Samsung SC-DC173 DVD Digital Camcorder Review

The Samsung SC-DC173 looks really small; it fits and feels snug for the most part on my hand. The DVD camera sizes in at 54x87x121 (WxHxD) and is really light. You won’t have any trouble carrying it around and using it for extended uses.

Second of all I don’t like how the zoom dial is built. The zoom dial which tilts left and right feels cheap for some reason. It feels too loose for my taste. In fact the unit I am reviewing had times where I would let go of the zoom button and it would still be zooming slowly. This means it has the possibility of getting stuck.

Thirdly, on the bottom of the camera lie the SD card slot and its cover. The cover is made of plastic but this one is hard to remove and is annoying to move around.

There really isn’t much buttons on the SC-DC173 which is preferable for some people. Some people just like a camcorder that they can just pick up and use without having to fiddle around with any settings. The SC-DC173 is exactly that type of camera.
The LCD screen is 2.7” in size and has a resolution of 112K. The LCD screen moves very quickly and is super smooth. I know for a fact that on some really cheap camcorders (Mustek, etc) and on some cheap digital cameras that the LCD lags. This one does not do such a thing. The LCD color output is good because there is a nice natural saturation present. The screen itself is matte and is not shiny which a good thing is on a bright sunny day. In extremely bright days the camera has a “LCD Enhancer” mode right above the LCD that makes the screen even brighter. For the most part the LCD screen is totally usable during any circumstances.

Full Review...

Samsung 940UX USB LCD Monitor

With many manufacturers coming up with innovative new ways to make everything they can USB (even surround sound speakers are coming in USB now!), there are some things like our monitors that we may not have thought about in this fashion yet. Samsung isn't leaving this stone unturned for much longer, with the new 940UX monitor finding it's way onto the market. What makes this monitor different? Alongside the D-Sub and DVI connectors there's also a USB connector, giving the monitor full 2D USB functionality, eliminating the need to have a video card to power one of these displays. These displays are far more practical than you may think off hand, so it's time to read on to see just what this new product is all about!

More @ Here

Samsung Launches 70" LED-backlit LCD TV

With the retail launch of its new 70" LCD TV in Korea, the Samsung LN70F91BD forgoes the traditional CCFL backlight in favor of an LED backlight for improved picture clarity.

Also new to the TV is what Samsung calls "local dimming backlighting" – compared to traditional CCFL LCDs, an image displayed on the screen can range from maximum brightness (LEDs at full power) to complete darkness to produce true black (LEDs turned completely off). Samsung says that the use of the LED backlight gives the LCD TV a dynamic contrast ratio of 500,000:1 while power consumption is cut by as much as 50%. The LN70F91BD reportedly features ACAP, three HDMI 1.3 port and a USB 2.0 port. Samsung's 1080p 70" LCD TV is on sale now in Korea for 59 million won ($63,425 USD) and will be available worldwide during the second half of 2007.

DailyTech

Samsung Develops Stacking Process for DRAM

Samsung Electronics has announced that it has developed the first all-DRAM stacked memory package using 'through silicon via' technology, which will soon result in memory packages that are faster, smaller and consume less power. The new wafer-level-processed stacked package consists of four 512 megabit DDR2 DRAM chips that offer a combined 2 gigabits of high density memory. Using the TSV-processed 2Gb DRAMs, Samsung can create a 4GB DIMM based on advanced WSP technology for the first time.

Samsung's WSP technology forms laser-cut micron-sized holes that penetrate the silicon vertically to connect the memory circuits directly with a copper filling. This removes the need for gaps of extra space and wires protruding beyond the sides of the dies, allowing a significantly smaller footprint and thinner package. Inside the new WSP, the TSV is housed within an aluminum pad to escape the performance-slow-down effect caused by the redistribution layer. Samsung's WSP technology resolves the concerns that MCPs with high-speed memory chips would suffer from performance limitations when connected using current technologies. Samsung's proprietary wafer-thinning technology, announced last year, has also been applied to improve the thin-die-cutting process, essentially eliminating potential physical distortion.

Physorg.com

Samsung Speeds Up World’s Highest Capacity 2.5” Drives

Until now, 200GB 2.5” hard disk drives have only been available with a 4200rpm motor speed. Samsung Electronics has announced a new lineup of 2.5” hard disk drives that includes a model with 200GB capacity and 7200rpm motor speed. Samsung’s SpinPoint MP1-series products will be available in 80GB, 120GB, 160GB and 200GB capacities with 8MB or 16MB cache. The new family features 7200rpm spindle speed as well as Serial ATA-300 interface with support for native command queuing technology that can improve computer’s responsiveness when the hard drive is used very intensively. In order to improve reliability of SpinPoint MP1 hard drives, Samsung implemented a rotary vibration controller (which prevents the head from leaving the track under severe vibration conditions) and an optional digital free-fall sensor to protect the disk drive from vibration and shock.

The electronics equipment maker said that MP1-series is designed for enterprise applications such as workstations, RAID servers, and blade servers. Nevertheless, nothing prevents makers of mobile computers to install them into their machines. Mass production of Samsung SpinPoint MP1 is scheduled for May, directly following sample availability in early May.

source: Xbit Laboratories

Samsung Launches SpinPoint Hard Drives

Samsung has announced 80GB and 160GB flavours of its new 3.5” SpinPoint S166 Series of ultra silent and high-speed hard disk drives. The S166 Series has a spindle speed of 7,200RPM, provides an 8MB buffer, features the SATA 3.0Gbps interface (PATA interface also available) and includes Native Command Queuing. The new SpinPoint S Series of hard drives offer upgraded versions of Samsung’s proprietary SilentSeek and NoiseGuard technologies. Benchmarking results presented by Samsung show competing hard drives generate on average 2.8 bel (1 bel = 10 decibels) in idle mode and 3.2 bel in seek mode, while Samsung’s S166 series generate just 2.4 bel and 2.75 bel respectively. Samsung claims the 15% noise-level reduction is “significant”.

Source: DailyTech

Samsung SH-S183L LightScribe DVD Writer

Many are now turning to the drives from Samsung. Supporting all types of CD and DVD media, including high speed DVD-RAM and LightScribe, these low cost drives simply seem to be the best option for many. With that said, I decided to take a look at their latest drive, the SH-S183L and also provide a comparison over the SH-S182M wherever applicable. While basically offering the same features, the 183L breaks the norm and now features an SATA interface. But does this mean better performance?

Full Story @ ExtremeMHZ