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Logitech to Divest Harmony Line of Remotes and Severely Reduce PC and Videogame Peripherals[teaser]After posting $180 million loss in the quarter, focus shifts to tablets and smartphones. [/teaser] After posting a $180 million operating loss for the third quarter of the 2013 fiscal, Logitech CEO Bracken P. Darrell has announced a new strategy for the company whose presence has long been visible in the PC peripheral market with important forays into the home theater and gaming avenues. "As we articulated when we started the third quarter, continued weakness in the global PC market was the primary factor in our disappointing Q3 results. These results are unacceptable and we are taking decisive action as an outcome of my strategic review. As a result, we have initiated the process to divest our remote controls and digital video security categories, and we plan to discontinue other non-strategic products, such as speaker docks and console gaming, by the end of calendar year 2013." According to CNET, Logitech has owned the Harmony line since 2004 when it purchased privately held Intrigue Technologies of Canada for $29 million in cash. While dialing back fully on gaming and partially on PC products, Logitech will focus on another area, "We plan to expand our presence in the growing tablet accessories category with the launch of a number of exciting new products later this quarter." Source: CNETPosted Thu Jan 24, 2013 at 07:30 AM PST by: -
Verizon Says Redbox Instant Won't be Profitable Until 2014[teaser]The company posted losses this year and is warning investors not to expect miracles. [/teaser] The Redbox Instant streaming service is intriguing, especially because of the $9.00 monthly subscription that gets you four Blu-ray rentals. It's not going to be an overnight success though, and nobody knows that better than Verizon CFO Fran Shammo. Shammo told analysts that he doesn't expect to see Redbox Instant helping out the bottom line until 2014. "They are all startups," he states, "and I would think that in 2014, these will really start to contribute to the overall profit." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Jan 24, 2013 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Amazon Scoops Up the 'Zombieland' TV Show[teaser]The show was originally destined for CBS, but it seems that Amazon has picked up the exclusive. [/teaser] The folks at Amazon have picked up the 'Zombieland' series that was in development for CBS as an exclusive for Amazon Prime streaming. This is a potentially big pickup for Amazon and it marks a new focus on streaming content for the company. 'Zombieland' was a surprisingly successful flick in 2009 but still not the first thing you'd think of when pondering what movies might end up as television shows. Of course, every serious show needs a not so serious counterpart and a 'Zombieland' series would definitely offset 'The Walking Dead.' The characters will remain the same as the ones in the movie, but the cast will be changing. Based on the information currently out there, it seems like much of the story will focus on the relationship between Columbus and Wichita. Source: io9Posted Wed Jan 23, 2013 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
'bout Time: 'Resident Evil: Revelations' headed to 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC[teaser]The 3DS Resident Evil love letter will release in May and will include a number of HD updates and an emphasized online co-op mode.[/teaser] In a move that has been rumored and that makes complete sense to finally happen, 'Resident Evil: Revelations,' an early 3DS Circle Pad Pro title, will come to the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U on a physical disc on May 21 in North America (and on the 24th in Europe) for $49.99. The PC version will be digital only, but is promised the same day. The PS3 will have a launch day digital version, but the 360 and Wii U will not have digital versions until a later unspecified date. In contrast to 'Resident Evil 5' and 'Resident Evil 6,' 'Revelations' is the better received recent title from the series. From Capcom, "As you might expect, this new version will include online Raid Mode co-op, enhanced HD graphics and lighting - but it also contains a few new bells and whistles. Namely Hunk! He'll be playable in Raid Mode, bringing his unique gas mask chic to the Queen Zenobia cruise ship and other Revelations locales. This new version also adds a new enemy, a new harder difficulty, new Raid weapons and new Custom Parts that make your weapons even more formidable - handy in those harder Raid maps! " Here is the original 3DS trailer: Source: CapcomPosted Wed Jan 23, 2013 at 06:30 AM PST by: -
Building a Home Theater: Construction BeginsThis week, High-Def Digest's Josh Zyber fills us in on the latest stage of his home theater renovation project. After demolishing and repairing issues with the old room, he's finally begun construction on the new one. Follow the latest entry of his epic tale in the blog today! If you need to catch up with previous installments, you can do that here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3Posted Wed Jan 23, 2013 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Home Theater Connections: Super Bowl Gear 2013by Daniel Hirshleifer You hear that sound? That's the sound of millions of football fans gearing up for the biggest event of the year: The Super Bowl! Think of all the nachos being made, all the guacamole and dips being prepared, all of the good luck rituals being performed around the country. [teaser]With everyone getting ready for the big game, what can you do to really set your gathering apart from the rest? A new TV, of course! There's no better way to impress all your friends than with a shiny new big screen, and the retailers know it. Now is a great time to upgrade your display, as there are plenty of great sales to be found. Let's take a look at some of the best televisions and bargains on the market at the moment.[/teaser] Around the net, and among television enthusiasts, the verdict was practically unanimous: The best TVs of 2012 were made by Panasonic. Their top of the line set, the VT50, has some of the best picture quality of any television since HDTVs first hit the market. It has reference level picture quality, a host of internet features, and superior 3D performance. Being Panasonic's flagship, the VT50 is pricey, but the 55" is currently just shy of $2,000 on Amazon, which is a stellar price given that it retails for much more. If that price seems daunting, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the PST50. While it's not quite to the level of the VT50, it's still one of the best televisions on the market, and you can get the 60" for less than the price of the 55" VT50. The PST50 has a few less customization options when it comes to the image, but the overall result is still stunning and will be sure to impress anyone who watches it. And it comes with all the same internet connectivity and 3D options as its higher-end sibling. The PST50 is the best bang for the buck that you can possibly find at the moment. The biggest downside of either of these televisions is that Panasonic has opted not to include 3D glasses, and the official glasses that are guaranteed to work are a bit pricey. As of now I have not yet seen a fully reliable pair of third party 3D glasses that will work with the 2012 Viera displays. Samsung also has a plasma line, the E series. They also feature strong picture quality and internet connectivity. The E550 has a strong image and comes with two pairs of 3D glasses, but suffers from a reflective surface that makes the TV difficult to watch in well-lit rooms. Jumping up to the E8000 eliminates the reflectivity issue for the most part, but with an increasing step up in price. The Samsung plasmas also feature advanced technologies, such as a sensor that adjusts the brightness based on the light levels of the room, voice and face recognition, and more. It even comes with a touch-based remote that utilizes a track pad style interface instead of standard buttons. Of course, as with any non-traditional interface, the effectiveness may not be perfect. Not everyone wants to go in for plasmas, and with Mitsubishi getting out of the TV game and taking the remaining DLP and laser televisions with them, that leaves LCD displays. Nowadays, most high-end LCD displays utilize LED technology. When it comes to LED, Sony is the big fish in the pond. Their BRAVIA series combines great picture quality with a strong set of features, including special interoperability with other Sony devices. The HX850 is highly rated, but a bit on the pricier side. Once again it's Samsung in the backup position, with the EH6000. This isn't the top tier of Samsung's 2012 line-up, but it's gotten great reviews and comes in at much more affordable prices than the BRAVIA. If you're not a Samsung fan, then the Sharp Aquos LE745U might be the one for you. More moderately priced for larger sizes, the Aquos doesn't have quite the stellar picture quality of the other brands, but it might be worth it for the trade-off in size. If you're ready for something even bigger than a flat panel can provide, it's time to move up to a projector. Projectors require a whole new set of considerations, but the reward for your efforts will be image sizes that you simply cannot get from flat panels. The Mitsubishi HC4000 is a great entry-level projector, coming in at $1,100. For a little more scratch, you can get the BenQ W7000, which is quite versatile and also offers 3D. Other, more expensive projectors may have better picture or ease of use, but for under $2,000 these are about as good as it gets. The on-air broadcast will have instant replay, but in case you want your own, you might want to invest in the TiVo TCD7480000 Premiere. While all cable and satellite providers will offer their own DVRs, TiVo is the one that started it all and they've continued to offer extras that make their boxes worth the extra expense. They have integrated search functions across a variety of services, and apps for iOS devices so you don't even have to use a remote. This particular model can record up to 150 hours of 1080p content. If you don't want to pay for a big football package from your cable or satellite provider, there are other ways to see your favorite teams play. Did you know that you can subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket via your Playstation 3? The broadcasts are through DirecTV, but you don't need to be a current subscriber to sign up. If you are an existing DirecTV subscriber with NFL Sunday Ticket, you can download the app on your PS3 and watch the games at no extra charge. And then, of course, once you're done watching the game, you can toss in your brand new copy of Madden NFL 13 and keep the games going all night long. Armed with these great gadgets, you're certain to be the hit of the party. No matter which team takes home the trophy, you'll end up the winner when your friends walk away talking about how great the game looked on your brand new set. Game on!Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Blockbuster is Closing 300 Stores in the US[teaser]It's been bad news after bad news on the Blockbuster front – this time in the States. [/teaser] Following right on the heels of 129 stores being closed in the UK, Blockbuster will be closing doors in the US. 300 stores of the existing 850 will be shut down, leaving the company with around 550. The closing will also mean the elimination of around 3,000 employees who were all informed of the shutdowns late last week. At this point, things aren't looking good for Blockbuster. Dish sees the stores as a potential benefit if the company's ends up expanding into the mobile broadband market, but the days of disc rentals from Blockbuster are all but over. When one of the biggest problems facing your chain is convenience, shutting more stores isn't going to improve things. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Sony's Personal Content Station is a Mini Media Server Launching in June[teaser]The Personal Content Station will allow you to share media to and from your devices as well as play on your TV. [/teaser] Sony has a new home theater component on the way and it's dubbed the Personal Content Station. This wireless device will play nice with tablets and smartphones, allowing you to transfer files to and from it over Wi-Fi or through NFC. The Personal Content Station comes packed with a terabyte of storage, so you should have plenty of room for your music, videos and pictures, all of which can be displayed in 1080p thanks to an HDMI output from the device. It also packs USB and memory card slots so you can transfer that way as well. The Personal Content Station will hit the States this June at around $299. Source: Electronic HousePosted Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Leap Brings Motion Control to your Computer[teaser]The controller is exclusive to Best Buy and arrives this spring. [/teaser] Every major gaming system currently on the market has some form of motion or gesture control, as do LG TVs and even a set-top box or two, and thanks to Leap, so does the home computer. The Leap controller is a small device sits under your monitor or TV motion control to your PC or Mac. Like Microsoft's Kinect, control is done with your hands, rather than with a held device. It's not exactly optimal for those sitting at desks, but it might be just the thing for HTPC users who find other devices for controlling their computers lacking. The Leap is $70 and will be a Best Buy exclusive.Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013 at 06:45 AM PST by: -
Cnet Forced Not to Award Dish Hopper Best In Show CES Award[teaser]Dish, for their part, is having some fun with the situation in their advertising campaign. [/teaser] When the folks over at Cnet voted for Dish's ad-skipping DVR for their Best in Show product of CES 2013, no one was too horribly surprised. No one, that is, except parent company CBS, which is currently involved in a law suit trying to shut the Dish Hopper down. Due to the suit, CBS instructed Cnet to pull Dish from consideration for CES awards. When Dish caught wind of this, they decided to have a bit of fun with the situation. They've taken out ads proclaiming that their device was named Best in Show, but with an added asterisk. The explanation on the ad? "What's an asterisk doing in our award? CBS will go to any lengths to keep you from enjoying ad-skipping technology – even censoring its own writers and throwing out their decision to name Hopper 'Best In Show.' Your vote is the only one that really matters." Source: PC MagPosted Mon Jan 21, 2013 at 09:45 AM PST by:
