Surround Sound A/V Receivers

A PS3 can decode 7.1 audio and output through HDMI or the Optical output port. You will still need a Surround Sound receiver to process this output for a true 5.1 or 7.1 experience.

Given below are some very good options for Home Theater System in combination with a PS3.

SONY HT-SS370

HDMI™ Repeater: Connect multiple devices via HDMI™ to your surround sound system, easily switch between them, and then connect everything to your HDTV with just one HDMI cable.

Digital Media Port: Connect a Digital Media Port (DMP) adapter (sold separately) to your audio system and access music from your iPod®, Walkman® player, or PC device.

BRAVIA® Sync™ Capable: Conveniently operate and control all your HDMI™ connected BRAVIA® Sync™ devices with one remote including: Blu-ray Disc™ Players, BRAVIA® HDTVs, home theater products, Handycam® Camcorders and Cyber-shot® Digital Cameras.

Digital Cinema Auto Calibration: Ensure you get the best sound experience from your surround sound system with Digital Cinema Auto Calibration. Simply place the included microphone where you will be seated and settings are automatically optimized based on the distance, delays and placement of your speakers.

Wireless S-AIR™ Rear Speakers & multi-room capability: Enjoy 5.1 channel surround sound without needing to run wires across the room to the rear speakers. Easily stream audio to up to 10 rooms when you add optional S-AIR™ receiver/speaker systems (AIR-SA10) and a S-AIR™ Card (EZW-T100) to your S-AIR Capable System (EZW-T100 and each S-AIR Speaker System sold separately).

Blu-ray Disc™ HD Audio (Linear PCM): With Linear PCM support, when you connect via HDMI a Blu-ray Disc player that can decode the latest high definition audio formats, including Dolby® TrueHD™ and DTS®-HD Master Audio you can experience sound closer to the way it was captured.

ONKYO HT-S3300

HDMI 1.4a, three HDMI inputs on the receiver, the receiver handles high-definition lossless codecs from Dolby and DTS, On-Screen Display function for easy adjustment of settings; four gaming audio modes; and a Universal Port for single-cable connection of peripherals.

FEATURES

HDMI® 1.4a Support for 3D Video and Audio Return Channel: The three HDMI 1.4a inputs on the HT-S3300’s A/V receiver let you simultaneously connect high-def sources such as a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, and a cable/satellite tuner. A single output then sends a pristine signal to your connected highresolution display. This system also offers the convenience of an Audio Return Channel via HDMI. Audio content received directly by your HDTV’s tuner can be sent “upstream” to the A/V receiver, without the need for a separate S/PDIF audio cable.

Decoding of High-Definition Surround-Sound Codecs: The HT-S3300’s A/V receiver can decode Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™—two lossless formats that enable delivery of a bit-for-bit soundtrack identical to the studio master track. These codecs, previously available only on mid-range and high-end receivers, take advantage of the high data capacity of the Blu-ray format.

Convenient Overlaid On-Screen Display via HDMI: Changing your A/V receiver’s settings is now more seamless than ever, thanks to Onkyo’s new overlaid On-Screen Display (OSD) feature. On-screen set-up menus appear overlaid on the video image you’re watching. This means you can adjust the settings immediately, without having to switch back and forth from a blank screen background.

192 kHz/24-Bit Burr-Brown DACs: Improve Jitter Performance to Deliver Clearer Sound. High-quality Burr-Brown DACs (PCM1690) workto optimize analog audio performance on the HT-S3300’s A/V receiver. These DACs perform advanced 24-bit signal processing and support sampling rates of up to 192 kHz, while displaying high resistance to clock jitter and offering a 113 dB dynamic range.

EX.Bass for Deeper, More Dynamic Bass: Onkyo’s proprietary EX.Bass function boosts lowfrequency output at two separate points: 40 Hz and 80 Hz. At low volumes, EX.Bass creates a deeper, more dynamic bass sound for your music and movies. When the volume is turned up high, the boosted bass automatically returns to normal levels.

 

More here for SONY and here for Onkyo.

PS3 Analysis

 

FEATURE	DESCRIPTION	USAGE/BENEFITS	LIMITATION
HARD DRIVE	· 2.5' Serial ATA	User interchangeable. Very simple and can use any 2.5” drive (laptop HDD).	The PS3 supports only FAT32 formatting which limits the file size of a single file not to exceed 4GB. This is true for external HDDs attached via USB.
CONNECTIVITY	· Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) IEEE · 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi* · Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR) Wireless Controller Bluetooth (up to 7)	Gigabit Ethernet allows for playing high bitrate movies. Blu-ray movie dumps/rips which have a very high bit rate for high quality can be played without any hassle. Copying files across the network is so fast that the speed is comparable to copying within a HDD. Has inbuilt 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi (54 mbps) for those who want only streaming of standard bitrate media. Bluetooth 2.0 enables connecting multiple Bluetooth devices like Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that can aid in easier browsing.	No support for 802.11n which can support speeds of up to 300 Mbps. Upgrading to this feature will need hardware rework and cannot be done as an accessory.
VIDEO OUTPUT	· HDMI: HDMI + Bravia Sync · Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1	HDMI output for TV and/or Home Theater receiver. Support for upscaling of SD DVDs to HD (up to 1080p). Support for BD 1080p 24 Hz Output. HDMI is v1.3a which has support for higher bandwidth (10.2 Gbps), support for Deep Color, etc. Bravia sync, a feature unique to SONY products is very convenient in handling multiple devices with a single button. Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
AUDIO OUTPUT	· Digital: HDMI · DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1 · Analog: AV MULTI OUT	Optical Audio Out can be used for passing sound to a Surround Sound Receiver. Decoding of Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby TrueHD. Up to 7.1   channels of Surround Sound. Support for Linear PCM 7.1 Channel Audio Output which can convert all Dolby/DTS audio to a surround receiver that does not have decoding facility.	No support for onboard decoding of DTS-HD. This system does not support output from the DTS-HD 7.1 Ch. DTS-HD 7.1 Ch audio is output from a 5.1 or lower channel.
I/O	· USB 2.0 X 2	2 x USB2.0 ports at the front.	USB3.0 is a nice to have feature in the next console version.
MEDIA SERVER	· DLNA Certified	DLNA Certified makes PS3 receive media from various DLNA certified devices across the network
VIDEO		Support for the following file types natively; · MPEG-4 SP (AAC LC), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile (AAC LC) · MPEG-1 (MPEG Audio Layer 2), · MPEG-2 PS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AAC LC, AC3(Dolby Digital), LPCM) · MPEG-2 TS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AC3 (Dolby Digital), AAC LC) · MPEG-2 TS (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC) · AVI ( Motion JPEG (Linear PCM), Motion JPEG (μ-Law)) · AVCHD (.m2ts / .mts) · DivX · WMV ( VC-1 (WMA Standard V2))	No native support for .MKV files which is the most common container for BluRay rips across the world. This should be simple via a software update.
AUDIO		Support for the following file types natively; · Memory Stick Audio Format(ATRAC) · MP3 (MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer3, MP3 Surround) · MP4(MPEG-4 AAC) · WAVE(Linear PCM) · WMA
OPTICAL DRIVE	· Blu-ray Optical Drive w/Blu-ray Disc™ Profile 2.0	Inbuilt Blu-ray drive can handle CDs, DVDs and BDs. BD Profile 2.0 allows for BD live streaming from the internet for additional content, downloadable bonus content, movie-based games and more special features.
CONVINIENCE	· Internet Browser · Video Editor/Uploader · Photo Gallery	Browse the internet with an inbuilt full function internet browser. Edit captured videos (via webcam) or stored videos and upload them to Youtube, Facebook, etc. Download photos from camera, edit and upload to a preferred sharing site.
GAMING	· SIXAXIS™ motion-sensing system	Allows users to maneuver the controller as a natural extension of their bodies. With this system, sensors read when a player angles, tilts, thrusts, or pulls the controller, all in real-time and with high precision.
MUSCLE	· Cell Broadband Engine · RSX Graphics Processing Unit · 256MB XDR Main RAM + 256MB GDDR3 VRAM	Raw power at it’s best. The Cell Broadband Engine has up to eight Synergistic Processor Units (SPUs) or "cores" to help balance the processor workload thus making it more powerful and more efficient than traditional "single-core" processors. The computational power of the system itself sports the equivalent of 2 teraflops, meaning that entirely new graphical expressions that have never been seen before will become possible. In games, not only will movement of characters and objects be far more refined and realistic, but landscapes and virtual worlds can also be rendered in real-time, thereby elevating the freedom of graphics expression to levels not experienced in the past. Gamers will literally be able to dive into the realistic world seen in large screen movies and experience the excitement in real-time.	As expected, such a high power machine generates so much of heat that a high noise is heard due to the higher spinning of the fan. Especially, when a PS3 is enclosed in an A/V cabinet, the sound level may be too high that it could disturb a normal low sound movie.

Tokyo Baby Cafe

From GaijinPot;

The second GaijinPot story for today looking at Japanese architecture.

Meguro, Tokyo-based Japanese design boutique Nendo has recently made a splash with its friendly, consumer-focused designs. Catering for both parents and kids, their new Tokyo Baby Cafe is a fantasy playground with exaggerated angles and unusual turns putting a unique twist on its mix of coffee shop, retail outlet and playground.

Kid-sized tables and chairs provide room for relaxed reading and eating, wide-open floors provide space for mums to move around prams, strollers and baby baskets while their kids can run around without fear of hurting themselves on the soft-finished furniture.

There are plenty of books for the kids to read and the cafe also boasts “senpai mums” who help with in-store baby care and give assistance in selecting the latest clothes and toys to buy.

Tokyo Baby Cafe can be found in Jingu-Mae, close to Ometesando.

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10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About China!!!!

From a mail forward;

01. China executes three times as many people as the rest of the world

China carries out almost three times as many executions as the rest of the world put together, according to the most conservative estimate by Amnesty International. In 2008, the group confirmed 1,718 executions through news reports and public documents, but many others are not reported. Some analysts say the figure may be above 6,000. The exact number is a state secret. Many executions are done on the road using vehicles called the death vans designed by Jinguan Motors. The makers of these vans say the vehicles and injections are a civilized alternative to the firing squad, ending the life of the condemned more quickly, clinically and safely. According to them, the switch from gunshots to injections is a sign thatChina "promotes" human rights now.

02. There are already more Christians in China than Italy, and it's on track to become the largest center of Christianity in the world

Due to the extremely rapid expansion of Christianity in China, there are now an estimated 54 million Christians in the country, comprised of about 40 million Protestants and 14 million Catholics. Meanwhile, Italy has just 60 million people in total, of which 79% are Christian these days, which means Italy has 47.4 million Christians, that's 12% less than China.

03. Over 4000 babies in China were named "Olympic Games" while the country was getting ready for Beijing 2008

The Beijing Olympics was more than just a point of pride for China — it was such an important part of the national consciousness that over 4,000 children have been named for the event. Most of the 4,104 people with the name "Aoyun," meaning Olympics , were born around the year 2000, as Beijing was bidding to host the 2008 Summer Games. The vast majority of people named Aoyun are male. Names related to the Olympics don't just stop with "Olympics ." More than 4,000 Chinese share their names with the Beijing Games mascots, the "Five Friendlies." Chinese have increasingly turned to unique names as a way to express a child's individuality.

04. China uses 45 billion chopsticks per year.

In China, an estimated 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are used and thrown away annually. This adds up to 1.7 million cubic metres of timber or 25 million fully grown trees every year.

05. 200 million people in China live on less than $1 a day.

Poverty in China refers to people whose income is less than a poverty line of $1.25 per day. The poverty rate in China in 1981 was 64% of the population. Fortunately, this rate declined to 10% in 2004, indicating that about 500 million people have climbed out of poverty during this period.

06. Over 700 million Chinese people drink polluted water.

China has 20% of the world's population but only 7% of global water resources. To make matters worse, 90% of cities' groundwater and 75% of rivers and lakes are polluted according to the World Bank. This means that 700 million people drink contaminated water every day.

07. Ice Cream and Pasta may have been created in China.

A frozen mixture of milk and rice was invented in China around 200 BC, giving birth to ice cream. Also, a 4,000-year-old bowl of noodles was discovered at an archaeological site in western China, possible demonstrating that China invented pasta before Italy.

08. Over 50% of counterfeit goods in the EU come from China.

In Europe, China was the main source country for intellectual property rights infringing articles with 54% of the total amount.CD/DVD was the top category of articles detained with a total amount of 79 million, which accounted for 44% of the entire amount, followed by cigarettes (23%) and clothing and accessories (10%).

09. China is not free from Europe's medieval plague yet.

In 2009 China ended a quarantine blockade around a remote northwestern town hit by pneumonic plague. The outbreak of the highly infectious disease killed three villagers around Ziketan Town in Qinghai province. But with no new infections reported for over a week, authorities decided to lift the blockade on the remote town of 10,000 in a heavily ethnic Tibetan area.China experiences sporadic outbreaks of the plague, which is typically spread by rodents and fleas and can pass easily between people.

10. By 2025, China will build TEN New York-sized cities.

The scale and pace of China's urbanization promises to continue at an unprecedented rate. If current trends hold, China's urban population will expand from 572 million in 2005 to 926 million in 2025 and hit the one billion mark by 2030. In 20 years,China's cities will have added 350 million people—more than the entire population of the United States today. By 2025, China will have 219 cities with more than one million inhabitants—compared with 35 in Europe today—and 24 cities with more than five million people. Also, 40 billion square meters of floor space will be built - in five million buildings. 50,000 of these buildings could be skyscrapers - the equivalent of ten New York Cities.

BSNL Broadband Speed Doubles

Good News for BSNL Users.

"

BSNL Broadband Offers Double Speed At Same Price.

In a bid to provide High Speed Broadband service at affordable price BSNL India National Telecom backbone and largest Broadband service provider today announced free Up-gradation of Broadband Speed in for Certain Home and Rural Unlimited Plans free of cost.

The offer is valid for a limited period up-to 30.04.2010.Keeping plan charges same, BSNL increased broadband speed.

Now subscribers of BB Home Combo UL 625 CS1, BB Home UL 750 and BB Home Combo UL 750 users will be eligible for the 512 Kbps instead of its earlier speed of 256kbps, while the BB Home Combo ULF 900, DSL Unlimited 999 users will get 1 Mbps up to 8 GB, 256 Kbps beyond 8 GB,the faster broadband speed enhancements at the existing rates."

Here are the Details