-
Win ‘The Art of Flight’ on Blu-ray![teaser]The Bonus View is having another contest![/teaser] Thanks to our friends at Dolby Labs, The Bonus View has three Blu-ray copies of the snowboarding documentary 'The Art of Flight' to offer lucky readers. Whether you snowboard yourself or are just a spectator, 'The Art of Flight' features truly mind-blowing footage of the world’s best snowboarders performing amazing stunts on some of the toughest terrain on the planet. The Blu-ray presents it in stunning 1080p video and thunderous Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio. This is a hell of a demo disc for your home theater, and it can be yours easily. Head on over to the contest announcement on The Bonus View to find out how to enter!Posted Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 12:20 PM PST by: -
Logitech CEO Says There Will be No Revue 2[teaser]He says the idea is great, but it's just not something that Logitech is going to pursue. [/teaser] Let's just put it out there. The Logitech Revue was a complete flop. It was priced too high, the software didn't work right, and sales reflected the disappointing final product. After a significant price cut and an operating system update things may improve, but it's a bit too late for that. Logitech's new CEO Guerrino De Luca says there's not going to be a followup to the Revue. The marketing push behind the box, the development costs and the lack of sales cost the company quite a bit of cash. Interestingly, he says that the Google TV concept is right on the money and that it's going to find itself as a success eventually. That, or whatever comes after it. Still, he says that it's not the sort of thing that's in Logitech's future. In terms of peripherals and accessories though, Logitech will be right on board. Source: EngadgetPosted Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Sony Hoping to Revolutionize TV Before Apple Gets to it[teaser]They're working with the "four screens strategy" to make content work across all your Sony devices. [/teaser] Sony CEO Howard Stringer is all about trying new things in an attempt to get the company's lagging TV business back up to profitability. He says, in fact, that he's been working for five years on something that will revolutionize the TV as we know it. Just what this entails is a bit of a mystery, but he says that the plan is to unite game systems, smartphones, tablets, and TVs into one sort of universal platform for entertainment. Stringer, in an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal, said that he planned to compete with Apple directly on the project. "I spent the last five years building a platform so I can compete against Steve Jobs," he said. "It's finished, and it's launching now." Source= PC WorldPosted Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
HP Wireless TV Connect Streams 1080p 3D from PC to TV[teaser]1080p video, 7.1 channel audio, 3D capabilities and absolutely no wires. [/teaser] Wireless HDMI connections have come a long way in the last year or so. When they first hit the market they were big, bulky and iffy in terms of connection quality. HP's latest is small, sleek and incredibly capable. The Wireless TV Connect can stream 1080p content with 7.1 surround sound from your PC to your television. Even more impressive, it can sent 3D signals too. Setup is nice and easy - plug in the USB dongle to your source and plug the receiver into your TV. Done and done. HP says you'll get 25 to 30 feet of range out of the Wireless TV Connect and absolutely no lag between your source and the image on screen, making it usable for gaming. The Wireless TV Connect launches next month at a price of $179. Source: eCousticsPosted Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Bonus View Digest - November 11, 2011[teaser]Happy 11/11/11! Happy Veterans Day. And happy 33rd birthday to Jason Croatto (11+11+11=33... freaky)![/teaser] The holidays are fast approaching, and what better way to keep up to date with all your holiday high-def needs than reading The Bonus View as much as possible. We'll keep you informed about Blu-ray news, theatrical happenings, and TV goings on. It's a veritable cyber party over on The Bonus View blog and we'd love for you to join us. So, as you gear up for your impending Black Friday midnight store excursions, be sure to stay glued to our blog. You never know what's going to pop up. Blu-ray News In addition to Josh's weekly post about what titles are hitting the store shelves, blogger Tom Landy introduced us to the wonderful world of Steelbooks cases and what they have to offer. As a blast from the past, Josh put up a post about his special edition 'Kill Bill' DVDs. Boy, those 'Kill Bill' Bearbrick figurines look great. Even our Weekend Roundtable dealt with home movie collections. We asked our writers how they personally organize their movie collections and then our readers started up a huge comment thread to talk about how they organize theirs. Theatrical News Along with covering the weekly box office report and what movies we can expect to see in the theaters over the weekend, Luke Hickman also reviewed the surprisingly watchable (if forgettable) comedy 'Tower Heist.' He also reviewed the atrocious 'Jack and Jill,' the surprisingly decent 'Melancholia' and the lackluster 'J. Edgar' E took time out to give us another round of The Trailer Park as he featured trailers from the upcoming movies 'Man on a Ledge' and 'Contraband.' Aaron took some time out to contemplate the existence of a 'Cars' World and what that would actually mean. Raising pertinent questions like "Do the cars have sex?" Aaron delved as deep as he could into the 'Cars' Conundrum without losing his mind. In Oscar news, Brett Ratner has been ousted from his perch as Oscar producer along with his choice of host Eddie Murphy. Whew, we dodged a bullet right? Well, that was until we just found out that Billy Crystal will now be hosting the Oscars. Why do the Oscars hate viewers? That's what we'd like to know. Home Theater News In the home theater section we used the Mid-Week Poll to ask you, our dear readers, how many speakers your home theater consists of. There were a myriad of different choices, and we're quickly finding out that everyone has slightly different tastes when it comes to setting up their audio wonderland. Don't know what to watch this weekend? Take a look at our weekly articles about what's on the Netflix Stream or what is new to VUDU. Josh began writing a new column called VUDU Diaries, where he highlights a movie on the service. This week he checked out Tony Scott's vampire movie 'The Hunger.' TV Recaps We've always got enough TV recaps to go around. This week we recapped the series premiere of 'Hell on Wheels,' 'Terra Nova,' 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' 'Chuck,' 'Fringe,' 'American Horror Story,' 'Covert Affairs,' and the ever-popular 'Walking Dead.' Even blogger Wayne Rowe's One From the Vault column revisited the campy television classic 'Hawaii Five-O.' Also, we know that Halloween is over, but in case you missed it, Aaron outlined his top ten favorite 'Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror' episodes. Check them out, add your own. Huge week this week! Looking into my crystal ball I see nothing but good things ahead. So come and join us on The Bonus View every week, to get your fill of high-def news straight from the high-def experts.Posted Fri Nov 11, 2011 at 11:11 AM PST by: -
iOGEAR's Wireless HDMI Streamer Does 3D and 1080p up to 100 Feet[teaser]It only does 5.1 channel audio unlike HP's version, but it gives you four times the distance. Of course, it's also $200 more. [/teaser] Is wireless streaming season a thing? If it is then we're right smack dab in the middle of it. Both HP and iOGEAR have released new PC to TV streamers with differing capabilities. The iOGEAR GW3DKIT is 3D capable and can send 1080p video to your TV with a simple sender/receiver arrangement. It can only do 5.1 channel audio, unlike HP's Wireless TV Connect which can handle 7.1. The advantage of the GW3DKIT is that thanks to the use of the 5GHz wireless spectrum you'll be able to get 100 feet out of it instead of the 25-30 that HP promises. It's priced at $379 which is $200 higher than its competitor, but a room or two worth of range might be worth it to the right person. Source: EngadgetPosted Fri Nov 11, 2011 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Boxee Will Add Live TV Through the Boxee Box[teaser]A dongle will be needed, but you'll be able to pull in over-the-air television signals through your Box. [/teaser] The Boxee Box is really working hard to appeal to cord-cutters everywhere and the upcoming version of the Box will be offering even more. The folks over at NewTeeVee were able to get their hands on a build of the Boxee Box 1.5 update and were surprised to see a new option called Boxee Live TV, which is just what it sounds like. Live TV gives you the option to watch over-the-air broadcasts through your Boxee Box if you pick up a special dongle to enable it. While watching live TV on your Boxee Box is certainly a nice addition, Boxee will also be adding plenty of the social integration that they're known for. There's no word yet on when this update will come out and Boxee hasn't yet commented on the reveal. Source: New TeeVeePosted Fri Nov 11, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Study Hall: Clint Eastwoodby Luke Hickman Placing both the known and the secret lives of J. Edgar Hoover on the big screen, opening nationwide tomorrow, is Clint Eastwood's new dramatic bio-pic 'J. Edgar.' [teaser]With Eastwood seemingly always in the running for Academy Awards, I figured he would be a worthy topic for Study Hall, only this time we'll review his past in a different format. Instead of looking at a few of Eastwood's classic titles, we're going to take a look at the many filmmaking roles he's successfully filled over his 56-year career.[/teaser] Acting Eastwood started in the business in front of the camera. Until the last decade, he was known first and foremost as an actor. His first few years in Hollywood were spent playing small roles in television shows and uncredited bit parts in small movies - mostly war flicks and, as you know, westerns. It didn't take long for him to find his niche. After four short years in the business, Eastwood landed the role of Rowdy Yates in the popular television series 'Rawhide,' and the rest is history. After 217 episodes of 'Rawhide,' Eastwood made his way back onto the silver screen in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western 'A Fistful of Dollars.' One year later, he appeared in Leone's 'For a Few Dollars More' and just one year after that, they again reteamed for 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.' Arguably, this trio of films, known as 'The Man with No Name Trilogy' is the most well-known credit on Eastwood's resume. Personally, 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is not only my favorite western but my favorite of the films in which Eastwood stars. Over the 14 years following his work with Leone, Eastwood appeared in at least one film a year - westerns, war films, and then crime dramas. In 1971, Eastwood kicked off a the five-film 'Dirty Harry' series, where he played a San Francisco cop who didn't play by the rules. Unlike 'The Man with No Name Trilogy,' Eastwood spread his Dirty Harry roles over 17 years, filling the gaps with notable titles 'The Outlaw Josey Wales,' 'Every Which Way But Loose' and 'Escape from Alcatraz.' Alng the way, he's received two nominations for acting in 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Unforgiven,' but hasn't won. The older he's gotten, the less films he's acted in. Eastwood's current focus is placed on producing and directing. Directing Eastwood began directing while shooting his 1971 film 'The Beguiled.' When not in front of the camera, he was behind a camera of his own shooting a making-of documentary about the film's director Don Siegel short called 'The Beguiled: The Storyteller.' He must have caught the directing bug because he stuck to it. His feature directorial debut was 'Play Misty for Me,' after which he directed some of his own westerns and war flicks, as well as one 'Dirty Harry' film. Along the way, he would occasionally direct a film that he would not act in, but after 2004's 'Million Dollar Baby,' he's only returned for one film - 2008's 'Gran Torino.' Eastwood won his first Academy Award for directing 'Unforgiven.' In 2005, he won another Academy Award for directing 'Million Dollar Baby.' He's also have had two other Academy Award directing nominations for 2003's 'Mystic River' and 2006's 'Letters From Iwo Jima.' Along the way he has directed ten actors to Oscar-nominated performances. Producing Since he started directing, Eastwood has produced nearly all of his own films, as well as a few musical and historical documentaries. If you see the Eastwood-produced 'You Must Rememeber This: The Warner Bros. Story' on your TV's listings, be sure to set your DVR to record this fascinating tale of the studio's formation, trials and successes from creation to modern releases. As a producer, Eastwood has won two Best Picture Academy Awards for 'Unforgiven' and 'Million Dollar Baby,' as well as two additional nominations for 'Mystic River' and 'Letters From Iwo Jima.' Composing How many other director/producer/actors out there have also composed their own music? My guess is very few. To date, Eastwood has composed six big screen scores. 'Mystic River,' 'Million Dollar Baby,' 'Flags of our Fathers,' 'Changeling' and 'Hereafter' were all his own films, but 2007's 'Grace is Gone' is the surprise title under his composing credits. Eastwood has no apparent connection to the filmmakers nor the studio that distributed the indie film, yet he composed the simple score. Perhaps he was drawn to the intimate script about a father (John Cusack - who appeared in the Eastwood directed 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil') trying to cope with the death of his wife serving in the Middle East while looking for the right moment to break the news to their daughters. Conclusion Even though I personally view the Eastwood-directed flicks as hit-and-miss, there's no arguing that he's a filmmaking legend. The guy has proven himself in numerous roles within the Hollywood system.Posted Thu Nov 10, 2011 at 12:45 PM PST by: -
TiVo's Multi-Room DVR Debuts Through RCN[teaser]It starts rolling out in Washington D.C. and will move forward from there. [/teaser] The TiVo Premiere Q and TiVo Preview are the result of quite a bit of work and should be causing a great deal of excitement for those that have access. The combination of the two allows for whole-home enjoyment of a single DVR, with full functionality to each room. For $29.99 a month, RCN customers can get a Premiere Q and a Preview. The Premiere is the more traditional of the two units - it works just like any other TiVo. The Preview goes elsewhere in your house and allows you access to content from the Premiere. At launch, the Preview will lack a bit of functionality, like pausing live TV, rewinding and fast fowarding. That should all be ready to go in early 2012, according to RCN. Source: EngadgetPosted Thu Nov 10, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Study Says Consumers Aren't Cord Cutting - They're Supplementing[teaser]While alternative content providers are doing quite well, they're not taking as much away from cable subscriptions as people like to think. [/teaser] It's obvious to even the most casual observer that less traditional viewing methods are on the rise. Streaming to PCs, game systems and phones is becoming more common and there are plenty of workarounds for those that don't want to shell out cash for cable. According to the NPD Group, over a quarter of cable subscribers subscribe to Netflix. A similar amount watch VOD content and nearly half of all cable subscribers also pay for a premium movie or sports channel. That's quite a bit of supplemented entertainment. "There may be too much emphasis on so-called ‘cord cutters’ who represent a small group, as opposed to potential ‘cord throttlers,’ who are a massive segment of the subscribing population," says NPD analyst Russ Crupnick. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Nov 10, 2011 at 09:45 AM PST by:
