hd
Latest
Blu-ray releases on June 9th 2009
It's just too easy to pick the biggest movie of the week when there is something as anticipated as Eastwood's award winning Gran Torino. Unfortunately other than that there isn't much to get excited about. Again this week there are some classic catalog titles from Paramount and Fox, as well as a few notable documentaries from Razor and Discovery, but overall as long as it is Summer we can expect much of the same. So in other words its time to go to the movies. Gran Torino (Warner) Woodstock (Warner) Fired Up (Sony) The International (Sony) Fatal Attraction (Paramount) Indecent Proposal (Paramount) Predator 2 (Fox) The Siege (Fox) Baby on Board (E1) Ocean Voyagers (Razor) Battle For The Light (Razor) China Circus Elites (Razor) Time Warp (Discovery)
VIZIO introduces new XVT, M and E series HDTVs
It's been a hot minute since we've seen any new kit from the cats at VIZIO, but it has evidently been hoarding up sets in anticipation for today. This morning, the company has let loose details on a veritable smorgasbord of new TVs, all of which fall within the XVT, M and E series. The XVT line is getting a boost from the new TruLED VF551XVT, which packs 240Hz dejudder technology, as well as a number of other companions ranging from 32- to 55-inches in size. The M series is amongst the prettiest of the bunch, boasting a JAVA design, 1080p panels and 120Hz technology. Finally, the E series (E is for Eco, get it?) sucks down far less energy than most, with screen sizes spanning from 19- to 42-inches. Far too many new sets are being unveiled to detail here, but you can feel free to dig in after the break.
Panasonic's HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 HD camcorders get US price, release date
Right, so these two may not actually be the world's lightest HD camcorders without qualifications, but hey, they're still amongst the least burdensome on the market today. Speaking of which, Panny has just let loose details on US pricing and availability, though it looks as if you'll need to hunt elsewhere if hoping to capture all those summer vacations in 1080p. Indeed, both the half-pound HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 won't hit American shelves until September, when they'll be available for $549.95 and $599.95, respectively. If you're curious as to what the extra $50 buys you in the TM10, it's an 8GB internal flash drive, whereas the other guy requires you to rely solely on your own SD / SDHC cards. Full release is after the break.
New mass-production technique for flexible OLEDs could make them cheap
Getting tired of flexible OLED prototypes that are about as ready for retail as that cold fusion reactor your uncle Harry is building in his garage? Yeah, we are too, but it seems the industry is getting a little closer to reality, the latest step coming courtesy of Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center and Universal Display. Researchers at the pair have managed to produce flexible OLED displays using the same production techniques used to create standard, rather less bendy LCD displays, enabling the transistors that control the pixels to be applied to plastic, rather than the glass they typically find themselves embedded within. They glue a piece of plastic onto glass, feed it through the LCD manufacturing process, then peel the two apart like a high-tech Fruit Roll-Up. That technique was used to create the 4.1-inch monochrome display shown above -- which is for now just another prototype that won't be showing up in any devices any time soon. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Technology Review]
JVC's 32-inch GD-32X1 LCD is 6.4-mm thin, nearly makes OLEDs jealous
OLED displays are synonymous with being impossibly thin. But Samsung's 8.9-mm thick "production-ready" 31-inch OLED TV was just trumped by this 32-inch LCD monitor from JVC measuring just 6.4-mm at its thinnest point. Oh right, thinnest point, we get it, all the processing circuity (Genessa Premium) and jacks (2x HDMI, RGB, component, composite, and more) are bundled into a brick riding the lower-half of the Full HD (1920 × 1080) monitor resulting is an unsightly pear-shaped pudge measuring a full 22.5-mm (0.89-inches) -- eww. You'll also be giving up the million-to-one contrast ratio of OLEDs for the relatively weak 4,000:1 contrast (on 400nits of brightness) found in the GD-32X1's LCD panel. No worries, with JVC dropping out of the consumer display business, these panels are targeting business-use anyway, so you can save your cash when these start shipping in August. [Via Impress]
FiOS TV expansions: June 7, 2009
Not too much of note around Verizon's FiOS TV unit this week, but we're sure the residents of Wrentham, Mass are happy to know it's been approved for their area while Charles County, Md. finally has service available, after it was authorized May 20. How does Verizon manage enough workers to keep expansions going at that pace? We think the second link might help to explain that. Read - TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Wrentham, Mass. Read - For Third Consecutive Year, Conceive Magazine Names Verizon to Publication's List of 50 Best Fertility- and Adoption-Friendly Workplaces Read - Verizon Makes FiOS TV Available to Nearly 8,000 Households in Charles County, Md., Following Recent Cable Franchise Approval
Atlona AT-HD570 breaks lossless audio out of its HDMI shell
In its apparent quest to build up a product cutsheet on par with Gefen's, Atlona has added the audio-splitting AT-HD570 to its lineup. This gadget should be music (ahem) to those who want to hold on to their older receivers/processors, but are itching to get the new lossless audio codecs on Blu-ray discs. Send in a HDMI signal with audio in either LPCM or bitstream format (up to Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA), and this little box will break out the audio on SPDIF optical and 7.1-channel analog; those interested in the lossless codecs will want to grab those analog outputs. Meanwhile, the video signal stays on that HDMI cable, ready to go along its merry way to your video gear. The $219 price point might get you to consider picking up a Blu-ray deck with analog outputs instead, but definitely useful for cases where you're forced to deal with HDMI-less components.
HDTV Listings for June 7, 2009
What we're watching tonight: ABC (720p) airs Magic/Lakers NBA Finals Game 2 at 8 p.m. CBS (1080i) has The 63rd Annual Tony Awards at 8 p.m. Discovery (1080i) presents The Sun at 8 p.m. and Inside Planet Earth at 9 p.m. A&E (720p) has the season premiere of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9 & 9:30 p.m. USA (1080i) lines up Law & Order: CI at 9 p.m. and In Plain Sight at 10 p.m. History (720p) has Ice Road Truckers at 9 p.m. and Expedition Africa at 10 p.m. ESPN (720p) has Phillies/Dodgers baseball at 8 p.m.
Poll: 1080p streaming video vs. Blu-ray
Real simple question. Internet video delivery has been promising to kill disc for about as long as this site has been around, and Microsoft's E3 announcement of 1080p instant streaming with surround sound and even social watching features is merely the latest shot across the bow. So tell us, when it launches this fall will that be enough for you to consider internet video as an alternative to Blu-ray when deciding how to watch a new movie?%Poll-30860%
HDTV Listings for June 6, 2009
What we're watching tonight: NBC (1080i) has Red Wings/Penguins Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 at 8 p.m. CBS (1080i) has Worst Week at 8:30 p.m. and Harper's Island at 9 p.m. Fox (720p) has Cops at 8:30 p.m. ABC (720p) drops in Pushing Daisies at 10 p.m. ESPN (720p) has U.S. World Cup Qualifier soccer with U.S./Honduras at 8 p.m. ESPN2 (720p) airs NASCAR Nationwide Series @ Nashville at 7:30 p.m.
Emotiva sets the UMC-1 processor for next month, more goodies to come
The long (really long for some) wait for Emotiva's UMC-1 AV processor looks like it will be coming to a close soon. A lucky few will get in on a small pilot run of UMC-1s later this month, and mass shipments starting in July will start whittling down the preorder list. It sounds like the UMC-1 has been put through the wringer, with the latest bug fixes centered on some pesky HDMI handshake issues (and you wonder why some folks are iffy on HDMI 1.4). Also getting mention was the company's new $399 USP-1 stereo preamp with a HT bypass, also due in July. If you're a fan of being on wait-lists, though, how about the XSP preamp with balanced connections due for sometime before the year is out, or the Class H, 7x400Watt XPR-7 amplifier that's penned in for the top of Emotiva's amplifier lineup whenever it's ready? Well done, Emotiva -- give us something and keep us wanting more in one announcement!
Windows version of boxee open to all June 23rd
Drooling over boxee on other platforms but haven't been able to nab an invite to the Windows alpha? De-stress, CEO Avner Ronen announced the plan is to open things up starting June 23. Other things touched upon at the Connections digital entertainment conference Wednesday included his belief that TV is going the way of the internet and that tech giants need to just let it happen, and the company's potential to make money from its media streaming platform, possibly from content providers for pushing their shows, collecting a fee from for-pay add-ons in an application store, or licensing boxee to hardware makers. Don't worry too much about a money grab on the way anytime soon, with a zero-dollar revenue goal for the year. In the meantime, chill and check out a preview of the Windows version and an example of how it can work as a simple Windows Media Center plugin.[Via Download Squad]
James Cameron's Avatar game coming in stereoscopic Sensio 3D on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
We'll admit it, we fell asleep during James Cameron's epic description of the game that will accompany his latest movie, Avatar, during E3 earlier this week, so we have no idea what it will be like. What we do know however, is that the movie is expected to be another leap forward for 3D technology, and apparently the game will be as well, now that Sensio has announced Ubisoft will deliver it in stereoscopic 3D. All that should be required is connecting one of the consoles to a Sensio-compatible TV (Panasonic's 3D Full HD Plasma Home Theater System was used to demo the game at E3, although its unclear if that was a special version) and a pair of 3D glasses.
With a week to go, Obama urges the remaining few to make DTV preparations
Just in case you were living in fear of another last minute switch on the digital TV transition date, be at ease, President Obama issued a statement urging those who aren't ready yet to prepare as there will be no further delays, and for those of us in the know to make sure that people around the way are getting the message. With a week to go (again) is there anyone still reading this that hasn't gotten their digital TV future straightened out yet?
HDTV Listings for June 5, 2009
What we're watching tonight: MyNetworkTV (720p) has WWE SmackDown at 8 p.m. Cartoon Network (1080i) has Batman: The Brave and the Bold at 8:30 p.m. History (720p) brings Patton 360 at 9 p.m. TLC (1080i) has What Not to Wear at 9 p.m. and the season finale of Say Yes to the Dress at 10 p.m. Animal Planet (1080i) has Whale Wars at 9 p.m.
SlingPlayer for Mac HD browser plugin beta launched
OS X Slingbox users can finally enjoy HD streams, now that the web based SlingPlayer for Mac HD originally planned to launch in Q1 has been released. It's still carrying the beta tag, and SlingCommunity users have noticed some issues with audio and picture quality at this time. Another downer? A lack of access to older SlingPlayers, you'll need a PRO, PRO HD or SOLO and Intel based Mac to come to this h.264 encoded party, but if the requirements meet your setup, fire up Safari or Firefox and head on over.Read - Sling.com Enables OS X Slingbox StreamingRead - Sling.com HD access for Macs (finally!)
projectiondesign ReaLED illuminated FL32 projector to debut at InfoComm '09
Prepare for the LED powered followup to projectiondesign's F32 projector as it will show off the FL32 model at InfoComm '09, available in 1080p and WUXGA (1920x1200) editions. More than prepared for an existence of pumping out ESPN 24/7 in your den, the ReaLED illumination at its heart promises 100,000 hours of life and improved image quality. Want more details, like price and exact specs? So do we.[Via About Projectors]
Conceptronic shows off potent Yuixx media streamer at Computex
Conceptronic has been doing a fairly admirable job with promoting itself as a serious player in the crowded media streamer market, and while its atypically designed Grab 'n Go was certainly worth a look at CES, it's the Yuixx that could really launch it into the next level. Shown over at Computex, this HD media streamer was loaded with broad format compatibility, Intel's fledgling CE 3100 media processor and support for Yahoo! widgets, TV tuning, a "Firefox-based" web browser, a 3.5-inch internal hard drive, WiFi and Ethernet. We're told that three variants will be made available for those looking for a more stripped-down version, and while an exact release date has yet to be set, an autumn introduction and a price range of around €250 ($354) to €450 ($638) is expected. Peek the read link for a few looks at the sleek user interface.
Pioneer's Blu-ray player trio gets official in the US
Well, that didn't take long, now did it? Right on the heels of the UK announcement, Pioneer's trifecta of Profile 2.0 Blu-ray decks -- the BDP-120, BDP-320 and pictured BDP-23FD (known as the BDP-LX52 in European trim) -- got their official US intro to the tune of $299, $399 and $599, respectively. The specs from the January peek at these models remain intact, but covering three price brackets requires some points of differentiation; in this case provided by various video processing magic, onboard persistent storage for the BDP-320 and BDP-23FD, and missing 7.1-channel analog outs on the BDP-120. Oh yeah, and you just know that the BDP-23FD gets that swank Elite badging.
HDTV Listings for June 4, 2009
What we're watching tonight: ABC (720p) has Magic/Lakers NBA Finals Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. Versus (1080i) has Red Wings/Penguins Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 at 8 p.m. NBC (1080i) continues I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here at 8 p.m. and the series premiere of The Listener at 9 & 10 p.m. USA (1080i) has the season premiere of Burn Notice at 9 p.m. and the series premiere of 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. and Street Customs at 10 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) kicks in Bridget's Sexiest Beaches at 10 & 10:30 p.m. ESPN2 (720p) has New York Red Bulls/D.C. United MLS action at 7:30 p.m. and Major League Lacrosse with Toronto/Washington at 9:30 p.m.
