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HDTV Listings for June 19, 2009
What we're watching tonight: ABC (720p) has Surviving Suburbia at 8 p.m. MyNetworkTV (720p) has WWE SmackDown at 8 p.m. Cartoon Network (1080i) has Batman: The Brave and the Bold at 8:30 p.m. TLC (1080i) airs What Not to Wear at 9 p.m., Say Yes to the Dress at 10 p.m. and Happily Ever Faster at 10:30 p.m. Animal Planet (1080i) has Whale Wars at 9 p.m. ESPN (720p) covers The Best of the U.S. Open at 8 p.m. ESPN2 (720p) has Arizona State/Texas College World Series action at 7 p.m.
Philips "fastest" BDP7300 Blu-ray player launches this month in the UK
Leave it to Philips to make these kinds of claims now that its hardware isn't coming over to the U.S., but apparently its still yet-to-launch BDP7300 Blu-ray player is the fastest loading one yet. No word on exactly how fast that is, but several UK sites are reporting the claim for this hardware, scheduled to hit shelves sometime later this month. What we do know is included is all the usual features like BD-Live, Dolby TrueHD and DTS MA, DivX and AVC HD playback, but until someone lays down £249 and grabs a stopwatch, just how fast it is will be a matter of contention.
Meijer's brand new $99 (shipped) Blu-ray player brings joy to skinflints everywhere
Whether you want one for a cheap Father's Day gift, player for a second room, or just a low barrier to entry for Blu-ray ownership we certainly won't judge, and we suspect more than a few will be tempted by Meijer's offer of a $99 Curtis Mathes branded CMMBX130 Blu-ray player. Add on coupon code DOTMJR09 for free shipping, and its easy to over look its lack of surround sound analog outputs or Profile 2.0 support for the cheapest new Blu-ray player we've ever seen. Inside is the same Broadcom 7440 chipset that powered much higher priced players from Samsung and others in the past, so while the absolute latest in energy efficient, fast loading, BD-Live connected goodies may escape you, we figure that extra Benjamin or two in your pocket will be more than enough to compensate.Update: Looks like it's sold out now, sorry folks![Via Dealnews]
LCD sales expectations raised for the rest of '09
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.
Maingear's Axess HD Gamer PC looks to blow your mind, empty your wallet
Make no bones about, Maingear's new Axess HD Gamer (and by merit of its namesake, HTPC, too) is nothing if not a powerhouse for those wanting to pay an arm and a leg for a souped up gaming experience. You want specs? At its best, we're looking at an Intel Core i7 on a X58 chipset, dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT in SLI, up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray, Windows Vista / Media Center, and two 3.5-inch storage bays supporting 320GB SSD or 2TB HDD. If you need more nerd cred, ghost of vaporware past Phantom Lapboard serves as one of the bundled input devices, as does the NVIDIA GeForce 3D vision kit and a 22-inch Samsung LCD. Starting price is $1,799, but if you wanna go for broke -- and whether not you can, you probably want to -- top configurations can run you well over $5,000.
Sony Pictures to smarten up Blu-ray with MovieIQ, the "killer app for BD-Live"
Are you one of the more than 4,000 people (86%) that answered our poll saying you thought BD-Live was a waste of time, or didn't see any reason to give it a shot? We talked to Sony Pictures recently and were promised that more useful reasons for hooking the internet to Blu-ray discs & players were on the way, and today at a press event it showed why it thinks that will come true. Check out the gallery for a few pics of its new MovieIQ app, quickly described as a "wiki for movies" that can tie into your discs and provide information from Gracenote on demand on nearly anything in the movie or even specific scene being watched, from actors & directors to background music. The first BD-Live discs with it should be available in September, we'll be back with more details shortly, for now just let the images do the talking.Update: Official press release is included after the break
HDTV Listings for June 18, 2009
What we're watching tonight: NBC (1080i) brings I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here at 8 p.m. and The Listener at 10 p.m. USA (1080i) has Burn Notice at 9 p.m. and Royal Pains at 10 p.m. WGN America (1080i) has WWE Superstars at 8 p.m. TLC (1080i) brings American Chopper at 9 p.m. Spike TV (1080i) has TNA: Impact! at 9 p.m. A&E (720p) airs Crime 360 at 10 p.m. History (720p) has Gangland at 9 p.m. Speed (720p) airs Wrecked at 10 p.m. ESPN (720p) recaps The Best of the U.S. Open at 8 p.m. ESPN2 (720p) has North Carolina/Arizona State College World Series action at 7 p.m.
TV.com adds Record to TiVo scheduling
In a move that hopefully goes over better than the jittery mess that was 1080p Flash streaming, TV.com will now allow users to schedule recordings directly to their TiVo. They're not the first or only third party site with support, Zap2it.com is another but combined with the existing community features and streaming video this might be a better option. It should work with any Series2, Series3 or TiVo HD box, just look for the Record to TiVo button on TV.com show pages.
Ask Engadget HD: Best HDTV & secondary video editing monitor for my Macbook Pro?
This week we'll be appealing to all the prosumers out there, one of your own is looking for some assistance, needing a HDTV not just for play, but also for work. We've schooled on the differences between monitors & HDTVs before, and picked out 40-inch+ models with PC inputs, but see what you can do for John's specific requirements: "My situation is this: I would like to combine my purchase of a new HD television as both an entertainment unit and a secondary monitor for my computer. I am a freelance video editor, shoot in HD (1080), and use a Macbook Pro 15" (2.4 ghz). I see 32" model as the right size/price range, and I will be sitting between 2-3 feet away from the screen when editing. Given all this context, my questions are these: 1. What features should I weigh most? (refresh rate, mhz, brand) 2. Given this screen size/viewing distance, does the 720p/1080p difference matter much? I will begin seriously shopping around later this year, but would like some background knowledge before I start talking with sales reps." Any of you making high definition movies instead of just watching them? Let us, and John, know what you look for in a display in the comments. 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.
Joost testing PlayStation 3 specific browser interface
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]
DISH still trying to navigate a way around TiVo's DVR patent
It's a longshot, but DISH mentioned in a court filing Monday that it is still looking for a workaround that would keep its DVR from infringing on TiVo patents, but admitting it "does not know whether a further design-around is even possible." Multichannel News pulled out the one sentence filing, although whether DISH seriously believes it can do dual tuner recording without violating the "Time Warp" patent or is just stalling for time while it looks for an antidote is still unclear.[Picture courtesy one of many GPS accidents]
Samsung gets official with its UT, UD-series video wall LCD products
Samsung chose this week's InfoComm 2009 as the official coming-out party for some of its video wall goodies we first got wind of a few months back. As much as the above photo of four UT-series (Ultra Thin, we're guessing) super-slim bezel LCDs and UD (Ultra-Definition) control make us drool, we've got a feeling it's nothing compared to seeing an even bigger setup in person. The 460UT, 460UTn and 460UTn-UD LCDs tile up with only 6.7-mm of bezel between them, and up to 250 can be controlled by a single UD-server. Oh yeah, and that server can draw from 125 networked PCs to fill all those thirsty pixels. You know, for when your setup really does look like Mission Control. Sadly, prices are accordingly astronomical -- $6922, $7845 and $8614 for the UT, UTn and UTn-UD LCDs, respectively. Read - 460UT, 460UTn, 460UTn-UD LCDs get official Read - Samsung Ultra-Definition system
QNAP's NMP1000 network media player starts streaming to Japan
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.
LG readies first 47LH50 3D LCD TV -- just 29,999,999 to go
LG is set to release its first 3D TV -- the 47-inch 47LH50 LCD -- into the Korean market next month. As our tech overlords, this could signal a trend that'll head west. In fact, LG estimates that the 3D television market will exceed 30 million units by 2012 -- exactly what we'd say too if we were in the business of selling televisions. Hmm, 30 million TVs multiplied by 4.5 pairs of glasses required for the average household -- guess we'll be investing in polarized lenses.[Via @visitken]
Panasonic unveils 85-inch plasma at InfoComm '09
Sure we'd love to see Panasonic mass produce that 4K 150-inch plasma, but so far we'll just have to be happy with a cheaper 103-inch HDTV and the latest model, an 85-inch 1080p display it's showing off at InfoComm '09 this week. All that super size flat panel building experience has been poured into a package that is 99mm thick and apparently 30 percent lighter per square inch than its 103-inch cousin, at a total of 130Kg. This one's coming through business channels to Japan and the U.S. this fall, 'til then you'll just have to live with your 4 x 42-inch matrix setup or for the cost conscious, a projector.[Via AV Watch & Japan Corp (English)]
HDTV Listings for June 17, 2009
What we're watching tonight: ABC (720p) has Wipeout at 8 p.m., the season premiere of I Survived a Japanese Game Show at 9 p.m. and the series finale of The Unusuals at 10:01 p.m. Discovery (1080i) has Time Warp at 8 p.m., Mythbusters at 9 p.m. and Pitchmen at 10 p.m. NBC (1080i) brings I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here at 8 p.m. History (720p) has MonsterQuest at 9 p.m. A&E (720p) brings Dog the Bounty Hunter at 9 & 9:30 p.m. followed by Tattoo Highway at 10 p.m. TBS (1080i) has Meet the Browns at 10 & 10:30 p.m. Spike (1080i) has The Ultimate Fighter at 10 p.m. Comedy Central (1080i) has Reno 911 at 10:30 p.m. ESPN (720p) has MLB action with Blue Jays/Phillies at 7 p.m. ESPN2 (720p) airs College World Series baseball with Arkansas/Virginia at 7 p.m.
DirecTV's HD Mix extended to cover the entire U.S. Open weekend
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.
Samsung HT-WS1 soundbar review
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?
Engadget HD Podcast 141 - 06.17.2009
After last week's sleeper of a show we were excited to jump in and talk up interesting topics like Managed Copy, the digital transition and the latest do it all media device from Popcorn Hour. As you've come to expect, we took questions via comments, the phone, and the live chat; so don't hesitate to let us know how you feel, any way you like. UPDATE: Looks like we have some gremlins in our MP3 version of the podcast, but the other formats should be fine. Please bear with us as we try to get the MP3 sorted. UPDATE: Things seem to be working now, so you can finally hear how Ben managed to lose 20,000 rankings across his music library in one fell swoop. Ouch! Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes. [Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [MP3] Download the show (MP3). Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Steven Kim, Richard Lawler Producer: Trent Wolbe Program 01:05 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 140 - 06.10.2009 04:30 - Blu-ray gets Managed Copy next year, requires new hardware 18:45 - Poll: Is Blu-ray coming to Apple anytime soon? 23:57 - Transformers Blu-ray owners get an early peek at the sequel via BD-Live 33:57 - Will the DTV transition get more people watching OTA television? 46:32 - Digital transition causing grief for Windows Media Center users 59:10 - PopcornHour's latest C200 media box is Blu-ray (& anything else) ready LISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)
ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere
Some dads like grilling, some dads like football, and some dads like tacoing wheels on rocky downhill mountain bike runs. For that latter group (and any other similarly action-oriented folks of either gender), the VholdR ContourHD is now shipping just in time for Father's Day -- and the summer injury season. The 720p wearable cam was announced back in April and we recently received one for in-house testing. We'll provide our full impressions on it soon, but for now enjoy the thrilling red-light footage after the break captured at last week's Brammo Entertia test ride, or go ahead and pick up your own. MSRP is $299.99, but Amazon's selling them for $20 less and throwing in a $50 gift card to boot -- savings that will do little to offset the cost of fixing your broken clavicle if you don't take it easy on the whoopties.
