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Revved up USB 3.0 carries 10 times the power of Thunderbolt
Wow. Those rockstars at the USB 3.0 promoter group haven't taken the threat of Thunderbolt lying down. They've been working long into the night (we imagine) screaming "More Power!" and "Liiiiive, damn you, liiiive!". In a press release, the group announces a new power delivery specification which will push USB 3.0's limit from 4.5 watts all the way up to 100. You all of course remember that Thunderbolt's maximum is a mere-by-comparison 10 watts. Brad Saunders, the promotion group's chairman, believes that the new standard could enable USB 3.0 to supply a laptop with energy at the same time as it delivers data between your devices. (After all that time sponging off your laptop's meager battery it's about time your USB-powered foot warmer started returning the favor.) At the moment it's only a specification and won't be implemented until 2012 at the earliest, but this could just turn into an arms race of electrifying proportions.
Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray player shows up in the wild
Our friends at Format War Central have spotted a new Blu-ray deck from Magnavox at their local Wal-Mart -- the NB530MGX. It's a Profile 1.1 player, just like last year's discount darling NB500 model, so this is probably just a new model designation for a Funai-sourced player with NB500 internals. Cynical, we know, but it certainly would fit with the nondescript appearance on the scene. Honestly, we can't hold it against Format War Central for not picking this up and doing a breakdown -- the Funai, Magnavox and Philips nameplates that might be tacked on to this player all fail to get us excited. The upcoming VIZIO VBR100 player looks better and better.
VUDU rolls out YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and games
Lookee what VUDU brought to the Thanksgiving feast -- a spread of goodies that should dispel mutterings about the little box that could being a "one trick pony." More internet video from YouTube (hopefully with official HD from YouTube to follow soon), photo browsing of Flickr and Picasa and games, too. We use the phrase "games" pretty loosely, as Solitaire and Freecell won't be displacing your console -- unless you're still rocking an Atari 2600 -- anytime soon. FormatWarCentral was particularly impressed with the YouTube navigation, and now we're wondering how far off music playback can be. Sure, none of this is as exciting as the ability to purchase downloaded HD content (although music would come close), but that's just our tryptophan-induced gluttony talking!
Engadget HD Podcast Roundtable - Downloads vs Discs
With all the excitement around the latest news in the world of digital downloads, we though we'd take a cue from our good friends at gdgt.com and hold a roundtable on the subject. Rather than choose other professionals on the subject for the panel, we reached out to fans of digital downloads to get real world impressions of what is actually out there. We get deep into the why people want downloads, why the market has yet to reach the masses, and finally, we all make our predictions of when we think Blu-ray Discs will be like VHS is today. So if you have strong feelings about the future of discs, you're going to really love this. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically [Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [MP3] Download the show (MP3). Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim Guests: Eddie Valenzuela of Apple TV Junkie Jon Ogden, a Vudu evangelist Tyler Pruitt of Format War Central Producer: Trent Wolbe LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG)
The new HD downloads that're available each week
With all the sources for digital downloads these days, it can be hard to keep track of what platforms have which movies. We noticed a few weeks ago that our friends over at Format War Central have taken on the tedious task of summing up all the sources of HD content each week on a single post. All the legit sources of HD downloads are included like Vudu, Xbox Live, PS3, and the Apple TV. From a purely selection standpoint -- this week at least -- it appears that while the Xbox Live Market Place has the most HD TV shows, while the Apple TV has the most HD movies (12 vs. 4) -- oddly enough though, Vudu only has one this week, but we doubt that is the norm. So if digital downloads are you thing, be sure to head on over each week to find out what's new and in HD.
Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-ray player goes under the knife
Our good friends at FormatWarCentral has kicked off a new Blu-ray player undressing series with the recently-updated Panasonic DMP-BD30K. Not a lot of big surprises behind the sheet metal kimono -- there's a lot of air inside the chassis. Click on through for photos of the sparsely populated circuit boards, which are a pretty good indication that the engineering and design of these Profile 1.1 players are pretty mature. All that empty space also bodes well for some price-cutting possibilities, we hope. Of course, the real excitement will come as more players go through the FormatWarCentral lab -- rebadgers/rebranders, beware! [Image courtesy FormatWarCentral]
Will Paramount go Blu in time for There Will Be Blood?
Things have been quiet in the ex-Red camp recently, and James from FWC brings up a good point, what's the deal with Paramount and Universal? Although it's too early to get concerned, it is only three weeks until the Oscar Winning, There Will Be Blood is set to be released on DVD. The Hollywood Reporter did say it expected both studios to release titles by late spring/early summer, but April 8th is more like mid-spring. The other title we'd miss is Cloverfield, which is due to release on April 22nd. We can kinda understand it taking Universal a little while to get up to speed on Blu-ray, but certainly Paramount hasn't forgotten how to make Blu-ray Discs between now and last August.
Circuit City quietly accepting HD DVD player trade-ins
Did you get stuck on the losing end of the format war, and are now cursing that HD DVD player as it stares mockingly at you? Does your rage meter go to 11 when you hear of consumers living abroad getting treated to some trade-in value on HD DVD players? Well, our friends over at Format War Central have gotten word that Circuit City is quietly offering a trade-in program to consumers who jumped into the HD DVD pool within three months of Toshiba's fateful announcement. Apparently, you'll be able to trade in your player, at full purchase price, towards a Blu-ray player or a gift card. Nice move, Circuit City! Three words of advice if you're affected and go to cash in on this deal -- "calm but firm." Let us know if you have any luck in switching out equipment in the comments, too!
Warner's remaining HD DVD support will include a three week delay?
In Warner's press release stating they'd go Blu-ray exclusive, they also indicated that HD DVD titles would not be released day and date with Blu-ray titles. During the conference call after the release, someone asked what the delay would be and at the time Warner said they were still working out the details. Well, Format War Central noticed that Amazon is showing a three week delay for Warner's new title The Invasion. It doesn't seem like too much of a jump to assume that this will be the policy moving forward, but we've contacted Warner for confirmation, so stay tuned.**UPDATE** Warner has responded and says the delay might vary depending on the title and that it provides retailers a chance to educate consumers about Warner's decision to go Blu-ray exclusive.
Engadget HD destroys Format War Central in AVP challenge
As much as we love CES for all the HD gear, we also really enjoy meeting fellow tech bloggers. But as you might expect, there's some friendly competition between us and those who cover the same beat. So to prove that we were the ultimate HD experts once and for all, we challenged Tyler from Format War Central to a friendly game of Alien Vs. Predator's BD Live game. We'll save Tyler from the embarrassment of the final score, but rest assured we killed a lot more aliens.
Black Friday high-def player deals
There are two kinds of people when it comes to Black Friday; those who love it, and those who avoid it like the plague. But, for those who'll do anything for a deal the anticipation of Black Friday can be better than Christmas itself. So if you've got high-def movies on your list, Format War Central has done the leg work and composed a list of the deals to be had. As expected, HD DVD wins again in the price category, and so far it appears that an HD-A3 will be had for $169, while at the same time the best deal on a Blu-ray player appears to be at Circuit City, where you can expect to pick up a Samsung BD-P1400 with three free movies for $377. Of course the PS3 for $319 (with coupon) from K-Mart is a better deal, but people don't buy PS3s to play movies, right?
Venturer's low-cost HD DVD player, not so low
Thanks to the sharp eyes over at Format War Central we get our first glimpse of the budget Chinese HD DVD player, but it isn't quite as budget as many had hoped. Target has SHD7000 available for pre-order for $249.99, which is only $50 less than the MSRP of the A2, and about the same as the street price. There really aren't that many details, so we'll have to wait two to six weeks to see what Venturer really has to offer and what the actual street price will be.[Via FormatWarCentral.com]
Disney's Magical Blu-ray Disc Tour
Our friends over at Format War Central had the chance to stop by the mall when Disney's Magical Blu-ray Disc Tour was in town. Overall, it seems the presentation was impressive, including a 58-inch Panasonic plasma, Blu-ray player and a Yamaha surround sound system. Tyler liked the demo -- which included a few movies not even avaialble on Blu-ray like, Cars, Ratatouille , and Meet the Robinsons -- but couldn't help but laugh when they plugged Monster HDMI cables. We don't know about anyone else, but we'd rather seem them release more movies, than to go on tour.
