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Redbox Customers Cool with Price Hike, Says Coinstar[teaser]Apparently, the $1.00 a night price wasn't as essential as it seemed. [/teaser] Back in October of last year, Redbox announced that it would be raising the price of rentals across the board. Instead of the $1.00 a night that the kiosks became known for, DVD rental went up to $1.20 a night. It seemed like a risky move, but apparently it didn't bother customers a bit. A statement from Coinstar says that there was increased demand for rentals in February and March of this year, "reflecting, in part, better-than-anticipated consumer acceptance of the price increase for Redbox standard-definition DVD rentals." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Fri Apr 13, 2012 at 10:50 AM PDT by: -
Toshinaer Shows a New Weatherproof TV Line[teaser]The sets automatically adjust themselves based on the amount of sun hitting them. [/teaser] The folks over at Toshinaer have just announced their 2012 line of weatherproof TVs in three different sizes – 42", 52" and 60". The smaller are normal LCD screens while the 60" is LED backlit. All three pack a photocell that allows them to brighten in the sun and darken when night comes. You'll get a 1080p image, a thermostat controlled internal cooling system – honey, could you turn down the air on the TV? It's getting chilly – and marine grade speakers, so no amount of rain is going to jank up your listening experience. The unspoken benefit of weatherproof TVs, of course, is that you can take cool promotional pictures with a hose so that it looks like you're watering your TV. Source: Electronic HousePosted Fri Apr 13, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Walmart Disc-to-Digital Will Offer 4,000 Titles at Launch[teaser]Employees have had access since the 9th and customer rollout will start on the 16th. [/teaser] On Monday, April 16th, over 3,500 Walmart locations will be rolling out Disc-to-Digital, a new initiative from Walmart that gives Vudu copies of movies they already own. If you're converting a DVD to an SD digital copy it'll run $2. If you're converting a Blu-ray to an HD digital copy it'll cost you $2. Conversion from DVD to HD will cost $5. Walmart has released a full list of the titles that will be available, so you can scan through and make sure the movies you want are available. "Obviously for us it’s a great way to drive traffic in the store, but it’s also meant to unlock value in the content consumers already own," says Walmart's movie and home entertainment director Louis Greth. “For us, this is a big first step. The feedback is that it’s been very simple, very easy, not very complicated." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Apr 12, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
SunBrite Aims for Affordability with New Outdoor TVs[teaser]SunBrite offers weather resistant outdoor sets from 32" on up to 65".[/teaser] Spring is here and that means it's time to get outside and enjoy the sun, or the pool if you're in warmer climates. Of course, you don't want to miss the game or your favorite show or Shark Week, which means it's time to hook yourself up with an outdoor TV. SunBrite's latest line is all about affordability. All of their sets are Full HD and are built to resist rain, humidity, salt, dust and insects. They even boast an internal cooling system which allows them to hang out in heats up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The new SunBrite line starts with a 32" set at $1,495 and goes up to 65" for $5,995. Source: Big Picture Big SoundPosted Thu Apr 12, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Panasonic Kicks Off a Seven Week North American Product Tour[teaser]Want to check out the latest and greatest from Panasonic? Depending on where you're living, they may be coming to you. [/teaser] We can't all go to CES and there's seldom a big box store nearby that has everything we want to see along with people who know every little detail about it. If you're looking forward to some new Panasonic products though, you can get the next best thing. Panasonic has just started a seven week tour that will find its way to places like Boston, LA, Houston, Toronto and Chicago, bringing with it a wealth of new products for you to poke and prod. You'll see new 3D TVs, Blu-ray players, HD cameras and more, including electric razors apparently. Okay, it's not all exciting. For more details and to see when the tour is coming to you, check out the press release direct from Panasonic.Posted Wed Apr 11, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Yamaha Intros Five New Home Theater Systems[teaser]You'll find front-panel USB on all five, while the top three sport AirPlay, smartphone control and more. [/teaser] Five new HTiB systems are launching from Yamaha this May, all of which offer up 100 watt subwoofers, decoding of the usual HD audio formats and YPAO system calibration. All five give you ECO mode which reduces power consumption and all pack five speakers with 2-way drivers. The higher end systems – the YHT-597BL, 797BL and 897BL – all offer Apple AirPlay for simple communication between your iPhone or iPad and your receiver. They also have the ability to be controlled by Yamaha's Kindle Fire, iOS or Android app. Yamaha's new home theater system line launches in May with prices ranging from $449 to $849. Source: eCousticsPosted Wed Apr 11, 2012 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
HBO Go Finally Available on 360 for Comcast Subscribers – Samsung and Roku Still Blocked[teaser]Comcast has finally lifted the block that prevented access. [/teaser] The folks over at Comcast have an issue with HBO Go. Since streaming content from HBO is already available through Xfinity, it seems that Comcast doesn't see a reason to let their customers access it anywhere else. The app has been blocked on a few different devices including Roku players, Samsung TVs and, more recently, the Xbox 360. Today the HBO Go app will finally be made available to Comcast subscribers that connect with an Xbox 360. If you're trying to connect through a Samsung TV or Roku player though, you'll still be blocked. It's not clear why one was cleared up but the others weren't. Source: EngadgetPosted Tue Apr 10, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
D-Link Reveals new MovieNite Streaming Media Player[teaser]You'll get 1080p resolution video from common sources at $59. [/teaser] D-Link has announced the release of their new MovieNite DSM-310 streaming media player, which gives you a 1080p resolution and the ability to stream from Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora and Picasa. It's currently available at Walmart for $59. When it comes to inexpensive streaming players, the benchmark is always Roku. The MovieNite comes in at the same price as the Roku 2 HD, which only offers a 720p resolution. If you're content with the limited apps of the D-Link player, it's a pretty decent buy at the price. Of course, the Roku 2 XD gives you 1080p and a vast selection of apps at $20 more. Source: eCousticsPosted Tue Apr 10, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Sony is Cutting 10,000 Jobs – Many Coming From Flat Panel Production[teaser]Kaz Hirai believes this is an essential step in turning Sony around. [/teaser] Sony has been going through some rough times recently and the new CEO Kaz Hirai knows that some big changes have to happen if the company is going to turn around. One of those is, as he puts it, a painful step – laying off 10,000 employees. That's six percent of the current workforce. 5,000 of those jobs will be coming from parts of the company producing chemicals as well as small and medium sized LCD panels. Sony has predicted a $2.7 billion dollar loss for the last fiscal year and another losing year would put the company on the worst streak its ever been on. Source: TWICEPosted Mon Apr 9, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Lenovo Launching a Smart TV in China this Month[teaser]The estimated price for the 42 inch dual-core powered Android set is right around $1,000. [/teaser] Lenovo, perhaps best known for their business oriented laptops, is entering the TV market this month. It's an interesting move for the company, and one that could pay off big if done right. The new K71 is a 42 inch smart TV that runs on the Android operating system. It comes packed with the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android, built in Wi-Fi, 3D capabilities and a 1.5GHz processor. The expected price is just 6,499 yuan, which comes out to just over $1,000. Preorders for the K71 start tomorrow in China, but there's no word yet on whether these will see American soil. Source: EngadgetPosted Mon Apr 9, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by:
