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Logitech's Fourth Quarter Results Disappoint - Revue Price Drop Coming[teaser]Logitech didn't do great this year, and poor sales of the Revue didn't help. [/teaser] Things haven't been going well for Logitech. Despite creating their own Google TV device - a move that seemed like a surefire win - the company was unable to capitalize. The Revue brought in just $5 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. That's down significantly from the $22 million in sales in the third quarter and nowhere near the $18 million that Logitech expected. That doesn't mean they're backing away. If the Google TV platform is able to be revamped into a more attractive prospect for consumers, the Revue is still a solid device. They are dropping the price though, from $299 to $249. Source: EngadgetPosted Mon May 2, 2011 at 07:30 AM PDT by: -
Sony Addresses Outage - Services Will Return When Secure[teaser]Sony says it could be as soon as a week from now, but stresses that security is the main concern. [/teaser] The folks at Sony have a disaster on their hands. Their network has been down for over a week, and user information of every single PlayStation Network user has been compromised. It's about as bad as things can get and Sony is doing what they can to handle it. They released more information today to update people as to what's been going on. They stress that they're working with law enforcement to find those responsible. They've also stressed that they're going to be working with outside security groups to better protect their system in the future. In terms of the service coming back up, Sony says that they expect to have at least some things back up and running next week. They're not giving a specific date though, since security is the number one priority. "We want to be very clear," says Sony's official blog, "that we will only restore operations when we are confident that the network is secure." Source: Official PlayStation BlogPosted Mon May 2, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: 'Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' Blu-ray $27.99 at Amazon[teaser]Victor Fleming's timeless classic on Blu-ray is the featured bargain this week at Amazon! [/teaser] Amazon is selling 'Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh for $27.99 (57% off suggested list price). This lavish 4-disc individually numbered (limited to 150,000) box set comes with a commemorative hardcover book, reproduced archival correspondence, a reproduction of the movie's original 1939 program, and more all housed inside a fancy velvet gift box for the ultimate collector. Click here to order one of the greatest films of all time in this must-own Blu-ray collection!Posted Sun May 1, 2011 at 02:10 PM PDT by: -
The Bonus View Digest - April 29, 2011[teaser]Now that it's been over a year since High-Def Digest started its own blog, The Bonus View, we thought it a good idea to keep people up to date about everything going on there. Each week we post a High-Def Digest-Digest so you can have an easily navigated way of accessing all the cool stuff we've been up to at HDD for the past week. Here on The Bonus View Digest we'll be highlighting some of the fantastic posts of the last week so you can see what you're missing out on if you're not checking out The Bonus View on a daily basis.[/teaser] Since March we've been having a movie character tournament, where we started out with 64 famous movie characters. It's a tournament style format with characters going head-to-head in battles to the death. Readers decide through voting who they want to continue on and who they want to leave lying there bleeding and broken. We've almost finished up with the second round, so here's some of the match-ups you may have missed. Batman vs. The Joker – Dutch vs. Inigo Montoya John McClane vs. Col. Hans Landa – Paul Kersey vs. Hannibal Lecter Judge Doom vs. Maximus – Harry Callahan vs. The Terminator The Bonus View is also a perfect place to get all the information you'll need about theatrical releases. Yes, we even cover what's happening in the cinemas. Today's movies are tomorrow's Blu-rays! New writer Luke Hickman asks "Since When Are Movies Known for Their FX Teams?" Giving us the insider information on why the new movie 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is touting WETA Digital during their trailer. In a couple other Hollywood news stories Luke tells us the new 'Bourne' movie won't star Jason Bourne, and what we can expect from the sequel to 'Piranha 3D' That's not all we cover at The Bonus View, though. We've even got weekly recaps of your favorite TV shows. Shows like 'Game of Thrones', 'Modern Family', 'Fringe', 'Chuck', 'Justified', 'The Killing', and NBC's Thursday night lineup are all covered in great detail every week giving you a place to voice your opinions about each and every, episode. Finally we have pithy editorials that cover every aspect of the HD universe. From video games to the latest HD equipment, The Bonus View has you covered. We heard from Dick Ward when he lamented video games being unfairly blamed for violence in our society. We learned about the Playstation Network being hacked and brought down without any explanation of how long the downtime will last. I didn't even cover the fun that we have with our Mid-week Polls on all sorts of HD topics, our Weekend Roundtables where The Bonus View writers sit around discussing different movie-related topics, and that we have a Weekend Movies recap so you know what's happening with your favorite movies in the theaters. So, please join us over on The Bonus View, you won't be disappointed.Posted Fri Apr 29, 2011 at 03:00 PM PDT by: -
DirecTV Considering a Netflix-Like Service[teaser]A poll that recently went out to customers lays out the details more specifically. [/teaser] When surveys go out to consumers from big companies, that tends to mean that something new is on the way. A Netflix survey went out shortly before the service was announced for the PS3 and a Netflix survey went out at a similar time for the Wii. Now a survey has gone out to DirecTV customers. It doesn't ask about Netflix integration specifically, but focuses on what people like about Netflix over DirecTV and customer opinions on a new service. One of the pieces of the survey gives some specifics. "In this next section, we would like you to evaluate a new service that DirecTV is thinking about offering to their customers," it says. "DirecTV plans to offer a streaming-only Netflix-like service for a flat fee per month, which would appear as a line item on your monthly bill." Customers would be able to choose from thousands of movies and TV shows, but content would be limited a bit more strictly than Netflix. Past seasons of TV shows would be offered, but movies would all be over five years old. It doesn't sound like something that would be capable of real competition with Netflix, but instead something that might tempt DirecTV subscribers to switch. Source: Zatz Not Funny (via Engadget)Posted Fri Apr 29, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Hulu Plus Comes to Xbox Live on Friday[teaser]According to a scan of Official Xbox Magazine, we'll be seeing Hulu Plus on the console on April 29th. [/teaser] We haven't heard much official word from the folks at Microsoft in regards to Hulu Plus integration. It's something that was mentioned a while back and never really followed up on. Now it seems that Hulu Plus will be coming to Xbox 360s without the buildup and fanfare that you might expect. The folks at Joystiq got their hands on a scan of the new Official Xbox Magazine which reveals the date, though it hasn't been posted on their site for perusal. The scanned magazine pages also state that Microsoft will be holding a contest where random Hulu Plus users are selected to win prizes like free Hulu Plus subscriptions, Xbox 360 bundles and vacations. Source: JoystiqPosted Fri Apr 29, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
PlayStation Network Hacked - Customer Information Comprimised[teaser]If you're a PSN or Qriocity user, it's time to start changing passwords and checking your credit card statements. [/teaser] The recent PlayStation Network downtime may have upset gamers, but things have gotten much more serious than simply not being able to play games online. According to Sony, there has been a significant security breach that has resulted in the compromise of all customer data currently on the network. If you're signed up on the PlayStation Network or Qriocity, your name, email address, online handle, login ID and password were all available to these hackers, as well as your billing address and the security questions for your password. It gets worse than that. Sony says that they can't rule out the possibility of credit card information being stolen. "If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity," says Sony in an official statement, "out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained." Source: Official PlayStation Blog (via The Bonus ViewPosted Thu Apr 28, 2011 at 08:30 AM PDT by: -
Panasonic Now Offers 3D 'Avatar' with 3D Blu-ray Player Purchase[teaser]The expansion of the deal should make the disc a little bit easier to track down. [/teaser] 'Avatar' fans have it rough. If you want to see the movie in 3D like you did in the theaters, you only have two options for getting it. You can either buy a Panasonic TV or pick up the movie on eBay for around $100. Neither choice is entirely appealing unless you're already in the market for a TV. Panasonic is making things a little bit easier. They still have exclusivity rights, so don't expect to see it on shelves any time soon, but they're giving the disc to those who purchase 3D Blu-ray players and home theater systems instead of just those that buy TV. Panasonic hopes this will give people quite a bit of incentive to upgrade their Blu-ray players. A free 3D Blu-ray with a $150 DMP-BDT110 is a nice setup. The unintended consequence is that there will be more 3D 'Avatar' discs in the wild, which means more for eBay and lower prices for those that don't want to buy a new Panasonic player but still want their 'Avatar' Blu-ray. Source: TWICEPosted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
DarbeeVision Announces an HDMI Cable with Built-in Video Processor[teaser]The company says their tech will significantly improve pictures in movies and games. [/teaser] The folks at DarbeeVision have an interesting new piece of technology that they're shipping out to accessory manufacturers now. It's an HDMI cable with a video processor built right in that's said to improve your picture dramatically. DarbeeVision seems to be targeting gamers as their key demographic, since it's a group ripe with early adopters. "Gamers pride themselves on being up to speed on the latest and greatest," says founder Paul Darbee. "They have a rabid appetite for new products, and gaming is truly more than a hobby." Darbee goes on to explain just what the new tech will do. "Our new HDMI cable will put gamers inside the action, drawing them deeper into the game by adding depth of scene and extreme clarity and detail," he says. "Objects in the game will appear to possess a strong sense of depth separation and roundness." The company is offering its new technology to gaming accessory manufacturers now, so don't be surprised if you see special HDMI cables brought out by Mad Catz in the near future. Source: TwicePosted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Netflix Continues to Focus on Streaming - De-emphasizes Discs[teaser]The company boasts 23.6 million subscribers, with streaming content being the main attraction. [/teaser] This may not come as a surprise, but Netflix is doing well. They made $60 million in the first quarter of this year, which is an 88 percent increase when compared to the first quarter of 2010. They've expanded into Canada, introduced new subscription models for the US, and are sitting at a total of 23.6 million subscribers. CEO Reed Hastings, on a call with analysts yesterday, said that the emphasis for Netflix going forward will be streaming. He declined to talk about numbers for disc shipments, but did say that he expects them to decline. Hastings says that the success of streaming means that discs are less important when comparing Netflix to the competition. " In order to prosper in streaming we must concentrate on having the best possible streaming service," he says. " As a result, we are beginning to treat them separately in many ways." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by:
