In a video demo, a person controls the playback of music on a laptop.

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Both cameras are also said to suffer from poor startup and shot-to-shot times, lackluster battery life, and a video mode that offers high quality video but decidedly limited controls.

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We noticed a minor amount of lag with the live video stream but the controls (shutter, zoom, flash, timer, image size) were quite responsive.

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Similar to the changes Netflix recently made to its web player UI (and looking particularly reminiscent of the iOS video player), Hulu has concentrated all the transport controls into a single bar including options like a 10-second rewind and bringing up the time left in a video when it's paused.

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Microsoft has shown off a wide range of two-screen scenarios, including GamePad-like touchscreen maneuvers (albeit without the GamePad's physical joysticks and buttons), the old standby of resuming a movie watched on a tablet or smartphone up on a TV, enabling controls for its forthcoming Internet Explorer for Xbox, and second-screen video programming.

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Once you have clicked on a Play icon on a picture - or on the Player controls - then you can start, pause or restart the video by using the control buttons immediately below the video screen.

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High Definition movies and stills can be shared with family and friends on an HD television via HDMI output, and control slideshows and video using the HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) interface that is a part of most modern remote controls from HDTV manufacturers.

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Immersion technology, Afshar said, is a logical next step in video gaming, which already is being transformed by 3-D screens and movement-based controls, such as those found on the remote-free Kinect from Microsoft.

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