The race to bring 3D TV to Australia is on, with Sony yesterday demonstrating two models it plans to have on sale by July, just days after Panasonic unveiled its 3D rival.
But Samsung is likely to have the first 3D TV on sale in Australia in April. The company expects to release 3D LCD, LED and plasma sets by midyear, which is also when Panasonic expects to have models in store. It is believed they will cost the same as upper-range high-definition digital TVs.
Sony yesterday demonstrated two 3D models in Sydney. The top-of-the-range LX 900 Bravia features an integrated 3D sensor. The next-tier HX 800 and 900 models are what the company calls "3D ready", meaning they will display 3D with an add-on piece of hardware, at an additional cost.
Both work with glasses featuring electronic shutters to generate the effect of depth. It is estimated that glasses will cost between $200 and $400 a pair, though the LX 900 will come with two pairs.
The Panasonic Viera plasma TV demonstrated last week uses similar glasses, as will Samsung's range. All 3D TVs will also be able to be watched in 2D. Take-up of the technology could be hampered by a lack of content. TV programs are not produced in 3D and there have been few movies in the format, though that is changing with the success of Avatar. However, computer gaming is likely to be a significant driver of sales.
Camry Hybrid Tested
In that time, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore have established a rivalry as fierce as any in the automotive world but have also fought off plenty of foreign invaders seeking to encroach on their once-sacred territory.
Now, as they strive harder than ever to maintain their shrinking share of an expanding market, their collective reign as Australia's family cars of choice again comes under threat from an old rival sporting a cutting-edge new ticker.
A petrol-electric hybrid version of the venerable Toyota Camry was launched to the media this week and is about to present Australians with a choice they've never before had — an affordable family-sized car with solid "green" credibility.
Toyota has rushed the Hybrid Camry into production at its plant in Altona. It took just 20 months of local development to reach this point, after the project received approval from Toyota's Japanese head office and the federal government committed $35 million from its Green Car Innovation Fund.
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Valentine's Day-News
Speed-dating sessions run every six minutes and each date lasts for five minutes, with a minute in between enabling singles to answer yes or no. If both vote yes, you can continue to communicate on Skype.
Singles can also rate dates, record thoughts about dates using the reminder notes tool and send a post-speed-date note to someone they fancied. Skyecandy users can choose to disclose their personal information or remain anonymous.
The online video speed-dating service is the brainchild of Melonie Ryan. She came up with the idea after viewing a documentary about speed dating and being contacted at random by people wanting to start a conversation on Skype.
"I was surprised at how many random people wanted to chat through Skype," Ryan says.
She stresses Skyecandy maintains a zero-tolerance policy on unsavoury use of the service and heavily moderates photographs.
The 24-hour service has been in beta mode for the past six months and already has more than 10,000 members globally.
Sydney civil engineer Abhi Kirpan decided to give the service a go. So far, he's managed to make friends with people in Indonesia. "A lot of people don't have time to socialise," Kirpan says. "It gives you a good chance to speak to people in a more comfortable environment and there's no pressure."
The basic matching service is free for Skype users. Down the track, Ryan plans to add refined matching features such as searching for people with specific hair colour or religious backgrounds. However, users will be charged to use those extra features, Ryan says.
By JULIA TALEVSKI
KOMPAS.com What do you Think?
Andi Soraya and Maria Ozawa (Miyabi).
FPI considers Andi Soraya starred the movie with porn action as the Japanese actress Maria Ozawa a.k.a Miyabi did in her movies. "Andi Soraya is the Indonesian Miyabi, she terrorized us with sex bomb," claimed Habib Salim Bin Umar Al Athos, the FPI chief of Jakarta region in a dialog with the LSF or Film Censorship Instititution at Gedung Film, South Jakarta, Thursday.
"We come here because of the concerns from the Moeslems on the movie," utterred him. To anticipate the widespread of issue, FPI directly tried to get the confirmation from LSF. "We want to ask LSF whether the movie has been censored or not as according to the online reports the movie has been censored and watched by clerics and mass organisations.
Indonesian film producers said Friday they had withdrawn a horror-comedy movie about a menstruating ghost from cinemas due to threats from hardline Muslims. “We did this because the reaction to the film is outrageous. The situation is still tense,” K2K production house manager Evelin Hutagaol told AFP.
“Hantu Puncak Datang Bulan” was screened to a selected audience in Jakarta earlier this week and was due for general release on Thursday. The producers said they made significant cuts to the film before it was approved by the mainly Muslim country’s censorship board, including most of the sex scenes.
But uncensored clips on YouTube have caught the attention of Muslim clerics and radical youth groups, who appear not to understand that the edited version is different. Habib Salim, from a Muslim vigilante group which has ordered its members to attack cinemas showing the film, admitted he had only seen clips on the Internet.
“We don’t want the movie to be viewed by Indonesians because it contains illicit and pornographic scenes,” the FPI chairman said. “If theatres are still screening the film, then the FPI will raid those theatres. The film damages our morals. Do we want our country to be made stupid by watching this film?"
K2K spokesman Yan Wijaya said the producers had arranged a meeting between the censors and the FPI so the vigilantes could see the edited version for themselves. “We’re still arranging the date. We have to wait as this mass organisation (the FPI) is more powerful than our law,” he said.
The Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s highest Islamic body, has urged Muslims to boycott the film but has stopped short of issuing a fatwa or religious edict on the matter. Muslim leaders in September condemned plans for Japanese porn star Miyabi to visit the country to play herself in a comedy movie called “Menculik Miyabi” (Kidnapping Miyabi). The actress consequently “postponed” her trip.
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