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LG Announces the new BX580 Blu-ray Player[teaser]It's got streaming capabilities, built-in WiFi, and of course, 3D Blu-ray compatibility. [/teaser] The BX580 from LG includes everything we've come to expect from the Blu-ray players of 2010. It's connected, it's 3D capable and it's slick looking. Thanks to a built-in WiFi connection, you'll be able to jump onto services like Netflix, CinemaNow, Vudu and YouTube to enjoy all the best that the internet has to offer. If going wireless isn't your thing, you can still run an Ethernet cord. The BX580 handles 3D Blu-ray discs and sports an HDMI 1.4 output as you might expect. It upscales DVDs to 1080p and shows Blu-rays at the same. The spec sheet says it's got "Superior Audio Performance," but doesn't elaborate on what exactly that means. You can pick up the BX580 for a price of $349. Source: eCousticsPosted Wed Jul 14, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Sony Rolls Out Sweet 3D TV Bundles – You've Got Until Sunday to Nab Them[teaser]Along with a 3D TV you'll get glasses, content and an HTiB, and all for less than the separate TV. [/teaser] Sony isn't normally the company you go to when you want to get something on the cheap, but it seems that they really want to be your 3D television company of choice. How better to reel you in than to launch a pair of impressive combo packages? The combos revolve around the HX800 series of televisions, and come in 46 and 55 inch varieties. You'll get the TV, of course, as well as a slick bundle of 3D goodies that includes the BDV-E570 Blu-ray home theater system, two pairs of glasses, a 3D transmitter, two Blu-ray 3D movies – 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' and the 3D version of 'IMAX: Deep Sea' - and a pair of 3D games for the PlayStation 3. The price for the 46 inch package comes in at $2,429, which is $270 less than the MSRP of the television. The 55 inch model is $349 cheaper than the TV itself, with a price of $3,059. Sony's sale ends July 17th, so if you're going to get on the 3D bandwagon, you might want to think about doing it before Sunday. Source: SonyPosted Wed Jul 14, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Amazon Prime is Now Free for Students[teaser]That's a $79 value for free as long as you've got an email address that ends in .edu. [/teaser] Maybe you've noticed, but here at High-Def Digest, we're big fans of Amazon. It's one of the best places to get Blu-rays and hardware, and Amazon Prime makes it even better. The downside to Prime is that it's $79 a year, which means you've got to buy a lot to make up the difference. If you're a student though, Amazon's hooking you up with Amazon Prime for absolutely nothing. Just jump on over to the Amazon Student signup page, enter your info, and you're done. Once you're signed up, you'll get free two-day shipping, cheap upgrades to overnight shipping and a few other nice perks – all for free. That's less money you have to spend on shipping out Blu-ray discs and more money to spend on other things you need. Source:Posted Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 11:15 AM PDT by: -
Intel's New Remote Knows Who You Are[teaser]The device uses motion tracking to detect and identify you, your family, and your children. [/teaser] Customization, in the past, has always been reliant on user programming. You can set up separate Windows logins, profiles for the driver's seat in your car, and remote control layouts, but it's only convenient once it's done. You have to set it all up in the first place. The latest proposal from Intel is for a remote that recognizes you, not by your face or your fingerprints, but by the way you hold a controller. According to early studies, the remote is capable of identifying the user between 60 and 90 percent of the time. The idea is that everyone holds remotes differently and moves differently. The remote takes constant measurements until it can determine just who's holding it, and then tailors itself to the user. One practical application is using the smart remote as a censor, making sure that kids can only watch shows they're allowed to watch. Since the remote is able to determine who is using it, there's much less of a chance that they'll be able to bypass it. Source: Branislav Kveton (PDF)Posted Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
YouTube Adds Support for 4K Resolution[teaser]It doesn't work terribly well, and most people don't have the bandwidth or monitor resolution to handle it, but future-proofing couldn't hurt. [/teaser] It may not be the most practical feature now, but we might really appreciate it in the next five or ten years. YouTube, the video sharing website best known as the place you can go to see someone get hit in the groin, has upgraded to be fully compatible with 4K resolution. You've got to appreciate a bit of future-proofing, right? There are a few sample videos up now, but you'll need a hell of a connection to make them work, and to get the true benefit you'll need a monitor that can handle the resolution. If you swing on over to YouTube and check out the sample videos, you'll want to select "original resolution" on the selection bar. Then wait for it to load up and hope your rig can handle it. Source: YouTubePosted Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Cable Companies Considering Packages With Fewer Channels and Lower Prices[teaser]With alternatives like Netflix and Hulu on the rise, cable companies may be rethinking their strategies. [/teaser] Until recently, there have really only been two options for watching channels outside the broadcast range. You could get satellite or you could get cable. Either way it's the same basic principle. You pay monthly for more channels than you could ever watch. "It would be a good thing," said Glen Britt, CEO of Time Warner, "if we could all figure out a way to have one or more smaller packages that would be attractive to people who can't afford bigger ones." It's hard to disagree with that. Few people actually need or want all the channels that come with basic packages – packages that are scaling up to $80 a month in some places. What he didn't talk about though, was "a la carte" programming, which was a hot issue a few years back, but hasn't gotten much talk recently. Giving customers the option to pick the channels that are important to them could be a great way to cut costs while maintaining viewership. As far as the measures Britt mentioned though, he says that if it happens it won't be any time soon. "Talks are happening at some level," he said, "but not too seriously." Source: ReutersPosted Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
TiVo Premiere Gets Another Performance Update[teaser]The promised Pandora music service is still nowhere to be found. [/teaser] Letting your friends know about the burger you just ate is one of the many uses of Twitter. In a more practical sense, it's a fantastic way to get information. Thanks to tweets between a few frustrated customers and Tivo's VP of User Experience Margret Schmidt, we've now got a release date estimate for the next TiVo Premiere update. In response to a customer complaining of the system freezing up, Margaret said "I suggest a reboot for now," adding that they "anticipate releasing an update in the next two weeks." That was on June 28th, after a similar answer on June 21st. So it sounds like we can expect an update that will boost performance and increase stability of TiVo's new hardware sometime in mid July. As far as the Pandora service – which was promised at launch – there's no word yet. Source: Zat's Not FunnyPosted Mon Jul 12, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Netflix Hooks up with Relativity Media for First Run Movies[teaser]Instead of hitting HBO, Starz, or one of the other premium channels, some movies will be going to Netflix first. [/teaser] Companies like Blockbuster hold out the release window as one of the major downsides to the Netflix movie service. They're not wrong, it is a problem. But it's a problem Netflix is trying to solve. Thanks to a deal with Relativity Media, they're on their way. The deal with Relativity Media is a huge step. It ensures that Netflix will be allowed to stream movies before or at the same time as movie channels like HBO start showing them. That means movies like 'Robin Hood, ' 'Get Him to The Greek,' and 'Grown Ups' will all be available to stream on Netflix just a few months after the DVD and Blu-ray release. "Historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release," explains Netflix content officer Ted Sarandos. "Through our partnership with Relativity, these films will start to become available to our members just months after their DVD release." SourcePosted Mon Jul 12, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
Get Your Kicks with HD Advisor 66Editor's Note: Each Friday, High-Def Digest's own HD Advisor will answer a new round of questions from our readers. If you have home theater questions you need answered, send an email to [email protected]. If you've already sent a question and don't see it answered yet, please be patient as we work our way through them. To browse through previously answered questions, visit the main HD Advisor page. Answers by Joshua Zyber Dolby ProLogic IIx vs ProLogic IIz Q: Some new receivers have Dolby ProLogic IIz processing. What's the difference between ProLogic IIx and ProLogic IIz? Is IIz just a newer enhanced version? A: To answer this, let's take a look at the history of Dolby ProLogic. The original ProLogic was a processing program used to derive surround sound from a 2-channel audio source. Using a matrixing algorithm, ProLogic could extract the dialogue from a movie soundtrack and direct it to a front center channel, and likewise could extract (at the time, monaural) surround information and send it to the back speakers. In effect, ProLogic made a 4.0 soundtrack (Left, Center, Right, and monaural Surround) from a 2-channel signal. In the home, this worked great for VHS and Laserdisc sources. And we still see some DVDs and Blu-rays authored with 2.0 soundtracks, depending on how the movie or TV show was originally mixed. Later, the company created Dolby ProLogic II as a refinement of the original process. ProLogic II added stereo directional steering to the surround speakers and an LFE channel. That 2-channel source could be processed into simulated 5.1 format. Next came ProLogic IIx, which expands to 7.1 by adding left and right center back channels. ProLogic IIx processing can be used to bump either 2.0 or 5.1 sources up to 7.1. It can even be applied to soundtracks from the competing DTS audio codecs. This has been the standard in most A/V receivers for a few years now. Dolby's latest twist is ProLogic IIz, which adds new height channels. The idea is that you can mount two small speakers above your front Left and Right mains. ProLogic IIz will then extract ambient or amorphous noises such as wind or rain and send them to the high speakers. This can be added to either 5.1 or 7.1 systems. Dolby refers to the latter as a 9.1 configuration. I have to admit to some skepticism about the usefulness of height channels. No movie soundtracks are actually mixed with discrete height information. I suppose that the benefit of this will largely depend on the room environment. Some viewers may find this very effective. But I believe that the majority of listeners will continue to find 5.1 or 7.1 set-ups perfectly satisfactory. Processing 5.1 Soundtracks into 7.1 Q: I have a new 7.1 channel home theater set-up. However, I find that there are hardly any Blu-rays that are encoded with 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or 7.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtracks. How do you reviewers – those of you who have 7.1 set-ups – treat Blu-rays with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD? Do you leave it as it is, without any sound from the surround back speakers? Or do you upscale 5.1 to 7.1 using your A/V receiver? In your recommendation, what way should I treat the Blu-rays with 5.1? A: The vast majority of movie soundtracks today are still mixed in 5.1 format, and likely will be for the foreseeable future. There are exceptions to this, of course. ('Toy Story 3' is notable as a native 7.1 mix.) However, by and large, anything more than 5.1 is rare. Almost all Blu-rays that you'll find authored with discrete 7.1 soundtracks were remixed after-the-fact for home video. Sometimes, this is done with the filmmakers' participation and oversight, and other times it's a studio decision without the filmmakers' involvement. As mentioned above, Dolby ProLogic IIx (or IIz) processing can be used to expand any 5.1 soundtrack to 7.1 configuration at home. In my experience, the results are very effective, and practically indistinguishable from a discrete 7.1 mix. Among reviewers (and among home theater fans in general), there are two schools of thought for how to treat 5.1 soundtracks. On the one hand, some viewers prefer to listen to 5.1 soundtracks only in 5.1 format, and disable any extra processing. These people will set their receivers to only engage the center back channels if a soundtrack is encoded with discrete 7.1 audio. On the other hand, some listeners prefer to leave ProLogic IIx processing on at all times, and expand all 5.1 soundtracks to 7.1. Personally, I fall in the latter camp. I leave ProLogic IIx on all the time. However, I can't tell you what you should do. This will ultimately come down to a matter of personal preference. My suggestion is to try leaving ProLogic IIx on and then watch a few movies with 5.1 soundtracks. If you don't like the results, you can always turn it off later. TV Shows on Blu-ray Q: I decided some time ago that I would never buy another DVD again, only Blu-ray. Like many, I enjoy certain TV shows. How can anyone know if a TV series that is already out on DVD will make it to Blu-ray? And I don't mean just digitally copied on a Blu-ray disc, but enhanced to high definition. I would love to own the whole 'Northern Exposure' series. It's only available on dvd, but they play high-def episodes on the Universal HD network. A: I stopped trying to second guess which titles the studios will choose to issue on Blu-ray long ago. It's a much of a mystery to me as anyone. In some cases, I swear that the studio executives must just throw darts at a list of titles pinned to a wall. (Was 'Jimmy Hollywood' seriously just released on Blu-ray? Will a single human being on Earth choose to buy that disc? I can't imagine it. I doubt that even Christian Slater will want to own that one.) Unfortunately, the presence of a particular title on HD broadcast is not a reliable indicator that the title will also be issued on Blu-ray. Studios might make money off syndication contracts, but still decide that a Blu-ray release wouldn't be profitable enough to attempt. As for TV shows, I don't hold out much hope for older series like 'Northern Exposure'. The sad fact of the matter is that TV series on Blu-ray have sold poorly in general, even popular shows that are still on the air. Sony only released one season of 'Damages' on Blu-ray, and then gave up; later seasons are only available on DVD. Warner did the same for 'Nip/Tuck'. (Only the fourth of that show's seven seasons was released on Blu-ray.) That's not to say that it's impossible. Studios do continue to trickle out the occasional TV title, including an older show now and again. HBO recently announced that a complete series box set for 'Deadwood will come out later this year. Still, I would generally only expect this for shows known to have large fan bases of collectors. It also helps if the series had a short run, which the studio can issue all at once. 'Northern Exposure' was a pretty popular show back in the day, but it hasn't really been in the public consciousness for a long time. And it ran for six seasons, which makes it a tricky proposition to start releasing now. (If the first season doesn't sell, there's little to no chance of the studio releasing more.) But I don't claim to be psychic, and stranger things have happened. So, we really have no way of knowing for certain until the studio releases an official announcement one way or the other. Homework Assignment: You Be the Advisor The HD Advisor knows many things, but he doesn't know everything. Some questions are best answered with a consensus of opinions from our readers. If you can help to answer the following question, please post your response in our forum thread linked at the end of this article. Your advice and opinions matter too! Macbook Pro HDMI Audio Problem Q: I recently bought a 13" Macbook Pro (mid 2010). This is the model that supports HDMI audio and video output through a Mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI cable. I connected it to my Marantz SR5003 A/V receiver, which outputs the video to my Samsung HDTV. I have no problems getting a video signal because it was instantaneously recognized. The Macbook Pro even configured itself to display at 1080p resolution on the HDTV. I also noticed right away that my receiver was displaying a 7.1 multi-channel PCM signal (similar to what you see when you plug in an original PS3). I then rented a movie from iTunes that included a 5.1 digital surround sound signal. That's where the problems started. The movie played and sounded fine in stereo mode. But when I switched over to the Surround Audio from the control bar, I got a stuttering noise coming out of my speakers. My receiver is still display a 7.1 multi-channel PCM signal at this point. I searched the internet for some answers, and someone wrote in a forum to configure the Audio MIDI Setup from the Utilities folder. I promptly fired up the application, but whatever I do, I can't seem to get the audio to work. When I chose HDMI Output option, the inside options defaulted to 8ch-24bit. When I tried to change the option to Encoded Digital Audio, the stuttering disappeared, but there's still no sound. What was conspicuous was that now, my A/V receiver is displaying No Audio and the PCM display was flashing; meaning it wasn't receiving any signal. I know it cannot be a faulty cable because stereo worked just fine. I have also already gone into the Settings panel to choose HDMI as the output under the Sound setting. I looked through iTunes Preference menu, but there didn't seem to be any settings for audio. Could it be that the Marantz SR5003 A/V receiver cannot decode the signal for whatever reason? Is there something I'm not configuring right? Check back soon for another round of answers. Keep those questions coming. Joshua Zyber's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of this site, its owners or employees.Posted Fri Jul 9, 2010 at 11:30 AM PDT by: -
The 3D Blu-ray Update for PS3 Is Coming This September[teaser]Only two firmware updates to go until Sony's game system and Blu-ray player gets the full 3D treatment. [/teaser] Think what you will of the device as a game system. Whether you love it or hate it, you've got to admit that the PlayStation 3 remains one of the best values in Blu-ray. It's regularly updated with new firmware, and it's the oldest Blu-ray player that's getting 3D tech enabled. In just two months, the PS3 is getting the update that makes it compatible with 3D Blu-ray discs, again securing it as a fantastic multipurpose Blu-ray player and game system. But as Mick Hocking of Sony's Computer Entertainment division says, movies may not be the big thing for 3D. "We think games are going to be the killer content for 3D,' says Hocking. "In general, we find that 3D enhances all types of games. There are no types that it doesn't bring a benefit to." It's a big claim which is going to need to stand up to critics before consumers are swayed to shell out the money for a 3D setup. Source: Pocket-lintPosted Fri Jul 9, 2010 at 11:10 AM PDT by:
