models are planned to be released to production and available to order by the end of Q3 2010. Pricing not available as yet. http://www.ptgrey.com/products/upcoming/index.asp

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Siemens’ new SIPLUS CMS4000 Industrial PC with a FireWire card is designed for factory floor and similar environments.  It uses Windows XP professional / embedded (SP3)and features) a CPU running at 1.2 GHz;  RAM options between 512 MByte  and  the recommended 2 GByte; and an Open GL enabled graphic controller that delivers 1024 x 768 pixels.   Along with 1394, there are  Ethernet and USB interfaces. The Siemens SIMATIC Micro box PCN 427C is also now available, equipped with the powerful, new Celeron M, Core2 Solo or Core2 Duo 1,2 GHz. It features a Maintenance-free design with 2 GByte RAM, CompactFlash card 4 GByte or hard disc 80 GByte, and uses Windows XP embedded or Windows XP Professional.  Multiple Interfaces for peripherals along with 1394a include 4xUSB2.0 2 x Gigabit-LAN1xCOM1,1xDVI-I. Pricing not available.
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