In my time at tbreak I’ve certainly reviewed some awesome gadgets. When I attended the official reveal of the Sony HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer last week and had a brief trial with the unit, I figured that something that awesome would certainly be a lot of fun to review. So naturally when my review unit arrived in the office I couldn’t wait to head home and try out my new toy and immerse myself in the world of 3D.

Design and Build Quality
Two things come to mind when I look at the HMZ-T1. I’m firstly reminded of the arcade machines of my youth where you could pull down a Virtual Reality head-mounted display and pretend that you were shooting down aircraft or exploring a martian planet. The headsets were heavy and the graphics were less than impressive, but in those days it was the most magical thing ever invented. The second thing I’m reminded of is Geordi La Forge from Star Trek and his VISOR – I’m hoping that wearing the HMZ-T1 won’t suddenly transport me to an alternate dimension.

The HMZ-T1 is actually made up of two devices. The first is a black box that acts as a processor for video and audio. It has one HDMI output on the front to which you connect the headset, and one HDMI input at the back which you can connect your DVD player, Playstation 3, or other HDMI compliant devices to. There’s an additional HDMI out at the back to allow you to connect a TV to, so when the device is powered off you can watch content on your regular TV or projector. The processor box is fairly uninteresting and can sit quite unobtrusively in your living room setup or be hidden away.

The other obvious part of the setup is the actual headset itself. Unpacking the headset from the box was like handling the Holy Grail – the headset looks sleek and futuristic, with smooth finishes of white, grey, and black. There’s a blue status indicator hidden just under the Sony logo in the front, which lets you know when the device is powered up and ready to use. Holding the headset in my hands I’m aware of how weighted it is, so I’m wondering what it’s going to feel like once it’s actually on my head.

The ‘magic’ of the headset lies in the twin OLED displays that sit in front of each eye. Using one screen per eye means that you don’t have to suffer from the crossover-3D effects that are used in most cinemas, so you get a brighter and sharper image at all times. At the back of the device are two straps, one made of adjustable plastic and another made of rubber. These are designed to fit snugly to the back of your head for optimal viewing, and generally snap away and readjust quite easily. On the sides of the device are the padded headphones, which are large and again easily adjustable to fit your head. In the front is a large adjustable pad that rests up against your forehead, and below that are slots where you can snap in optional rubber blockers to keep external light sources from interfering when using the device. Right at the front on the underside of the device are a few buttons for power, volume, and menu options for minor adjustments when using the headset.

Overall while the unit looks fairly durable, the choice to use plastic everywhere reduces the appeal of the device somewhat. Yes I understand that the device had to remain lightweight, but I would dread to think what would happen if this headset slipped off a table or someone sat on it by mistake.

Setup and connectivity
Connecting the device was fairly simple – I plugged an HDMI cable into the back of the processor box, and then plugged in the headset to the front. Oh wait, did I forget to mention that this thing is wired? Yup – 11 feet of cable connects your headset to the processor box, so wherever you’re setting this thing up, make sure there’s minimum foot traffic to avoid tripping up someone or accidentally getting the cable caught somewhere. It would have been a huge boon if the headset was wireless, but given the amount of video and audio data that is being processed, this might just not be possible at the moment.

With the device properly connected and turned on, I then began the mammoth task of adjusting everything to fit my cranium. This had to be the least fun part of the experience, as there were so many things to adjust to get the right fit. After about fifteen minutes of adjusting the back straps and ensuring that everything was fitted properly, I slid the device on my head and could hardly see a thing – I had forgotten to adjust the OLED screens, which I did so using the two sliders at the bottom of the headset. Unfortunately the screens move together rather than individually, so even after adjusting them as best as I could, there was a slight blur towards the edge of the screen. If you’re looking to share this device with other people, prepare to repeat this painstaking adjustment process for each person – if you’re on your own then you’ll be fine.

With the headset actually on my head. I was immediately aware of the pressure that it was exerting on my forehead and my nose. While it wasn’t discomforting, I could tell that if I sat in a chair and used this device for longer than half an hour, I’d begin to feel uncomfortable. Donning the rubber light-blockers at the bottom of the device allowed it to rest on my cheeks a bit more and reduce the pressure on my nose, but this was only a minor improvement. Lying flat on my couch and wearing the device also proved to be uncomfortable, as it then started pressing against my glasses. So realistically the only comfortable way to enjoy the HMZ-T1 is in a reclined position such as a lounge chair that gives you neck and head support.

Sony today announced the launch of ‘Personal 3D Viewer’, HMZ-T1, a wearable headset with twin OLED screens and a 5.1-channel virtual surround sound that simulates an immersive, captivating wide-screen movie theatre experience, delivering unparalleled home entertainment.

In true grand style, we were treated to a private presentation in a cinema, where the product was officially unveiled by Hiroyasu Sugiyama, Managing Director, Sony Gulf.

“To compliment Sony’s extensive portfolio of 3D products, today we have introduced a new concept product, Sony HMZ-T1 – the Personal 3D Viewer that will give consumers a completely unique, totally engaging and immersive 3D experience. With this device, whether its 3D gaming or watching a 3D movie, you can get the big screen 3D imagery and the theatre quality sound experiences at home in the comfort of your favorite couch.”

The HMZ-T1 features some of Sony’s leading technologies, including HD OLED displays and semiconductor silicon drive technology. It also features superior audio and the viewing equivalent of a 750-inch screen. From my brief time with the unit I was able to play several PS3 games such as Uncharted 3 and Motorstorm, though not all of them were rendered in 3D as they weren’t supported by the game. The unit was lightweight when I wore it, though it required a good amount of adjustment to get the optimum viewing angle.

The Personal 3D Viewer will be available from March 2012 at Jumbo Electronics showrooms and select electronics stores in the UAE for AED 2,999.

World renowned audio and video manufacturer Bang & Olufsen showcased three new products this weekend at the Big Boys Toys exhibition in Dubai.

The first was their Beolit 12 Portable Sound System with Airplay support. This tiny sleek box provides a total of 120 watts output power with a 2.1 stereo system, 2 x 2″ tweeters and 1 x 4″ woofer. Despite its small size, the unit is capable of some powerful performance that can easily fill a mid-sized room.

Also on show was the BeoVision 12, the company’s latest 65″ plasma TV. With a design that just oozes sophistication, the BeoVision 12 offers a discreet and slimline appearance while still providing a perfect surround sound experience thanks to an integrated centre channel loudspeaker directly underneath the screen. This was the first time the TV was making its debut, and it wowed people with its stunning looks and picture-perfect quality.

But clearly the show-stealer was the massive BeoVision 4 TV coupled with the intelligent BeoLab speakers. The massive TV clocked in at nearly AED 580,000, so start saving now. The BeoLab speakers were absolutely phenomenal, and are capable of running a series of initial tests to optimize sound performance no matter what kind of room they are set up in. It does this by emitting a series of low frequency sounds and then picking them up with a retractable microphone. The system even detects what kind of floor surface the speakers are placed on, and compensates accordingly to provide a true cinema experience through just two speakers.

The system was also paired with the Kaleidescape system, which allows you to store your Blu-ray and DVD collection on a central server, which then allows the content to be accessed through various rooms in the house. The difference is that the system takes a legal digital copy of the disc you insert, and will only play back the content if the original disc is in the system. Essentially you are encouraged to just insert your discs and then completely forget about them. The system also integrates with an iPad app that provides full control for your audio and video as well as other appliances such as lighting.

Streaming boxes should be the norm in every modern household nowadays. There is just too much media online not to have one hub hooked directly to your TV. While there are many options available locally, Western Digital’s media boxes have always had a major presence in the market. Today I’ll be looking at the latest WD TV Live.

In the past we’ve had some forms of WD TV media boxes, most notably the WD TV Live Hub which comes with a 1TB hard drive built-in. The first thing you’ll notice about the WD TV Live differing from WD TV Live Hub, apart from the price difference, is the incredibly small footprint. Whereas WD TV Live Hub has a very low profile and sleek design, the new WD TV Live is very boxy. Even so, the matt black finish makes it very easy to blend with your existing setup.

Measuring just 125x100x30mm, the WD TV Live weighs a mere 200 grams. The front has a simple transparent plastic plate which just shows the white activity LED (which can be turned off) and a USB port. On the rear you have the power plug, Optical out, LAN input, HDMI out and another USB port, finished off with an old school AV out port.

Pretty much the entirety of the bottom panel has holes in it, with the bottom of the circuitry having a large metal plate. And unlike the WD TV Live Hub, there’s no fan in the WD TV Live, so the entire thing is passively cooled. You’ll only be thankful for this when the WD TV Live is in standby mode, because the WD TV Live Hub would have its fan running almost all the time.

Included in the box is the power cable, manual, the remote control plus batteries. The remote control itself is identical to the WD TV Live Hub, which means it has the same irritatingly long rubber buttons. The layout, however, is nice and simple to use.