jcentertainment7b.doc/1,977 words/50”/Sea July 2001
HEAD: Cool Fusion
SUBHEAD: Onboard entertainment centers are being invaded by digital technology
By James Corns
fusion (fy zh n) n. [L fusio] 1: a union by or as if by melting 2: a merging of diverse, distinct or separate elements into a unified whole 3: the state of today’s onboard entertainment centers.
They’re changing. Have you noticed?
Your friends, your buddies, your loved ones – they’re all changing.
It may be happening gradually or it may be happening all at once, but it’s happening. Their minds are being sucked in by the unseen force known as “digital fusion.”
At first, you thought this might be Phase One of some vast right-wing alien conspiracy to take over the Earth. “It starts with the boaters,” you thought to yourself. “It starts with the boaters.”
Your conspiracy theories were quickly dispelled, though, upon the discovery that you had merely been suffering the hallucinogenic side effects that come with mixing 16 bags of Cheetos and a dozen Big Gulps with a 24-hour marathon of “The X-Files.” Embarrassingly, you didn’t realize you were in the unshakable throes of a caffeine high until after you had already run out to the docks in your underwear and started yelling, “Control the water and you control the world!”
A few days later, after your Cheeto-induced haze had completely worn off and your fingers had almost returned to their natural color, you noticed that your friends were still acting differently. They were still stealing the remote control, changing television channels rapidly, switching back and forth between the DVD player, the VCR, the stereo system and the digital recorder – and sometimes using them all at once.
What?
You’ve started doing the same thing?
Oh my god! You’ve got it, too. You’ve got digital fusion!
Pretty cool, huh?
Resistance Is Futile
For those of you who are still a part of the analog video cult, it’s only a matter of time before digital video grabs you by the serial port and shakes you into submission. In fact, Uncle Sam demands it. As of 2007, U.S. television stations are required by law to broadcast entirely in digital format.
Your analog television will eventually become obsolete.
Don’t worry, though. With prices falling faster than Al Roker jumping hurdles in high heels, this is the perfect time for you to jump on board the digital bandwagon.
Digital technology allows for ultimate versatility. Your television can talk to your DVD player, which can talk to your personal computer, which can talk with just about any other digital device on the market.
In many cases, televisions, VCRs and other items are being fused into one multimedia device, saving you space and money. This is digital fusion.
Digital Fusion Archetypes
The Panasonic PV-DM2799 is a perfect example. The unit is a television/DVD-Video/VCR combination with an FM radio and a CD player.
You can listen to CDs, watch VHS videotapes, view DVDs, listen to the radio or watch regular television with this one unit. It even comes with VCR Plus+, virtual surround sound, and outputs for DTS and Dolby Digital decoders.
The PV-DM2799 retails for $999.95, which is much less than you would pay for the individual products necessary to get the same services. In addition, this all-in-one unit can save you a lot of valuable space aboard.
The ZapStation sets a new standard in digital fusion. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it looks like an ordinary DVD player. There’s no other product like it on the market.
With this one device, you can play audio CDs; download, store and play Windows Media files and MP3s through your onboard stereo system; play DVD movies through your television and stereo system; listen to Internet radio stations; browse the Web through your television; and check e-mail through your existing Web-based e-mail accounts (such as Hotmail and Yahoo).
ZapMedia’s ZapStation lets you store up to 10,000 songs or 20 hours of digital video. Use it to play streaming audio/video, or record CDs to your ZapStation hard drive and turn it into a digital jukebox. Once your CDs are saved to the hard drive, you can leave them back on dry land, saving you even more space.
The ZapStation retails for $899 and requires a phone connection for some services. There is also a monthly subscription fee ($9.95) for the ZapMedia service.
If you’re interested in changing your video library over to a digital format, the Terapin CD-R video/audio recorder can help. With the Terapin, you can transfer your videos to a CD, which can be then be played back on any multimedia PC or compatible DVD player.
All you have to do is put in a CD-R or CD-RW disc, and you can record straight from your camcorder or transfer old recordings from videotapes to CD. This is great for boaters, because CDs are much less vulnerable than tape to the damp sea air -- and they take up less space. Available from NewWave Technologies, the Terapin retails for $599.
Video Extravaganza
UltimateTV from Microsoft is another “fused” product. It is the first and only service to fully integrate DIRECTV programming, digital video recording, live television controls, interactive television and Internet access in one unit. It can even record two programs at the same time – so you’ll no longer have to choose between “The West Wing” and “Felicity.”
The DIRECTV receiver with UltimateTV service retails for between $450 and $550. There is an additional monthly service charge of $9.95, and DIRECTV is sold as a separate package. The UltimateTV box requires connection to a phone line when accessing the Internet or downloading program schedules, so you’ll need a shore connection or satellite phone system at those times.
Of course, to receive a television signal in the first place, you’re going to need a satellite television antenna. Datron, Sea Tel and KVH are three of the top marine satellite antenna system manufacturers.
Datron’s new CruiseTV STS is the lowest profile in-motion satellite television system on the market. Only 9.5 inches high, Datron’s advanced system ensures high-quality, reliable television reception.
The CruiseTV STS receives 200 channels from DIRECTV, making it the perfect UltimateTV companion. Datron’s CruiseTV STS retails for $3,295.
KVH is another manufacturer known for making quality marine in-motion satellite television antennas. The TracVision C3 is the company’s latest model.
