Capcom is celebrating the 15th anniversary of Resident Evil by upgrading a couple of the games to high definition. Resident Evil Code: Veronica X and Resident Evil 4 will be available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live this fall, as seen above in all their HD remastered glory. Our friends at Joystiq have a few more hi-res snaps in their gallery, given the slew of remade games in HD, and even 3D, how excited are you to play yesterday's games with a new coat of paint slapped on? Around here, we're more than ready to give Shadow of the Colossus another runthrough in a new format.

Capcom releasing HD remakes of Resident Evil 4, Code Veronica on PS3 and Xbox 360 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Microsoft planning a move away from the HTPC space and a shift to Windows Media Center embedded products, perhaps the gang at Moovida is looking to take Redmond's place in the home theater geek segment. The company has unleashed a beautiful new media browsing UI called 'Immersed' that's powered by a 3D game engine, a fact which makes its media center bretheren look dowdy in comparison. There is a steep price to pay for this digital eye candy, however, as the current version lacks the ability to stream content -- so no Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube for you. Moovida's software also packs an underlying desktop-optimized UI, 'Core', that provides automated media backup and cataloging, syncs your music and video with peripherals, and plays any non-DRM content known to man. Presently in beta, Moovida promises greater functionality in future releases and we can only hope that means streaming capability is coming soon, as in immediately.

Moovida's new media center software has great looks, so-so personality originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Toshiba's 32-inch Power TV runs for 2 hours on integrated battery

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Toshiba's 32-inch Power TV runs for 2 hours on integrated battery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We haven't heard from the folks at Tranquil in some time, the UK-based firm's employees surely too busy watching all the As Time Goes By episodes they stuffed onto their last five-bay media server, but they've sent Gene and Lionel on their way and are back to announce two new HTPCs. First is the T7-MP2, a tiny, fanless Ion- and Atom-powered machine that offers HDMI output for direct connectivity to your HDTV and up to 1TB of storage, starting at a rather pricey £479 (about $700). The other is a more powerful beast, the ixVL, coming sometime next month with either an Intel Core i3 or i5 CPU inside and an optical drive (DVD or Blu-ray), but still no fans for quiet operation. No price on this one yet, but expect it to cost, you know, more than the other one.

Tranquil PC serves up a pair of high-end but laid-back HTPCs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The latest Atom processors have brought some pretty small form factor PCs that seem like a perfect fit as a Home Theater PC, but these small boxes come with plenty of caveats which means there's plenty of room in the market place for others options. The easiest option is to just grab a regular PC and go, but most PCs don't exactly blend into a HT rack and saying there's a wide arrangement of HTPC cases is an understatement. So we want to know, what type of HTPC do you use? A new small form factor, a half height HTPC case, or what?

Poll: What type of HTPC do you use? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 16 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You've got to hand it to Litl -- even after the Webbook failed to impress, the startup is still trudging though the gadget trenches. And there's no doubt that the new settop box it's tinkering with sounds interesting: like the Webbook, it will run Litl's very own Linux OS, and will be based on a browser and web apps -- in fact, the company is launching an SDK for the Flash-based HTPC tomorrow at the Flash and the City conference. The most interesting thing to us is the cute little touchscreen remote, which will apparently let you control the UI from the couch with multitouch gestures. Sounds pretty snazzy to us, but you'll have to wait until early 2011 to get one of these in your living room. Litl's CEO John Chuang wouldn't share much on the hardware front, but we know it's powered by some sort of x86 processor, and will have HDMI and composite-out to connect to your HDTV, as well as Ethernet / WiFi connection options. We're hoping by then that there will be some Android-based settop boxes on the market, but that doesn't worry Litl -- Chuang claims it'll be a dead-simple consumer product. No word on the name of this thing, but there's obviously time to decide on that. Hit the break for the press release, and the gallery below for some early designs of the device.

Continue reading Litl working on a settop box with smartphone-like remote, not scared of Google

Litl working on a settop box with smartphone-like remote, not scared of Google originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMIMON, a fabless semiconductor company that specialize in HD solutions, announced the availability of its WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) modules which can be embedded into notebook and netbook enabling a wireless HD connection from PCs to HDTVs.

Earlier introduced, the company’s WHDI allows flat-panel televisions and multimedia projectors to wirelessly interface to all HDTV video sources at a quality equivalent to that achieved with wired interfaces such as component video, DVI and HDMI.

