Filed under: Blu-ray

The British Video Association is back with some more happy stats on how well Blu-ray is doing, claiming 3.1 million discs sold since the start of 2009. Still, even with a claimed 231% jump over last year's YTD figures, that hasn't offset a 9.5% drop in sales of DVDs. that should move the needle well past last year's figures, where only 1.5 million were reportedly moved by October, but we doubt that's much comfort to employees of the nearly 900 retailers that have closed this year. Even with consumers "continuing to spend money on the product" once they've experienced it, according to BVA director general Lavinia Carey, expect a greater focus on downloads to offer an alternative to piracy, though no word on when that can be expected.

UK Blu-ray sales up 231% over last year originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mvix has announces the worldwide launch of the Mvix Ultio, a hard-disk based media center capable of HD digital media playback with video output as high as 1080p.
The company claims the device supports the largest array of AV formats and codecs of any media player.

There are already more digital delivery devices connected to HDTVs in US homes than Blu-ray players, thanks largely to the Xbox 360 and the likes of TiVo, Roku, AppleTV and Vudu.
Yet despite the numerical supremacy of players capable of streaming HD content, digital downloads are not expected to be a serious competitor to the Blu-ray format anytime soon.

Filed under: Cable

Remember that tru2way-related Memorandum of Understanding that was all the rage about this time last year? It appears the 6 cable companies haven't lived up to at least one part of their agreement, collectively missing the deadline of July 1 to have 100% of their digital cable headends compatible. No word on how close they got, but Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House still insist it's "not that far off" though we don't see how missing important milestones is helping move the technology forwards.

Cable companies miss tru2way deadline, insist it's no big deal originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Panasonic

Apparently blissfully unaware of how much the Engadget staff has paid for the events of the last CES to be forgotten, Panasonic is promoting the UK launch of its FreeSat+ compatible series of Blu-ray recorders (£999 for the 500GB DMR-BS850) by promising to archive ones most valuable memories. Is that enough for you to navigate the various copy protection flags towards Blu-ray disc archival, or will you risk the family Christmas video (worth £542) on something less than a 50GB Blu-ray disc?

Panasonic justifies Blu-ray recorder cost by asking "How much are memories worth to you?" originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, Blu-ray

In a bit of news that would have been considerably juicier back in the old format war days, Paramount is reportedly negotiating with Sony and Fox to take over parts of its home video business, specifically physical fulfillment to retail, billing and collections. Reported by Video Business and Financial Times, it seems like the studio is trying to save cash as the DVD market shrinks while Blu-ray and other distribution methods aren't yet picking up the slack. We're not sure if home viewers would notice any difference from such a deal, but with titles like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Monsters vs. Aliens releasing later this year it's worth keeping an eye on, if only for the slim possibility of history repeating itself and Paramount promising exclusive China Blue HD format support in return for a huge bundle of incentives. Hey, it could happen....maybe.

Paramount considering home video partnership with Sony, Fox originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The major US broadcasters are evolving into multi-platform TV distribution networks in a "land-grab" attempt to replicate their traditional channels business online.
So much so that the online web-based TV services of the four major US TV networks – together with Hulu, the joint venture between NBC Universal, News Corporation and Disney - accounted for 53 per cent of an ad-supported US online TV market, according to a report from Screen Digest.

The personal video recorder (PVR) market is continuing to grow, fueled by high-definition models.
Global PVR shipments exceeded 25 million in 2008, with HD PVRs making up nearly 75 per cent of the total, according to In-Stat.

The executive who helped Panasonic develop its Blu-ray discs and 3D FullHD TV technologies has been named as the new chief technology officer of Panasonic Consumer Electronics North America.
Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic’s Hollywood Laboratory managing director, is replacing Paul Liao who is leaving the company to be the new CEO of Cable Television Laboratories.

Filed under: Blu-ray

Wow, we don't even know what to say about this week's slate of new releases on Blu-ray. All we can really say is that even though we're used to being bored by the studio's Summer offerings, this week is especially weak. We'd like to say things are about to turn around in the coming weeks, but in all honesty it appears that Hollywood wants us to go to the movies instead of enjoying our HDTVs.

• 12 Rounds (Fox)
• Do The Right Thing (Universal)
• Flawless (Magnolia)
• Two Lovers (Magnolia)
• Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li (Fox)
• Home Front (Cinevolve)
• Tokyo! (Liberation)

Blu-ray releases on June 30th 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Polls, Blu-ray

Why leave it to analysts and other, much less reliable, polls to gauge the impact of Blu-ray after a couple of year's on the market and where it's headed? We're taking it to the people, let us know what you think of Blu-ray so far. Still on track for mass market dominance and successfully supplanting DVD sales within a couple of years, or a doomed vestige of a bygone age that's just not convincing people to upgrade?

View Poll

Poll: So how do YOU think Blu-ray is doing? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Sony

Just in case you were wondering whether Sony would get down and dirty with the low-priced rabble this year, word from its community blog is the company predictably held its premium brand mantle high, proclaiming during a recent industry analyst meeting that it wouldn't be launching a value-priced Blu-ray player. Still, after turning around and selling TVs bearing its name at Wal-mart of all places, we would be surprised to see Sony flip on this policy and offer price-conscious shoppers a Vizio alternative sooner rather than later.

Sony to leave the "battle to the bottom" of Blu-ray player prices alone, for 2009 at least originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Players

ZINNET debuts brite-View media players, streamers originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, HBO-HD

Larry David mentioned in an Esquire interview that this seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will be the first in high definition, although he has no idea why anyone would watch that way since "No one wants to see this old man on TV." True or not, you can still check him out on HBO in 1080i, but you can always flip back to SD if you want, we're sure it will still be funny.

[Via TV Scoop]

Curb Your Enthusiasm going HD this season, if you really want to see Larry David in HD originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vuzix has announced the first wearable display glasses compatible with the new iPhone 3GS.
The iWear AV310 gives users the virtual equivalent of a 52”, 16:9 widescreen display as if viewed from a distance of nine feet.

Filed under: Industry, Blu-ray, Pioneer, Sharp

Pioneer and Sharp have officially finalized their deal to combine Blu-ray operations, completing the joint venture planned since Pioneer began navigating its way out of several businesses including its Kuro plasma HDTVs. The official PDF has all the details, but the salient points are that Pioneer will have 66% ownership and 3 of 5 seats on the board of the 450-employee joint venture, ready to start up on schedule October 1, for the development, design, manufacture and sale of optical disc products, primarily Blu-ray.

Pioneer & Sharp Blu-ray joint venture officially official originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, HD DVD

We had a feeling something was up with the results of the recent Harris Poll and it looks like we had good reason. No one is trying to say that the folks that conducted the poll had a Red agenda or anything, it is just like Adams research puts it when talking about consumer polls in general, "you can't trust the average survey respondent to correctly identify the high-tech devices in their homes." You can say that again. The funny thing is that the results of the poll even look screwy when compared to the HD DVD Promotion group's numbers which reported that even after a few months following the format war, only 1 million stand-alone HD DVD players were sold. This is nowhere near the 10 million that it would take to make up 9 percent of the 111 million US households the poll reports. And in case you care, analysts project -- you know, the ones actually based on retail sales instead of a consumer survey -- that 14.8 percent of US households will have some way to play a Blu-ray Disc by the end of 2009, which is almost double what it was at the end of 2008.

Harris Poll concerning Blu-ray and HD DVD penetration is way off originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Misc

Current CableLabs CEO & prez Richard Green is moving on later this year as Paul Liao from Panasonic takes over the reigns and the first part of Multichannel News' interview with him covers the first time he saw HDTV back in 1980 and the process that eventually gave us the standards we have today.That goes back through the first NFL game recorded in HD, and why high definition took so long to take off -- apparently not everyone wants a 1 million+ lb 40-inch CRT and broadcasters were never happy about spending all the money necessary to upgrade -- from the days of 5x3 with 1125 lines. It's not a crystal ball to the success of Blu-ray, digital downloads, 3D or anything else, but worth a read for some interesting anecdotes on how tough progress is.

Outgoing CableLabs prez talks about the origins of HDTV as we know it originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZINNET has unveiled a new HD multi-media player and BitTorrent downloader with networking capabilities. Called the CinemaCube, it connects to an HDTV and plays media content from USB mass storage devices.
The device is also networkable, allowing users to enjoy media content stored on a remote PC on a living room TV.

Ever since losing the high-def format war to Blu-ray, Toshiba has resolutely refused to join the enemy camp and start manufacturing Blu-ray products.
Until now that is. According to reports coming out of its annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo, Toshiba is considering making Blu-ray products.

Boxee is extending its media center access to Windows and will shortly change its "alpha" status to "beta".
The open source media site has also announced four major new app partnerships that will be available to everyone downloading its software.

Filed under: Features, Misc, Media streamers

Although we were just kids when all the world's computers connected to each other via a coax cable, we still recognize the throughput potential of the medium. This and the fact that just about every home in America already has coax running through its walls has always made us wonder why we couldn't utilize those wires to connect our computers. If you've wondered the same thing, then MoCA might just be for you. It is a CableLabe specification that allows devices to utilize the unused bandwidth on the coax at your house to send bits where no other medium can. So if you're sick of trying to stream HD via Wifi and power-line technologies, you're going to really want to click through and read about how these babies work.

Continue reading Netgear MoCA Coax-Ethernet adapter review

Netgear MoCA Coax-Ethernet adapter review originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays, Samsung, Sharp

Chalk up another huge win for Samsung in its long-running patent dispute with Sharp: the US International Trade Commission has just issued a ruling banning importation of Sharp LCD panels that infringe one of Samsung's viewing-angle patents. As you might imagine, the ban covers a wide swath of Sharp's consumer products, including the Aquos TV line, but it's not clear on how it'll affect other companies that use Sharp panels -- this ruling could potentially have a huge impact on the entire tech market. On the other hand, we'd bet that Sharp's lawyers are furiously putting together a request to have the ban delayed while an appeal is sorted out, so this is far from over -- in fact, we'd say the real fireworks are just beginning.

Sharp LCD panels banned from US import until further notice originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Media streamers, Other formats, Cable, Internet

Just as we heard back in February, Time Warner and Comcast have joined hands in order to regain control on some of the content that is slipping right out from under 'em. In the olden days, the only portal for catching content was the 'tube; today, a vast array of television shows are available gratis on the web, and that's downright frightening for pay-TV operators. Today, both firms are detailing TV Everywhere in the most general way possible, only telling us that paying Comcast subscribers will soon have access to "premium long-form content" via a web portal. TNT and TBS are the only networks specifically named thus far, but considering that both of those already offer their best programming online to everyone, we're not terribly impressed.

The agreement also includes a trial with around 5,000 Comcast users, which will be used to heavily test a newfangled authentication technology that will be necessary to allow paying Comcast users to access the material from any internet-connected PC. NewTeeVee has also assembled a clean, easy-to-digest FAQ that explains what exactly all this is. To be frank, it seems like a solution in search of a problem from the consumer viewpoint. After all, with portals like Hulu and individual network websites already providing in-demand content online, why is there even a need for some "special portal" for Comcast users? We've heard that paying subs will have access to even more material, possibly movies or other premium shows. But we won't front: we certainly don't want TV Everywhere to convert some of the content that's already free into pay-only content in order to accomplish the aforesaid "even more" goal. At any rate, the public at large probably won't hear more about this until the trial sessions end at an undisclosed time, but you can bet we'll be keeping a cautious eye on any developments.

Read - TV Everywhere press release
Read - NewTeeVee FAQ

Time Warner's TV Everywhere to pipe internet TV to Comcast subcribers originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Some think that discs are already dead, but that's because they're ignoring all the success Netflix is still having. Of course any company with a name like Netflix is obviously forward thinking -- the name isn't Discflix after all -- and on that note Reed Hastings, the CEO, told the WSJ that he expects to see significant declines in packaged media rentals in the next "four to nine years." We think that estimate is as good as any, but can't wait to see how the home media landscape changes between now and then. This is of course why Netflix is actively building it's streaming service which evidently is currently only used by 20 percent of Netflix customers.

Netflix CEO predicts significant declines in packaged media rentals by 2018 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Players, Panasonic

While we got a quick look at the thing a few months ago, we were finally able to get our mitts all over Panasonic's new DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player. With its bigger-than-a-laptop size and wild pricetag (for a consumer device), it's obviously a niche product, but that's not to say there aren't hints of consumer friendliness in here. Overall the hardware is light and strong, and while we felt a bit of heat venting out the sides, it's not uncomfortable, and the disc operation is virtually silent. Startup time and disc load times are comparable to most dedicated home Blu-ray players -- certainly not best in class, but passable -- and we couldn't get the player to skip despite our best efforts. The screen is really great, with a good amount of viewing angle and brightness for the category and plenty of resolution to differentiate HD content. We spotted a bit of pixel crunch in menus and stills, but once the motion started we could barely differentiate pixels. Sure, it's hard to imagine a reason for most people to pick up a DMP-B15 over a cheapish Blu-ray playing laptop -- the thing is monstrously thick, and can't even handle a traditional laptop-style screen orientation, only everything but -- but the hardware is reliable enough for kids to handle on the road, and the single-use makes it a good home Blu-ray player for plugging into that second HD-starved TV. Still, we're guessing most will wait to see what next year's (sure to be flush) crop has to offer.

Panasonic DMP-B15 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Promising the finest Corinthian Leather picture and sound, Paramount is launching its Sapphire Series, two disc high definition releases of some of its greatest films, starting with Gladiator and Braveheart September 1 followed by Forrest Gump in November. That means a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track for Braveheart and DTS-HD MA for Gladiator, while both will have a slew of exclusive new extras. For Gladiator that includes the ability to tag elements while watching the main disc, which will then automatically queue up more information once the second supplemental disc is loaded into the player, while Braveheart's extras focus mostly on the history of the Scottish Rebellion with 3D models and interactive timelines. Paramount didn't mention how much viewers would be paying for these new feature packed editions but they both show a $39.99 MSRP / $27.99 preorder price on Amazon. The press release runs down the extras, though we suspect you'll have to be a pretty big fan (of which there should be plenty for these multiple Oscar winning flicks) to pay the premium over typical catalog releases instead of waiting for them to hit the bargain bin.

[Via The HD Room]

Paramount launches Sapphire Series line of premium Blu-ray releases originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

We've seen this so many times we're not sure why we even care anymore, but this one struck a chord. You see it's one thing when some website capitalizes the R in Blu-ray, because you know, they don't know any better. And it's another thing when a PR person for one of the founders of the association does it in a slide at a press event. But it's a totally different animal all together when one of the founders builds the incorrect spelling into the auto-correct feature of its flagship mobile phone. We knew Apple thinks Blu-ray support in OS X was a bag of hurt, but does that mean is has to go and spell it wrong? Hit the read link on Blu-raydisc.com for the correct spelling.

Not even Blu-ray's founders know how to spell Blu-Ray originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Evidently it's still cool to hate on Blu-ray: Harris Poll spin originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Yes, that's right, this week's releases are so weak that we actually have the box art from The Pink Panther 2 on the right there. Unlike last week this week doesn't even have any solid TV shows to help hold it up. No, there's not much to talk about now, so catch up on all the Blu-ray movies you haven't seen yet, or you might just consider going outside, the beach maybe?

• The Pink Panther 2 (MGM)
• Waltz With Bashir (Sony)
• Confessions of a Shopaholic (Disney)
• Dragon Hunters (Peace Arch)
• Inkheart (Warner)
• Mr. Troop Mom (Warner)
• Last Year at Marienbad (Criterion)

Blu-ray releases on June 22nd 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Displays, LCD, Plasma

Same old same old, despite the screams of plasma fans, LCD sales are expected to reach higher than ever this year, as DisplaySearch has raised its estimate to 127 million units worldwide in 2009. Total TV sales are expected to drop, as well as those of plasmas, but even in the liquid crystal world all isn't pretty. As a result of the ongoing price war, even with higher sales manufacturers are raking in less cash, with revenue projected to be down as much as 6 percent. We doubt that will result in the long predicted LCD price spike, but we do have to wonder how much lower we'llssee sales go later this year around usual bargain hunting times like Black Friday, there may not be much room left.

LCD sales expectations raised for the rest of '09 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Other hardware, Internet

Apparently a casual mention on the Engadget HD podcast is enough to bring anyone out of hiding, as Joost follows Managed Copy out of the shadows, showing off a test of a new interface for the video streaming website that is optimized for the PlayStation 3 web browser. Simply pull up http://labs.joost.com.tv/ from the console, and then the controller buttons will easily control all the video playback from there. Joost went in the reverse of Hulu, YouTube XL and others, from desktop app to browser only, but it seems finally ready to offer new ways, through this 10-foot style interface, to get on the TV.

[Via Evil Avatar]

Joost testing PlayStation 3 specific browser interface originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers

It's been ages (okay, months) since we first got our hands on the QNAP NMP1000 network media player, and it's a good long while past its supposed shipping date. But, shipping it is (finally), now hitting Japanese stores according to Akihabara News. Initially we were only told that the thing would cost "somewhere under $10,000," and we're glad to say it's way under: ¥45,000, or about $470. For that you get an HDMI 1.3-toting HD media streamer, which sports room for a 3.5-inch HDD, a gigabit Ethernet port, and the ability to not only stream media but also to act as a NAS, meaning this one didn't fall far from the 'ol family tree. Still no word on a US release, but hopefully that'll be well under $10,000 as well. Soothing demonstration video to tide you over after the break.

Continue reading QNAP's NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan

QNAP's NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Satellite, Sports

The U.S. Open gets started tomorrow from Bethpage State Park, and beyond the ESPN & NBC coverage, DirecTV is extending its HD Mix channel for all four days for the first time. That should help keep an eye on the leaderboard, main broadcast and whatever combination of specific areas of the course, interviews, or particular golfers one wants to follow, all available in high definition of course. After the Mediate/Woods showdown last year, we hope they're not locked in to doing only four days of broadcasts.

DirecTV's HD Mix extended to cover the entire U.S. Open weekend originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, Reviews, Other hardware, Speakers, Samsung

Without a doubt, soundbars are a popular market. As we said in our ZVOX review, they certainly have an appeal -- better sound quality than the terrible speakers and amplifiers typically built into TVs, no-hassle installation, small footprint, and modest pricing. For smaller rooms, especially secondary setups, soundbars can be a really good fit. So when Samsung offered up its HT-WS1 model to us for review, we just had to check it out. Our time with the HT-WS1 was a kind of an up and down ride with, so follow us past the break as we relive the details, won't you?

Continue reading Samsung HT-WS1 soundbar review

Samsung HT-WS1 soundbar review originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are several arguments put forward as to why Blu-ray has been slow to reach mainstream adoption - but price can surely no longer be a major factor.
Best Buy in the US is now offering the Insignia NS-2BRDVD Blu-ray player for US $129.99 shipped.

Networked video game consoles are the most used devices for bringing web video to the TV in the US - and look set to remain so until 2013, according to an In-Stat report.
It found that 29 per cent of US 25 to 34 year olds with game consoles already use the devices to watch streaming video off the Internet.

LG is introducing the first HDTVs capable of streaming Netflix movies without the need for an external device such as game console or set-top box.
The online movie rental service will be available in North America on LG's new 47-inch LCD HDTV LH50 and 50-inch plasma HDTV PS80.

Movavi has announced an expansion of its popular online video conversion service.
The upgraded Online.movavi.com service now enables users to fine tune a number of conversion parameters – codecs, resolution, video and audio quality, bitrate, and other key elements demanded by more sophisticated users.

Filed under: Media streamers, Receivers, Others

The VuNow platform is sitting a lot prettier, as it has grabbed an OEM deal to be included in Sherwood's upcoming line of receivers. Already making an appearance as the Netgear ITV2000 standalone unit, now high end amps and surround sound systems will have access to a variety of internet video sources without additional hardware. Verismo's said it will be pursuing many different opportunities for its technology, we'll wait and see where the YouTube / CNN / ESPN and more streaming hardware shows up next, though your cable box would appear to be a safe bet.

Continue reading VuNow's internet video-to-TV streamer finds a home in Sherwood receivers

VuNow's internet video-to-TV streamer finds a home in Sherwood receivers originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Others

The followup to the popular PopcornHour media streamer series has finally been announced, and the list of features makes it look worth the wait. Revealed in a post on the Networked Media Tank forums the C200 contains an upgraded Sigma SMP8643 667 Mhz processor, HDMI 1.3 out, two SATA slots, a drive bay for mounting your own HDD, DVD or even Blu-ray drive (requires internal HDD or 1GB USB stick) and supports a list of networking standards, codecs and containers far too long to recount here. At first glance, only DivX jumps out as missing from the list, have a look at the forum posting and let us know if you spot. Of course, there's already a video unboxing available, seen after the break (along with the copied list of specs) or check out the full Google translated early hands on impressions from HomeTheater.co.il. The most pressing questions of when will these be available and for how much, will have to be answered at another time.

[Via HomeTheater.co.il & Geek Tonic]

Continue reading PopcornHour's latest C200 media box is Blu-ray (& anything else) ready

PopcornHour's latest C200 media box is Blu-ray (& anything else) ready originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Set-top boxes, Internet

C'mon now, you knew as well as we did that AT&T couldn't just...stop after rolling out Total Home DVR to its entire U-verse service area, today it's announced a few new tweaks that it plans to roll out over the next few weeks and months. Look forward to the ability to schedule and manage recordings from any U-verse receiver, not just the DVR itself, a newly enhanced remote scheduling website and an On Demand top picks app to find movies viewers might like based on their past recommendations. If that's not enough, Starz is free for July, plus a speed bump to 12 Mbps for Internet Max subs and a slightly streamlined program guide that should make the Enter button a bit more useful while browsing or watching TV. Check out the PR for the full details as most of these will be rolling out in different markets over the next few weeks, or check out the video embedded after the break.

Continue reading New Total Home DVR, remote scheduling & guide features coming to U-verse

New Total Home DVR, remote scheduling & guide features coming to U-verse originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Up this week is a big ol' slew of TV shows and catalogs, but that's ok because we're very excited to see the first season of our favorite shows on Blu-ray: Lost. But as much as we love it, we're still waiting on the super all inclusive complete season box set, and since it'll probably cost a small fortune, we'll be saving up in the meantime. That isn't the only great show coming to Blu-ray this week either, as Burn Notice Season Two also comes out, and if you haven't checked out the best action show on TV since the A-Team, you need to go ahead and at least add the first disc to your queue. The last one we'll mention because we loved it so much was John Adams, and we'll just say that we wish our teachers in school made history this interesting.

• Lost: The Complete First Season (Disney)
• Lost: The Complete Second Season (Disney)
• Miracle (Disney)
• Morning Light (Disney)
• The Greatest Game Ever Played (Disney)
• Burn Notice: Season Two (Fox)
• The Diary of Anne Frank (Fox)
• Generation Kill (HBO)
• John Adams (HBO)
• The Cell 2 (New Line)
• Ghostbusters (Sony)
• No Way Back (Sony)
• Striking Distance (Sony)
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Sony)
• Fracture (New Line)
• Friday The 13th (2009) (New Line)
• Friday The 13th: Part 2 (Paramount)
• Friday The 13th: Part III (Paramount)
• Kickboxer (Lionsgate)
• The Seventh Seal (Criterion)
• Spaceballs (MGM)

Blu-ray releases on June 16th 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, OTA

Well, the DTV transition finally went down, and after the endless delay and countless arguments, it seems as though June 12 hit with more of a whimper than a bang: the FCC says there haven'y been any widespread service disruptions, and although the agency's toll-free help lines recorded 700,000 support calls between June 8 and June 12, most converter box issues were resolved in less than five minutes by a simple channel re-scan. Similarly, we can't say we've heard of any particularly big problems out there, so really, we're just wondering what the hell took so long.

FCC says DTV transition going smoothly, few TVs shot up originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other hardware, Speakers, Others

While our typical hotel coverage involves HDTVs and/or special programming, we'll make an exception for the Marantz/DALI audio setup getting dropped into the Empire Suite of Manhattan's Carlyle hotel. We won't make any guesses about what the rack rate is for the duplex suite in the swank hotel, but it's got to be cheaper than the audio system, which combines four MA-9S2 mono amps, an SC-7S2 preamp and SA-7S1 SACD deck from Marantz's Reference lineup with a pair of DALI MEGALINE III speakers. All told, that's about $47,000 of Marantz gear and another cool $60,000 for the speakers, all to deliver good old two-channel. Might we suggest staying in and ordering room service?

Marantz Reference gear in the Carlyle hotel spoils you for clock radio originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Reviews, Receivers, Others

It's taken a good long while since Rotel debuted its 15-series AV components, but we're glad to see that a thorough review of the 5.1-channel RSX-1550 receiver has gone up at AVGuide. As a marque that sits at the high end of the spectrum, some quirks are to be expected, but Rotel has finally gotten onboard with HDMI 1.3 connectivity, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and independent subwoofer crossover frequencies for each channel. Also, it sounds like Rotel changed the "house sound" slightly, with a shift towards a more "gutsy" sound with a bassier presentation. Overall, it sounds like the RSX-1550 turned in a solid performance, but outside of Rotel's loyal following, $2,000 for a 5x75-Watt (conservatively rated, but still) receiver that forgoes auto calibration is going to be a tough sell. Audiophiles who complain about feature creep at the expense of quality, however, should take a look -- the RSX-1550 looks like it bucks the trend.

Rotel's RSX-1550 receiver -- great performance, but a bit pricey originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, OTA

With less than 24 hours to go until analog TV goes dark for a certain segment of American, and the NAB wants to make sure everyone is aware that Nielsen's unreadiness claims aren't accepted by all. The point of contention is a mere 1 million people and really comes down to those who are "almost ready." Meaning, the NAB doesn't count respondents who claimed to have already started getting ready, but aren't in any hurry to make the actual switch until the very last minute. Differences in opinion aside one thing is for sure, at some point tomorrow every TV watcher in the US will be digital ready, or they will no longer be a TV watcher.

NAB disputes Nielsen's numbers, claims only 1.75 million unready for transition originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North America is expected to account for a large proportion of the world's new IPTV subscriptions during the next few years.
But there are many themes needing to be addressed as this new digital TV platform is rolled out.
Next month, the leading IPTV service providers, content providers, analysts and key technology vendors will be coming together for the IPTV World Forum North America.
They will be considering all the key topical issues affecting the industry at the two-day event (21-22 July 2009) in New York.

Filed under: Displays, Projector, OLED

Looking for a way to differentiate among the ever-expanding niche of pocket projectors, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) of Germany are working on an OLED panel-based mini projector, using static optical systems and not the usual reflective system à la DLP. Currently being shown at SID Display Week 2009, the decidedly green picture (seems to be the norm with OLED prototypes these days) forms via a 6-inch VGA screen from 30 to 50 centimeters away, and the machine itself takes up just about ten cubic centimeters of space. Despite all the faith, there's still the rather nasty problem of luminance, which the scientists estimate needs to be about four or five times as bright as current levels -- but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?

Researchers ditch DLP, develop OLED panel-based mini projector originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Speakers, Others

You didn't think that Aperion would roll out just the in-wall and in-ceiling variants of its Intimus 6 speakers and leave you searching for primary speakers, now did you? Showing up fashionably late to the party kicked off by the 6-IW and 6-IC speakers comes the Intimus 6-LCR in-wall model so you can flesh out your custom install. The new model adds an additional 6.5-inch woofer, but keeps the aimable silk dome tweeter and adjustment switches from its more surround-appropriate brethren. No free lunch, though; that extra driver means you'll pay a little more for the 6-LCR -- these carry a price tag of $225 each.

Aperion's Intimus 6-LCR in-wall speaker shows up, extra woofer in tow originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, DVRs

One of our favorite rumors rides again, but this time it's Dish that might be interested in buying TiVo. The new twist this time though is the motivation, and we can totally see how Dish would love to make this happen. The problem of course is that TiVo isn't interested in any such shenanigans and has gone as far as to write a poison pill into its bylaws. Our friend Davis Freeberg has been writing about TiVo's poison pill for years and more recently, at about the same time as the latest court decision came down against Dish, he saw some interesting traffic in his web server logs from none other than a Dish Network IP. No clue who the user was, but they spent some time reading up on TiVo's poison pill. Davis is no lawyer, but it is his understanding that if Dish attempted to take over TiVo, it'd cost them about $71 per share -- which comes to about $7.5 Billion. This is about seven times what the stock is actually worth and although we'd be shocked if this happened, we have to admit that crazier things have.

Is Dish considering swallowing TiVo's $7.5 billion poison pill? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays, Toshiba, LCD

Remember that trio of HDTV families that Toshiba told us about this morning? You know, those models that you've been waiting for since CES? Yeah -- we just spent a few quality moments with the gang at an unassuming New York hotel, and while we can't speak for the refreshments, we will say we're digging the panels. Have a peek yourself below.

Toshiba REGZA ZV650, XV648 and SV670 HDTVs hands-on originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Value HDTV brand Vizio has introduced 31 new models, including its first HDTV with 240-Hz technology and an LED backlight.
The company also announced that it has filed a patent-infringement suit against LG Electronics, and that a similar case against Funai is continuing.

Filed under: Displays, Toshiba, LCD

If you're not down with waiting for Toshiba's internet-connected range of HDTVs -- which, by the way, should be out before the dawn of 2010 -- here's a bit of excellent news: the REGZA ZV650 and SV670 series are now shipping. Both of the sets were initially announced way back at CES, and the latter of the two is Tosh's first-ever LED-backlit HDTV. Said set also packs local dimming, ClearScan 240 dejudder technology, PixelPure 5G 14-bit video processing and that questionably useful Resolution+ system. There's also a USB socket, four HDMI connectors, IR pass-through, a PC input and REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC). As for the other guys (yeah, there's more), head on past the break and take notes on the ones relevant to your interests.

Continue reading Toshiba ships REGZA ZV650 and SV670 HDTVs

Toshiba ships REGZA ZV650 and SV670 HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic has announced the release of two of what it describes as the lightest HD camcorders ever made.
Each model weighs just 0.5lbs (0.2KG) but boasts high-powered 16x optical zoom capabilities and can shoot 1920 x 1080 Full-HD videos.

This Friday sees US television going 100 per cent digital, a move that has impacted on over a quarter of households which have had to invest in new TV sets and/or services to prepare for the June 12th changeover.
However, researchers say that the switch to digital has changed traditional viewing habits.

Microsoft has just unveiled what it describes as a revolutionary new way to play Xbox 360 video games on HDTVs without the need for a controller.
Called Project Natal, the sensor, which combines an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor in one device, could have uses far beyond just gaming.

Filed under: Other hardware, Others

We can't remember the last time we had a piece of gear that supported Dolby Digital but didn't have a pair of stereo out jacks on the back, but if an unforeseen (read: just plain crazy) use-case is going to pop up, it'll be this Friday. And wouldn't you know it, Gefen has a box just for these contingencies. The GefenTV Digital Audio Decoder will take a Dolby Digital audio stream over optical or coax and, presto, turn them into a stereo signal on a pair of RCA phono plugs. Specific custom install situations aside, we can't help but think there are better -- and at $129, cheaper -- ways to crack this nut.

The GefenTV Digital Audio Decoder -- an answer to a question we're afraid to ask originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, Speakers, Others

We've had Paradigm's top-end Signature SUB 25 in our room for quite a while now, but trust us, coming to grips with how this beast performs has been truly challenging. Obviously, it goes really low, really loud -- the combination of a 15-inch front-mounted driver, an amp capable of cranking out 3,000-Watts (if your electrical service is up to snuff), and Paradigm's design and engineering chops pretty much guarantees that much. But after the novelty of cranking up the bass and making everything in the room rattle wears off, you've got to integrate the bass with the rest of your system. How well a sub can pull off this disappearing act is the true test of its worth. Read on to find out how well Paradigm's big dog pulled off this stunt.

Continue reading Hertz so good -- Paradigm Signature SUB 25 subwoofer review

Hertz so good -- Paradigm Signature SUB 25 subwoofer review originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

It's just too easy to pick the biggest movie of the week when there is something as anticipated as Eastwood's award winning Gran Torino. Unfortunately other than that there isn't much to get excited about. Again this week there are some classic catalog titles from Paramount and Fox, as well as a few notable documentaries from Razor and Discovery, but overall as long as it is Summer we can expect much of the same. So in other words its time to go to the movies.

• Gran Torino (Warner)
• Woodstock (Warner)
• Fired Up (Sony)
• The International (Sony)
• Fatal Attraction (Paramount)
• Indecent Proposal (Paramount)
• Predator 2 (Fox)
• The Siege (Fox)
• Baby on Board (E1)
• Ocean Voyagers (Razor)
• Battle For The Light (Razor)
• China Circus Elites (Razor)
• Time Warp (Discovery)

Blu-ray releases on June 2nd 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Panasonic, Camcorders

Right, so these two may not actually be the world's lightest HD camcorders without qualifications, but hey, they're still amongst the least burdensome on the market today. Speaking of which, Panny has just let loose details on US pricing and availability, though it looks as if you'll need to hunt elsewhere if hoping to capture all those summer vacations in 1080p. Indeed, both the half-pound HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 won't hit American shelves until September, when they'll be available for $549.95 and $599.95, respectively. If you're curious as to what the extra $50 buys you in the TM10, it's an 8GB internal flash drive, whereas the other guy requires you to rely solely on your own SD / SDHC cards. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic's HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 HD camcorders get US price, release date

Panasonic's HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 HD camcorders get US price, release date originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays, OLED

Getting tired of flexible OLED prototypes that are about as ready for retail as that cold fusion reactor your uncle Harry is building in his garage? Yeah, we are too, but it seems the industry is getting a little closer to reality, the latest step coming courtesy of Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center and Universal Display. Researchers at the pair have managed to produce flexible OLED displays using the same production techniques used to create standard, rather less bendy LCD displays, enabling the transistors that control the pixels to be applied to plastic, rather than the glass they typically find themselves embedded within. They glue a piece of plastic onto glass, feed it through the LCD manufacturing process, then peel the two apart like a high-tech Fruit Roll-Up. That technique was used to create the 4.1-inch monochrome display shown above -- which is for now just another prototype that won't be showing up in any devices any time soon. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via Technology Review]

New mass-production technique for flexible OLEDs could make them cheap originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fiber, Internet

Not too much of note around Verizon's FiOS TV unit this week, but we're sure the residents of Wrentham, Mass are happy to know it's been approved for their area while Charles County, Md. finally has service avialable, after it was authorized May 20. How does Verizon manage enough workers to keep expansions going at that pace? We think the second link might help to explain that.

Read - TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Wrentham, Mass.
Read - For Third Consecutive Year, Conceive Magazine Names Verizon to Publication's List of 50 Best Fertility- and Adoption-Friendly Workplaces
Read - Verizon Makes FiOS TV Available to Nearly 8,000 Households in Charles County, Md., Following Recent Cable Franchise Approval

FiOS TV expansions: June 7, 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other hardware, Others

The long (really long for some) wait for Emotiva's UMC-1 AV processor looks like it will be coming to a close soon. A lucky few will get in on a small pilot run of UMC-1s later this month, and mass shipments starting in July will start whittling down the preorder list. It sounds like the UMC-1 has been put through the wringer, with the latest bug fixes centered on some pesky HDMI handshake issues (and you wonder why some folks are iffy on HDMI 1.4). Also getting mention was the company's new $399 USP-1 stereo preamp with a HT bypass, also due in July. If you're a fan of being on wait-lists, though, how about the XSP preamp with balanced connections due for sometime before the year is out, or the Class H, 7x400Watt XPR-7 amplifier that's penned in for the top of Emotiva's amplifier lineup whenever it's ready? Well done, Emotiva -- give us something and keep us wanting more in one announcement!

Emotiva sets the UMC-1 processor for next month, more goodies to come originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media PCs, Media streamers, Internet

ZeeVee has announced a Mac version of its Zinc video browser. Aimed ata TV-compatible i[nterface to any streaming website Zinc should run on any Intel Mac running OS X 10.5. Specifically pointing out boxee, Zinc says users can create access to new sites just by adding an rss feed to their favorites tab. Give it a shot and let us know if its as easy as they make it sound, Mac owners.Speaking of remote-focused interfaces for streaming sites, ZeeVee has announced a Mac version of its Zinc video browser. Aimed at the suddenly crowded field of giving a TV-compatible interface to any streaming website Zinc should run on any Intel Mac running OS X 10.5. Specifically pointing out boxee, Zinc says users can create access to new sites just by adding an rss feed to their favorites tab. Give it a shot and let us know if its as easy as they make it sound, Mac owners.

ZeeVee releases Zinc TV browser for Macs originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shipments of set-top boxes are expected to peak this year, at least in mature markets, and then commence a gradual decline.
However the rolling series of analog TV shutoffs in countries around the world, combined with the strong uptake of HDTV sets, mean that HD STBs will form a growing fraction of the total market, according to ABI Research.

INTERVIEW: With a third group now entering the race to deliver a high-speed wireless technology in the home - and wireless HDTV products hitting the market - momentum is building.
John LeMoncheck, president and CEO of SiBEAM, and a leading member of the WirelessHD (WiHD) consortium, told hdtv.biz-news that he welcomes the addition of the rival Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance to the fray.

The amount of time US viewers spend watching online video and mobile video is growing rapidly - but still accounts for a small fraction of total video content viewing.
That's the conclusion of a study into how people spend their time consuming media, including live TV programming, time-shifted television, DVDs, video games.

AMD has launched a chip offering HDTV viewing capabilities on desktop and notebook PCs around the world using analog, digital and free-to-air broadcast signals.
The company says the ATI Theater HD 750 PC TV chip uses advanced video processing and signal reception technologies to give an authentic HD home theater feel on the PC.

Filed under: Industry, Satellite

Turns out the rumors were correct, DirecTV has officially announced CEO Chase Carey is resigning as of July 1, and a search for a successor is "under way." Of course, there's no word if the subsequent speculation that the company's next move after its spinoff/merger is a sale to AT&T is at all accurate, but we're sure there will be plenty of viewpoints on the subject in the weeks and months to come.

DirecTV CEO resigning effective July 1 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs

It's the case that never ends -- the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has issued a temporary delay of of the injunction and fine handed down yesterday in the EchoStar / TiVo lawsuit while it considers an appeal, meaning that DISH owners with older DVRs won't have to worry about losing their pause-and-rewind functionality at least for now. That pretty much means we're back in stasis with this one, with even more delay to come if the appeal is granted. That's cool, we needed a nap anyway.

DISH / EchoStar DVR injunction temporarily put on hold by court originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Internet

Whether you call it ten-foot or lean back like Hulu Desktop, putting a TV-ready front end on your website is all the rage nowadays, and after six months of beta, YouTube is relaunching its Wii and PlayStation 3-aimed site as YouTube XL. Now accessible by any browser at www.youtube.com/xl, it's been stripped down to the basics (at the moment, that means no HD, or even HQ viewing option) to make YouTube work on the big screen, plus tweaks allowing control via Bluetooth remotes or some cellphones, like Android devices running Gmote. The HTPC crowd, those living without widgets and other direct access will surely find plenty to love, why not hit up the site right now to try it out?

[Via TechCrunch]

YouTube rebrands TV web portal "YouTube XL" originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other hardware, Internet

You'll still need the love and support of your dear cable provider, but if you're within range of DOCSIS 3.0 service, you can bypass at least one aspect of dealing with your local monopoly ISP. Starting this week, Motorola is launching the planet's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, which enable speeds up to four times faster than DOCSIS 2.0. The SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme cable modem will soon be cluttering up shelves at Fry's Electronics, presumably just beside the incredibly deceiving Monster Cable demonstration area. There's no word on price just yet, but don't expect such a luxury item to run you cheap, okay?

Motorola debuts world's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Cable

Looks like the studios are finally beginning to loosen their digital distribution grip, now that Warner Bros. and Lionsgate are allowing Comcast to offer extended two day viewing windows this month, with Disney and Summit productions following next month. That coincides with a slew od day and date with the DVD HD VOD postings including He's Just Not That Into You, Gran Torino, Friday the 13th and more. Check the PR for the full list, any ideas how long it is before we see 48 hour replay windows on other cable providers and movie delivery services?

Comcast extending VOD window to two days on Warner, Lionsgate & Disney flicks originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

If you hit the theaters for Disney / Pixar's Up this weekend, you're probably more than ready to watch at home, and our friends at Cinematical recently talked to director Pete Docter about what to expect on the Blu-ray release. Beyond just commentary, there's also a documentary on their South American mountain research trip and Cine Explore powered look at all the artwork and animation tests behind the making of the flick. Considering how many of you consider other Pixar Blu-ray discs reference quality, there's little doubt this will be another great to add to the collection, check out the rest of the interview at the read link.

Up director discusses Blu-ray extras with Cinematical originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media PCs, Internet

HDGiants files BK, lays off everyone but the CEO and support staff originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 31 May 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: HDNet, Cable, Fiber, Satellite

While you're kicking back and enjoying some HD content on a lazy Sunday it is easy to give little regard to the economics that make that HD content possible. Most don't care much about what makes the world go around, but if you've always wondered why there aren't more all-HD channels, this recent post over at Multichannel news is worth the read. Most notable is the challenges all-HD networks face including the fact that Nielsen doesn't even provide rating for them. If you're a big Mark Cuban fan you might also find it interesting as a number of his quotes are included like when he says "We really think that as our distribution continues to grow, we can dominate the demographic (13-34 males)."

The complicated economics of an all HD channel originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 31 May 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Regulatory, Cable

It's no secret that loads of folks loathe their cable company, but for some apartment dwellers, there's exactly one choice of service providers for TV, internet, and/or phone service. See, cable companies in some areas (read - anywhere they can) have negotiated exclusive distribution rights in buildings that they wired up, keeping other services at bay. Well, those castle walls are crumbling as a the Court of Appeals in Washington has upheld the 2007 FCC ruling that banned such practices as anticompetitive. Don't expect this decision to revamp the entire landscape -- cable companies are well-versed in how to keep competition down -- but this decision should make it easier for offerings like FiOS and U-verse to make inroads to dense metro areas. If all that's standing between you and FiOS is a shady cable company arrangement, now's your time to grab some fiber!

[Image courtesy Videogum]

Cable companies losing stranglehold on apartments originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 29 May 2009 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Media streamers, Others, Internet

US Americans, go ahead and enjoy your Netflix streaming over your Xbox 360, Brits are about to land a deal that'll put live football, TV, and films over Microsoft's broadband-enabled console -- a first live television service for Xbox 360 anywhere. Beginning in Autumn, Xbox Live subscribers in the UK and Ireland will gain access to Sky's Sky Player service that includes subscription-based live, on-demand, and pay-per-view access to your favorite shows without the need for an additional set-top-box or satellite dish. Unfortunately, specifics like prices and channel line-up have not been announced, though content is expected to be similar to the Sky Player service already available on Macs and PCs. Of interest, Xbox Live users will be able to watch sporting content together virtually and sling insults and taunts at one-another via avatars or virtual personas. Something that will lead to slurring songs in a fit of semi-social inebriation or fisticuffs, depending on the score. One more image after the break.

[Via Gadgetoid]

Continue reading Live Sky TV coming to Xbox 360 in UK and Ireland, hooligan avatars to follow

Live Sky TV coming to Xbox 360 in UK and Ireland, hooligan avatars to follow originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 29 May 2009 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet

Everybody's getting into the mobile movie sideload business -- just ask Samsung -- and following an MWC unveiling earlier this year, Sony Ericsson is gearing up to launch movie content starting next month as part of its existing PlayNow Arena service. Direct on-phone downloads over WiFi or 3G would be awesome, but as most of these services tend to operate, PlayNow Arena will require that users select and download movies on their PCs, cable up their phones, and transfer the media the old-fashioned way, at which point they'll be playable on the device for 90 days. You'll be able to select from about 15 movies at any given time with content being cycled monthly -- ridiculously meager, yes, but when you consider that the service is bundled with certain phones (up to 60 movies a year), it's hard to pitch a fit. Look for it to launch on the W995 slider in Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK in June; support for Sony Ericsson's newly-announced Satio and Aino (among others) is expected later in the year.

Sony Ericsson's PlayNow Arena movie download service ready for June launch originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 29 May 2009 03:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC is launching a super slim 42-inch LCD TV monitor that features a color space that is wider than a typical HDTV's.
The company says this effectively means the JVC Xiview LT-42WX70 has established a new category in flat panel TV design.

Germany's two largest independent cable operators, Tele Columbus and PrimaCom, have selected NDS' DVR solution XTV to launch the country's first cable HD DVR service across their networks.
The two operators serve some 3.5 million cable-connected households and operate a large number of independent networks.

Filed under: Features, Speakers, Samsung

We've put our ears to a variety of speaker solutions for delivering the audio portion of your video entertainment experience, but the virtual-surround soundbar category is one that we've missed. Just from the sheer number of these products in the market, you know this gadget genre is popular with folks, so when the Samsung HT-WS1 drifted by, we just had to grab it up for review. Out of the box it sure does look nice in the red "Touch of Color" design, and feels more solid than the Samsung AS730 HTIB we reviewed last month. This $350 soundbar + subwoofer combo is limited to a 3.5-mm stereo jack and a SPDIF optical feed. As we said in our ZVOX review, though, we'd rather have good performance on a few codecs than poor performance on all of them. We'll tell you if Samsung's HT-WS1 finds a good balance in the features-performance-price triad in due time, but until then, take a gander at the pics after the break.

Continue reading Hands on Samsung's HT-WS1 soundbar

Hands on Samsung's HT-WS1 soundbar originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 28 May 2009 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new version of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable has been announced by the industry alliance responsible for licensing the specification.
HDMI Licensing said the upgraded 1.4 version of HDMI will make it easier to connect Internet-connected HD video devices to TVs and other appliances.
The new cable will be able to transfer Internet data as well as video and audio data - something that the existing version isn't able to do.

NEC Electronics has announced a new chip that reduces blurring when SD images and video are expanded and displayed in 1920 x 1080 resolution HDTVs.
The µPD9280GM is also capable of supporting one billion colors (30-bits color depths - or "Deep Color"), which enhances color vividness and accuracy of display, according to the company.

Microsoft is to launch the Zune HD this autumn and the device will have access to TV, movies and games through the Xbox Live Video Marketplace.
Essentially being lined up as a rival to Apple's iPod Touch, the new PMP will have a built-in HD Radio receiver, an OLED touch screen interface, wi-fi, a multi-touch UI for Internet Explorer.

Filed under: Media streamers, Others

mCubed's RipNAS Statement may be unique, but it isn't apt to be widely adopted -- at least not with price points like this. Hailed as the first SSD-based CD ripping NAS device, the product is also available in a traditional HDD form, though both handle automatic ripping, NAS duties and media streaming. Within, you'll find a dual-core Atom CPU, gigabit Ethernet, a TEAC DVD drive, four USB 2.0 sockets and a fanless design. The pain? €1,795 ($2,500) for the 3TB HDD version, or €3,295 ($4,590) for the 500GB SSD model. If you're unfazed by sticker shock, you can pick yours up right now over in Europe.

mCubed's RipNAS Statement now available in Europe originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 27 May 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: New content

Moving one step beyond the opera broadcasts suddenly so popular recently, British television is getting its first live drama in two decades this July on Sky Arts 1 HD. Six authors have contributed 30-minute plays that will broadcast every Wednesday starting July 8 in front of a 140 person live audience. Viewers at home will apparently be allowed in on the post-show commentary sections, with HDTV providing a helping hand to more than one area of the arts we won't be surprised if Sky Arts Theatre Live! is yet another success.

Live theater returns to British TV on Sky Arts 1 HD originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 27 May 2009 03:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

All catalogs, all the time this week as we slow down for the summer theater season. Not a big deal if you're a Blu-ray fan as there are plenty of great classics to check out for the first time on Blu-ray. Most notable is that Universal is still playing catch-up and obviously still has a few recent titles that were released on HD DVD, but have still not been released on Blu-ray. Warner has a few classics too, we can't even remember the last time we watched True Romance, but no doubt we're due. Expect much of the same for the next month or so, with a few big TV shows in between.

• Children of Men (Universal)
• Cinderella Man (Universal)
• Field of Dreams (Universal)
• Seabiscuit (Universal)
• Spy Game (Universal)
• Falling Down (Warner)
• True Romance (Warner)
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Warner)
• New in Town (Lionsgate)
• Powder Blue (Image)
• The Sky Crawlers (Sony)

Blu-ray releases on May 26th 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 26 May 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, HP

After being introduced to the world late last month, we've heard little else about HP's lower-end MediaSmart Server LX195... until now, obviously. This little media streamer made its way into the HotHardware labs for a little Q&A, and it managed to escape with lots of praise, a mild amount of criticism and a price tag that'll likely be too steep for most to swallow. As for performance and features, the LX195 was found to shine; the Media Collector, iTunes server and Time Machine backup functionality all worked great. Unfortunately, the "endless loop of updates" seen during the initial setup and the lack of an April update -- which was sent out to the EX series last month -- left somewhat of a bitter taste in reviewers mouths. Overall, the system delivered and worked as advertised, but the $360 to $400 street price is apt to turn all but the hardest of hardcore HP fans away, not to mention that the aforesaid EX update (which will hit the LX195 this fall) will require users to completely wipe their HDD and start over from scratch. Check the read link for the full writeup.

HP's MediaSmart Server LX195 reviewed: impressive, but flawed originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 26 May 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: New content

Yet again regrettably slipping on our coverage of late night television's procession into high definition broadcasting, last week Chelsea Lately became the most recent to go 1080i. Sneaking past our DVRs amongst the flurry of season finales, Chelsea takes time to clown E!'s likely "cheaper" version of HD, while the voiceover intro wonders if 16x9 HDTV makes her look skinnier. Catch a clip of the debut episode after the break, we suppose this puts Craig Ferguson on deck next.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Continue reading Chelsea Lately drunkenly stumbles into 1080i

Chelsea Lately drunkenly stumbles into 1080i originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 24 May 2009 23:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc

Here at Engadget HD, we'd prefer not to just focus on high-def happenings in the US of A. Thus, we round up the best of the best from the international front each week and present it here, bundled together in a single, easy to digest list. If something went down in your corner of the globe over the past seven days, let the rest of the world know it in comments. 'Til next week, ?? ????????!

Read - RTVE to launch HD next year
Read - Lithuania's TEO adds three HD channels to Interactive GALA TV
Read - We can convince ITV HD to support Blu-ray recording, says Panasonic
Read - More HD for Russia's Platforma
Read - UEFA Champions League and FA Cup Final airing in HD next week

International HD news roundup originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 24 May 2009 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, HD DVD, Media PCs, Others

We've got to hand it to 'em -- these guys aren't ashamed to be clearing out excess inventory, and honestly, we're still fond of the choice. Sure, HD DVD may be defunct, but what's the harm in having the capability in your HTPC should an old friend pop over with a disc to watch? All that aside, Kinetic UK's trio of media center PCs are now shipping after being introduced initially in March, with Blu-ray / HD DVD compatibility, up to 6TB of storage space, Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Quad / Core i7 processor choices and a healthy array of CTO options elsewhere. As for prices, you're looking at starting tags of £849.00 ($1,351) for the Mini HD:Hub, £1449.00 ($2,306) for the Home HD:Hub and £1569.00 ($2,497) for the flagship X HD:Hub.

Kinetic's HD:Hub HTPC now shipping, HD DVD still a selectable option originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 23 May 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG has launched the first DivX HD 1080p certified Blu-ray player.
The BD390 - originally displayed at CES in January - has an 802.11n WiFi module and support for DivX streaming from a DLNA server.

A third (33.3%) of US households now have HDTVs, up from 19.3% a year ago, according to a Nielsen survey.
However, only 28.8% of all US homes received HD programming as of February 2009.

Time Warner Cable is dropping two HDNet channels, claiming their programming has "limited appeal".
The move is effective from May 31 with the channels to be replaced by other high definition options.

Filed under: Blu-ray

Look out for another edition of the Watchmen Blu-ray disc hitting on or around the launch date of July 21, but this package -- probably inspired by The Dark Knight's deep console ties -- is a two disc set with the Director's Cut on one disc and the Watchmen: The End is Nigh Parts 1 and 2 videogame for PlayStation 3 on another. Not quite as cool as packing both on a 50GB disc, but it should allow fans to get the special features of the movie, and cop the previously download-only game all at once. Without a price it's hard to say how interesting of a proposition this is but we're sure that and other details will appear before this hits shelves.

Watchmen movie / game Blu-ray combo on the way originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 21 May 2009 22:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The market for ambient DVDs may still be in its early days - but if HD Coolvision's offering is anything to go by it could take off very quickly.
The LA-based start-up has released The Moon, a DVD of high-def footage of this celestial wonder intended to be displayed as video artwork on flat-panel HDTVs.

Microsoft Vista users can now stream films from Netflix through the Windows Media Center.
The development comes after Microsoft announced that it has expanded its partnership with the movie service.

Filed under: Features

There's little doubt that Yahoo Widgets took the HDTV market by storm at CES, in fact by the end of the first day of the show, it was news if a manufacturer didn't announce the feature. Initially we didn't understand what all the fuss was about, but after spending some time with the Widgets, we started to see the light. Unfortunately something has changed in the past five months and now that we have it in our home to play with, it just doesn't seem the same. The one word we'd use to describe the difference is "laggy" -- check out the video after the break to see for yourself. The demos at CES were down right snappy, but even in our hard wired tests connected to the internet via a 20Mbps FiOS connection, the widgets loaded so slow we're not sure we'd actually even use 'em. To make matters worse, because most people don't have internet connections behind their HDTV, they're going to need some sort of WiFi adapter to make this work. The Samsung 7000 series HDTV we tested has an optional USB dongle that sells for $80, but we couldn't even get it to work despite the hour of our life we wasted on it.

Continue reading Hands-on with Yahoo Widgets on a Samsung 7000 series HDTV

Hands-on with Yahoo Widgets on a Samsung 7000 series HDTV originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 21 May 2009 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Others

In the latest episode of this ongoing saga Vizio (now feeling its oats enough to claim the "Number One Shipper of Flat Panel HDTVs in the USA" title) is again suing Funai for patent infringement and seeking an injunction barring Funai from importing and selling its HDTVs. Just in case that wasn't etherous enough, Vizio cofounder Laynie Newsome chimed in with a line to make Funai's soul burn slow, pointing out that unlike some companies, Vizio's patent portfolio has not been rejected by the USPTO. We don't know how realistic it is that shiments of Funai's Sylvania, Philips, Magnavox and other branded products could be stalled by the action -- note Funai's so far ineffective action on Vizio's products -- but hopefully this latest strike brings things closer to a resolution and more cheap televisions for all.

Vizio sues Funai for patent infringement, seeks to stop TV imports originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 20 May 2009 21:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media PCs, Media streamers, Internet

Good news, Vista Media Center PC users will soon find a new option under the TV+Movies tile, as Netflix Watch Instantly streaming access is added directly to the interface. The soul crushingly bad news? A post on The Green Button informs that this does not apply to Media Center Extenders, so cheapskates hoping to get around the Xbox 360's Gold Xbox Live subscription requirement are still going to need those plugins and workarounds. This should go over much better than the InternetTV beta 2, but we're disappointed Microsoft's vision of TV on Your PC (as pointed out on its accompanying blogs, videos and assorted paraphernalia indicates) doesn't allow users to stretch their PC back to the TV at will. 'til that changes, check the gallery and after the break to see what awaits in Media Center once the update rolls out over the next 48 hours.

[Via The Green Button]

Gallery: Netflix on Vista Media Center

Continue reading Netflix Watch Instantly comes to Vista Media Center, not Extenders

Netflix Watch Instantly comes to Vista Media Center, not Extenders originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 20 May 2009 01:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Internet

The initial reaction to Netflix's Watch Now feature is "wow this is great," but when the reality of the selection kicks in, the appeal fades away. Obviously this isn't news to Netflix and according to the CFO Barry McCarthy it isn't a question of new vs old, but one of good vs bad. That sounds great and all, but the reality is that no matter how bad a movie is, people want to see new movies. Evidently the problem is that access to new movies via a subscription model is already spoken for by cable operators. He goes on further to explain that the cost of winning these contracts away are dependent on Netflix's ability to grow the subscriber base. Now if you're thinking, why not offer the movies via PPV? According to Barry, only the subscription model makes economical sense to Netflix as ad-supported services such as Hulu generate "scant incremental revenue." He even gets a little feisty when he says the "big question" is what are Apple and Amazon going to do when they realize the PPV model they are chasing now is not successful?

Netflix CFO talks Watch Now selection, competition originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 19 May 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, Reviews, Blu-ray, Other hardware, Players, Remotes, Sony

We all love getting new gadgets -- marketing and design departments have honed their crafts to a point that pretty much guarantees a steady release of endorphins throughout the selection, purchasing, unboxing and first impression stages. We've spent about a week putting Logitech's Harmony Adapter for the PlayStation 3 through its paces; long enough that we feel we're safely past the "honeymoon" stage and can put a little perspective on how it fits in with HT setups incorporating a PS3. Follow us past the break to see if we'll be living happily ever after, seeking counseling or filing for divorce.

Continue reading Logitech Harmony Adapter for the PlayStation 3 review

Logitech Harmony Adapter for the PlayStation 3 review originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 19 May 2009 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Set-top boxes, Others

Netbooks and digital picture frames aren't the only new territory Google's Android can be found exploring. ISB Corp is tinkering with the platform as a way of powering a set-top box. A reference board powered by TI's OMAP 3530 processor was on display last week, strutting its video playback and web browsing capabilities at the 12th Embedded Systems Expo in Tokyo, and there the company said it was in the process of optimizing the software for a smooth HD video experience. It's also reportedly demonstrating support for wireless keyboards and Bluetooth. Frankly, we haven't been 100 percent sold on a lot of these Android implementations, but there's definitely potential here. Hopefully we can get some more glimpses of it in the not too distant future.

ISB Corp assimilates Android into STB originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 18 May 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: New content

Aside from its own plans for global domination, History recently laid out plans for several new series to expect and the one that caught our eye was WWII in HD. Set to debut in the fall the 10 episode series pulls from over 3,000 hours of color film recorded during the war, restored in high definition, plus contemporary HD footage and a 5.1 surround sound audio track formed from authentic and new sounds, including recordings from the Library of Congress. Described as following the experiences of a handful of men as their journeys cross-connect throughout the war, this should fit right in not only with history buffs, but also fans of Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan.

[Via TV Squad]

History prepping WWII in HD series originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 17 May 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Panasonic, Plasma

Panasonic's new plasma TVs packing the NeoPDP panels are compiling a solid reputation across their respective price brackets, and now it's the V10 series' turn to continue that trend at the more expensive end of the spectrum. Stepping up from the G10 series, the 50-inch UK-model TX-P50V10 AVForums had on hand acquitted itself pretty well. The "sheet of glass" thin design looks nice, but it was the THX picture mode that saved the day. Despite the lack of image controls that videophiles love to tweak, the THX preset delivered very good performance right out of the gate; good enough that the reviewer gave it the nod over the G10 series. The review also noted that 24p material was handled correctly, which gives us hope that Panasonic's 96Hz refresh in the US models will finally put 3:2 pulldown artifacts to rest. Hit the link for all the details.

[Thanks, Quentin!]

AVForums takes a shine to THX on Panasonic's TX-P50V10 plasma originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 16 May 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Remotes, Others

Just try to wrap your minds around this, Harmony / PS3 owners: this weekend is the last weekend that your otherwise awesome universal remote won't be able to power on your otherwise awesome Blu-ray / media player. Wild, we know. Logitech's heralded Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 -- which converts the IR blasts coming from your Harmony-branded remote to Bluetooth signals that the console understands -- is now shipping. You can pretty much take your pick of e-tailers, but the read link leads to a sweet 10 percent off promotion that'll save you a few bones compared to buying from Amazon. Whatever the case, the MSRP is $59.99, so feel free to track down the best deal in all your free time.

Logitech Harmony Adapter for Playstation 3 now shipping originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 15 May 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other hardware, Others

We tend to associate the ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company) brand with active speaker systems, but the British firm has a number of passive speakers in its lineup as well. You just know with its powered speaker heritage, the company has some definite opinions about what kind of amp to partner up with those passive loudspeakers, and it's a safe bet that ATC's own P1 amp would come highly recommended, indeed. The dual mono, Class A/B juicebox boasts 150-Watts (into 8-Ohms) and specs out at better than 110dB signal to noise ratio with distortion way down at -95dB. Definitely a piece for the well-heeled, the $3,700 P1 also packs the XLR inputs that will keep your British audiophile cred intact.

ATC's P1 amplifier gives its passive speakers some teeth originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 15 May 2009 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Other hardware, Players, Receivers, Speakers, LG

Only last month we saw a positive review of LG's HB354BS HTIB, and the company obviously feels it's on to something good with these HTIB systems, because it has now introduced the similar HB954TBW to its homeland Korean market. This system notches up the channel count to 5.1 (as opposed to the 2.1-channel HB354BS), but still hangs on to the Mark Levinson name-drop, Blu-ray heart and retractable iPod dock that to our eyes looks like a sleek accident waiting to happen. Gather up your won, this one lists out at ?1,299,000 ($1,030).

LG puts its HB954TBW Blu-ray HTIB into Korean streets originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 14 May 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US TV-maker VIZIO remains the largest shipper of LCD HDTVs in North America - with an increased market share as consumers turn to value products.
Shipments have increased 21.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, which is a 69 per cent increase year over year (YOY), according to iSuppli.

VUDU has agreed a partnership with online video platform Brightcove that will allow its customers to distribute their content directly to the living room television via VUDU.
The first feature available in the VUDU Labs area of the VUDU service will be the MyPlay application, which offers current Sony Music videos through Sony Music's MyPlay Video Network affiliate program.

Epix plans to offer full-length HD movies over the Internet using a dynamic-streaming feature from Akamai Technologies' content-distribution network.
The movie service, created by Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate, previously said it was launching as a broadband-video service in May, followed by the linear cable channel in October.

Filed under: Media streamers, Other hardware, Set-top boxes, Internet

VUDU keeps adding to its offerings bit by bit, first Pandora, now Brightcove video is available, popping up in the VUDU Labs section. The first content up is from Sony Music's MyPlay Video Network, as Brightcove notches its first set-top box partner. You'll have to take a look to see what artists are available, but it's hard to argue with more free music to go with those HD & HDX purchases and rentals.

VUDU offers up Brightcove ad-supported streaming video, Sony Music is the first to jump in originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 14 May 2009 04:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Fiber, Internet

This is uh....odd. We've gotten so used to FiOS TV creeping into new areas that we've had to create a weekly roundup just to keep track, but today the company announced it is pulling out of rural areas in 14 states, turning over operations to Frontier Communications. The transition should take place over the next year, and includes around 69,000 FiOS TV subscribers in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, plus some in California. Fiber to the premises and video will still be provided after the merger, and the 11,000 Verizon employees in these areas will transfer over as well. The real questions i if affected subs can expect the same packages and level of service they've come to expect, but really it seems we'll just have to wait and see.

Verizon FiOS TV contractions: May 13, 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 13 May 2009 20:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Blu-ray, Internet

Just in case you needed another reminder that despite some interesting developments, digital isn't quite overtaking disc just yet, as NPD's latest figures indicate 63 percent of consumer spending is still on DVD purchases. Blu-ray purchases snapped up 7 percent, rentals of DVD and Blu-ray discs together were rolled up to take 18 percent of the pie, VOD accounted for 9 percent with 3 percent of the cash left for digital downloads and online streaming. Still, all wasn't lost for internet based options, while out of the more than 11,000 surveyed only 9 percent of those with internet at home reported watching a movie via streaming that's up 4 points from last year, same for rented downloads, up to 8 percent from 4 in the previous year. The much hyped video game console marketplaces? Less than 5 percent of consumers have checked them out yet (We'll wait for one to launch on Wii.) Interestingly, but not all that surprising given the crossover, the same people into digital video are also heavy consumers of Blu-ray and DVD, but the overall indication is that packaged media still has some time in the spotlight before consumers find a reason to switch.

[Via Electronista]

Surprise surprise, most home video spending still on discs originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 13 May 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Other hardware, Others

Apparently, Klipsch has decided it's had enough of the notched design motif on Acurus and Aragon amplifiers and has decided to break off the two brands and sell them to Indy Audio Labs. We're hoping for a brighter future for the two lines under their new ownership; it certainly can't get a whole lot worse, as Klipsch ceased production of products wearing the Aragon badge 4 years after buying it from Mondial Designs in 2001. Both no-holds-barred Aragon and the more cost-conscious (but not cheap) Acurus names seem to be in capable hands -- Indy Audio Labs has two former Klipsch employees as its founders who plan to deliver products under the same brand names familiar to crusty audio nuts. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Klipsch says goodbye to Aragon and Acurus amplifiers

Klipsch says goodbye to Aragon and Acurus amplifiers originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 13 May 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Players

With Blu-ray coming to our automobiles it's only proper that we should enjoy the same accoutrements in the air. Currently on display at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE)Flight Display Systems has been shipping these out since April -- sorry for the delay in noticing, but we had to ditch the Engadget Force One for flight sharing, you know how it is -- to all those willing to pay the $4,879 price tag. For that price you can expect this beauty to slide in right where a DVD player used to fit, providing up to 1080p Blu-ray and DVD playback, an interface to Flight Display Systems Cabin Management System controls, IR remote or RS-485 control, plus Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio decoding. If discs aren't up to par for your Gulfstream, check after the break for the Jet Jukebox HD media server, sending up MPEG-1, -2 and -4 encoded video at up to 1080i resolution for $6,055.

[Via Flight Global]

Continue reading Flight Display Systems shows off the first Blu-ray player for planes

Flight Display Systems shows off the first Blu-ray player for planes originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 12 May 2009 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony has developed a coin-sized high-def camera module that can be used for security and industrial applications.
The 8.3-megapixel camera, which measures just 9.5 x 7.1mm, is capable of delivering 720p, 30fps video.

Watching movies and other video content on DVD and Blu-ray Disc accounts for 88 per cent of home entertainment spending - even although newer digital methods are beginning to gain a foothold in the consumer market.
The average US home video consumer reported spending an average of USD $25 per month on all types of home video purchases and rentals, according to NPD Group.

Filed under: Other hardware, Sony

The tiny HD hits keep coming today -- first we saw eASIC's $5 integrated H.264 codec chip, and now Sony's crowing about the new MCB1172 HD camera module it claims is the "world's smallest." There's some pretty impressive tech packed into that tiny package: you're looking at an 8.3 megapixel sensor that can shoot 720p/30 video with image stabilization, face detection, high-ISO mode, and 120fps slow motion. Not bad for a piece smaller than a quarter -- hopefully we'll see this thing pop up all over soon.

Sony develops "world's smallest" HD camera module originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 12 May 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays, Others, LCD

For those with professional-grade demands on their LCDs, NEC is launching the latest addition to the MultiSync line, the 46-inch X461HB high-bright display. So named because of its 1500 cd/m² brightness and 3500:1 contrast ratio, it's 110% brighter than NEC's previous efforts, though not quite as eyeball searing as Samsung's 70-inch Super Bright champ. Still, if these specs and a 1360 x 768 res fit the bill for your brightly lit commercial application, it's just $3,899 and shipping in July.

NEC preps latest pro LCD, the X461HB "high-bright" LCD originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, Other hardware, Remotes, Others, Sony

Yeah, sure, we knew the Harmony IR-to-Bluetooth remote adapter was coming down the pike, but even with FCC filings and official confirmation of the device from Harmony, the PS3 owners among us are breathing a small sigh of relief now that we've got our hands on a unit that prove it will make it to market. We have a love/hate relationship with the PS3's Bluetooth remote control -- the range and total non-directionality of it are great, but having a separate remote control just for the PS3 is a real stick in the eye of our couch potato lifestyles. There are a few choices for solving the PS3 remote control conundrum, but on first blush this unit has three things going for it: support from a big name like Logitech (of course including codes in the Harmony database), it does not eat up one of your PS3's USB ports, and it handles switching the PS3 on and off (not unique, but some other solutions don't). We'll give the IR-to-Bluetooth converter a full rundown in due course, but follow us past the break for our initial impressions, an official fact sheet and a link to a Q&A section on the Logitech blog.

Continue reading Logitech Harmony Adapter for Playstation 3 -- official, real, and in our hands

Logitech Harmony Adapter for Playstation 3 -- official, real, and in our hands originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 12 May 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Displays, Others, Samsung, Sony, LCD

Flat-panel TV sales jump 23% over last year, Vizio leads the way originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 11 May 2009 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, DVRs, Set-top boxes, Panasonic

Infuriatingly restrictive DRM aside, Panasonic's FreeSat+ Blu-ray burning DVR brings some new capabilities to the UK, apparently enough to impress Home Cinema Choice. A few downsides, like ITV marking its HD broadcasts Copy Never preventing any disc backups, and an inability to connect to other devices on the network didn't take away its DVR features, h.264 compression capabilities and solid Blu-ray playback. Of course the entry price for the DMR-BS850 is high, but take a look at the rest of their notes before deciding whether or not all those arrows and padlocks are worth the trouble.

Panasonic DMR-BS850 Blu-ray DVR gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 11 May 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc

Here at Engadget HD, we'd prefer not to just focus on high-def happenings in the US of A. Thus, we round up the best of the best from the international front each week and present it here, bundled together in a single, easy to digest list. If something went down in your corner of the globe over the past seven days, let the rest of the world know it in comments. 'Til next week, Vi ses!

Read - Czech Prima trials HD
Read - Eurovision Song Contest broadcasts in high definition
Read - 5 linear HD channels 'to join Virgin'
Read - ITV content attracts 4m views on Virgin Media catch-up in first month
Read - Freesat celebrates first birthday, 400,000 strong
Read - ZON doubles HD take-up (Portugal)
Read - History HD Expands Korean Footprint
Read - Freeview rolls out high definition for World Cup
Read - YouSee adds Canal HD

International HD news roundup originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 10 May 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fiber, Internet

Time for more FiOS TV expansion news, this week Gaithersburg, MD and Asharoken officially opened their arms to the service, while Mendon, Mass shouldn't be too far behind. All in all a busy week, even without any areas actually flipping the switch on new service just yet. The last entry? Just a reminder.

Read - Gaithersburg, Md., Awards Cable Franchise to Verizon
Read - Asharoken Is Latest Long Island Municipality to Join FiOS TV Revolution
Read - TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Mendon, Mass.
Read - 'Hello, Mom. It's Me on the Phone!'

FiOS TV expansions: May 10, 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 10 May 2009 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, Cables

Latest mini-HDMI connectors get shown off in prototype form originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 08 May 2009 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media PCs, Media streamers, Internet

Media Center Extender users now have a reason to check out the SecondRun.tv plugin, with the latest build supporting direct play mode on any providers that support it (read: not Hulu, at the moment.) Right now Revision3 and the unfortunately overcompressed GameTrailers.com are the big names but users will know which ones work by a green arrow in the corner. Otherwise the latest revision has other tweaks including fixed display sizing problems and movie covers, but you'll have have to load it up on your display to let us know how well it's working.

[Thanks, Nathan]

SecondRun.tv updated with direct play Media Center Extender support originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 07 May 2009 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The drop in the average price of Blu-Ray players is, not surprisingly, fuelling sales of the high-def disks. But figures out from NPD show that the effect of cheaper players could finally be giving the format mass market appeal.
High hardware prices has long been given as a barrier to Blu-Ray technology becoming widely accepted.

Portugal’s leading cable provider ZON has doubled the take-up of its HD DVR.
Called the ZON Box, it was installed in 93,000 homes in the first quarter of 2009, pushing total installations up to 184,000 – 12 per cent of the total customer base.

Filed under: Industry, Displays, Others, Plasma

We've been keeping an eye on Shinoda Plasma's curved PTA (plasma tube array) technology since 2007. What started as a single 43-inch prototype grew to 125-inches in 2008. Now, Shinoda is showing off a 145-inch diagonal prototype consisting of six PTA panels stitched together in a 2-meter x 3-meter matrix. The 960 x 270 pixel resolution might not impress you until you consider the weight: just 7.2-kg (15.8-pounds) thanks to the slim PTA panels measuring just 1-mm thick. Impressive compared to 108-inch LCDs that weigh in at 196-kg (430-pounds) and the original Osborne 1 "laptop" that weighed 24.5-pounds. With any luck, these giant displays will be commercialized for signage so we can all simulate crushing motions with two hands.

Shinoda's giant curved plasma weighs less than your father's first laptop originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 07 May 2009 03:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Set-top boxes, Others

Found the Verismo VuNow's previous iterations lacking? Take another look, because the company says it's gotten all more and better on us, with even more live TV channels, websites, and now Shoutcast Internet radio bringing additional content to the box. On the hardware side it can finally read NTFS formatted drives, not just FAT-32, plus 802.11n support with WPA2 and WPS security, Dolby AC-3 audio, PAL and other tweaks. Check out the full press release after the break and see how $149 for a VN1000HD Hi-Def POD strikes you now that its added even more services (though unfortunately not Hulu, from what we can tell.)

Continue reading VuNow 3.0 update: Now with AC-3, NTFS, PAL & more

VuNow 3.0 update: Now with AC-3, NTFS, PAL & more originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 06 May 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Media has just begun a broadband customer pilot to test real-world deployment of 200 Mbps speeds - making it the fastest implementation of Docsis 3.0 technology in the world. Services offered in Japan and the US currently reach 160 Mbps and 101 Mbps respectively.
In a separate announcement, the UK digital cable TV operator said it plans to add up to five new HD channels this year to keep pace with growing demand for high-def programming.

Vudu is to make its 14,000-plus movie library available on Entone set-top boxes and DVRs.
The deal is the first time Vudu's content, including around 1,500 HD movies, has been made available on third-party hardware.

Millions of viewers already watch Internet video on their TVs but that number is set to climb dramatically, according to In-Stat.
It forecasts that by 2013 web-to-TV video streaming services will drive nearly USD $3 billion in revenue.

Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, Satellite

We got pretty excited last week when we saw that the DirecTV Twitter feed indicated that the DirecTV HD TiVo was still on track for the second half of 2009 -- as promised. But shortly after the feed was once again updated and the gem isn't due this year after all. We're not sure what caused the mix-up, but it looks like another year of waiting for those TiVo fans who prefer satellite over cable.

DirecTV HD TiVo actually not due until 2010 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 05 May 2009 17:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Remotes

We're more or less waiting on the Logitech Harmony Adapter for all our PS3 IR-to-Bluetooth needs, but if you're impatient Schmartz has revved up its PS3IR. In addition to the usual IR control, the new PS3IR-1000 also comes with a Windows app that allows you to control your PS3 from the desktop over USB -- we're not sure we need it, but if you've got a crazy home-automation rig or something it could be useful. $79, available now.

Schmartz PS3 IR-to-Bluetooth adapter adds PC control originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 05 May 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

What an easy week to decide which new releases is the most anticipated as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button finally goes Blu. Although that is the biggest title, Paramount didn't stop there as it released the second season of the hot TV show Dexter as well as some all time classics like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Grease. Sony has a few catalogs this week as well, but nothing we're really excited about. There is plenty to get excited about next week though, between all the Star Trek movies and classics like Fargo and -- our personal favorite -- The Good, the Bad And the Ugly, there really is something for everyone.

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount)
• Dexter: The Second Season (Paramount)
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Paramount)
• Grease (Paramount)
• Saturday Night Fever (Paramount)
• It Could Happen to You (Sony)
• Roxanne (Sony)
• Last Chance Harvey (Anchor Bay)
• Bleak House (BBC)
• Dog Soldiers (First Look)
• Incendiary (ThinkFilm)
• The Magic of Flight (Image)
• Journey Into Amazing Caves (Image)
• Amazon (Image)

Blu-ray releases on May 5th 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 05 May 2009 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Satellite, Sports

DirecTV subs may not notice the company has been spun off, but they might have peeped the new ScoreGuide, letting sports fans watch one channel while keeping scores and start times of live events posted on screen, then letting viewers switch to the appropriate channel easily. Accessed by tuning into any one of DirecTV's sports channels then punching the red button on your remote, it can collapse to show just one game or stay open to show all daily events. Want to avoid clicking over only to find the boxing match is already over two rounds in or you missed a great Kentucky Derby comeback, or yet another triple overtime thriller? We can see how this could be useful.

DirecTV's ScoreGuide tool makes catching the quickest boxing matches even easier originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 04 May 2009 23:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other hardware, Others

Not everyone has jumped into the multi-channel audio arms race, and the last time we checked, the majority of music was available in two-channel stereo format. Rotel has introduced a new set of 15-series components for just such stereo lovers. At the head of the stream is the RCD-1520 slot-loading CD player with a toroidal transformer and segmented power supply that promise not to gum up the Wolfson DACs with noise. The RC-1550 (pictured) and RC-1580 stereo preamplifiers do their level best (pun intended) to embody the "straight wire with gain" ideal; pair them up with the 2x200-Watt RB-1582 or the 2x120-Watt RB-1552 amplifier. Finally, if you're after all-in-one convenience -- or not into expensive interconnects -- there's the RA-1520 integrated amplifier that wraps a preamp and a 2x60-Watt amplifier in one tidy package. This is Rotel gear, so you know prices aren't cheap; but then again, if you're still chasing after stereo gear, you probably are used to that. Full details -- including an "Engadget-effect" macro shot -- after the break.

Continue reading Rotel's new 15-series components show stereo some love

Rotel's new 15-series components show stereo some love originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 04 May 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Others

We'll be perfectly honest with you -- the Atom-powered RipNAS definitely caught our interest when it launched with practically no major competitors back in February. Now, the RipNAS family has grown by two with the introduction of the Statement SSD and Statement HDD. We're told that the former is the world's first SSD-based CD ripping NAS device, and we've absolutely no reason to believe otherwise. The totally silent, all-silver box is based on the Windows Home Server OS and handles a cornucopia of tasks: CD ripping, media streaming and networked file storage. Internal specifications include a dual-core Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM and four USB 2.0 ports. The Statement SSD arrives in a 500GB configuration (2 x 250GB SSDs), while the Statement HDD holds 3TB by way of two 1.5TB drives; mum's the word on pricing, but don't bank on 'em being cheap.

RipNAS Statement: world's first SSD-based CD ripping NAS device originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 03 May 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cable, Satellite, New content

Once upon a time, a smattering of new HD channels in one major metropolitan area was a huge deal. Nowadays, it's almost expected that one area or another will experience some HD expansion each week. In order to keep things nice and tidy around here, we deliver high-def expansions, market expansions and anything else dealing with HD channel growth right here. If we missed an area that you're familiar with, drop us a line in comments so everyone can catch up. The more the merrier, we say!

Read - DIRECTV Delivers Local HD Programming to Customers in Harrisonburg, Va.
Read - Telemundo 47 Now Available In HD On Time Warner Cable New York
Read - Bright House Connects With YES 'National' In Orlando
Read - Time Warner adds HD movie channel, expands HD tier 33%
Read - Some Oceanic Time Warner customers can soon watch Smithsonian Networks (Hawaii)

HD channel expansion roundup originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 02 May 2009 22:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Fiber, Internet, New content

About time for Verizon to roll out some new FiOS TV expansions, so California and Maryland are the latest to offer the service in all new areas in the last week. Still, we can't move forward without looking back, so here's Verizon's Q1 numbers, including 299,000 new subscribers for a total of 2.2 million. No new HD channels this week but the Direct Kick should bring home plenty of SD soccer while Chinese programming has a 24 hour home on Sino TV. If that's not enough there's $2.99 (presumably SD) editions of Marley and Me, Doubt and Frost/Nixon on video on-demand all month. See you next week!

Read - Verizon Communications Reports Revenue, Earnings and Cash Flow Growth in 1Q 2009
Read - Soccer Fans Score With MLS 'Direct Kick' Package, Now Available on Verizon FiOS TV
Read - Verizon FiOS TV Adds Leading Chinese Channel, Sino TV, to Growing Asian Content Offering
Read - More Than 1 Million Households in California Now Have Access to Verizon's All-Fiber-Optic FiOS TV Service
Read - More Cable Choice Comes to Maryland as Verizon Launches FiOS TV in Harford County
Read - Cut Movie Ticket Expenses in Half With $2.99 Box Office Hits From Verizon FiOS TV Video-on-Demand

Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: May 2, 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 02 May 2009 06:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Blu-ray, Speakers, Tuners, Others

If you don't have plans for this weekend yet and you're in the neighborhood of Livonia, MI, maybe pencil in some time to check out Audio Karma Fest. It sounds like it's going to be quite the playground for audio- and videophiles, with demos of the really expensive stuff from some high-end brands. For example, McIntosh will be showing off the limited-run Classic System and unveiling its MR88 AM/FM/XM/HD tuner. Paired up with McIntosh equipment will be some high-ticket speakers from sister company Snell; and if you want to boost your speaker design chops, you can't do a whole lot better than sitting in on a Joseph D'Appolito seminar. Also getting the "for your eyes only" treatment is the US unveiling of the Marantz UD9004 universal Blu-ray deck. Hit the links for more detailed info on what vendors are bringing to the party; playground admission is $25.

Read - McIntosh at Audio Karma Fest 2009
Read - Snell's lineup
Read - D'Appolito seminar
Read - Marantz demos

Audio Karma Fest going down in Livonia, MI this weekend originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 01 May 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Samsung, LCD

Samsung's UN-B7000 LCD HDTV hits all the right style checkmarks, with edge-mounted LEDs handling the backlighting and the Touch of Color fascia. The review unit at FlatpanelsHD even managed to score pretty high marks in color accuracy, even illumination and black levels. Unfortunately, a nasty "trailing" effect showed up on the 46-inch model when viewing fast-moving objects and totally ruined the party. Credit the reviewer for trying different settings and upgrading the firmware to get rid of the problem, but to no avail. Chime in below and let us know if you've seen this same behavior, or if the reviewer just got a bad unit; unless your TV-viewing habits include a square of blotter paper, of course.

[Plastikman art courtesy hyperreall]
[Thanks, Patrick!]

Samsung's B-7000 LCD treating owners to trippy visuals? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TV makers have been quick to recognise consumer appetite for connected TVs - and their ability to act as a differentiator in a crowded market.
Rightly so, as new research shows that nearly half of prospective TV buyers in the US intend to purchase an Internet-ready TV in the next year.

It's taken a while but HDTV seems to have firmly established itself in the UK - underlined by the latest surge in subscriber numbers for BSkyB.
The satellite broadcaster has seen its HD base leap to more than one million subscribers - up 32 per cent on the previous quarter and more than double the 465,000 who signed up last year.

802.11n Wi-fi technology will see off competitors in the wireless HD video market, at least for the next several years, according to In-Stat .
Three other technologies are competing in this space - Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI), WirelessHD, and Ultrawideband (UWB).

Sony has extended its BRAVIA HDTV range to include a new model that for the first time lets viewers access online services.
The Z5500 uses Sony's AppliCast technology to connect via its Ethernet port to the Internet.

Filed under: Announcements, Cables, Switches, Others

The recession antidote giveaways over at Engadget Classic have been a huge hit, and nothing could make us happier -- except a special set of giveaways just for HD readers, of course! We're sure AV gear is one of the first things to get trimmed from the household budget, but we want to make sure our readers aren't totally cut off. Luckily, the good folks at Next Generation Home Products sent us a raft of HD-centric goodies. This week we've reached in the gift bag and come up with two fistfuls of good, basic HDMI connectivity. We'll give away eight bundles: four will come with a 3x1 HDMI switch and a 4-m length of Next Generation's bulk Xtreme HDMI cable; the other four will consist of a 3x1 HDMI switch and a 3-m stretch of Xtreme HDMI cable. With the all the gadgets stacking up underneath your TV, you can never have enough HDMI cables or ports, so check the rules below and start commenting!

Special thanks to Next Generation Home Products for providing the gear!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
  
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once.
  If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  
• Winners will be chosen randomly. Four winners will each receive one (1) 3x1 HDMI switch and one (1) 4-m HDMI bulk Xtreme cable; approximate retail value is $246. Four winners will each receive one (1) 3x1 HDMI switch and one (1) 3-m HDMI Xtreme cable; approximate retail value is $290.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Thursday, May 7th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Engadget HD giveaway: win a 3x1 HDMI switch and HDMI cables! originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Other hardware, Others

Typically devoid of fancy lights, knobs, and switches, amplifiers typically don't get a lot of marketing hype; heck, most people who own a receiver aren't even aware of the amplifier section. Bang & Olfusen's Class D ICEpower switching amplifiers wrinkle that a bit -- the compact footprint, light weight, energy efficiency and impressive specs are enough to make the newer technology marketable as, well, new. Sadly, from Audioholics' examination of many samples, it also looks like the newness stopped there and several manufacturers have slapped crazy price tags on an essentially "reference design" implementation. There's plenty of good technical info about the test bench performance of these amps in the link, but with several happy ICEpower users it's hard to say that the subjective performance is unsatisfactory; the wide price range for essentially the same amp is what's troubling. If nothing else, let it serve as a cautionary tale of not falling for the latest thing just because it's the latest thing -- when you're shopping for an amp, take your ears along with your wallet.

Audioholics peels back the lids on the current crop of ICEpower-based amplifiers originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Looks like Fox won't be the only one using BD+ soon, now that Paramount has licensed it, along with a few other DRM tools like RipGuard and ACP from Macrovision. There's no indication when, or even if Paramount will use the technology on its titles and the press release from Macrovision focuses on its ability to protect video over Internet, cable and satellite. As it is, we're sure Slysoft appreciates all the effort, but it's the people who legally buy their movies that might need a firmware update just to play Transformers 2.

[Via Video Business]

Paramount licenses BD+ DRM from Macrovision originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, Satellite

We can't believe it, but Twitter is really taking over the world. We mean, first celebrities found it and now it seems to be the source of some solid gadget news: like confirmation from DirecTV that the new DirecTV TiVo HD is on schedule to be released by the end of this year. It's been over six months since DirecTV and TiVo announced plans to once again work together, but after the announcement that DirecTV suspended its Media Center tuner project, we had fears that whatever put that project ice, affected the TiVo project as well. Don't get too excited just yet though, as there is still no word if the new DirecTiVo will be missing key features like TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing, like the old one.

New DirecTV TiVo HD still on schedule for this year originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Ask Engadget HD, Features

Let's face it, not everyone has $60k to drop on a dream home theater, and even they did, might not have a place to put it. If space is your major constraint, like our guy Geoff, achieving the best setup can be quite trying:

"In a previous lifetime circa early 2000s, I had a dedicated media room and the latest in technology. I'm closer to the city now and square-footage is a premium. Knowing that I'll likely be in an apartment/townhome/condo for the foreseeable future, should I try to use some of my old components (listed below) or just sell them and start new? Keep in mind that I doubt I'll be able to mount any rear channels, so I'm thinking the setup with either have to include rear satellites or be a 2.1 system. I don't require a movie theater-like experience, rather something that's extremely solid for movies, music and gaming.

-- Sony STR-DE945 receiver from 2000 (i.e., no HDMI)
-- Klipsch Quintet 5.1 Home Theater circa 2000
-- No Blu Ray player
-- Xbox 360 Elite and, sadly, HD DVD add-on
-- Samsung 42-inch LCD (perfectly fine)

I've been following the new HTIB offerings from Sony and LG, thinking those might be the answer since my budget is probably around $600, not including whatever I can make on the sale of the above. The Sony system seemed attractive since Blu Ray was incorporated."

There it is, we know your palatial estate is covered with inflatable screens and the like, but condo and apartment dwellers need love too, and not at too high of a price. Let us know what you'd put in that type of space.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Ask Engadget HD: Best home theater setup for small spaces? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Samsung, Camcorders

We knew Samsung had a good thing going with the HMX-R10, and sure enough, that stylish has rubbed off heavily on the company's newest pair. The MX-C14 and SMX-C10 are both "ergonomic" camcorders which boast the company's Touch of Color finish and the practically iconic Active Angle Lens. Specs wise, we're told that they include include a 10x optical zoomer, Hyper Image Stabilization (oxymoron much?) and a 230,000-dot, swiveling 2.7-inch wide LCD screen. Strangely (and inexcusably, really), Sammy failed to mention what resolution these capture at, so we could be looking at two 4K RED competitors or VGA shooters that can't even outdo those uninspiring offerings from DXG. At any rate, we're told that the C14 comes with 16GB of internal flash along with an SD / SDHC expansion slot, while the C10 gets by with just a slot. Finally, both units include one-touch YouTube uploads and just under three hours of life on a single charge; they'll splash down this July for undisclosed amounts.

Samsung intros drop-dead gorgeous SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 camcorders originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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High-definition Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) set top boxes (STBs) offer semiconductor makers a short term spike in opportunity.
However, standard definition (SD) DTT STBs will be a more sustainable market for manufacturers, according to In-Stat.

VholdR has unveiled what it describes as the first wearable HD camcorder.
Weighing just four ounces, the 5 Megapixel ContourHD can record 1280×720 video at 30fps or SD video at 60fps with H.264 codec.

I-Movix's new SprintCam V3 HD produces slow-motion output equivalent to 20 to 40 times slower than normal speed.
That sounds great - and a showreel (after the break) by David Coiffer proves just how great it looks as well.

High definition video has "raised the game" for videoconferencing and telepresence systems.
That's the opinion of Rick Snyder, president of Tandberg Americas, who says HD videoconferencing offers a "really compelling visual experience".

Filed under: Blu-ray

Although we're still pretty far from seeing blockbusters like we do during the holiday season, there are some pretty decent titles this week. This is especially true from Sony who has What Doesn't Kill you and The Da Vinci Code. Not all the new releases are good this week though as Fox has Bride Wars and Paramount brings us Hotel for Dogs -- yikes. Paramount does finally bring out Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 on Blu-ray which we have to admit is kinda exciting. Next week looks more exciting to us though, as one of our favorite 80's movies Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button both hit the shelves.

• What Doesn't Kill You (Sony)
• The Da Vinci Code (Sony)
• Bride Wars (Fox)
• Hotel for Dogs (Paramount)
• The Uninvited (Paramount)
• Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 (Paramount)
• In the Realm of the Senses (Criterion)
• JCVD (Peach Arch)
• The Reader (Weinstein)
• Amazing Journeys (Razor)

Blu-ray releases on April 28th 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Speakers, Others

Paper speakers go a long way back, but now finally seem close to making appearances in the real world. A few weeks ago it was researchers at the University of Warwick showing off their wispy wares, and now Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute is talking up its thin tweeters, called Flexpeaker. The initial goal is for 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheets that cost about $20, but the hope is to produce whole rolls of the stuff in the not too distant future, which will then be liberally applied to the exteriors of movie theaters, the interiors of automobiles, and the sides of the thinnest of thin-panel TVs. An effective range of 500Hz to 200KHz leaves an awful lot of lower frequencies lacking, but perhaps someone will invent a paper subwoofer one of these days. High-pitched video of an earlier prototype after the break.

Continue reading Paper Flexpeaker could change the way you perceive posters

Paper Flexpeaker could change the way you perceive posters originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other hardware, Others

Way to flaunt it, Goldmund -- while people are losing their homes, the company has introduced its flagship amplifier that costs as much as a house: the $189,600 Telos 5000. Look, we're sure the stereo (yeah, only two channels) sound coming out of this 5,000-Watt, 650-pound testament to a bloated ego sounds just great, but this kind of gear is what gives audiophiles who want something better than a HTIB a bad name and makes just about everybody else mutter "more money than sense." If you're just curious and hit the link, that's cool; but if you've got this kind of money, might we suggest paying for live musicians to follow you around instead?

[Via BoingBoing]

Goldmund asks "What recession?," releases Telos 5000 amplifier originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Others, Camcorders

It's been about a day after forever ago since we've seen a new camcorder from Genius, but if you're scouting a low-end, low-cost option that'll still capture clips at a halfway respectable resolution, you're in luck. Similar to many of the DXG offerings, the G-Shot HD520 provides 720p footage for under $150, and it can also capture 11 megapixel still shots when things slow down a bit. The six-ounce device records in MPEG-4 / H.264 format and features a 2.5-inch LCD and room for up to 8GB of storage -- you know, in case you fill up the 32MB that are included, which will probably never happen. It's available now from a smorgasbord of legitimate online retailers. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Genius G-Shot HD520 camcorder does 720p for $149

Genius G-Shot HD520 camcorder does 720p for $149 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Camcorders

The original VholdR was already one of the more attractive propositions when it comes to helmet cams -- let's face it, when it comes to strapping a video camera to your head, style is likely your first priority -- and now the even sexier followup is here: VholdR ContourHD. The camera shoots 720p at 30fps and WVGA (858 x 480) at 60fps, making it what is apparently the world's first HD "wearable camcorder." A goggle mount and flat surface mount are included, and the lens swivels 192 degrees for easy alignment, with dual lasers to help with setup and a 135 degree wide angle lens to catch your faceplants in a comprehensive manner. There's a 2GB microSD card included, and we must say the H.264 default codec is an extra nice perk. ContourHD is on sale now for $280, and starts shipping on May 15th.

VholdR ContourHD helmet cam upgrades your brain to HD originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Reviews, Blu-ray

How better to follow up the great DVD box set version of Sin City than with an all-out Blu-ray version (Sin City - Recut, Extended, Unrated)? From the review at HollywoodChicago, that's exactly what Disney did -- the two-disc set scored across the whole trifecta: the video (thankfully) kept the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and accurately captured the abundant dark area details, the 5.1-channel DTS-HD MA audio track left nothing behind and even the extra features provided something for diehard fans and more casual viewers who want to rearrange the jump-cut narrative into linear form for individual characters. Say what you will about a lack of colorific range in the movie, but it's Blu-ray releases that fully deliver the director's vision and one-up the DVD that will get people into Blu-ray despite its premium price.

Sin City Blu-ray garners a perfect review originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Reviews, Receivers, Others, Pioneer, Sony

Despite the trickle down of advanced features on many manufacturers' lower-end receivers, there's still plenty of room for their upper-echelon offerings as well, and the UK's AVReview put four £1,200 - £1,500 ($1,750 - $2,200) receivers in a matchup. Entering the ring were the Onkyo TX-NR906, Pioneer SC-LX71 (SC-07 in the US), Sony STR-DA5400ES and Yamaha RX-V3900; we only wish models from Denon and Marantz would have made it to the contest as well. That said, matching up four receivers is not to be taken lightly, and it sounds like each of the contestants would serve you well in both features and absolute performance. We won't spoil the ending for you, but even though only one receiver snagged the overall crown, at this price point you should know that things are more nuanced than a single "winner;" your personal priorities are going to be the biggest variable in choosing the best model for you.

[Boxing glove image courtesy germes-online]

AVReview pits four high-end receivers against each other originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Regulatory, Other formats, Players

Let's face it -- quite a lot is resting on the outcome of this case. For months now, RealNetworks has been unable to legally sell its RealDVD movie ripping software after a court issued a temporary restraining order that remains valid until it's decided if the application violates the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Now, the software is finally having its day in court, and the outcome could shape the future of the DVD player (for better or worse). You see, Real has already assembled a prototype Facet device that hums along on Linux; essentially, this DVD playing machine would sell for around $300 and could store up to 70 movies internally. On the surface, this sounds entirely like a poor man's Kaleidescape, but only time will tell if The Man agrees. Cross your fingers folks, we get the feeling fair use advocates are going to need the luck.

RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Blu-ray, Other formats

Ah, holographic storage -- you've held so much promise for cheap optical media since you were first imagined in research papers published in the early 60s. Later today, GE will be trying to keep the dream alive when it announces a new technique that promises to take holographic storage mainstream. GE's breakthrough in microholographics -- which, as the name implies, uses smaller, less complex holograms to achieve three-dimensional digital storage -- paves the way for players that can store about 500GB of data on standard-sized optical discs while still being able to read DVD and Blu-ray media. Better yet, researchers claim a price of about 10 cents per gigabyte compared to the nearly $1 per gigabyte paid when Blu-ray was introduced. The bad news? We're talking 2011 or 2012 by the time microholographics devices and media are introduced and even then it'll only be commercialized for use by film studios and medical institutions. In other words, you'll likely be streaming high-def films to your OLED TV long before you have a microholographic player in the living room.

GE microholographic storage promises cheap 500GB discs, Blu-ray and DVD compatibility originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Others

We can't tell you precisely how much we've been yearning for an L-shaped media streamer, but we can tell you that Compro has made the hopes, dreams and wishes of quite a few content junkies come true with the debut of its VideoMate T1000W. Showcased late last week at SecuTech Expo 2009, this network media streamer is an all-in-one solution that handles content shuffling, TV tuning, internal storing of files, expansion ports, WiFi access, support for USB DVD players and even BitTorrent files. As expected, pretty much any file format you could think of is supported here, though the DVB-T tuner won't do us Yanks much good in the homeland. Fudzilla asserts that the unit should hit shelves overseas this May, though the £200 ($293) price tag just might scare away most potential buyers.

[Thanks, TheLostSwede]

Compro showcases VideoMate T1000W network media streamer originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs, Receivers, Others, Satellite

DirecTV HD DVR owners keeping an eye on Cutting Edge releases got a special treat this weekend with a new update that enabled multiroom viewing and dual live buffers on HR2x and R22 receivers. Allowing users to pause one tuner for up to 90 minutes while they watch the other, DBSTalk notes this test release is a "Very High Risk" so don't bother calling customer service if it doesn't work properly, and if you missed the downloading window Friday then you'll have to wait for the next test period -- or whenever DirecTV is confident it has worked out all the kinks -- to give the new (or old, if you're a DirecTivo owner) features a try.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Cutting Edge update brings multiroom, dual live buffers to DirecTV HR2x / R22 HD DVRs originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, Reviews, Displays

We have to admit we were initially apprehensive about the new Myvu Crystal personal media viewer. You see as much as we love the idea of a display that can be worn like glasses, we can't help but think they make you look like a dork. But as soon as we put them on and leaned back, we quickly realized that we've looked like a dork before, and for worse reasons. In fact our initial impressions after using them at CES was so good, that we decided to try 'em out and see if the novelty wears off after an hour or if they serve a real purpose.

Continue reading Myvu Crystal review

Myvu Crystal review originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other formats, Players, Others

China's alternative to Blu-ray finally has some hardware to show off, with players from TCL and Shinco making their debut this week. Priced at less than 2,000 yuan ($292) they're reportedly 40% cheaper than the competition, and while the promised support from Warner Bros. has yet to materialize it plans to release 100 movies on the CBHD format by the end of the year. That's about all the machine translation could help us make out beyond the usual promise of lower licensing fees for Chinese manufacturers, but a better look at the latest (and by far most legit, although that's not saying much) Blu-ray fighter is beyond the read link.

[Via CDR Info]

China Blue HD players revealed, second stage of the format war is officially on originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet, New content

Between numerous reruns and our DVR, we can't recall the last time we missed a PBS program we wanted. All the same, we won't complain about having another way to soak up content that our pledge dollars help produce, and now PBS has opened up the beta version of its online Video Portal site with full-length versions of some of its programs. There's even some exclusive content -- the first episode of Time Team America is available on the site right now, well in advance of the July broadcast schedule. Sure, we're disappointed that not all the HD pixels made it to the website, but soaking up an episode of NOVA has got to be a better use of your cubicle time than working on your facebook page; not to mention this is another source for boxee to scrape up.

PBS launches online video portal originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Electronics' new range of HDTVs will be capable of playing full DivX HD 1080p videos.
The company says the upcoming models will be the first device series capable of doing this - enabling consumers to play DivX HD videos from a PC or the Internet through a USB slot.

More than a year after the high-def format war ended Warner Bros has launched a new HD DVD trade-in program in the US that allows its HD DVD titles to be exchanged for the same film on Blu-ray for a small fee.
Called Red2Blu, it allows consumers to get the Blu-ray titles for USD $4.9 (USD $9.95 for boxsets), without needing to trade in the actual HD DVD discs, just the cover art (with UPC code) from the red HD DVD cases.

Filed under: Media streamers, Internet

Just in case someone wants their own IPTV streaming entry, Move Networks has apparently moved beyond mere browser plugins, after powering the video for ABC, Fox ESPN and others, it is acquiring Inuk Networks, most notably the developer of an IPTV platform built to deliver a "TV experience" to PCs and anything else connected to the Internet. The idea is to give viewers all the features -- DVR, VOD, EPG & more -- that they expect on TV, on a PC or Mac. Of course, cable operators already seem to be building their own similar solutions, but we don't doubt we'll be seeing someone busting out this platform sooner rather than later.

Move Networks snaps up "virtual set top box" IPTV provider originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, Others

Just in case Moxi's irrefutable mathematics weren't enough to sway you away from a TiVo, there's a new way to pick up on of its HD DVRs - via payment plan. Not to say they've gone all Rent-a-center on us, since both options for breaking down the $799 upfront cost (4 monthly payments of $199.75 or 20 monthly payments of $39.95) are both interest free, but with many buyers looking sideways at big ticket items these days, it could be enough to get customers off of the fence. Our initial impressions of he new hardware are here, and Dave Zatz mentions legal issues will restrict availability of the new pricing initially, but in lieu of actually costing less than a TiVo, is this enough to make you think again?

Digeo offers Moxi DVRs for easy monthly payments originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe has designed a new version of its Flash animation technology that will enable HDTVs, Blu-ray player and other electronics device to stream content directly.
The development means that webcasters, such as Hulu, will be able to compete more evenly with traditional broadcasters.

Sony has unveiled its latest Blu-ray player - the BDP-S360 - which comes with full 7.1 surround sound via a compatible AV receiver.
This is achieved thanks to newly incorporated DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD decoding capabilities - the first time these have been made available on an entry level Blu-ray player from Sony.

Blu-Ray may still be absent from most people's living rooms - but Panasonic is offering a pair of dash-mountable devices for those who need their high-def fix in the car.
The CN-HX3000D Windows-powered device, with a 7-inch, 1280 x 720 display offering GPS, Bluetooth, a 40GB hard drive, and iPod/iPhone compatibility.

Filed under: Announcements, Cables, Switches, Others

The recession antidote giveaways over at Engadget Classic have been a huge hit, and nothing could make us happier -- except a special set of giveaways just for HD readers, of course! We're sure AV gear is one of the first things to get trimmed from the household budget, but we want to make sure our readers aren't totally cut off. Luckily, the good folks at Next Generation Home Products sent us a raft of HD-centric goodies. This week, we're handing out stuff for those with gear separated by less than a stone's throw but more than an arm's length. We've got two bundles, each with a 5x1 HDMI switch with remote control and a HDMI EQ extender. To cover those long run lengths between components, one winner will get a 15-m HDMI cable, the other will get a 10-m length. Just in case you want to run that cable through your walls, we'll throw in two double HDMI wall plates in each bundle as well. Whether you've got a projector up in the ceiling or a noisy Xbox 360 in a closet, this giveaway is the one for you, so check the rules below and start commenting!

Special thanks to Next Generation Home Products for providing the gear!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
  
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once.
  If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  
• Winner will be chosen randomly. One winner will receive one (1) 5x1 HDMI switch, one (1) HDMI EQ extender, one (1) 1-m HDMI bulk cable, two (2) HDMI double wall plates and one (1) 15-m HDMI bulk cable; approximate retail value is $456. One winner will receive one (1) 5x1 HDMI switch, one (1) HDMI EQ extender, one (1) 1-m HDMI bulk cable, two (2) HDMI double wall plates and one (1) 10-m HDMI bulk cable; approximate retail value is $431.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, April 29th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Engadget HD giveaway: win a 5x1 HDMI switch and long HDMI cables! originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, Internet

As has become customary, NASA is celebrating Earth Day with some HD video on NASA TV. The broadcasts have been on all day until 2 p.m., and then from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT. Hit up NASA's website on the read link for details on how to tune into the satellite broadcast, or just check out the YouTube video embedded after the break.

Continue reading NASA celebrates Earth Day with some HD

NASA celebrates Earth Day with some HD originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

Finally, Universal has confirmed the rumors that Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series will arrive on Blu-ray July 28, packing the previously noted $349 MSRP for the 20 disc set. There's plenty of exclusive Blu-ray features planned, with U-control, DTS-HD MA soundtrack, an interactive guide to the ships and characters from the series, a BD-Live powered "Ultimate Battle" game, look behind the scenes with composer Bear McCreary and more. Not mentioned? Whether or not all that cash can buy a slightly better case design this time around.

[Via TheHDRoom]

BSG: Complete Series Blu-ray set official specs: 20 discs, BD-Live, July 28 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, HD DVD

U.S. HD DVD fans that passed up Best Buy's offer of $3 per disc, or just those who stocked up on cheap movies after the format gave up the fight have another option coming from Warner Bros. Send in the cover art sleeve (keep the disc) including UPC from your HD DVD case (plus $4.95 per movie and $6.95 / $8.95 per order S&H) and it will send you back a brand new Blu-ray copy. There's a few other restrictions, like 1 copy per movie and 25 different movies per household, but the biggest decision is likely to be whether giving up your precious I Am Legend sleeve is worth the trade, hit up Red2Blu.com for all the details and necessary forms. It seems to us like a decent offer to make HD DVD owners whole, we'd be surprised if Paramount and Universal came through with similar plans.

[Via DVDTown]

Warner reintegrates HD DVD faithful with Red2Blu trade-in program originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Players, Panasonic

Finicky kids may have their opinions about which brand of peanut butter or sugar-crusted breakfast cereal they prefer, but surely every single one of them wants HD over SD for their in-car viewing experience. Panasonic's giving them just that, a pair of dash-mountable devices that will finally let you toss those DVDs Disney's been sneaking in with its Blu-ray releases. First is the CN-HX3000D Windows-powered device, with a 7-inch, 1280 x 720 display offering GPS, Bluetooth, a 40GB hard drive, and iPod/iPhone compatibility. Pair that with the CY-BB1000D in-car Blu-ray player (which, sadly, is not BD-Live compatible) and bam you've got all the high-def Chicken Little you can handle. Mind you all this will surely come with quite a price tag when it releases this fall, and while Panny isn't willing to say just much, isn't keeping your little videophiles happy worth any cost?

[Via Newlaunches.com]

Panasonic makes school runs more cinematic with its in-dash Blu-ray player originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Speakers, Others

No strangers to switchable bipole/dipole speakers, Atlantic Technology has jumped into the Dolby ProLogic IIz fray with the 1400 SR-z speakers. If the inclusion of a 'z' right in the name isn't enough to tell you that these will work with the Dolby wizardry to make your ceiling disappear, then the compact form factor will at least get you thinking about the idea. The pair of 3.5-inch drivers in each speaker are switchable between bipole and dipole dispersion, however, which should make these a fine choice for just about any surround speaker location. Look for them in the last half of May with an MSRP of $425 per pair, which sounds a little pricey to us for channels that don't need much bandwidth, but imagine what these might do with the overblown "stadium" surround mode on your receiver.

Atlantic Technology's 1400 SR-z speakers aim for the high notes originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Other hardware, Ports, Others

Netgear's coaxial-hijacking adapter kit MCAB1001 MoCA is now available. The pair of devices, which turns your cable outlets into a home networking solution with transfer speeds up to 270 Mbps, is retailing on the company's online shop for a penny under $190, and if you'd like to watch an infomercial on how it works, chock full of oddly-chosen metaphors and trippy visuals, we've got the perfect read link for you just below.

Read - Product page
Read - "MoCA in a Nutshell" video

Netgear's MoCA coax-ethernet adapter kit now available, explained with bizarre cartoon originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Samsung

With no picture to show for it, unfortunately (that's the 8 series, pictured), Samsung's gone ahead and announced the 46-inch and 55-inch B9000 HDTVs, which looks to be a a follow-up to the A950 models from last year. According to flatpanelshd, the latest addition to the Touch of Color series include LED backlights with localized dimming, Medi@2.0 with YouTube / Yahoo! widgets, built-in USB port, DLNA functionality, built-in DVB-T and DVB-C tuners, and most interesting, a wireless connection to an external media box that's reportedly similar to Sony's ZX1 -- no word on whether or not that means it's using WHDI. As for the other details, including pricing and availability, you're gonna have to keep waiting, we're afraid.

Samsung's 46 and 55-inch B9000 HDTVs boasts widgets, wireless external media box originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cable, New content

Cablevision is back at it again, forcing us out of the weekly update by dropping 30 new HD channels on Bronx and Brooklyn area customers, while all other areas should have 8 new channels to enjoy as of the 24th. Despite being a clearly shameless bid to replace RCN as the official service providers of Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, we can find little wrong with these additions, thanks goes to SatteliteGuys.us for the list of channels.

[Thanks, Jack]

Continue reading Cablevision iO TV adding 30, or 8, new HD channels

Cablevision iO TV adding 30, or 8, new HD channels originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray

The Oscar nominees continue to roll out this week with Frost/Nixon hitting the shelves from Universal, but Fox is the one really opening up the catalog with four new releases, two of which should help round out your HD X-Men collection. Anchor Bay has an old classic horror film featuring pin-head -- even the thought of those hooks makes us skwirm. Next week has some pretty good options too as both Star Trek and the first Dan Brown movie makes their way to Blu-ray to finish out April.

• Frost/Nixon (Universal)
• Arctic Tale (Paramount)
• The Arrival (Lionsgate)
• Notorious (Fox)
• The Wrestler (Fox)
• X-Men (Fox)
• X2: X-Men United (Fox)
• Sin City (Disney)
• Genghis Khan (Funimation)
• Hellraiser (Anchor Bay)
• Hellraiser Puzzle Box (Anchor Bay)
• The Last Word (Image)
• The Wages of Fear (Criterion)

Blu-ray releases on April 21st 2009 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sony, LCD, Sports

Hopefully in a deal that works out better than the Yankees new jetstream-enabled ballpark, Sony has signed up as the official HDTV of the Dallas Cowboys, and will be planting more than 3,000 LCDs throughout the facility. The entire system featuring 19- to 70-inch monitors is IPTV and RS-232 controlled and operators from the control room (once again, Sony-kitted) can throw any information or video on any display at a moment's notice. Of course, it's going to be tough for even a 70-inch monitor to distract fans from the main attraction, but if they are, they'll be looking at a Sony.

Sony packs the new Cowboys stadium full of HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Misc, Displays

If you thought Mitsubishi's LaserVue HDTVs were the beginning and the end of laser-tech in boob tubes, think again. Mitsu's line is carrying on, but the brightness and depth of color offered by that telly are apparently just the beginning of what's possible according to researchers at the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics at the University of Cambridge. They indicate that the use of liquid crystals in concert with a single, laser-based light source would result in the same color depth but at a lower cost and higher reliability than the LaserVue, which requires separate lasers for RGB. What cost, exactly? That, dear reader, remains to be seen, but given the source we're thinking you have plenty of time to save up -- and to practice those Dr. Evil impressions.

[Via OLED-Display]

Liquid crystal lasers will light up next-gen HDTVs, your life originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, Internet

It isn't an iPhone app, but we're sure plenty of people can appreciate Verizon's new, more widely available Remote DVR Management program. Previously limited to FiOS TV Media Manager subscribers only, accessed by the website or select VZW phones, now any FiOS DVR subscriber can queue up recordings via the website, while Media Manager subs can use http://m.verizon.com/tv from any cellphone, on any carrier for remote DVR programming.

[Thanks, Scott! Via Phone Scoop]

Verizon welcomes HD DVR owners, all cellphones to the Remote DVR party originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media PCs, Media streamers, Others

Okoro debuts new rack-mountable RK Series media servers originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Media streamers, Others

The verdict is already out on Netgear's EVA 9150 Digital Entertainer Elite, and now the ball's squarely in your court. The self-proclaimed "flexible digital media player" -- complete with its dual-band 802.11n WiFi, integrated 500GB hard drive and broad video codec support -- is now shipping worldwide. In case you've forgotten, this unit plays nice with Windows, Mac and Linux platforms and boasts a pair of USB ports for adding flash drives and additional storage. Worth $399? Answer with your wallet, bub.

Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite available worldwide for $399 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, Others

We don't know exactly what the next generation of TiVo hardware will be like, but if these survey screenshots are to be believed, we have an idea what they might be called. EHD reader Justin tipped us off to a recent online survey road testing new names like TiVo eVO, TiVO OmniBox, TiVo Series4 and TiVo OnDemand for new hardware with the TiVo features we've come to know and love plus video on-demand access. Squaring off against competition like the Roku player and Xbox 360, peep the gallery and see how these roll off the tongue, or suggest innovation and environmental friendliness.

TiVo survey hints at new name, direction for Series4 boxes originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: NBC, Internet, Sports

The Beijing Olympics broadcast benefited greatly from high quality streams available on the NBCOlympics.com website, and it looks like the 2010 Games in Vancouver will be no different. To that end, Microsoft's released server side enhancements like Smooth Streaming technology for adaptive streaming with Silverlight to keep the video streams moving smoothly, and even enable DVR-like features in a live stream without requiring dedicated video servers, all so viewers can get smooth 720p throughout the event. By then Silverlight 3 should be out of beta, which promises support for up to 1080p resolution, native playback of MP4 formats like h.264 and hardware graphics acceleration. Honestly we'd expect nothing less, and while word is CTV, HSN and others will be among the first to take advantage, we're waiting for Netflix to pick up the baton and deliver browser based PQ that rises to the level of Xbo