With its low profile and low price, the TracVision C3 delivers DIRECTV, the DISH Network and Bell ExpressVu. This translates into over 300 channels of programming, including HDTV and Internet data broadcasts. KVH’s TracVision C3 retails for less than $3,500.
The MSV 2000, AKA the “Mighty Duck,” is one of Sea Tel’s premium marine antennas. The system allows you to watch different television programming or listen to digital music at the same time on separate televisions.
Sea Tel’s MSV 2000 retails for $3,595, making it the only system under $5,000 to offer unlimited azimuth turning. This assures reception no matter how often or how fast your boat turns.
If you don’t have the space and/or power for an onboard satellite television system, a portable DVD player is a great solution. Sharp’s DV-L80U is a prime example.
The DV-L80U’s 8-inch LCD screen is one of the largest found on a portable player. The DV-L80U has 16:9 widescreen capability and plays DVDs, CD-RWs, and video and audio CDs. It retails for $1,500.
Sharp is also the name behind the SharpVision LC-PD50U high-definition plasma display panel. This 50-inch flat screen is less than 4 inches deep, so it takes up very little space and can be hung right on the bulkhead.
The LC-PD50U sells for $19,995. That may sound a bit extravagant, but remember that this is no mere plasma screen; it’s a 50-inch high-definition plasma screen. The difference between high-definition television and conventional television screens is immediately obvious: You get 1,080 lines of movie-clear resolution, as opposed to the 330 to 480 lines found on a standard screen. That’s as top-of-the-line as it gets.
If you’re looking for something a tad smaller, Sharp also offers flat-screen monitors (sans HDTV) with color displays from 5 to 20 inches in diameter. They fit where you’d never be able to put a conventional television.
Aural Report
Once your eyes’ appetites have been sated, it’s only fair that you give your ears equal time. Clarion’s DXZ815MP is the perfect place to start.
The DXZ815MP is just like your regular onboard CD player, with one exception: It also plays MP3s. The player comes with a flip-down detachable face plate, colored accent plates, 18 FM channel presets and an infrared remote control. It retails for $749.
For those of you who are a little behind on the latest technobabble, MP3s are digital music files. That’s what all the Napster hubbub we’ve been bombarded with over the last year has been about; the sharing of MP3s for free. MP3 files can still be downloaded from the Internet -- some without charge, some with a fee.
MP3 players are all the rage right now. They’re great for boaters, because you can get CD-quality sound without the worries of a disc getting bumped off track by rough seas. MP3s are just bits of data, so there’s no CD or tape to mess with.
Optional MP3 player attachments are available for most personal data assistants (PDAs). Snap one in and you’re ready to go.
InnoGear’s MiniJam is one such attachment. The MiniJam can turn your Handspring Visor into one of the coolest-looking portable MP3 players available.
The moment a MiniJam is snapped into the back of a Visor, a launch window on the Visor display offers you the ability to listen to music, view images or slide shows, or read an e-Book. The player’s snazzy design makes it as attractive as it is utilitarian.
The 32 MB MiniJam retails for $199 and is available in ice and graphite colors.
First International Digital Inc., a spin-off of Motorola, has come up with one of the most innovative MP3 players on the market. The company’s Irock 650 plays standard MP3s, as well as files created using a new format called MP3i (short for MP3 interactive).
MP3i files allow content such as lyrics, photographs, album artwork and liner notes to be displayed simultaneously with the music. The Irock 650 also has a built-in microphone, for voice recording, making the device a mobile karaoke machine. (Yes, it’s true that even good technology can be used for evil.)
In addition to everything else, the Irock 650 has an FM receiver, so you can listen to your favorite radio stations. The player retails for $249.99.
Boaters may be able to appreciate digital fusion more than any other consumer group. After all, not only do we have the advantage of cool devices that do great new things, but we also save a lot of onboard space in the process – and a lot of weight, too.
Our onboard electronics at the helm and our onboard entertainment centers in the saloon are going digital simultaneously. They’re already becoming fused, and, in very little time, they will merge into a single digital unit.
Imagine how nice it will be to have a television with a four-way split screen. In one quadrant, you’ll be able to keep an eye on the radar; in another quadrant, you’ll be able to plot a course on the GPS/chart plotter; in the third quadrant, you can watch your favorite movie; and in the final quadrant, you can chat with friends online.
Of course, that’s assuming you still have any friends after that embarrassing display you put on back at the dock. Seeing you chase your dog around the marina in your underwear, calling the poor creature “Scully,” has left them all a bit unnerved.
CONTACTS
Panasonic*(800) 211-PANA; www.panasonic.com
ZapMedia*(678) 420-2700; www.zapmedia.com
Terapin (NewWave Technologies)*(800) 536-5222; www.newwavetech.com
UltimateTV*(877) ULTIMATE; www.ultimatetv.com
Datron*(877) 4-DATRON; www.datrondbs.com
KVH Industries Inc.*(401) 847-3327; www.kvh.com
Sea Tel*(888) 798-7979; www.seatel.com
Sharp*(800) BE-SHARP; www.sharp-usa.com
Clarion*(800) 347-8667; www.clarion-usa.com
MiniJam (InnoGear)*(877) 711-6778; www.innogear.com
Irock (First International Digital Inc.)*(847) 202-1900; www.myirock.com
*eot
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