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ABC adds Saturday Night CFB in HD
In an announcement that has us saying ABOUT TIME, ABC is going to start presenting their prime-time CFB games on Saturday nights in our favorite format. Well maybe not our favorite, but no one does 1080p. It appears that ESPN is going to continue to produce two games in HD on Saturday nights so that brings the total up to 3 HD games on at once which gives you a selection. In the past Saturday night college football on ABC has been the premier venue for the greatest match-ups in college football and college football fans everywhere have had to suffer through SD. Now if they would also produce the other BIG games in HD we would be all set, while they are at it make all the games HD.Only 4 more months to go!
Solid speculation on the price of the Xbox 360s HD DVD drive
Out biggest disapointment from E3 this year was the lack of price of the Xbox 360s HD DVD drive. Estimates have been thrown arround all over the Internet and there is some solid speculation over at Xbox Circle. They are estimating that the drive will be price to compete with the PS3. Their estimate is $250, but many believe that Microsoft will reduce the price of the Xbox 360 when the PS3 is released. If they reduce the price of the core system they could sell the add on for $250 and still be at the same price point as the PS3. How many of you would pay $500 for the core system with HD DVD drive rather than just buying a HD DVD drive?
HDBeat Podcast 013 - 05.16.06
News from E3 is all the rage this week, so Matt and I try to find the relevant HD news. We discuss the next gen consoles and if HD is a factor for gamers. We try to decide if it is worth the price; of course it is! HD DVD isn't without it's problems and I describe my first hand experiences with the Toshiba player. We lust over an HD BBQ rig and tell you how to mount the king of flat panel TVs. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the HD Beat Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). Hosts Ben Drawbaugh and Matt Burns. Producer Ben Drawbaugh Format 49:07, 28 MB, MP3 Program The $500 Playstation 3 is missing something...like HDMI, WiFi and Memory card reader. Wii: Is high-def more important then content? IGN: Do Gamers really need HDTV? Xbox 360 HD DVD player Hands on with the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive @ Engadget Problems with Toshiba's HD DVD player Qosmio HD DVD-equipped laptop shipping this week Warner Bros. keeps pumping out HD DVD movies A world without high definition DVDs... Pioneer's Parsons explains why Blu-ray is poised to win Blu-ray movies are cheaper than HD DVD Bond, James Bond coming to VOOM HD A high-def BBQ Is plasma still the king of HDTVs LISTEN (MP3)
HD DVDs released on May 16th 2006
Last week was a great week for HD DVD titles and I wish I could say the same for this week. At least the two titles coming out this week are both classics and belong in any decent movie collection. The studios seem to be taking turns on releasing titles and this week it's Warner's turn. They break out two of their all time greats this week, as long as you like the action genre. This brings the total number of HD DVDs to fourteen and the total from Warner to eight with Universal providing the other six. If HD DVD only averages fourteen titles per month they might have problems reaching that 200 titles total by the end of the year. Full Metal Jacket (Warner) Unforgiven (Warner)
Blu-ray movies are cheaper than HD DVD
Here at HD Beat we follow the latest format war and the latest information is early confirmation that Blu-ray has the advantage in regards to content, which according to some experts is the key to the format war. Henning over at HDBlog.net has done the leg work and calculated the average cost per title available from Amazon. The verdict is that Blu-ray is actually less expensive and has more titles. Of course this is all speculation at this point and we will know more when Blu-ray is actually released.
Pioneer's Parsons explains why Blu-ray is poised to win
Pioneer's Andy Parsons explained to Macworld why Blu-ray is poised to win over HD DVD. Andy explains that the combination of the support by major consumer electronic brands and the fact that Blu-ray has more studio support, will eventually win over consumers despite all the reasons Matt gave that HD DVD would prevail. The bottom line is that consumers only care about content, which he calls the killer app and even with a month to go until the first Blu-ray player hits the street it already appears that there will be more titles released for Blu-ray from day one than HD DVD will have after a 60 day head start. "When you're a consumer looking at this and you see this enormous array of products that will be available from a hardware point of view, as well as the content side, it makes it pretty clear which format is likely to prevail," said Parsons.Of course it ain't over till it's over, but anyone who went to CES this year can tell you that it was HARD to find a HD DVD player among all the Blu-ray players at the show.
Playboy TV increases HD production
Everyone is gearing up for HD these days from the small independent studios to the cable networks. Everyone has gotten the point that HD sells whatever it is you have to sell. Sometimes we complain about this when it really doesn't have anything to do with television, but when it does have to do with more programming for our beloved HDTVs we are all for it. We realize that the adult entertainment industry isn't for everyone, but those who do like it; love it. Those people will be very happy to hear that Playboy TV is increasing their HD productions. We are not sure where to find this content, but if it's there I am sure those who wish to will find it, will.
