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RedBox Rentals Too Expensive? Try BigBox[teaser]BigBox rents DVDs and Blu-ray discs by the hour, at seemingly unheard of prices. [/teaser] It all comes down to you, really. BigBox kiosks have an hourly rental price structure, which rewards you for getting up off of the couch and returning your disc, and punishes you for falling asleep in front of the TV, again. New release DVDs can be had for what seems like a ludicrous six cents an hour, while older discs can be rented for four. Blu-rays go for nine cents an hour, which is more, but still impressively inexpensive. If you’re not opposed to getting up and returning the film afterwards, you could rent Star Trek on Blu-ray, watch it in full, then take it back to the BigBox and pay a measly twenty-seven cents. Calculating that cost out to a twenty-four hour period like that of RedBox reveals the trick. While older DVDs come out to a ninety-six cent rental fee, new releases will run $1.44, nearly half over again what RedBox charges. Blu-ray disc rentals come out to just above two dollars a day. BigBox is still a small operation, existing only on college campuses in Wisconsin and Minneapolis, but if a $1 a night rental service gets Hollywood execs angry, then a six cent hourly rate is going to have them foaming at the mouth. Source: Video BusinessPosted Thu Dec 10, 2009 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Wireworld Reveals $1,000 Platinum Starlight HDMI 1.4 Cable[teaser]The Platinum Starlight is an amazingly expensive length of cabling, but is it worth it?[/teaser] In a word: No. “A sucker is born every minute” said P.T. Barnum. He may not have been the man who coined the phrase, but that doesn’t make him any less right. On the day you were born, if the math holds up, there were 1,440 suckers born, and Wireworld is counting on them. The Platinum Starlight HDMI Cable features carbon fiber connectors, a 24 connector DNA Helix design and solid silver conductors. According to the press release, this Helix design maximizes speed while “reducing noise and jitter effects for substantial overall improvements in signal fidelity and dynamic response.” It’s a HDMI 1.4 cable, which is neat but a bit pointless at the moment. To its credit, the Platinum Starlight cable surpasses the 10.2Gbit per second transfer rate required by the HDMI 1.4 standard with a reported 21Gbit/second. David Salz, president and founder of the company says that “The Platinum Starlight HDMI cable addresses the need to provide the highest possible audio and video fidelity in high end home theater installations.” So, for $1,000, you can get a really nice looking cable to carry a digital signal for a full meter. The company will be selling cables from 0.3 meters up to 30 meters, which will likely cost you a bit more than a cool grand. Source: WireworldPosted Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 01:03 PM PST by: -
D-Link’s Boxee Box Revealed[teaser]The much awaited Boxee Box, which specializes in media streaming, has been officially revealed by D-Link, but we’re still waiting on a price. [/teaser] It’s been a while now since Boxee announced they’d picked up a partner to make a piece of hardware to accompany their much beloved software. Boxee, acts as a sort of aggregator for internet video with the goal of being compatible with remote control in mind. vD-Link will provide the hardware for the Boxee Box, which will enable users to watch a huge variety of internet based video content on their televisions without the need for an HTPC or downloads. Daniel Kelley of Boxee puts it this way, “By pairing Boxee's innovative social entertainment platform with D-Link's technology we're able to create a solution that introduces people to what TV should be.” The Boxee Box features, of course, Boxee’s software at its heart. The hardware specs are yet to be fully detailed, but we like what we see so far. Built in wireless N as well as an ethernet port make connectivity simple. The Box will sport an HDMI out for video and audio, while also providing RCA and optical analog outs. A pair of USB ports on the back make it possible to play content on an external storage device. Neither a price nor a firm date have yet been released, but Boxee says to expect their Box in the first half of next year. Source: BoxeePosted Wed Dec 9, 2009 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Toshiba’s Cell Regza Detailed[teaser]We’ve long awaited the final specs on the first Cell powered television from Toshiba. The final product is a bit less impressive than we expected, but it’s still a lot cooler than anything else on the market. [/teaser] The Cell powered television has been a talking point of Toshiba’s for a while now, and the Regza 55X1 is finally hitting the Japanese market on the 10th of December. With just a few weeks left, Toshiba made good on their promise of a 2009 release, but not without some sacrifice. The resolution, surprisingly, is the most noticeable change. When talked about in the past, the first Cell television was always mentioned as being a 4K resolution display. The 55X1 on the other hand, sports a LED backlit 1080p LCD screen. A price hasn’t been stated yet, but this will certainly drop the asking price to be a bit less intimidating. The second subtraction from the plan is the Blu-ray player/recorder. It’s an unfortunate sacrifice, but it’s almost certain that anyone shelling out for the Cell TV has a Blu-ray player or two already. So what’s left? It’s got 3TB of storage space to hold up to 26 hours of high definition programming. Oh, and it can record up to eight channels at once. That, combined with an impressive loadout of internet streaming capabilities makes the Regza 55X1 one impressive television. Toshiba says this will all be standard for televisions within the next few years. Let’s hope they’re right. Source: Toshiba via Google TranslatePosted Tue Dec 8, 2009 at 12:40 PM PST by: -
Optoma Introduces Affordable High Definition 3D Projector[teaser]Slated to hit stores in early 2010, Optoma's new projector brings 3D to the home for a surprisingly low price, but there's a catch. [/teaser] The new Optoma Projector, model HD66, is a 3D capable projector that's an otherwise fairly straightforward product. It can handle signals at 1080p resolution and has a 4,000:1 contrast ratio. It puts out 2500 ANSI lumens brightness. The HD66 features a single HDMI in and a stereo audio out for those who want to listen to something above the included 2 watt speaker. The main feature being touted of course, is that of the HD55's 3D capability. At a sub $1,000 price though, you'd expect some trade offs, and you'd be right. While the HD55 is capable of displaying high definition content in 3D, the projector sports a max resolution of 720p. The other catch, if you could call it that, is that viewing 3D content on the projector requires the use of active shutter glasses, which would need to be purchased separately. Source: TWICEPosted Mon Dec 7, 2009 at 01:00 PM PST by: -
Boeing Ships DIRECTV 12 Satellite – December Launch Expected[teaser]The 11th satellite created by Boeing for the popular television provider, the DIRECTV 12 will expand HD offerings and US coverage. [/teaser] Satellite television has become a household term, and it's incredibly easy to forget exactly what it means. Most people think quickly of the dish that rests on top of their houses, but not of those floating miles above. The announcement from Boeing today regarding the impending launch of the DIRECTV 12 satellite has a bit of a Carl Sagan effect in that it brings home the fact that we're using giant metal devices floating in space to watch television. The satellite made its way from the Boeing facility in El Segundo to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch facility in Kazakhstan. There, it will undergo its final programming and be launched aboard an International Launch Services Proton/Breeze M Rocket. DIRECTV's HD lineup will be bolstered by fifty percent, bringing their national HD channel count up to 200, and their local HD count up to 1,500. The new satellite will also boost signals in Alaska , Hawaii, and the rest of the continental US.Posted Mon Dec 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
HD Advisor: HDX 1138Editor'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 Why No 5.1 PCM over Toslink? Q: I find the argument that Toslink to not have enough bandwidth to do 5.1 PCM insulting. Fiber should have more than enough bandwidth for any audio format that is thrown at it. In fact, several PS3 games I have pass audio to the receiver over Toslink in 5.1 PCM, and my HD DVD player will sometimes internally decode soundtracks and pass the information to the receiver in 5.1 PCM. So why is there no 5.1 PCM over Toslink on Blu-ray? It seems to me that the only suitable argument is that Toslink does not provide HDCP, and therefore the studios are blocking it. I really do not see any reason over why they would block PCM over Toslink but not block DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD that was internally decoded from the player being sent over Toslink. A: I think you have a couple of misconceptions here. Your HD DVD player will not internally decode movie soundtracks and output them as 5.1 PCM over Toslink. It can only do that over HDMI. HD DVD players worked the same as Blu-ray players in this regard. The player may decode a soundtrack to PCM and then transcode the signal to standard Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 for Toslink output, however. Or it may output them as 2-channel PCM, which your A/V receiver can run through Dolby ProLogic II processing to create a pseudo-5.1 simulation. But the player will not output PCM 5.1 over Toslink. I'll be honest that I'm not enough of a gamer to know whether there are any PS3 games with PCM 5.1 soundtracks. I was under the impression that they were all DD 5.1. Regardless, the console will also not output 5.1 PCM over Toslink. It will only do that over HDMI. As for why this is the case, the official answer has always been that S/PDIF (in either Toslink or digital coaxial type) doesn't have enough bandwidth to carry more than 2 channels of PCM. I have previously heard the argument that S/PDIF actually does have more than enough bandwidth, but that the evil Hollywood people prohibit it from being used for more than 2 channels of PCM due to the lack of HDCP encryption. That theory doesn't really hold a lot of water for me. The inability of S/PDIF cables to carry more than 2 channels of PCM goes back to the DVD and even Laserdisc formats, both of which predate HDCP encryption. Further, I can't understand the logic that the music and movie studios would be so paranoid over copy protection that they can't allow multi-channel PCM to be transmitted without HDCP, yet they don't seem to have a problem with stereo PCM (which is, after all, the format that all music CDs are encoded in). Also, a great many Blu-ray players are able to decode a soundtrack and output it in full quality over multi-channel analog connections with no copy protection. Why would that be allowed? But I'm not an audio engineer. Perhaps if one of our readers is, he or she can shed some light on the situation in the forum thread linked at the end of this article. 'Starship Troopers' Playback Problems Q: I recently purchased the 'Starship Troopers' Blu-ray disc. When I brought it home, I discovered that when I placed it in my Blu-ray player (Sony BDP-350), it would only load as far as the loading screen. The "Loading" bar plays, followed by nothing but a black screen. I left it on for ten minutes and nothing happened. I upgraded my firmware to no effect before finally assuming the disc was in some way defective. I exchanged it for another copy, only to discover the same issue when I got home. When I took the second disc back, the store tested it on their own Blu-ray player - also a BDP-350 - and the same disc that gave me trouble played perfectly! As a result, they wouldn't give me another replacement disc. I don't entirely blame them, but now I'm stuck with a disc that I really want but can't seem to play. What could possibly be wrong? A: It turns out that the 'Starship Troopers' Blu-ray has an authoring glitch. When inserted into a BD-Live capable Blu-ray player, the disc attempts to confirm the player's BD-Live status, regardless of whether you plan to use the BD-Live features or not. What this means is that your player must have internal memory installed for BD-Live, or the disc won't play. The Sony BDP-S350 doesn't come with any internal memory out-of-the-box. You must install that yourself via a USB stick. (Some brands may take an SD card instead.) 1 GB should do. Once you do that, 'Starship Troopers' will play. Fortunately, this should be an inexpensive fix. However, I agree that this is a tremendous nuisance. Frankly, it astounds me that major hardware manufacturers like Sony (Panasonic, Samsung, and other brands have also had the same problem) would ever build BD-Live Blu-ray players that don't have the required memory built-in. 1 GB of memory certainly wouldn't have added much to their manufacturing costs. Thankfully, this seems to be less of a problem in current models, but was very much an issue at the time yours was released. Cleaning a Blu-ray Disc Q: What is the best way to remove smudges from a disc? Is it okay to use warm water, hand soap, and a microfiber cloth to clean them? A: Blu-ray discs are manufactured from the same types of materials as CDs and DVDs. Any cleaning instructions for those formats will apply equally to Blu-rays. Depending on the type of dirt or smudge, it's usually best to start with the simplest, least invasive procedure. Breathe on the disc to fog it up a little, and then wipe it with a microfiber or similar soft, lint-free cloth. Always start from the center and wipe straight outwards. Do not rub in circles or length-wise across the disc. If that doesn't do it, try a little water. If something is really caked on there, some mild soap, preferably diluted, may also help. And if all of that doesn't do the trick, only then would I try to bring in a cleaning product. Any cleaners that specifically claim to be formulated for these types of discs should be fine, but I wouldn't spend a lot of money on them. Common rubbing alcohol is actually very good for this sort of thing. Whatever you use, pour the liquid onto the cloth before wiping, not directly onto the disc. Be sure to avoid heavier solvents, which may damage the disc. Make sure that the disc is completely dry before putting it back in the case or playing it. That's really all there is to it. 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! Connecting a Blu-ray Player to a Laptop Screen? Q: Do you know of a good way to use a laptop's screen to hook up a Blu-ray player (or any high-def video equipment)? For instance, say I want to watch a Blu-ray movie using my 17" laptop's 1080p-friendly screen. The only device I seem to find offer composite or S-Video inputs at best. If you know of any way to go HDMI or component in into a laptop screen, it'd be much appreciated. 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 Dec 4, 2009 at 11:45 AM PST by: -
High-Def Digest’s Holiday Gift Guide 2009: The Essential Holiday Blu-rays[teaser]David Krauss is busy dreaming of a Blu Christmas, but he's taken some time to compile a list of the best holiday Blu-rays currently available. [/teaser] By David Krauss For some of us, they're a treasured tradition, like hot mulled cider or Christmas cookies, and we look forward to cuddling up with them each year. For others, who can't stomach the thick layer of sugar they often add to an already saccharine season, they're avoided like the plague. Yet however you view them, holiday movies are a mainstay of American culture, and have been since the dawn of talkies. And for better or worse, the genre's popularity shows no signs of waning. Each November, a healthy crop of Christmas films march to the multiplex with high hopes of immortality (or at least box office success), but only a select few ever attain classic status. Most are miserable failures and succeed only in giving the holidays a bad name. (Remember that Matthew Broderick/Danny DeVito debacle, 'Deck the Halls'? I wish I didn't.) But those that nail the season's essence live forever, and evoke tender, familiar emotions we never tire of experiencing. Unfortunately, not all of our holiday favorites have made their way onto Blu-ray – it's a shame we can't yet see buh-buh-buh-Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" in high definition (next year, perhaps, Paramount?) – but there's enough diverse Blu-ray fare currently available to keep our players humming in the weeks leading up to Santa's arrival. With so many holiday movies and so little time to watch them during this frenetic season, what follows is a list of essentials, a yuletide hall of fame that hopefully will have some appeal for every taste. So if you like your Christmas films classic and traditional or saucy and irreverent, here's the best of what Hollywood has to offer on Blu-ray, and here's hoping you can carve out a few hours to view one or two this year… All-Time Classics: Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without 'It's a Wonderful Life,' and what a gift this Blu-ray edition is for classic movie fans. With an impeccable transfer that delights the eyes – before they well up with tears – and a marvelous story that no matter how many times we've seen it (and I've lost count myself) never fails to brighten our perspective, this beloved production deserves a fresh look this year. Ditto the definitive edition of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol.' Produced in England in 1951 and starring the best Ebenezer Scrooge ever, Alastair Sim, this faithful adaptation captures all the bitter angst, rueful melancholy, and unabashed joy of this holiday ghost story. Best of all, the spanking new transfer renders the previous DVD obsolete. Of course, no discussion of classic Christmas tales would be complete without a nod to the original 'Miracle on 34th Street.' It's impossible not to believe in Santa Claus after watching this charming, surprisingly incisive comedy that gently reinforces the season's true meaning. Though the video quality isn't a huge upgrade from DVD, it's good enough to stuff this little beauty in your holiday stocking. Modern Classics: Christmas memories