Bringing 3DTV to the home is 'not going to be easy, and there will be surprises' said standards expert Peter Symes of SMPTE yesterday.

Speaking at a high-end Digital Television Group (DTG) seminar to which HCC had exclusive access, Symes explained that the technicalities of encoding 3D signals were proving a challenge - for instance, early attempts at compressing signals using MVC (Multi-View Coding) delivered disappointingly inefficient results.

It wasn't the only note of caution sounded at the seminar, at which the DTG announced that it would be working to set standards for 3D delivery to UKTVs and computers.

Chris Johns, Chief Engineer of BSkyB,explained that new techniques had to be developed to create 3D material which delivers 'Emotional involvement, rather than the spear-in-your-face effect'.

Johns demoed Sky's 3D sports footage, which concentrates on creating a wide immersive sense of perspective, rather than gimmicky effects. Partly this is due to the limitations of the 3D camera rigs, partly because viewers might find the 3D effect tiring if it isn't strictly controlled.

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Hitachi says it is is working on a revolutionary brain-interface that allows users to control their TV and other electronics without the need to wave around zappers or click buttons.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the technology works by analysing changes in blood flow within the brain.

The key is a new technology called Optical Topography, which bathes the brain in small amounts of infared light, allowing changes in blood flow to be mapped. A user dons headware which links to a mapping device via optical cables.

The trick to controlling objects via brain power is apparently is to unlock the frontal cortex, which can be done through the simple expedient of singing a song or solving a maths problem.

Hitachi has already demonstrated a version of the device which allowed a small train set to be controlled by thought. More sophisticated applications are in development. Leisure, medical and automotive industries could all benefit hugely if and when such tech is commercialised.

Variations on the theme of thought control have been around for a number of years, but Hitachi's approach in uniquely non-invasive. 'It's also entertaining,' says Hitachi.

Via Home Cinema Choice

Few jukebox products have as fervent a fan base as those from Popcorn Hour. Built around a simple user interface and an accommodating approach to file formats, models like the A-110, and the HDX-1000 variant from HD Digitech, are fan favourites. Dubbed Network Media Tanks, they've set the bar for the growing new area of network-savvy, media-streaming home cinema kit.

So when news of the latest model came through, the C-200, I was suitably excited. But having used one for a month or more, I'm guessing that the new model (which sells for around £300 without hard drive) perhaps won't elicit quite the enthusiasm of its predecessors. The competition for this kind of device is getting pretty fierce, particularly from devices like the WDTV Live, which offer aspects of the same functionality.

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There's no shortage of iPod dock solutions available for the casual shopper, but those seeking a quality option have a more restricted choice – and finding the best hi-fi performer amongst them is a challenge. Approaches vary considerably between brands, and some may suit your lifestyle better than others.

For this sound-off we compare three very different iProducts from three rather different hi-fi brands, all with enviable reputations. Bose offers the SoundDock Series II, Yamaha the distinctive PDX-50 and B&W the dramatic Zeppelin. All aspire to deliver the best music performance possible, albeit with certain caveats. Which one will be your next iPod dock?

Read on to discover which is best.

Via Home Cinema Choice

This morning, HCC and sister magazine What Satellite & Digital TV stopped by Toshiba's Tokyo headquarters to see the long-awaited Cell Regza TV.

The 55in TV will go on sale in Japan this month, and is powered by the same Cell superchip found inside the Playstation 3, tasked with a range of picture improvements and multi-channel recording. It's paired with a brand new Toshiba-exclusive LED panel, and between them they knocked our socks off. Toshiba's TV group manager Yuichi Sekiguchi talked of stepping into the realm of high-end plasma, and it's not hyperbole. The levels of detail, brightness, contrast and colour are breathtaking for an LCD TV.

The Cell chip also helps to manage a staggering 15 tuners - it continually records all eight of Japan's digital terrestrial TV channels to a 3TB hard disc so there's always 26 hours of TV to choose from, and you can use the rest to record from satellite, analogue and digital terrestrial, and broadband streaming and on-demand. And it does home networked media as an afterthought.

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