Vista to support 1394b, aka FireWire 800
One of the best ways to send HD material between devices is 1394, for one it has tons of bandwidth, it is very versatile and has good industry support. We are not sure why it isn't included in more TVs especially considering that so many TVs include ATSC tuners. We don't subscribe to the evil MPAA theory, but we don't have a better explanation either.Either way we are glad to have the new faster version included in Vista, not because we need the extra throughput, but because of the distance that 1394 over CAT5 gives us. 1394b combined with a network technology like HANA has alot of promise and OS support is the first of many pieces that must come together to give us the whole home media nirvana that we all dream of, now we just need 5C support.Thanks Julie
HDBeat Podcast 012 - 05.09.06
We finally take a break from HD DVD vs Blu-ray this week, ahh not really but atleast we didn't lead off with it. We do lead off by talking about HD commercials as well as new hardward including Displayport and the lack of CC in the latest TVs. We are also excited about LED powerd DLP finnaly hitting the street, err eventually. We were pressed for time this week so we weren't able to live up to our own expectations in sound quality. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the HD Beat Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). Hosts Ben Drawbaugh and Matt Burns. Producer Ben Drawbaugh Format 44:20, 28 MB, MP3 Program Luxury car manufacturers choose HDTV for their ads Discovery Channel discusses the HD effect Where have all the cable cards gone? DisplayPort: Because what we really needed was another connector PS3 Games: Not 1080p Sony delays Blu-Ray titles to sync with hardware release "Tepid" response to high definition DVDs? HD DVD sells out in Japan ATI sued over "HDCP ready" videocards Samsung's LED DLPs now online - HL-S5679W DLPs and LCDs pricy little bulbs Ask HD Beat: Does MCE support QAM Why doesn't your cable provider offer more features? Hawaii is not an HDTV paradise LISTEN (MP3)
HD DVDs released on May 9th 2006
Since we all can't wait to get our hands on more HD DVDs I wanted to remind everyone which movies were coming out this Tuesday. Cinderella Man might be the best title released to date as well as Training Day. The ladies weren't left out this week either as all the Jennifer Aniston fans get their fix with Rumor Has It. These titles bring the total up to eleven from five, so if you haven't already go over to Netflix and add them to your queue. Assault on Precinct 13 Cinderella Man Jarhead Rumor Has It... Training Day
Ask HD Beat: Does MCE support QAM
Reader and listener Big Sam writes in and asks: Am I clear that WMCE does not support QAM (and probably will not until Vista)? Are there any hacks or workarounds? I want to stream it to my Xbox 360. Does that new dual tuner TiVo support QAM? Thanks. Sam's problem is that despite our help OTA doesn't work well for him, but he does have access to QAM programming via his local cable company. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but even though QAM is supported by his capture card he still can't record and stream HD to his Xbox 360. Yes Sam the new Series3 TiVo supports QAM and OTA channels. Unfortunately I have bad news, there is no good solution until Microsoft decides to support QAM in MCE. There are two work around neither are very elegant.
Sony delays Blu-Ray titles to sync with hardware release
In a very predictable move Sony has announced that they will also push back their titles to June 20th to coincide with the first Blu-Ray player from Samsung. This makes perfect sense as I was trying to figure out who would buy movies before they can actually use them. The part I find interesting is the fact that in the case of HD-DVD the hardware was delayed for the movies and in Blu-Ray's case the movies were delayed for the hardware.
So called technology experts
Keeping up with todays technology can be a full time job and one thing is for sure; no one can keep up with everything. That being said some of these so called Technology Experts should stick to what they know. One of my favorite Podcasts is This Week in Tech, I have been a fan of the guys since the TechTV days, but when it comes to HD it annoys me to hear them talk about most topics. Don't get me wrong they get it right 90% of the time, but the times when they don't I find myself yelling at the radio iPod. On this week's episode the guys were talking about HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray, I know who isn't right? Anyways Robert Haron, their so called HDTV expert starts to talk about how he saw an add in a magazine stating that Blu-Ray was to be released in May and as we all know this has been pushed back to June. Leo even tried to give him an out suggesting that it might have been delayed since it went to press. As if that wasn't bad enough, later Leo asked if downloaded content would replace Blu-Ray and David Prager said he download HD via bit torrent and they were only 350MB! I kept waiting for Robert to correct him but it never happened!Am I being overly critical or does it bother you when not even so called technology experts get it right?
HDBeat Podcast 011 - 05.2.06
This week Matt and I continue the HD-DVD saga (yes again), don't blame us it was a slow news week. Even though there wasn't alot of news this week it didn't stop us from covering some opinion pieces, if there is one thing our show isn't short on it is opinions. Finally I talk about my parents new TV, I sure hope they don't listen. I don't think I have anything to worry about since they don't even know what a Podcast is! Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the HD Beat Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). Hosts Ben Drawbaugh and Matt Burns. Producer Ben Drawbaugh Format 45:01, 28 MB, MP3 Program Why would anyone buy a Blu-ray player (other than the PS3)? CNET: 10 ways HD DVD fails short My Netflix queue is really starting to look High Def Warner's first HD-DVD/DVD combo disc, additional titles announced HD-DVD titles on the way from Magnolia Viiv doesn't suck after all? Ask HD Beat: Does 480p and 16:9 Really Match? The DTV transition is here LISTEN (MP3)
Hitachi's new 42HDS69 42-inch plasma
HD Beat has the scoop on an upcoming 42-inch plasma display from Hitachi that delivers a lot of features for its $2,500 price tag. The 42HDS69 accomplishes a native resolution of 1,080i through a rather strange pixel configuration of 1,024 x 1,080, sports such viewing enhancements as an anti-reflective screen and ALiS pixel barrier minimization technology, and features three each of component and HDMI inputs along with an optical audio out and CableCard support. No definitive release date has been announced, but the 'Beat reports that we can expect to see this model in stores "soon."[Via HD Beat]
The DTV transition is here
Ok, it officially started some time ago, but it is finally being adopted by the average consumer. I was visiting my parents this weekend which is like going back in time in regards to technology. I love my parents, but it pains me to visit and watch SD when I am used to HD. While I was visiting my parents, they came home with a new TV and to my surprise it was equipped with a ATSC and QAM tuner. My father plugged it (I helped him lift) into his basic cable and and my mother easily used the remote to setup the TV and a few minutes later we were watching down converted HD. If you have never seen down converted SD, let me tell you it looks much better than analog cable. The cool part is that the TV automatically found the QAM channels and added them to the line up. Of course the channels numbers are not the same as digital cable, but it was still nice to have them there. Here at HD Beat we are always talking about consumer acceptance and to me when my parents buy it, it has arrived. I mean my parents didn't buy a DVD player till I bought them one for Christmas in 2002!Have any of you seen these new ATSC SD TVs in action?
My Netflix queue is really starting to look High Def
Last week when I wrote my review on HD-DVD I couldn't stop talking about how much I loved it, but I kept the receipt in case the studios don't deliver on the movies. As I was reading the news this morning I noticed a story on Netflix HD-DVD titles. Unfortunatly Netflix adds movies to their system way before they are released and sometimes even before release dates are announced, but that isn't going to stop me from getting excited about the number of HD-DVD titles they have listed. I went ahead and added them to my queue in anticipation. Titles including The Matrix and Batman Begins, now all there is to do is wait for the mail man.via [HackingNetflix]
Ask HD Beat: Does 480p and 16:9 Really Match?
Reader Ralph writes in and asks: Does 480p and 16:9 Really Match? If a video game is 640x480 which is obviously not 16x9 how is the image 16x9? So is it some behind the scenes TV work that is going on to make the image widescreen? Or is the image stretched slightly?"Yet another great question by an HD Beat reader. This really drove me nuts until I researched it. You sort of already know the answer, the picture is displayed in the appropriate aspect ratio regardless of the actual resolution. The reason is that not all pixels are square. Any image can be made up of any number or shape of pixels. When we watch 640x480 on a 4x3 TV the pixels are square as they are with 1280x720 on an HDTV. When we watch most SD widescreen video like Fox Widescreen or video games which are only capable of displaying a certain number of pixels, they use square pixels so they can produce a 16x9 image.
HDBeat Podcast 010 - 04.25.06
The HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray battle rages and on and the HD Beat Podcast isn't any different. I get a little taste of my own medicine this week as Matt and Kevin team up on me. My superior arguments for Blu-Ray domination are too much for them and they have to concede defeat. Ok not really but listen for yourself and let us know who's right. HD-DVD isn't all we had on HD Beat this week, so we explain resolution technologies a little further. Kevin says his farewells to the Podcast and the blog, we will all miss him and wish the best for him on his future endeavors. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS] Add the HD Beat Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically (MP3). [MP3] Download the show (MP3). Hosts Ben Drawbaugh, Matt Burns and Kevin C. Tofel Producer Ben Drawbaugh Format 1:01:49, 28 MB, MP3 Program HD-DVD Day is (finally) here First reports of Best Buy's HD DVD demo: disappointing HD-DVD review Why HD DVD will prevail: my opinion ABI Research predicts HD-DVD to keep lead this year. Paramount announces initial HD-DVD titles HD-DVD titles show up on Blockbuster.com Rumor mill: HD DVD add-on for 360 only $100 Another look at the inside of Toshiba's HD-A1 Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player available for pre-order (again) The (in)famous 1080p truth Ask HD Beat: What's the deal with 1366 x 768? HDTV Listings for April 22, 2006 - NBA and NHL Playoffs LISTEN (MP3)
Universal adds four more HD DVD titles
HD DVDs outlook gets better by the day and a few more announcements like this and this news won't be worthy of HD Beat news anymore. If they keep this up they may have more titles than Blu-Ray when it is launched in June. Once again nothing too exciting here, but the titles include The Rundown and the Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore on June 13, followed by Friday Night Lights and Pitch Black: Unrated Director's Cut on July 11. Although these are no King Kong or The Matrix, but Friday Night Lights is a pretty good movie.
