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Loud Commercial Bill Passes House, on to Senate[teaser]The disparity between the audio output of television shows and commercials is soon to be cleared up, if the bill is able to pass through the US Senate. [/teaser] Television commercials are an accepted nuisance. We pay for the cable, and then pay for the content by watching advertising. Advertisers are eager to grab and keep your attention though, and that means resorting to the usual bag of tricks: sexy people, huge crane shots, and by being louder than everything else. While certainly there have been measures taken to limit the loudness of commercials, the problem really isn’t how loud the commercials are. The problem is that regardless of the limitations set up, commercials are often louder than the TV show they’re advertising on. Viewers have to turn down their volume, mute their set – as the FCC suggests – or simply skip commercials using a DVR. The CALM bill, which has now passed the House of Representatives and is on to the Senate, aims to end the problem once and for all. "This problem has existed for more than 50 years, but no one has properly addressed it," said Carolina’s Representative Anna Eshoo. "Under the CALM Act, consumers will no longer have to dive for the mute button." The bill was introduced into the Senate by Sheldon Whitehouse (with a name like Whitehouse, going into politics seems the only logical choice) on December 8th, and if passed, will allow advertisers a year to adjust to the new regulations. Source: Anna EshooPosted Wed Dec 23, 2009 at 11:15 AM PST by: -
Oppo Announces New Lower Priced Blu-ray Player[teaser]A new, less expensive Blu-ray player is coming in 2010 from Oppo, but just what that means is up for interpretation. [/teaser] There’s a good chance that Oppo is a brand you’ve become familiar with in the last year or so, and you wouldn’t be alone. It’s a newer company, and up until 2009’s CES, they made some very good products, but nothing that compared to the BDP-83 in terms of balancing cost and function. The quick loading Blu-ray player made Oppo a favorite of tech sites and readers alike. Oppo is certainly under some pressure to match their offerings from last year, and based on a recent statement, they’re aiming at an even lower price point. The announcement came from their official Twitter account which states. ”We will be announcing a lower-cost Blu-ray player in early January 2010. Visit www.oppodigital.com around that time to learn more.” Speculation as to the price point and functionality has been running rampant, but the most common answer for the former detail is $299. As far as functionality goes, the BDP-83 was more than just a high quality Blu-ray player; it also handled things like DVD Audio and SACD. Expect the new player to focus more strictly on video and a bit less on audio. No details are official yet, but we’ll be hearing more in early January, which just happens to coincide with CES. Source: Oppo (via Twitter)Posted Wed Dec 23, 2009 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Survey Says Consumers Want 3D Cable TV[teaser]A recent survey conducted by Quixel Research found that while consumer interest in 3D Blu-ray discs and DVDs was high, what they really wanted was 3D from their cable provider.[/teaser] The survey took answers from a thousand current HDTV owners. Those taking it were asked about the quantity and quality of their experiences with 3D technology, as well as a few forward looking questions about the delivery of the technology. According to the survey, customers don’t mind shelling out for a new TV, but they’d prefer not to have to buy discs. “Consumers are very familiar with recent 3D technology” said Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel research principal. “Consumers not only prefer to receive 3D content from their cable or satellite provider, but they are willing to pay more for a 3D movie channel.” The survey also revealed some interesting, if vague revelations as to what the future looks like to the general public. A third of those that were surveyed expect 3D TV in the next 12 months. They don’t mind the glasses though, according to Pratt. “Those who have seen a 3D movie in the 12 months are interested in owning a 3D TV even if it requires glasses,” she reports. The survey also questioned what consumers' most trusted brands for delivery of 3D content were, and there aren’t a lot of surprises. The top three were Comcast, Samsung, and Sony. Source: TWICEPosted Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM PST by: -
LG Announces Thinnest 42” LCD Ever[teaser]After setting the record back in May with a six millimeter thick display, LG cuts the size in half, and then some.[/teaser] LG announced today that it has created the thinnest LCD television ever, and will be showing it at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. We can’t wait to see the incredibly slim set. The ultra thin display measures a mere 2.6mm deep. To give a sense of scale, a standard female connector on an HDMI cable is 4.45mm thick. A nickel is 1.95mm thick. The forty-two inch LED backlit LCD display that LG is showing off is thicker than a nickel, but thinner than a standard HDMI cable, and it weighs in at less than nine pounds. The astonishingly thin display isn’t a slouch in the video department as one might expect. It displays video at a full 1080p resolution and at a 120Hz refresh rate. It features edge based LED backlighting and a proprietary optical film technology. The company says that this display would look amazing mounted on a wall, and we’re inclined to believe them. I’d hate to be the one handling it though, such a light and thin set is almost certainly anything but rugged. LG isn’t saying much more about the TV at the moment, except that it will be on display for all to see in just a few months. Source: LGPosted Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 10:30 AM PST by: -
MSI Debuts Movie Station HD 1000[teaser]You may be more familiar with MSI as a manufacturer of motherboards and other PC components, or possibly as a manufacturer of Netbooks, but with the latest addition to their lineup, MSI wants to get into your home theater as well. [/teaser] There’s not a whole lot that’s unique about the Movie Station. It’s fairly run of the mill as far as media streamers are concerned. It can take a variety of audio and video sources from your networked computers and storage devices and pump them out on your TV in 1080p. The Movie Station HD 1000 offers a pair USB ports as a way to connect a thumb drive or external hard drive. It’s also got a card reader, which is less common in the streaming device market than it really should be. It sports an HDMI output, component outputs, and a SPDIF port. Both Ethernet and WiFi options are available as connection options, though there’s no word yet on whether that’s wireless N or G. The Movie Station HD 1000 will be available in Europe at the equivalent of about $140 USD. No word yet of a US release. Source: FudzillaPosted Tue Dec 22, 2009 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Consumer Electronic Sales Up in November[teaser]While sales in the consumer electronics category are down a bit year to year from 2008, sales were up in November. [/teaser] As usual, November was a good month to be a seller of consumer electronics, but this year was particularly and surprisingly good. Compared to last year’s sales, November CE sales were up around 1.3%. That may not seem like much, but the increase amounted to nearly a hundred million dollars, up to over seven billion. The news of the gain was unexpected and incredibly welcome by the industry. The November gain marks the first year to year increase in 2009, but you may be surprised to learn that Black Friday didn’t help. In fact, according to the NPD, the week of Black Friday generated 14% less revenue than the year before. Stephen Baker of the NPD group says that the sales that would normally have been on the notorious shopping day were instead spread out through the rest of the month. “Black Friday wasn’t the only time consumers saw low prices. Retailers did tremendous price cutting all month long, and that got consumers into the stores early.” Source: Video BusinessPosted Mon Dec 21, 2009 at 11:50 AM PST by: -
3D Blu-ray Specification Has Been Finalized[teaser]The Blu-ray Disc Association has been wrestling with this one for a while, but now it’s official. The much awaited 3D specification for Blu-ray discs has been decided on. Most of the information to come out of the announcement is what we expected, but there are a few surprises in there. [/teaser] The codec being used for 3D video is MVC, an extension of the AVC codec that we’re already familiar with. 3D file sizes are about 50% larger on average, which shouldn’t be much of a problem for Blu-ray. Thankfully, multiple versions of the same movie won’t have to go out, since the MVC encoding is fully backwards compatible to a 2D picture. 3D movies will play without any quality loss in full 1080p. Graphical menus will be fully 3D which is to be expected, but the announcement of 3D subtitles raises a few questions. It will be interesting to see exactly how readable the subtitles are and whether they compliment or hinder the 3D effect. Playstation 3 owners will be happy to hear that 3D playback will be possible on their game consoles. It’s fairly safe to assume that this will be coming in the form of a firmware update in the next few months. There’s no word on other older players getting updates at the moment. The Blu-ray Disc Association also points out that 3D on Blu-ray is ‘display agnostic’. That is to say that whether you’re watching on an LCD or Plasma, you’re going to get the full 3D experience. Souce: Blu-ray Disc AssociationPosted Mon Dec 21, 2009 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
The 40-Year-Old HD AdvisorEditor'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 How to Make a Blu-ray Player Wireless? Q: I just purchased a Philips BDP7310 Blu-ray player. I was wondering if there's a device that would make it wireless? A: I assume that you mean wireless for the BD-Live network connection? I'm fortunate that my entertainment cabinet is near enough to my computer desk that I can plug my Blu-ray players into my router with standard Ethernet cables. However, I realize that this isn't the case for everyone. Many people don't keep computer equipment in their home theater rooms. Connecting to BD-Live is certainly more of a hassle if your player is nowhere near a router. What you need is a wireless bridge that will connect your player to your network without the cable. A variety of manufacturers sell these for a variety of price points. I don't have one myself, so I'll let our other readers make recommendations in the forum thread linked at the bottom of this article. Component Video Outputs on Blu-ray Players Revisited Q: I have read owner's manuals and had discussions with several support teams of Blu-ray manufacturers. I have found only one, the OPPO BDP-83, that will output 1080i or 720p over Component Video. All others I have talked to limit output to 480p. As I understand it, this is because of licensing and the quality of the DACs used. Perhaps that is why Blu-ray has come along slower since many early adapters do not have HDMI on their HDTVs . Your comments on 11/27 appear to be in conflict with the research and input I have had from different tech support groups. Could you please set the record straight? A: I think that the people you've spoken to were confused about what you were actually asking. All Blu-ray players (or at least, those that actually have Component Video outputs) are capable of transmitting up to 1080i resolution video from Blu-ray content over a Component connection. It is only DVD content that is limited to 480p over Component. Further, it's only DVD content authored with a copy protection flag that's restricted. (Most major studio DVDs are copy protected, but some indie labels are not.) The DVD problem is a direct result of an absurd mandate imposed by the DVD Forum that prohibits DVD upconversion over an analog connection if the disc is copy protected. You can transmit the DVD video at either 480i or 480p and have it be upconverted externally (in either the HD display or a video processor). Or you can upconvert in the player and transmit it over HDMI with no problem. But the DVD or Blu-ray player is limited to 480p over Component. There is absolutely no logical reason for this. Who would want to pirate an upconverted DVD signal, when they can just copy the video at its native resolution, which requires less processing power and less storage space, and will be upconverted automatically when played on any HDTV anyway? This is just one of those stupid bureaucratic decisions that someone thought was really important, even though it makes no sense at all. However, at this time, that limitation does not exist on the Blu-ray format, which is controlled by a different operating consortium: the Blu-ray Disc Association. The BDA knew that the lack of HDMI inputs on many early HDTVs would be a stumbling block to their format's adoption. As such, even though they were just as paranoid about piracy as the DVD Forum, they made a concession to allow Blu-ray video to be transmitted over Component so long as the disc doesn't contain a flag called the Image Constraint Token. The ICT flag will indeed restrict Blu-ray video to a maximum of 480p resolution over Component. Fortunately, to date, there have been no Blu-ray discs authored with ICT. The plan from the start was to allow a grace period of several years before any studios would implement the ICT. In fear of consumer backlash, no movie studio has ever set a date for when they might start using ICT. Some speculation puts it at 2012 at the earliest. Others claim 2020. And it's entirely possible that it may never be used. So, yes, in the irony of ironies, you can still get true High-Definition over Component video, but you can't get upconverted standard-def that way. If your current HDTV lacks an HDMI input, any Blu-ray player with Component outputs (and most have them) will give you 1080i resolution from Blu-ray discs. By the time the studios start using ICT (if ever), you'll probably have upgraded to a newer set anyway. Even if not, there will still be thousands of existing ICT-free discs you can watch. Will the Screen-Filling Madness Never End? Q: Not having the hugest HDTV in the world, I always appreciate the greater effect of films which fill the 16:9 frame. Would it really be so bad if studios offered 16:9 cropped or P/S options for wide scope movies? I'd use the zoom feature of my 34" CRT Sony, but overscan issues ruin it. A: Yes, it would be really, really bad. Read my Why Don't the Black Bars Go Away? article. 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! BD-Live on Laptops Q: Does BD-Live work on laptops? I have an HP laptop with a Blu-ray disc drive hooked up to my home network. I could not get BD-Live to work on the new 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Blu-ray. The HD Advisor will be off next week. But don't fret. He'll be back soon with another round of answers. Happy holidays, everyone! Joshua Zyber's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of this site, its owners or employees.Posted Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Sharp Debuts Low Cost Soundbar System[teaser]Sharp’s new soundbar probably isn't something you’d want powering the sound in your main viewing area, but as a cheap audio solution for smaller spaces and areas where sound is less of a priority, the SB500 may just do the trick. [/teaser] It’s a 3.1 channel system, which means there’s no surround, but there are dedicated speakers for left, right, and center channels. There’s also a subwoofer inside, and while it’s certainly not going to replace a real speaker setup, it’ll definitely one up your TV speakers. The 32-watt soundbar does offer a surround sound simulation with the Dolby Virtual Surround option. If you’re not into the Dolby option, there’s also SRS TruSurround HD which adds virtual speakers while providing deep bass and clear highs. Sean McBride points out that the SB500 is an upgrade over the already established SB200 and SB300. "The new 3.1-channel sound bar not only offers fuller, more robust sound than previous models,” he says, “but also carries a sleek new design with Touch Panel Technology for extreme ease of use.” The HT-SB500 will be available later this month for an MSRP of $349. Source: SharpPosted Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
CinemaNow Starts Offering Divx Downloads[teaser]The Divx format is compatible with cell phones, Blu-ray players, and televisions, but until recently, there weren’t a lot of options for Divx downloads. Thats changed, as CinemaNow will be offering film downloads in the Divx format. [/teaser] Divx will be familiar to anyone who downloads a lot of videos from the net or through torrents. The format is often used to encode video for download since it is able to maintain a high video quality while keeping the file size low. Since the Sonic Solutions Roxio CinemaNow service is available in so many devices, this one deal brings Divx an incredible amount of exposure to new users. “With millions of Divx-enabled devices shipped into the market and strong consumer interest in the format,” says Dave Habinger of Sonic Solutions, “we look forward to working with Divx to enhance our Roxio CinemaNow entertainment platform and the digital home experience for consumers.” Divx is already being used for digital copies overseas, but hasn’t yet seen much mainstream distribution in the US. This will certainly be a huge step forward for Divx, but also for consumers of digital video. Source: Video BusinessPosted Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 06:00 AM PST by:
