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Panasonic’s 3Ds Launch Wednesday – At Half the Japanese Price[teaser]If you thought 3D TVs were going to be exceedingly costly, you’re in for a surprise. [/teaser] “3D is going to be so expensive!” say the format’s detractors. Panasonic’s taken a bit of wind out of that argument though, since their new 3D televisions are set to release at a price that can only be described as reasonable. The Japanese launch of Panasonic’s new sets was expected to reflect the price seen on the US market, but the company has us surprised. Their 50” VT25 plasma will be sold for $2,500. As a kit with 3D glasses and a 3D Blu-ray player it’ll run right around $3,000. Presumably, this also means we’ll start seeing Panasonic’s 3D BD players hitting shelves this week too. The new sets will start showing up in Best Buy stores on Wednesday, with over 1,000 stores in the US getting them in the long run. There’s no information as to what they’ll be showing on the screens, but I’d be willing to bet on blue aliens. Three grand isn’t exactly chump change, but it’s a far cry from the tens of thousands for early plasmas, and it’s safely in the ‘normal’ range for a brand new television. It may not be enough to sway anyone into the 3D camp, but the unexpected price point could mean good things for the format. Source: Wall Street JournalPosted Tue Mar 9, 2010 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Brando Unveils New HTPC Remote[teaser]The Rii remote from Brando is aimed at the all around computer use, but its 90 degree flip feature makes it an incredibly cool home theater remote. [/teaser] Yes it’s called the Rii. Yes, the website is replete with spelling and grammar errors; the battery is reported to “endurable for up to 1 mouth,” and of its style the site states that “simplicity is no simple.” All that aside, the Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard is actually pretty cool. To start with, it’s nice and small. At around fifteen centimeters long and sixty centimeters deep, the Rii is compact. It operates on the 2.4Ghz frequency and connects to your PC thanks to an included USB dongle. It’s got a laptop style touch pad and a full QWERTY keyboard. The thing that makes the Rii unique is the 90 degree flip feature. If you’ve used a keyboard style remote control before, you know that the keyboard itself is used for a fairly small amount of time when browsing for content. The rest of the time, it’s the touchpad and directional buttons. The Rii’s 90 degree flip feature lets you stop holding the remote like a keyboard and start holding it like a remote. With the touch of a button, the directional keys and touch pad will respond to inputs with a 90 degree difference from how they otherwise would. In other words, you can hit the button, turn the remote sideways, and still use it properly. Source; BrandoPosted Mon Mar 8, 2010 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
Acer Launches 3D Ready 720p Projector[teaser]The latest release from Acer offers the potential for a 3D experience and a high def picture, all at a reasonable price. [/teaser] Projectors are a great way to get that theatrical experience at home. Acer’s H5360 is a great example. It’s a slick projector that does just enough to be useful, but not so much that it’ll break the bank. The Acer H5360 is a 3D ready projector designed to be used with NVidia’s 3D Vision. It’s got an impressive brightness rating of 2500 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 3,000:1. The H5360 has a native 720p resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s got an HDMI input of course, as well as jacks for component, composite and S-video signals and a VGA input. It sports a 3x color wheel design, and aims to recreate colors accurately thanks to Acer’s own ColorBoostII+ technology. You can pick up the H5360 now for $699. Source: AcerPosted Mon Mar 8, 2010 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Netflix Gets a Makeover[teaser]If you were dependent on friends' lists to make selections, you may be in for some disappointment, but the new setup makes television streaming much, much simpler. [/teaser] The movie details page on Netflix underwent some changes last week in response to some member surveys and research on the more utilized features of the system. The change was designed to simplify things for content with multiple viewing options (DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming) as well as for episodic content. The biggest positive change in the new interface is the improvement to television show streaming. Episodes of television shows are now listed individually on the page. You can see the amount of each episode you’ve watched, just in case you left off in the middle of one, and the page even lets you know what the last episode you watched was. On the down side, you don’t get to see what your friends rated a particular movie. Though it doesn’t seem like a vital feature, some very vocal members have been responding to the Netflix blog asking for the re-inclusion of friends’ information to the pages. Source: Official Netflix BlogPosted Mon Mar 8, 2010 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
Another 48 HD AdvisorsEditor'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 Mono 1.0 vs. Mono 2.0 Soundtracks Q: I have a disc that claims to offer DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 sound, but the audio only comes out the front center and the subwoofer, which I understood to be 1.1. Am I missing something? A: Mono soundtracks can be encoded either in 1.0 format (audio only to the center channel) or 2.0 (an identical signal to the left and right mains). If your receiver has any form of Dolby ProLogic engaged, it will detect a 2.0 mono signal and automatically redirect the audio to the center speaker. This is the same process by which ProLogic extracts dialogue from a stereo or 2.0 surround track. At the end of the day, there shouldn't be any audible difference between 1.0 or 2.0 mono. If you'd rather hear a 2.0 signal coming from the left and right channels as it was authored, turn off ProLogic. I don't usually recommend this, however. In the home environment, dialogue usually sounds strange coming from the side speakers. As for your subwoofer being active, if you've programmed your receiver with any bass management, it will filter low-frequency signals from the main channels and redirect them to the sub. This doesn't require the disc to be authored with anything in the .1 channel. Fancy Blu-ray Packaging Q: Why don't American Blu-ray releases get fancy cases or better packaging like other countries often do? In Europe and Japan, a lot of movies get released with Steelbook cases or gift set editions like 'Ghost in the Shell', 'Inglourious Basterds', or 'This is Spinal Tap'. A: This is a trend that started with DVD and has carried through to Blu-ray. The U.S. market does occasionally get elaborate disc packages such as the 'Blade Runner', 'Gone with the Wind', or 'Wizard of Oz' gift sets. (Warner Home Video seems to favor them more than other studios.) Sometimes, specific retailers will carry exclusive packages, like this edition of 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' with an Optimus Prime bust that's available only at Best Buy. However, you are correct that we see these sort of things much less frequently than some foreign territories do. Steelbook cases in particular are hot collectible items in many countries, but are rarely offered here. The reasons for that are largely cultural. For the most part, American consumers aren't attracted to elaborate movie packaging. In fact, some are outright turned off by it. Many collectors prefer uniformity, so that all their movies line up neatly on a shelf. Or, those with large collections may simply be looking to conserve space. A big box set is often seen as a waste of room. Not everyone feels this way, of course. Some collectors cherish unique cases or large gift sets. Nevertheless, by and large, fancy disc packaging doesn't sell well in the U.S. As a result, the studios don't bother to offer it here. The situation is different in other countries. In Asia, studios often use elaborate packaging as a way to entice shoppers to buy legitimate retail editions of movies rather than cheap bootlegs. A box set or nice case makes the buyer feel that he or she is paying for something of quality. European collectors often embrace diversity in packaging. The downright crazy Hogwarts Prestige Edition gift set for the 'Harry Potter' movies that was released in France is perhaps the ultimate example of collectors' indulgence. Blu-rays with Less Features than DVDs Q: What is it that makes companies release a Blu-ray of a film with less special features than the DVD? This makes the DVD version all the more enticing and not worth replacing. Two cases: 'Big Fish' and 'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium'. I love both films, and both have amazing imagery that look spectacular on Blu-ray, but both feature none of the behind the scenes features that appear on the DVDs. Doesn't the extra space on the Blu-ray allow them to fit all of that and more? A: The choice to release a Blu-ray with fewer bonus features than the comparable DVD edition of the film usually comes down to three reasons: technical issues, licensing issues, or business policy decisions. In the early days of the Blu-ray format, many movies were authored on BD-25 single-layer discs. At the time, BD-50 dual-layer discs had poor reliability rates. This was especially problematic when the studios used inefficient MPEG-2 video compression and space-hogging PCM audio (which are troublesome even on dual-layer discs like 'Big Fish'). That left very little room on the disc for supplemental content. As a result, a lot of Blu-rays released in 2006 and 2007 had no features other than the movie. Obviously, this is much less of a concern these days. BD-50 discs are pretty standard now, and the studios have almost all switched to the more efficient AVC MPEG-4 or VC-1 compression and lossless audio formats. In some cases, the studio may no longer hold the licensing rights to certain pieces of content. This often happens to music videos, documentaries and featurettes produced by a third-party company, or vintage material. In an example like 'La Femme Nikita', the movie was last released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment with a handful of bonus features. But the film's distribution rights later changed hands to Sony Home Entertainment, who released it on Blu-ray but couldn't retain any of MGM's supplements. By far the most frustrating scenario is when a studio deliberately drops bonus features with the expectation of forcing fans to buy both the Blu-ray and DVD edition of the film to get everything. 20th Century Fox (the studio behind 'Mr. Magorium') is one of the worst offenders in this regard. 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! DVD Playback Issue with Mitsubishi DLP TV Q: I have a problem with doing any upscaling on my TV. I have a Mitsubishi WD-73833 diamond DLP TV. I hooked up an OPPO DV-983H upscaling DVD player directly to the TV via HDMI. When the upscaling was on, the left and right side of the picture was bowed in towards the center. Just enough to make it noticeable and looking like the movie was compressed by a pair of backwards parentheses. With the upscaling off, the problem went away. But 480p on a 73" screen could look better, you know? I called Mitsubishi, who assured me it was the player, so I bought a PS3 and went with Blu-ray. Blu-ray playback has perfect screen geometry, but even the PS3 (again, direct HDMI hookup to TV) has the same problem if the upscaling is on when playing standard DVDs. Help! What's going on? JZ: That is very odd indeed. The WD-73833 is a 1080p TV. Assuming that you have your PS3 set to output DVDs at 1080p resolution (use the settings that I provided in this older column), I can think of no technical reason why your TV would have an issue displaying upconverted DVDs that it doesn't have when displaying Blu-rays. As far as the TV is concerned, all it sees is a 1080p input signal. It has no way of knowing which is DVD and which is Blu-ray. Has anyone else out there experienced a problem like this? 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 Mar 5, 2010 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Comcast Joins in with a DVR Scheduling iPhone App[teaser]The new app from Comcast allows remote scheduling of your DVR from anywhere you can use an iPhone. [/teaser] Not to be left out of the iPhone app party, Comcast has launched Comcast Mobile. It’s a free app, and it works with more than just your DVR, even though that might be the most attractive feature. You can access your Comcast.net email, check your visual voice mail, sync your address book. and watch trailers. But let’s face it, the DVR scheduling it the only real reason to pick this up. It may have a bit of a limited use. After all, you’ve probably got your DVR schedule down already. Still, if someone at the office recommends a show, or the time of a game gets moved, it could come in handy. Not bad for a free app. Comcast also notes that a similar DVR scheduling app will be making its way to Blackberries in the next few months. Source: ComcastPosted Fri Mar 5, 2010 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Zotac’s HD-ID11 is a Small and Powerful HTPC[teaser]Media streamers are getting increasingly powerful and their capabilities have been growing steadily. Having a full PC though, offers more flexibility and the potential to expand. Zotac’s new Z-Box is a solution that provides just that. [/teaser] The HD-ID11 is made for customers who know what they want and don’t mind going out of their way a bit to get it. The system itself comes with a few vital components missing. You won’t get a hard drive with it, which means you also won’t get an operating system. The new Z-Box also comes without RAM. What it offers though is the perfect starting point for an HTPC. It sports an AtomD510 processor and utilizes an NVIDIA NG-Ion for graphics processing. It’s got six USB ports, an eSATA port, a six-in-one memory card reader and an HDMI output for 1080p video and 7.1 channel surround sound. It’s also got the added bonus of no fans, which makes for nice silent running. You can pick up the new Z-Box when it comes out for $209. Source: ZVoxPosted Fri Mar 5, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
DirecTV TiVo Won’t Be Premiere[teaser]If you’ve been waiting patiently for the reunion of DirecTV and TiVo, you’ll be happy to know that it’s finally happening. Sadly though, you won’t be getting the Premiere.[/teaser] It’s been a year and a half since the announcement that a DirecTV TiVo would once again be available. DirecTV subscribers who owned TiVos got kind of boned during the move to MP4,but DirecTV is finally ready to embrace TiVo again. Don’t get too excited though, you’re not getting the new stuff. You could be excused for getting excited about hooking up a TiVo Premiere for your DirecTV programming. The Premiere isn’t leaps and bounds over the old units like we expected, but it’s still newer, bigger and faster than its predecessors. If you think the TiVo Premiere is coming to DirecTV though you’ll be in for some disappointment. “Their [DirecTV's] next implementation of us is not going to have this look and feel,” said TiVo’s Peter Aquino. “It's based on the classic TiVo.” Source: Light ReadingPosted Fri Mar 5, 2010 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
TiVo Premiere Officially Revealed[teaser]The day finally arrived and we got details on TiVo’s new promoted DVR. Was it worth all the hype? In a word: no. [/teaser] “Inventing the DVR was just a start” was the tagline used to promote TiVo’s new reveal. I noted before that this is a statement that carries a lot of weight. Sure, the consumer electronics industry is ripe with hyperbole. But when a company calls out the product that made them famous as something of the past, we tend to expect a bit of an evolution. The TiVo Premiere isn’t a bad piece of hardware by any means. The XL has a full terabyte of storage, while the standard Premiere sports a 320GB drive. The two new models are faster than old TiVo versions and boast an entirely new user interface. As far as new and exciting features go, there’s not much to be seen. The new user interface is nice looking and uses good ol’ Flash, and is exclusive to the Premiere. TiVo 3.0 models, as well as TiVo Premiere models will be getting Pandora and FrameChannel. One of the coolest additions to the TiVo Premiere doesn’t come bundled with it. Available separately are a Wireless N adapter and a very nice looking remote that slides open to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. Source: TiVo (PDF)Posted Thu Mar 4, 2010 at 11:30 AM PST by: -
Asus O!Play HD2 Will Sport USB 3.0[teaser]There wasn’t much of an announcement made by Asus about the new O!Play HD2, but details from CeBIT 2010 reveal a nice high speed addition. [/teaser] The CeBIT show is going on in Germany and there have been some incredibly exciting announcements. The show is centered around computer and IT products, but since those have been increasingly merging into the home theater, there have been a few announcements worth getting excited about. In a press release Asus name checked the O!Play HD2. We’ve only got a picture and the tiny amount of information they released to go on now, but it looks to be a fairly competitive media streamer. The most notable thing about the O!Play HD2 though, is that it will be USB 3.0 compatible. Moving to the new USB standard could mean improvements in video quality straight off of a thumb drive. Source: AsusPosted Thu Mar 4, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by:
