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Poll: Is Blu-ray coming to Apple anytime soon?
With another WWDC behind us and again no Blu-ray playback announcement from Cupertino or even any notable rumors. Leopard, and now Snow Leopard, have skipped out on the infamous "bag of hurt," but with AACS finalized, maybe things can be different. So let us know, by the time WWDC comes around next year do you think that Apple will put that BDA membership to use, or will disc-based HD playback on computers stay a PC affair?[Image from the What Would Jobs Do? 3 photoshop showdown]%Poll-31026%
Canon intros medical intern-ready LCOS projectors
On one hand, Canon talks up the REALIiS WUX10 Mark IID and SX80 Mark IID -- handy names -- projectors' DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) simulation mode that promises to properly display grayscale images. On the other, it says that these projectors are not approved for diagnosis purposes. So, consider this pair of LCoS beamers as something for the medical students and interns out there who are mastering the interpretation of shadows in medical images. They'll probably pull duty for HT applications as well, but the medical affiliation won't come for free; for reference, the consumer grade and non-"Mark IID" badged WUX10 and SX800 models list at $13,000 and $2,500, respectively.
Battlestar Galactica Complete Series box pictures jump in
Anyone interested in finding out what that $250 preorder bought? Check out the first picture from Universal of the box for the BattleStar Galactica Complete Series Blu-ray set. Not in this picture? The Cylon figure packed in a central compartment, check out pics of the DVD set at TheHDRoom to see that, we're just passing the time until July 28 streaming the original series from Netflix Watch Instantly.
ESPN adds Rose Bowl, to go along with the rest of the BCS games starting in 2011
Hope you like ESPN's bowl presentation, as it's going to be the home for all the BCS games beginning in 2011, now that its added the Rose Bowl in a new multiyear deal. That probably won't make the NAB happy, considering the group's protests when ESPN locked up the other bowls earlier this year, for the rest of us, it just makes it a little bit tougher to go all OTA if college football in January is a must watch.
HDTV Listings for June 12, 2009
What we're watching tonight: NBC (1080i) has Penguins/Red Wings NHL Stanley Cup Game 7 at 8 p.m. ABC (720p) airs 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) has the season finale of Wild Weddings at 7 p.m., then What Not to Wear at 9 p.m. and Masters of Reception at 10 p.m. History (720p) airs Patton 360 at 9 p.m. Animal Planet (1080i) has Whale Wars at 9 p.m. ESPN (720p) has 2009 Sounds of the NBA Finals at 9 p.m.
Marantz Reference gear in the Carlyle hotel spoils you for clock radio
While our typical hotel coverage involves HDTVs and/or special programming, we'll make an exception for the Marantz/DALI audio setup getting dropped into the Empire Suite of Manhattan's Carlyle hotel. We won't make any guesses about what the rack rate is for the duplex suite in the swank hotel, but it's got to be cheaper than the audio system, which combines four MA-9S2 mono amps, an SC-7S2 preamp and SA-7S1 SACD deck from Marantz's Reference lineup with a pair of DALI MEGALINE III speakers. All told, that's about $47,000 of Marantz gear and another cool $60,000 for the speakers, all to deliver good old two-channel. Might we suggest staying in and ordering room service?
Digital TV transition: 12 hours in, how are things going?
The day is finally here, after the pushback and staggered changeover, analog television broadcasts across the country are giving way to a future of digital TV and making room for new services to take over the airwaves soon. Still, after months of announcements, coupons sent and many dollars spent there are still millions who will be caught unawares as their television blinks off today. It's been an incredibly long time coming, so take a look back at some of our coverage of the run up to the digital TV switch, and why not drop us a line to let us know of any interesting local coverage in your area or experiences (procrastination-fueled runs on converter boxes, transition gaffes, mob violence) going on. A roundup of FCC links and national press coverage is after the break.Engadget's lead-up coverage: T-minus one year till the US analog shutoff: are you ready? The original DTV transition: what could've been President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law Digital TV transition spoof video is both informative and hilarious Wilmington, NC kills analog dead as broadcasters go all-digital
Blu-ray gets Managed Copy next year, requires new hardware
It took over three years, but mandatory Managed Copy is set to become a reality next year as each studio is required to sign the recently finalized AACS license by December 4th 2009, and any studio that signs early receives up to a 25 percent discount on licensing fees. What isn't mandatory, though, is hardware support, and although the current generation of players definitely won't work, most expect the majority of new BD devices to. The cost (you didn't think it'd be free, did you?) and the number of copies is up to the studio, but at least one copy will be allowed. That copy can be made via a menu on the disc and can take the form of another Blu-ray Disc or a DRM-laced Microsoft file. Up until now, Apple hasn't joined the party so no joy for iPod users -- although this could still happen. Either way, a connection to either the AACS' or studio's authorization server will be required to make it work. As cool as this all sounds, we're still skeptical; and although we'll be the first to try it, somehow we don't think it'll live up to our expectations.
Transformers Blu-ray owners get an early peek at the sequel via BD-Live
So many months later, new downloadable content is arriving for those Transformers Blu-ray discs, with Paramount planning to unleash a ton of promotional content for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen on June 16. Owners of the DVD version can use their access key to log on to a special website, while BD-Live connected Blu-ray owners can view the 25~ minutes of special features directly through their players. Video Business wonders if Blu-ray owners without BD-Live will be able to log in to the website but hasn't heard back yet, we'd ask there will be any treats for HD DVD but Michael Bay probably put the kibosh on that.Read - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Sneak Peek via Blu-ray and DVDRead - Paramount loads Transformers with sequel specials
Rotel's RSX-1550 receiver -- great performance, but a bit pricey
It's taken a good long while since Rotel debuted its 15-series AV components, but we're glad to see that a thorough review of the 5.1-channel RSX-1550 receiver has gone up at AVGuide. As a marque that sits at the high end of the spectrum, some quirks are to be expected, but Rotel has finally gotten onboard with HDMI 1.3 connectivity, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and independent subwoofer crossover frequencies for each channel. Also, it sounds like Rotel changed the "house sound" slightly, with a shift towards a more "gutsy" sound with a bassier presentation. Overall, it sounds like the RSX-1550 turned in a solid performance, but outside of Rotel's loyal following, $2,000 for a 5x75-Watt (conservatively rated, but still) receiver that forgoes auto calibration is going to be a tough sell. Audiophiles who complain about feature creep at the expense of quality, however, should take a look -- the RSX-1550 looks like it bucks the trend.
HDTV Listings for June 11, 2009
What we're watching tonight: ABC (720p) has Lakers/Magic NBA Finals Game 4 at 9:01 p.m. NBC (1080i) continues 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. Travel (1080i) has the season finale of Bridget's Sexiest Beaches at 10 & 10:30 p.m.
LG LH-series wireless HDTVs hit the FCC
LG's LH-series wireless HDTVs just made their debut in South Korea last month, and it looks like they're on their way to a Stateside launch soon -- there's the 55LH85, sitting pretty in Uncle Sam's FCC workshop. Of course, the real noise with these sets is the ASW1000 Media Box, which has three HDMI jacks, a pair of component inputs, antenna in, and VGA, all of which it can wirelessly send to your set from 10 meters (32.8 feet) away at 60GHz. Sadly, you can't just tuck it away, since it needs line of sight or close to it to work -- it'll bounce the signal off walls, but placing it right next to the TV won't work so great, according to the manual. Still, it's definitely cool tech -- let's hope ol' Sammy gets through with it soon so we can try it ourselves.
Mitsubishi's 3D-ready and Unisen HDTV lines in the flesh
Toshiba already showed us what its freshest line of HDTVs looks like, and now its Mitsubishi's turn. The outfit was on hand in NYC to showcase a few of its now-shipping sets, including the 3D-ready Home Theater line and its speaker-infused Unisen crew. We won't bore you with the specs (which can be found here and here, respectively), but we will confess that the 82-inch WD-82737 has us squirming uncontrollably. Have a peek yourself in the gallery below.
Will the DTV transition get more people watching OTA television?
With mere hours separating us from an analog TV broadcast-free existence, Harris has released poll results indicating many may switch to free OTA broadcasts, shutting off their current cable and satellite subscriptions. The way we see it, the 55 percent indicating they were either somewhat or very likely to switch to antenna probably represent many people who are only just finding out you can get HDTV without paying for service -- not to mention those who are paying and not even watching high definition at all. Still, with the channels available on digital TV broadcasts plus online streaming, there's a lot more choices, anyone else stepping back from their pay-TV habit?
NAB disputes Nielsen's numbers, claims only 1.75 million unready for transition
With less than 24 hours to go until analog TV goes dark for a certain segment of American, and the NAB wants to make sure everyone is aware that Nielsen's unreadiness claims aren't accepted by all. The point of contention is a mere 1 million people and really comes down to those who are "almost ready." Meaning, the NAB doesn't count respondents who claimed to have already started getting ready, but aren't in any hurry to make the actual switch until the very last minute. Differences in opinion aside one thing is for sure, at some point tomorrow every TV watcher in the US will be digital ready, or they will no longer be a TV watcher.
LG's Netflix-friendly 47LH50 and 50PS80 NetCast HDTVs now shipping in America
Without a doubt, the next big thing in the world of HDTVs is internet capabilities. With Toshiba just shipping its own web-enabled sets this week, LG Electronics is making sure it doesn't fall too far behind by floating a few of its own NetCast models out to the open market. Originally unveiled at CES, these HDTVs are the first from the company with built-in Netflix streaming support, and if you're curious about model numbers, it's the 47-inch 47LH50 LCD HDTV and the 50-inch 50PS80 plasma that are available today. LG tells us that the 42-inch 42LH50 LCD and 60-inch 60PS80 plasma should hit later this summer, but if you're looking to buy now, you'll have to pony up $1,999 for the 47LH50 or 50PS80.
Epson's WUXGA HTPS-TFT Panel hints at ultra-bright, high-contrast PowerLite projectors in September
As a leader in home cinema systems, it's always a good idea to keep tabs on Epson's core technologies as a preview of what's coming up in next generation home theater projectors. Today Seiko-Epson announced the start of volume production for its 0.94-inch HTPS-TFT LCD capable of a WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixel) resolution for 3LCD projectors pushing 1080p. The panel supports a brightness of 5000 lumens (or more!) using Epson's D7 process technology while achieving "higher than ever contrast" through its C2 Fine inorganic alignment layer tech. What this means is simple: expect to see a new brightness and contrast champion PowerLite Home Cinema projector announced at the end of Summer, as CEDIA tradition dictates, with product shipping by end of the year.
Researchers ditch DLP, develop OLED panel-based mini projector
Looking for a way to differentiate among the ever-expanding niche of pocket projectors, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) of Germany are working on an OLED panel-based mini projector, using static optical systems and not the usual reflective system à la DLP. Currently being shown at SID Display Week 2009, the decidedly green picture (seems to be the norm with OLED prototypes these days) forms via a 6-inch VGA screen from 30 to 50 centimeters away, and the machine itself takes up just about ten cubic centimeters of space. Despite all the faith, there's still the rather nasty problem of luminance, which the scientists estimate needs to be about four or five times as bright as current levels -- but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?
Aperion's Intimus 6-LCR in-wall speaker shows up, extra woofer in tow
You didn't think that Aperion would roll out just the in-wall and in-ceiling variants of its Intimus 6 speakers and leave you searching for primary speakers, now did you? Showing up fashionably late to the party kicked off by the 6-IW and 6-IC speakers comes the Intimus 6-LCR in-wall model so you can flesh out your custom install. The new model adds an additional 6.5-inch woofer, but keeps the aimable silk dome tweeter and adjustment switches from its more surround-appropriate brethren. No free lunch, though; that extra driver means you'll pay a little more for the 6-LCR -- these carry a price tag of $225 each.
Is Dish considering swallowing TiVo's $7.5 billion poison pill?
One of our favorite rumors rides again, but this time it's Dish that might be interested in buying TiVo. The new twist this time though is the motivation, and we can totally see how Dish would love to make this happen. The problem of course is that TiVo isn't interested in any such shenanigans and has gone as far as to write a poison pill into its bylaws. Our friend Davis Freeberg has been writing about TiVo's poison pill for years and more recently, at about the same time as the latest court decision came down against Dish, he saw some interesting traffic in his web server logs from none other than a Dish Network IP. No clue who the user was, but they spent some time reading up on TiVo's poison pill. Davis is no lawyer, but it is his understanding that if Dish attempted to take over TiVo, it'd cost them about $71 per share -- which comes to about $7.5 Billion. This is about seven times what the stock is actually worth and although we'd be shocked if this happened, we have to admit that crazier things have.