Filed under: Media PCs

Remember when the PlayStation 3 was going to have dual-HDMI ports so that games could pump 1080p video to two displays simultaneously? Ahh, those were good 'ol days. That configuration obviously didn't come to pass, but VIA's looking to deliver dual-HDMI and more in its next integrated Mini-ITX solution, the VB8003, which also packs DVI and VGA ports, as well as an LVDS output, meaning it could control five displays at once (though with only four discrete signals). It uses the Trinity Platform with a 1.6GHz Nano processor, a VX800 Media System Processor, and an integrated S3 GPU, all paired with up to 4GB of memory. 1080p playback is said to be easily handled, with the system supporting resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600, even though such an onslaught of pixels would surely turn your HDTV into a smoldering ruin. There's no mention of price or availability yet, so you current set can relax -- for now.

Continue reading Video: VIA's VB8003 Mini-ITX board has dual-HDMI, could rock your HTPC's world

Video: VIA's VB8003 Mini-ITX board has dual-HDMI, could rock your HTPC's world originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite a rapid rise in the sales of consumer Blu-ray players, a fall in their prices and an increase in the number of high-definition movie titles, Blu-ray drives in PC systems have been left singing the blues, according to iSuppli.

iSuppli’s recent report says that by 2013, Blu-ray drives will be found in only 16.3 percent of PCs shipped, up from 3.6 percent in 2009.

Filed under: Media PCs

Lenovo debuts "fit anywhere" Q700 home entertainment PC originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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.

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: Media PCs, Media streamers

Apparently devoting developers to something other than the great boxee arms race of 2009, Hulu today took the wraps off of its Hulu Labs project, with several "experimental projects" giving a different spin to the TV show & movie-streaming site. None of them are bigger than the Hulu Desktop app, a "lean back" interface (what, they heard ten-foot was already taken?) that unleashes Hulu's Flash video from the browser and also supports Mac & Microsoft compatible six button remotes -- which makes their unwillingness/inability to continue boxee access or offer an official Media Center plugin even more confusing. Even those without HTPC's to try that out on, there is a Video Panel Designer offering customized embeddable widgets for website owners, a Recommendations section based on what you've already watched and a new Time-Based Browsing option to order programs by when they originally aired. Give them a try and let us know if this makes you forget about all the other ways that were already available (boxee, PlayOn, Secondrun.tv, Understudy, ReQuest, XBMC & others) to get Hulu on your HDTV.

Hulu Desktop app puts a remote control friendly face on for Macs & PCs originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 28 May 2009 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Filed under: Other formats, Other hardware

We've already had a peek at the various sprite filtering modes that can be optionally employed on Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom 2 port for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but as usual, one truly need to get a look at the game in motion to judge. Check out Joystiq's YouTube HD footage (embedded after the break) and see if that type of thing has any noticeable effect on the action.

Continue reading Marvel vs. Capcom 2 HD video compares upscaling methods

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 HD video compares upscaling methods originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 02 May 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Other formats, Other hardware

Making us a little more comfortable with the slow death of S-Video is the news that the Sega Dreamcast version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. With its introduction to the HD console era, Capcom's had to make some changes to the classic, although it isn't getting a full frame by frame rework like Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, producer Rey Jimenez blogged about some of the updates, including the three options for sprite filtering seen above to keep things sharp in 1080p. Also new for 2009 is widescreen support (the stages are still the same size) with notes from two prominent player promising "the same game, only prettier." The only real question now is which game is next?

Marvel vs. Capcom 2's HD upgrade explained originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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: Media PCs, Others

Each year at CEDIA, we've been downright floored with Niveus' lineup. Unfortunately, it's out of reach for the vast majority of "mainstreet" dwellers. At long (long!) last, the company has decided to expand its reach and offer a product for the blue collars in America, and on paper, the Zone looks like a real champ in the flagging HTPC arena. Measuring in at 6.5- x 6.5- x 1.97-inches, this 3.2 pound box packs an awful lot of media playing oomph into a ridiculously small enclosure. Specs wise, we're looking at a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5750 CPU, 2GB of RAM, gigabit Ethernet, a 160GB SATA drive, slot-loading Blu-ray optical drive, front-mounted IR receiver, bundled media remote, Intel's GMA X4500 HD graphics, HDMI 1.3 / eSATA ports and support for 7.1-channel surround sound. Over on the software front, you'll see Windows Vista Home Premium along with Niveus' own suite of apps (Movie Library, Studio, Media Server Companion and Weather). Unlike any other Niveus system, consumers can purchase the Zone for $1,499 directly from the outfit's website, and there's also a unique Zone Community down in the read link; check out a promotional vid after the break if you wish.

Continue reading Niveus goes consumer-level with tantalizing Zone HTPC

Niveus goes consumer-level with tantalizing Zone HTPC originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The world's first Blu-ray-VHS dual player is to go on sale in the US from next month.
Made by Panasonic, the DMP-BD70V has a multi-format playback that allows users to play VHS, CD, DVD and 1080p high definition Blu-ray Discs.

Filed under: Media PCs, Others

Where does a HTPC enthusiast who needs some of Kaleidescape's ease-of-use, but is left cold by even the new Mini System pricing turn? We'd suggest rolling your own HTPC, but if that's out of the question, then VidaBox's new RoomClient:SE might fit the bill. For $2,250, you can pick up what amounts to a cute little Vista Media Center box packed with a single analog tuner (hey, it's good for a few more months) and a digital tuner, a 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, audio out via optical or 8x3.5-mm jacks and video output over HDMI (courtesy a DVI adapter), component, VGA or S-Video. Once you're ready to step things up, the RoomClient will pull duty as either a VidaBox Server or extender; sadly, the Blu-ray streaming of its bigger brother RoomClientHD didn't make the cut.

VidaBox's RoomClient: SE can get you started with HTPCs, no training wheels needed originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic has unveiled what it claims are the world's first Blu-ray recorders with two integrated Freesat receivers and an internal hard drive.
Freesat is a UK free-to-air digital satellite television service that is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV.

Filed under: Industry, Cable

Okay, so we hate to be blunt, but if there was one cable carrier out there just waiting to crash, it was Charter. The company famous for engaging in less-than-forthright contest practices and perpetually finding ways to perturb subscribers has just announced that a Chapter 11 filing isn't too far away. In fact, a recent press release makes clear that it "intends to implement its financial restructuring through a Chapter 11 filing to be initiated on or before April 1, 2009." As per the agreement, all debt holders will reportedly be paid in full, with Paul Allen keeping the largest voting interest in the company. Of course, shareholders' stake in the company will be canceled, but the decision will supposedly reduce debt by around $8 billion. As expected, the company has assured subscribers that its services will continue to operate throughout the debt restructuring process, but we wouldn't expect service to get any better in the coming months.

[Via AP]

Charter Communications to file for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Others, Plasma

We'll come right out and admit that we're pretty big on plasma displays, but a quick look around lets us know we're not alone -- VIZIO's 50-inch VP505XVT plasma scored high marks on the PCMag test bench, right across the board. After some tweaking of the out-of-the-box settings -- something every new set should undergo -- the design, inputs and performance of the set were all the the reviewer's liking. Factor in contrast that fell right between Panasonic and Samsung competitors, best-in-class video upscaling thanks to the onboard Reon HQV processing, and a pricetag $1000 lighter than the KURO panel, and it's easy to look past the always-on VIZIO logo on the front bezel. if you can't bear the thought of only your SD signals getting the Reon HQV treatment, take some of that savings and put it towards a video scaler.

VIZIO's VP505XVT plasma gets a thumbs up from PCMag originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Blu-ray, Players, Sharp

Providing some audio punch to go along with all the video, Sharp's taking the wraps off of two new 5.1 HTIBs with Blu-ray included , the BD-MPC40 and BD-MPC30, plus two new 2.1 channel sound bars, the HT-SB300 and HT-SB200. Since no AV rollout is complete without an iPod dock, the DK-AP7N and DK-CL6N. Why, you ask, is only the soundbar pictured? To peek into the eye of the $799 piano black Blu-ray packing home theater units would be madness, ditto for the $99 - $129 iPod docks, ready to give you two channel audio (DK-CL6N) and 2.1 ESound processing, video out packing DK-AP7N. The theme here is convenience and quality in small packages, some hands and ears-on time should give us enough info to safely pass judgement.

Sharp debuts Blu-ray HTIB, soundbars and iPod docks originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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