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Big Lebowki Cast Reunites for Blu-ray Release[teaser]If you missed the live stream, you can catch the full Q&A when it's posted next week. [/teaser] Big Lebowski fans, get ready for some awesomeness. In honor of the Blu-ray release of the film, the main cast of 'The Big Lebowski' reunited for a Q&A and a special screening for those at Lebowski Fest. Lebowski stars John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and John Turturro were in attendance as well as The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. No Philip Seymour Hoffman or Sam Elliot, but you can't have everything. If you missed the Q&A, you'll be able to check it out on Live Stream next week. Until then you can satisfy your appetite with a quick clip on YouTube As cool as this whole thing is, you have to admit that it's a bit of a blessing and a curse. This panel is exactly the kind of thing that would have topped off the Blu-ray so wonderfully and though you'll still be able to see it, the chances are it won't still be online five or ten years down the road. Maybe BD-Live?Posted Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 12:10 PM PDT by: -
Palisades Tartan Devastated by London Riots[teaser]The fires started by rioters have destroyed as many as a quarter of a million discs. [/teaser] "All of our inventory is gone, just gone. And we don’t know what we’re going to do next," says Palisades Tartan CEO Soumya Sriraman. "We’re not sure when we’re going to be back up." While Palisades Tartan may not be a household name, it should ring a bell to fans of horror or Asian movies. Tartan Asian Extreme has put out films like 'Audition,' 'The Eye,' and the 'Vengeance Trilogy' including the much loved 'Oldboy.' Tartan Terror, meanwhile, has distributed 'House of 1,000 Corpses' and the Dario Argento version of 'The Phantom of the Opera.' The company isn't going to be in good shape anytime soon according to Sriraman. "We’re going to lose sales every week, no matter what, and all we can do is keep our head down and deal with it." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
ATSC Starts on a 3D Broadcasting Standard[teaser]They're expecting the process to take around a year to complete. [/teaser] With new technologies come new standards, and with 3D they're popping up all over the place. The ATSC is now working on one of their own for broadcast television to fixed and mobile devices. Dr. Youngkown Lim of the Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute is heading up the project, which he expects to complete in around a year. The standard will deliver 3D content on one receiver, with video for both eyes delivered at the same time and will also cover 3D content available "in non-real time" which we assume means VODs. "The addition of 3DTV over-the-air TV broadcast transmission is part of our ongoing effort to expand the capabilities of the ATSC suite of digital television standards," says ATSC president Mark Richter. "The addition of 3DTV capability to the DTV broadcast standard will foster new broadcast services while preserving the integrity of legacy TV receivers." Source: TWICEPosted Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
EISA Awards for Home Theater and Home Audio Announced[teaser]The European association honors Europe's finest products in a range of consumer electronics categories. [/teaser] The European Imaging and Sound Association has announced its 2011 awards for in-car electronics, cameras, mobile devices and most importantly for audio, home theater and video. All of the awards are Europe -centric so there may be a few different models or less familiar brands. The award for plasma TVs went to Panasonic's TX-P50VT30 which shouldn't come as too big a surprise, nor should the Samsung UE40D6500's win for Best Buy. One name you might not have expected to see on the list though - Philips picked up a win in the 3D TV category for its 46PFL9706. Audio awards came out as well, with honorees such as the Pioneer VSX-921 which won for best receiver, the Sunfire SDS-12 which took home an award in the subwoofer category and the LG HX966TZ/TZW won for best home theater system. You can find all the awards and the reasons behind each pick at the EISA page linked below. EISAPosted Thu Aug 18, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Tivo's New Premiere Elite Detailed[teaser]The new DVR uses four tuners and offers two terabytes of recording space. [/teaser] TiVo's future release has been a bit of a mystery, but details have finally been uncovered for the upcoming TiVo Premiere Elite. The Premiere Elite offers four tuners instead of the two in the rest of the Premiere line. That means you can record four channels at once - impressive to be sure. You'll have plenty of space for all that programming too, thanks to the 2TB hard drive that can handle 300 hours of HD recording. Like the rest of TiVo's lineup, the Premiere Elite will offer video and audio streaming from online sources like Netflix. It can go wireless or use a more traditional Ethernet connection. It also packs MoCA compatibility for those that have picked up on this new networking tech. Estimates for price range from as low as $400 to a high of $800. TiVo says the new DVR will launch this fall. Source: Zatz Not Funny, (via Engadget)Posted Wed Aug 17, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Netflix Readies User Interface for Kids[teaser]The new page is designed to make browsing simpler and more fun for the younger set. [/teaser] The folks over at Netflix have been working hard to improve their streaming service and the upcoming addition to browsing on PC should make things much easier for parents and children alike. A new option called "Just for Kids" will be added to the top menu bar and clicking on it will bring you to a whole new interface aimed at younger kids. You'll be presented with a menu that shows popular kid's shows using easily recognizable images of characters from the show. Once you've selected a character you'll see a list of episodes with screenshots above them to provide a simpler way to browse for those that can't yet read. The new option is already live on some users accounts in the same way that Netflix usually rolls out these test updates. Source: GigaOmPosted Wed Aug 17, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Time Warner Will Acquire Insight Communications[teaser]Another small cable provider is gobbled up by the big fish in the pond. [/teaser] The once diverse selection of cable providers keeps getting smaller, and yet another regional provider has been bought up. Time Warner will be picking up Insight Communications at a price of $3 billion in a deal that's expected to close by the end of this year. With cable subscribers on the decline recently, increasing a customer base is more important than ever. This new acquisition will be bringing Time Warner 679,000 new subscribers and about $100 million in cost savings. "We believe in our business and its long-term prospects and have long thought that Insight's well-run, technologically advanced systems would fit well with our Midwest operations," says Time Warner CEO Glenn Brit. "With the deal announced today, we are able to acquire those systems at an attractive price that is consistent with both our disciplined approach to M&A and our capital allocation strategy." Source: ReutersPosted Wed Aug 17, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Beyond the Blu: August 2011by Dick Ward [teaser]You've preordered some new Blu-rays and you can't wait for them to arrive. We know the feeling - the anticipation can be downright difficult to handle. But just the Blu-rays isn't enough for you. You want more. You want collectables, clothing, knick knacks and stuff that's just plain weird. And you want it now![/teaser] Nightmare Before Christmas When I think of 'Nightmare Before Christmas' my mind goes straight to the incredibly cool soundtrack. Well, to be completely honest, my first thoughts are headbutting everyone who refers to it as a Tim Burton movie - it was directed by Henry Selick! Still, the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic. The tribute album 'Nightmare Revisited' may be even better. If for nothing else, you need to pick this up for Marilyn Manson's version of "This is Halloween" and the brilliant job that The Polyphonic Spree did with "The Town Meeting Song." The Big Lebowski We've started with a pair of cult classics, but while it's fairly easy to pick up as much 'Nightmare Before Christmas' themed clothing as you could ever want with one quick stop at Hot Topic, The Big Lebowski didn't get the same treatment. Still, with this Little Lebowski Urban Achievers bowling shirt you can double up a bit on movie references while not being too obvious. The effect is pretty subtle and very cool. Good Will Hunting Some movies are remembered by a single line that ties the whole thing together or just represents an iconic moment. "I am your father," "Here's looking at you kid," and "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," are among them, but 'Good Will Hunting' doesn't have anything even close to as cool. Instead, folks remember "How do you like them apples?" It's a shame, but if you're a fan the best thing you can do is embrace it and enjoy some gourmet chocolate covered caramel apples. How do you like them apples? Probably pretty well - they look delicious. Demolition Man Alright, so chances are you're not going to be frozen and then reawakened in the future to fight a blond Wesley Snipes, but there's always the chance that you'll be delivering pizza and get frozen on accident or even just fall through a rift in space time. Point is, you're going to need to be prepared. Avoid the embarrassment of having to ask about the shells on the first day and revealing yourself to be a total noob by bringing some travel toilet paper along with you. Keep it with you at all times - you never know when you might end up. Wayne's World Ahh 'Wayne's World.' It's the film that helped to define a generation. Wait, define isn't the right word. Entertain maybe. Anyway, it's a great flick and despite a few silly things they let slip in there - why is Cassandra amazed by a whammy bar? - the movie is amazing. So hey, you want to celebrate the release of 'Wayne's World?' Get yourself a gun rack, regardless of whether or not you own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. The Mummy Trilogy So you got yourself that gun rack from 'Wayne's World' and you need something to put in it? How about a Colt 1911 Airsoft pistol that's based on the same gun that Rick used throughout the first 'Mummy' movie. If you've never played around with an Airsoft gun you really should. It's like Nerf but it hurts like crazy and you could probably seriously shoot someone's eye out. It's still a lot of fun. (Dick Ward and High-Def Digest do not condone whatever it is you get up to with this thing. Seriously, don't tell anyone I said how fun these things are.) Dexter: The Complete Fifth Season Good ol' 'Dexter.' The show is yet another one of Showtime's runaway hits and an unabashed success. There are a few iconic things in the 'Dexter' universe, but perhaps nothing as memorable as the shirt he wears for his kills. The Dexter Kill Shirt is a perfect addition to a Halloween costume, a good but confusing look for a night out or something to wear around the house while catching up on season five. (Dick Ward and High-Def Digest do not condone murder, but duh.)Posted Tue Aug 16, 2011 at 05:25 PM PDT by: -
Definitive Technology Launches New Sound Bars[teaser]Both the three channel and five channel sound bars are just over an inch and a half deep for use with ultra-slim TVs. [/teaser] Definitive technology has launched a pair of new sound bars aimed at folks who either don't want a surround sound setup or just don't have a room that allows for it. The XTR-SSA3 offers up three channels, the right and left of which use Spatial Array technology to widen the sound stage as much as is possible with two speakers. The SSA5 boasts five channels with Spatial Array packed into all of them to present the illusion of a surround system. The SSA5 has a total of 10 drivers at 3.5 inches in diameter and three one-inch tweeters. It comes in at a price of $999. The SSA3 has only six drivers and three tweeters and costs $799. Both are available now. Source: eCousticsPosted Mon Aug 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
3D Glasses Vending Machines Roll Out[teaser]Glasses will come in a variety of styles and prices from $20 to $70. [/teaser] Cinemark and UltraStar theaters in San Diego and Huntington Beach California are some of the first in the country to offer up vending machines which carry premium 3D glasses. The glasses in question are supplied by Marchon 3D and are designed to offer style in addition to a better picture. "Unveiling these EX3D vending machines will reach consumers as they walk in," says Marchon 3D president David Johnson. He says that the glasses offered in the machines will "provide the best viewing experience from a technological standpoint as well as guaranteed comfort and style that speaks to each person’s personality." As far as the 3D effect goes, it's really hard to judge what's legitimate and what's fluff. In terms of comfort though, he makes a good point. If you're seeing a lot of 3D movies and it's just $20 to grab your own pair of more comfortable glasses many movie goers may see the value. Source: Home Theater MagazinePosted Mon Aug 15, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by:
