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Netflix intros cheaper standard definition streaming plan for new subscribers
If you consider yourself both extremely frugal and averse to the luxuries of seeing Hollywood eye candy actors in Super HD, Netflix's new SD tier could be right up your alley. The streaming service has begun offering a low-end plan for new subscribers only that'll allow standard definition streaming to one device -- that's right, no simultaneous viewing -- for $6.99 per month. We can confirm the plan is indeed now live as it appeared when we attempted to sign up for new service though, as TechCrunch reports, that may not be the case for everyone. Take note, this recent plan addition is only $1 cheaper than the basic HD tier that lets users stream to two devices at once, making the SD plan's cost benefit a bit dubious. So, if you're really counting your pennies and haven't bothered to upgrade to an HD-capable TV or tablet or phone (which makes us wonder if you even have broadband), then by all means, have at this promo. You're also probably not into account sharing anyway. And really, that's what that extra $1/mo is for, right? Right.
Elgato HDHomeRun iPad app brings (some) cable channels to the tablet
Whether or not your cable TV provider has decided to offer live TV streaming to your mobile devices, you can do it yourself with the new HDHomeRun iPad app from Elgato. Paired with one of SiliconDust's new HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuners, the $17.99 app can tune into cable channels that are sent without encyption or are marked copy freely (varies from provider to provider) and even allows users to record them right on the app. Restrictions include that it only works on the iPad 2, with standard definition MPEG-2 channels and (for now) only the most recent HDHomeRun hardware is supported. Check out the video demo for more information on exactly how it works or click the source link to get to iTunes and buy -- in a market suddenly flooded by CableCARD tuners maybe this extra functionality is just what's needed to tip the balance between one device or another. %Gallery-131171%
Vudu movie purchases get physical, starting with Battle: Los Angeles movie cards
How do you combine a purely online service (Vudu) with a primarily brick-and-mortar retailer (Walmart)? Apparently the answer is cards, like Xbox Live and many other services before them, Vudu will have redeemable digital movie cards available for purchase at the store. Action flick Battle: Los Angeles is first up, with $14.96 cards hanging up in Walmart entertainment sections everywhere starting today. Unfortunately, it's for a standard definition stream only. It does save a couple of bucks off of the $16.96 DVD price, but with no hope of trade or even lending to a friend it's tough to justify as a bargain over the PS3-demo packing Blu-ray. While reaching out to retail customers with cards and PC streaming is fine, these standard-def limitations won't play well with an existing (albeit niche) audience that has come to expect high quality 1080p streams and surround sound.
Sanyo's PLC-XF71 projector packs 10,000 lumens for extreme brightness
While not high definition like the company's most recent projectors, Sanyo's PLC-XF71 manages to compensate with 10,000 lumens for some serious brightness. By comparison, the recently-unveiled PDG-DHT100JL sports 6,500 lumens and its sub-$2000 PLV-1080HD just 1,200. Beyond that, it's got a 1024 x 768 picture and a 3000:1 contrast ratio. If you don't mind trading resolution for intense luminance, look for it to show up this month for a papered Abe Lincoln under $17,000.
FCS2 page hints at pending QuickTime 7.1.6 update
Many of Apple's media apps rely on QuickTime in one way or another, so it probably comes as no surprise that a Final Cut Studio 2 announcement means we'll see at least a slight QT update to bring everything up to speed. Sure enough, eagle-eyed TUAW readers have caught QuickTime 7.1.6 listed on the System Requirements page for FCS2. Though a minor upgrade that is probably filled with compatibility updates, it is also likely to include that fancy new Apple ProRes 422 codec (who names this stuff?) which supposedly offers uncompressed HD quality footage with SD file sizes. That's a pretty tall claim to fill, but we'll have to wait for the reports to roll in on whether Apple delivers on the promise.Regardless, it's a pretty obvious bet that QuickTime 7.1.6 will soon be coming to a Software Update near you.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Let It Wave introduces Super-Resolution Bandelet upconversion technology
Yeah sure thats a mouthful, but if it is nearly as good at converting SD sources to HDTV resolutions as they claim, you'll memorize it pretty soon. They claim their bandlet (or bandelet depending which page of the site you read) technology allows them to upconvert SD sources to HDTV resolutions with no flickering or artifacting whatsoever. We won't try to decipher the mathematic reasons they give as to why this is possible, but you can check out their tech page for yourself.Their press release includes an endorsement by the namesake of the Faroudja DCDi upconverter, now all we need to do is see some products and maybe watching standard definition won't hurt so bad anymore.
