Converter Archives

Vivo Unveils Its Latest Smartphone with Emphasis on Camera

By Paula Parisi
April 23, 2025

The new Vivo X200 Ultra smartphone is being released in China with a triple back-camera array and the ability to upgrade the main 35mm camera to zooms — including an 8.7x converter — for capturing still photos or video that makes it comparable to a dedicated device. No news yet if or when it will launch in the U.S., but shutterbugs are buzzing. Powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite — the processor inside Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra — the X200 Ultra packs up to 16GB of RAM and can accommodate up to 1TB of storage. An optional photographer kit comes with a removable grip and 8.7x converter that captures native telephoto. Continue reading Vivo Unveils Its Latest Smartphone with Emphasis on Camera

New Wireless Earphones Monitor Fitness Without Smartphone

By Lisette Leonard
March 26, 2014

Performance tracking wireless earphones, The Dash, have become one of the most funded Kickstarter projects in history. The company had a target of $260,000, but has so far raised over $3.1 million. The wireless stereo earphones play music via an embedded music player or Bluetooth and offer fitness monitoring. It will track users’ vital signs including heart rate, oxygen saturation and energy spent, as well as movement such as number of steps, speed and distance. Continue reading New Wireless Earphones Monitor Fitness Without Smartphone

Seiki Pairs Low-End 4K Displays with Up-Res Converter Chip

By Phil Lelyveld
January 6, 2014

Seiki has come up with a unique and effective way to offer consumers a high quality 4K viewing experience at a mass market price. The company pairs good, low-end 4K displays made in China with an HDMI 1.4 cable that contains a high-end up-res converter chip. The booth rep freely said that the 55-inch 4K set (MSRP $899) has a mediocre built-in up-res chip. They licensed Marseille’s high-quality up-res tech and built it into the Seiki-branded HDMI 3.0 cable (MSRP $49) to provide a superior experience at a low price point. Continue reading Seiki Pairs Low-End 4K Displays with Up-Res Converter Chip

Projector News: Are We Close to Affordable 4K Devices for the Home?

By Rob Scott
September 12, 2011

ETCentric contributors have recently submitted a number of interesting announcements related to high-end projectors for the home. The following are a few highlights:
Sony announced its VPL-VW1000ES with 4K resolution, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness that allows it to project on screen sizes up to 200-inches. “During the presentation Sony showed a 4K clip from its upcoming ‘Spiderman’ flick on a VPL-VW1000ES that looked every bit as beautiful as you might imagine,” reports Engadget. Price is rumored to be less than $25,000.
JVC is introducing a new line of home theater projectors that features e-Shift technology, which takes 2D HD content and upconverts and scales to a 4K signal (3840 x 2160) to display at “4K precision,” twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of Full HD. The projectors are also 3D-enabled with a 2D-to-3D converter derived from JVC’s professional 2D-to-3D converter and includes user adjustments for 3D depth and subtitle geometry correction. While Sony indicated its projector would be available for less than $25,000, Engadget reports “the top of the line JVC has an MSRP of just $12k, while the cheaper model will be $7,999 when they all ship in November.”
Epson’s new home theater projectors feature full HD, active shutter 3D, with 1080p resolution and Bright 3D Drive Technology, which drives the panels at 480Hz, essentially doubling the image refresh rate of 240Hz panels, up to 200,000:1 contrast ratio, up to 2,400 lumens of color and white light output — and enable viewing on larger screens and in a range of ambient light conditions. “The primary difference between the $4,000 6010 and $3,000 5010 (the wireless HD-equipped 5010e will run about $3,500) is the included accessories and options: like ceiling mounts, 3D glasses and additional lens modes,” reports Engadget. “The budget 3010 ($1,600) and 3010e ($1,800) models sport a more modest 40,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,200 lumen rating, but do have a pair of built-in 10W speakers.”
Panasonic’s new PT-AR100U home theater projector offers 1080p resolution, a 50,000:1 contrast ratio, and 2,800 lumens of brightness. “Panasonic even aims to make the PT-AR100U less fiddly than a typical projector, with a Light Harmonizer feature that senses ambient lighting and color and automatically adjusts the projector’s white balance, gamma, and sharpness to compensate,” indicates Digital Trends. Expect the projector to be available in October for under $2,000.