Engadget

Super Pixel Bros. blocky Mario game gets renamed, hits the iPhone

Brian Heater — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:20:00 EST

Remember that super square game of Super Mario Bros. we told you about last year? Well, it looks like it's finally made it to the next level, landing on the iPhone -- albeit with a slightly less infringing name. Super Pixel Bros. has been revamped and rebranded Pixel Land, and you can download it today for $0.99. The game uses 64 pixels to create 24 levels of damsel-saving action. Demo video located after the jump.

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Super Pixel Bros. blocky Mario game gets renamed, hits the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC's Procision, Reference Series projectors now available, replete with '4K precision'

Amar Toor — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:52:00 EST

After making their grand debut at this year's CEDIA Expo, JVC's line of Procision and Reference series projectors have finally begun marching out to market. The manufacturer announced the news this week, confirming that its array of seven new projectors are now available for purchase, with prices ranging from $3,500 to $12,000. All seven devices ~~feature JVC's proprietary e-Shift technology, and~~ are capable of projecting images in 3840 x 2160 resolution -- not exactly 4K, but still four times what you'll get with full HD. The Procision Series, including the DLA-X90R, DLA-X70R and DLA-X30, is geared toward the consumer market, while the Reference Series (DLA-RS65, DLA-RS55, DLA-RS4800 and DLA-RS45) is now available through JVC's Professional Products Company. For more details on pricing and availability, check out the full PR after the break.

Update: So, we got a little mixed up by the poorly worded JVC press release, but it looks like only the DLA-X90R, DLA-X70R, DLA-RS65 and DLA-RS55 actually sport the company's e-Shift tech.

Continue reading JVC's Procision, Reference Series projectors now available, replete with '4K precision'

JVC's Procision, Reference Series projectors now available, replete with '4K precision' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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European Space Agency creates one billion pixel camera, calls her GAIA

Joseph Volpe — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:28:00 EST

When we hear the name GAIA, our memory automatically zooms back to the Whoopi Goldberg-voiced Mother Earth from Captain Planet. This isn't that GAIA, but it does have to do with planets. Back at the turn of the millennium, the European Space Agency devised an ambitious mission to map one billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy -- in 3D (insert Joey Lawrence 'whoa!'). To do this, it enlisted UK-based e2v Technologies and built an immense digital camera comprised of 106 snugly-fit charge coupled devices -- the largest ever for a space program. These credit card-shaped, human hair-thick slabs of silicon carbide act like tiny galactic eyes, each storing incoming light as a single pixel. Not sufficiently impressed? Then consider this: the stellar cam is so all-seeing, "it could measure the thumbnails of a person on the Moon" -- from Earth. Yeah. Set to launch on the Soyuz-Fregat sometime this year, the celestial surveyor will make its five-year home in the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, beaming its outerspace discoveries to radio dishes in Spain and Australia -- and occasionally peeping in your neighbor's window.

European Space Agency creates one billion pixel camera, calls her GAIA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cornell University's microscopic camera makes photos with mathematics

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:57:00 EST

Megapixel, megaschmixel -- we're more impressed when camera tech goes the opposite way and shrinks down. A happy byproduct of his neural mapping research, Patrick Gill and his Cornell University team have engineered a cam so microscopic it could fit on the head of a pin. The lensless creation is only one 100th of a millimeter thick, looks more like a miniature CD and doesn't require any budget-breaking parts. Named after the Fourier transform that inspired it -- a mathematical operation that breaks a signal down into various frequencies -- the Planar Fourier Capture Array translates pixel components into a fleshed-out image. Creators of the tiny camera tech stress that it won't be "[taking] family portraits," but you could probably count on having this nigh-invisible sucker implanted into your brain. It's definitely one small step for man, one nano-leap of the photographing kind.

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Cornell University's microscopic camera makes photos with mathematics originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi creates giant OLED globe for Tokyo's museum-goers, cloud gazers

Amar Toor — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:53:00 EST

This year, Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation is celebrating its 10th anniversary -- a milestone that Mitsubishi is commemorating with a giant OLED globe. Comprised of over 10,000 Diamond Vision OLEDs (each measuring 96 x 96mm), the six-meter 'Geo-Cosmos' installation will hang about 18 feet above the museum floor, where it will beam clouds and other satellite images at a resolution of 10 million pixels. It may not be the first curved OLED we've seen from Mitsubishi, but it's the first that could double as a pretty sick disco ball. The globe will be unveiled on June 11th, but you can head past the break for the full PR, as well as an image of the beast while it was under construction.

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Mitsubishi creates giant OLED globe for Tokyo's museum-goers, cloud gazers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy S II and Galaxy S screens compared at the subpixel level (video)

Vlad Savov — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:42:00 EST

One Galaxy S II review not enough for you? Hey, we understand, a dual-core phone deserves at least two goes through the Engadget test chambers. Today marks the publication of our Engadget Spanish analysis, which, among other things, compares the GSII against its forebear, the Galaxy S, at the subpixel level. Yes, we've got video capturing the improvement Samsung has made in its new Real-Stripe (RGB) pixel arrangement on the Galaxy S II's Super AMOLED Plus display over the older, less awesome PenTile RGBG layout of the Plus-deprived Super AMOLED panel. You can see it after the break or dive into the source link for a more comprehensive comparison. Non-Spanish speakers will want to jump to the 1:40 mark in the vid for all the microscopic action.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S II versus Galaxy S... fight!

Continue reading Galaxy S II and Galaxy S screens compared at the subpixel level (video)

Galaxy S II and Galaxy S screens compared at the subpixel level (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World's biggest CMOS sensor could help doctors detect and treat cancer

Amar Toor — Fri, 06 May 2011 09:26:00 EST

Move over, Canon, because scientists at the University of Lincoln have just seized the crown for world's biggest CMOS image sensor with their new Dynamic range Adjustable for Medical Imaging Technology microchip -- or 'DyNAMITe,' for short. Measuring a hefty 12.8 square cm (or about five square inches), DyNAMITe is roughly 200 times bigger than the chips you'd find in most PCs, making it the largest imager ever made on a wafer of standard, eight-inch diameter. This extra girth allows the active pixel sensor to capture images in high detail, with a 100-micrometer pitch boasting 1280 x 1280p aligned next to a 50-micron layer, carrying 2560 x 2560p. DyNAMITe can also run at up to 90fps and withstand high levels of radiation for several years, making it ideal for medical imaging, including radiotherapy and mammography. Researchers say these enhanced images could help doctors detect cancer in its earliest phases, while allowing them to monitor radiotherapy treatments more closely. No word on when we should expect to see DyNAMITe pop up in hospitals (or a Hasselblad back), but physicists at the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital are busy looking for other, potentially life-saving applications. Full PR after the break.

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World's biggest CMOS sensor could help doctors detect and treat cancer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's dead pixel policy leaks out, up to 15 anomalies 'acceptable' on 22-inch and above screens?

Sean Hollister — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:54:00 EST

There's nothing quite like coming home with a shiny new laptop only to find tiny black and white dots peppering your LCD, especially when the screen's manufacturer tells you that you're plumb out of luck. If you buy Apple, that scenario might honestly play out just the same, but the chart above could save you an embarrassing argument at your local Genius Bar. According to the allegedly leaked internal document, Apple has a set of precise charts that determine whether or not it will replace your LCD -- a single dead pixel will save an iPod or iPhone, for instance, and Apple will tolerate only two on an iPad IPS screen. We're sorry to say it's not the same if you buy Mac, as you could have a staggering fifteen dead pixels on that pricey Cinema Display and still have to pick up the tab. Hang on to those receipts, folks.

Apple's dead pixel policy leaks out, up to 15 anomalies 'acceptable' on 22-inch and above screens? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Douglas Coupland's pixel orca

Joshua Topolsky — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:58:00 EST

Douglas Coupland (yes, that Douglas Coupland) created this pixel sculpture which lives outside of the Vancouver convention center. He should meet these guys.

Visualized: Douglas Coupland's pixel orca originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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8-bit Gary and real Gary compete for our affection

Laura June — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST

Kiel Johnson and Klai Brown built this 8-bit costume for a Toshiba ad. Made of bits of high density foam glued together, the wearable, pixelated version of Gary looks surprisingly like the actual Gary, though possibly a bit handsomer (in our opinion). Hit up the source for a lot more photos of the process of Gary's construction. Also hit up the coverage link for videos of the Garys in action.

8-bit Gary and real Gary compete for our affection originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pixel casting machine creates pixelated vases for our pixelated flowers

Laura June — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:01:00 EST

We're going to give it to you straight: if we had the room for this beast, we'd totally kill for one. It's a pixel casting machine, meaning that it creates beautiful, pixelated ceramics -- like the ones you made in grade school, only way, way more awesome. Hit up the source link for creator Julian Bond's website where you can see many more photos.

Pixel casting machine creates pixelated vases for our pixelated flowers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shawn Smith brings 8-bit art into three dimensions, one tiny block of wood at a time

Laura June — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST

Austin, Texas-based artist Shawn Smith creates sculptures of things like vultures, sharks and hats on fire, and they're seriously awesome, 8-bit style extravaganzas. The pieces are largely created out of small blocks of wood, and then painted. Hit the source (the artist's website) to see many, many examples of his stunning and beautiful work.

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Shawn Smith brings 8-bit art into three dimensions, one tiny block of wood at a time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russell Kirsch helped create square pixels, now he wants to kill them off

Vlad Savov — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:23:00 EST

Did you know that we're only 53 years removed from the very first digital image? I know, with everyone on your street having a good 2GB of Facebook-uploaded, privacy-be-damned photos, it all seems so pedestrian, so typical. But back in the monochromatic 1950s, when Marlon Brando and Elvis were still young whippersnappers and the UK was busy crowning a new Queen, Russell Kirsch became the first man to create a digital picture, by scanning in a photo of his baby son. Now, half a century wiser, Russell is back to apologize for introducing that cursed square pixel into our lives, and to try to remedy all the jagged little edges we've been seeing on our screens ever since.

According to old Rus, squares were just the logical solution at the time, but now that we can splash bits and bytes around with reckless abandon, he's come up with a new algorithm to smooth images beyond what's possible with simple squares. His new idea inserts 6 x 6 masks where there once was just one pixel, with adaptive calculations making for a more realistic representation of the underlying optical data. The sample above shows what improvements this new technique can deliver, with Russell's son doing the posing once more -- you'll find his decidedly younger visage in the 176 x 176 proto-pic after the break.

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Russell Kirsch helped create square pixels, now he wants to kill them off originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 pixel density examined (video)

Ross Miller — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:16:00 EST

Sure, you've seen our iPhone 4 hands-on... but have you seen it through a retina display? We put the new device next to our trusty old iPhone 3G to get a feel just how different the screens look with twice the pixel density and shot a little pseudo-macro video. There's a marked difference in the screens, even side-by-side with the EVO 4G, and we found that even from a distance we were able to read bodies of text we'd previously had to squint to discern on our classic iPhones. Hard to capture, it really is something you have to see first-hand... but until you get that chance, live vicariously through us after the break.

Gallery: iPhone 4 pixel density examined

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iPhone 4 pixel density examined (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Dog plays iPad Air Hockey

Donald Melanson — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:22:00 EST

Sure, you've probably seen the video of a cat playing around with an iPad by now, but what about our other four-legged friend? Well, wonder no more, because Pixel the dog has now stepped up and shown cats how it's really done by not only playing Air Hockey on an iPad, but winning. Video after the break.

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Breaking: Dog plays iPad Air Hockey originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New glasses-free 3D tech uses per pixel prisms for zero crosstalk, audience flexibility

Sean Hollister — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:04:00 EST

Try as manufacturers might, attempts at autostereoscopic (glasses-free) TV have been subpar; existing tech typically makes for messy images due to ghosting, only provides a 3D effect if you're standing in one of a very few predetermined spots (usually 8-10 viewing angles, though we've heard of 64), and reduces display resolution -- all because only some pixels can be seen from each spot. With the occasional exception, it's not terribly impressive. Scientists at the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan are looking to change that. Rather than block light with a parallax barrier, their screen uses a matrix of specially cut prisms to reflect it, reducing ghosting to nil and maintaining display resolution by sending the same image to each viewer. Though there are still a fixed number of viewing zones, the prisms are so tiny that manufacturers can simply add more prisms to each pixel to increase that number -- with 11 prisms per pixel, researchers say such a system could support 100 simultaneous 3D moviegoers. We've no word on whether the tech is affordable or when we'll see it, but we expect it to handily beat cyborg eyeballs to market.

New glasses-free 3D tech uses per pixel prisms for zero crosstalk, audience flexibility originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pixel LV-WI Wireless Live View Remote Control: look out, family self-portraits

Paul Miller — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:02:00 EST

We've been live viewing our photos on our fancy new-gen DSLRs for a couple years now, even piping that live sensor data into our computer with a first party app, or, gasp, shooting video our magical newfangled cameras. But we haven't done this yet. Pixel Enterprise Limited has just announced its new LV-W1 Wireless Live View Remote Control, which beams a live DSLR view over that well-worn 2.4GHz channel to a handheld remote with a 3-inch 960 x 240 LCD. It seems like a great idea, and while the future might make even fancier dreams come true -- like a live WiFi 2, The Sequel-beamed image to our Windows Phone 8 Series handset, for instance -- but for now this $335 kit should provide for some pretty spectacular Canon or Nikon moments.

Pixel LV-WI Wireless Live View Remote Control: look out, family self-portraits originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Research thinks telescopic pixels will rival LCDs

Darren Murph — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:31:00 EST

The boys and girls at Microsoft Research are getting set to publish a report detailing a competing (and in their perspective, superior) technology to replace the LCD monitors we've grown to know and ~~love~~ heart with reservations. By using pixels that boast "a pair of mirrors to block or transmit light," displays could theoretically be created which are "faster, brighter, and more power efficient than liquid crystal displays." Dubbed telescopic pixels, the devices would be able to turn off and on in under 1.5-milliseconds, which is quick enough to put "red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes behind each pixel." Furthermore, these pixels are way brighter than those used in LCDs, which means users would see less power draw and be able to view the screen more easily in direct sunlight. Sounds solid from here, but could you not humor us with a release time frame or something?

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: Displays

Microsoft Research thinks telescopic pixels will rival LCDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How-to guide details fix for stuck LCD pixels

Darren Murph — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:08:00 EST

We've heard all sorts of myths when it comes to fixing a stuck pixel on an LCD, and while the following methods shouldn't be expected to bring completely dead pixels back from the grave, commenters seem to think the methods are at least somewhat successful in getting pixels out of their single-colored funk. Up first is the flashing colors approach, which points you in the direction of a free java applet that rapidly flashes different hues on the screen to try to get the affected pixel to change. If that fails, you can try applying pressure to the stuck pixel, and if you're still left with the annoyance, you can resort to tapping the monitor with an eraser nub (or similar). So if you find yourself sick of staring at that non-conforming pixel, hit the read link and give the trio of methods a go -- just don't go in expecting any miracles, alright?

Filed under: Displays

How-to guide details fix for stuck LCD pixels originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Front Design's Changing Cupboard displays pixelated art

Darren Murph — Tue, 01 May 2007 05:10:00 EST

While we've seen hordes of clever marketing gimmicks in the past, a few involving those flipping signs that rotate through various spots, Front Design is taking the billboard approach to a cupboard in an attempt to showcase a new form of art. The aptly-dubbed Changing Cupboard rocks a bevy of turnable panels on an everyday piece of furniture, but due to special effects that aren't entirely disclosed, it can flip squares over to constantly evolve into a new piece of design. Of course, the pixel morphing unit makes a whole lot more sense when you see it motion, so go on, click through for a peek of your own.

[Via CubeMe]

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Filed under: Household

Front Design's Changing Cupboard displays pixelated art originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2007 05:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plasma backers want to change the way we measure HDTV resolution

Richard Lawler — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:05:00 EST

How do you measure an HDTV? Apparently just counting the 2 million+ pixels in a 1080p set isn't good enough for some people, since the Advanced Plasma Development Center has announced its system measuring only the actual moving picture resolution. In what the center describes as a method that is very close to the way the human eye works, it uses a camera, signal generator, PC and image data processing software to reconstruct the image reflected on the retina. The companies backing this test believe that since -- most of us -- watch moving pictures instead of television images, this test is necessary to show people what to expect from their TV. We're going to go out on a limb and predict that plasmas generally outrank LCDs on this test, considering the source, but especially with new 120Hz technology it appears LCD manufacturers may be more eager than ever to take a shot at a moving target.

Filed under: Displays, Hitachi, Panasonic, Pioneer, LCD, Plasma

Plasma backers want to change the way we measure HDTV resolution originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How was the National Championship game broadcast?

Richard Lawler — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 16:11:00 EST

We know how the game went, with Florida in control almost the entire time and winning the NCAA title easily, 73-57, but how did it look? I had some of the same issues noted in this thread at AVSForums, the picture was great for most of the game, but whenever they went to the floor cameras or behind the backboard shots, blurriness and pixelization were in full effect.

Here is a link to a press release by the company, Vyvx, that provided the transmission for both the broadcast and the advertisements that aired during. The first high definiton broadcast I ever saw was the first time Final Four was shown in HD, and it had the same issues with blurriness and pixels. At the time, it convinced me HDTVs weren't worth the money. Last nights broadcast was better, but still not up to the quality we often see now in NBA and NFL productions. Who is to blame and what can be done to make the games even better to watch?

Filed under: CBS, OTA

How was the National Championship game broadcast? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Apr 2006 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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