can both warm a nostalgic heart or chill us to the bone, and no movie better depicts both extremes than 'A Christmas Story,' the darkly comic 1983 adaptation of humorist Jean Shepherd's fictional memoir. Who among us can't identify with nine-year-old Ralphie and his dogged pursuit of his dream toy? With both wide-eyed wonder and a mischievous twinkle, this fan favorite deliciously skewers the season. And if you can't identify with Ralphie, then surely you've fantasized at least fleetingly about making your parents and/or siblings disappear, like Kevin McCallister does in 'Home Alone.' C'mon, admit it. Cute-as-a-button Macaulay Culkin battles bungling house burglars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern after his family leaves on a Parisian vacation without him, learning a lot about independence and the meaning of Christmas in the process. Deftly juggling uproarious slapstick with honest sentiment, this John Hughes production makes us laugh and cry and appreciate the simple pleasures that make this holiday special. And speaking of Christmas vacations – or should I say "stay-cations" - no yuletide celebration is as wacky or wacked out as the one Chevy Chase and family experience in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.' Running a close second, though, would have to be Buddy the Elf's Big Apple odyssey in Jon Favreau's surprisingly sweet, festive, and hilarious Christmas comedy, 'Elf.' As the orphan child raised at the North Pole and now on a quest to find his real family, Will Ferrell captures the essence of wide-eyed innocence, while James Caan makes a fine foil as his crusty, Scrooge-like dad. Romantic Comedies: Christmas is certainly one of the most romantic times of the year, and two films blanket us with that warm, fuzzy feeling only a good love story can provide. 'Love, Actually' takes a mosaic approach as it chronicles the exhilaration and heartache of several couples as they navigate love's treacherous minefield. The all-star cast includes Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, and Keira Knightley, and though I'll never forgive Alan for what he does to Emma, it's impossible not to embrace this well-crafted film. I also really like 'The Holiday' (sssshhh! Don't tell anyone!), Nancy Meyers' chick flick supreme about two lonely women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) who trade houses at Christmas and find unexpected love with Jude Law and Jack Black. (I won't spoil who hooks up with whom.) It's a bit predictable and trite, but also strangely irresistible, especially if you've got the tree lit and a roaring fire in the fireplace. It's also one of the few movies in which I don't find Diaz to be annoying. Animated Fare: When I was a kid, one of the few things that could help speed the interminable wait between Thanksgiving and Christmas was the steady stream of children's holiday specials that flooded the network airwaves, and two of my favorites were (and still are) 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and 'Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.' This year, both perennial classics have been released on Blu-ray, and it's a treat to see them in such vibrant, crystal clear condition. For those who prefer more modern, innovative animated fare, be sure to check out Tim Burton's ghoulishly delightful 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and Robert Zemeckis' magical The Polar Express, which is available in both flat and 3-D versions. It's never too early to get your kids addicted to high-def discs. Dozens of other holiday Blu-rays are available to brighten (or darken) this Christmas, from traditional Yule log presentations and concerts to irreverent black comedies and, yes, even horror films. But for those who desire a well-balanced, family-friendly selection that plays well from year to year, you can't go wrong with any of the above choices. So plop a few marshmallows in your hot chocolate, grab a comfy blanket, light that fire, and let the movies infuse you with seasonal spirit. Happy Holidays!!Posted Fri Dec 4, 2009 at 11:40 AM PST by: -
It’s Official – Comcast to Become Majority Shareholder in NBC[teaser]Sure, we've known about it for a while now, but it's finally official. Comcast and General Electric have signed a deal that makes Comcast the majority shareholder in NBC Universal. [/teaser] According to the press release that came out of the new partnership this morning, Comcast now owns fifty-one percent of NBC Universal. The other forty-nine percent which is now fully owned by General Electric, rather than by GE and Vivendi, will be managed by Comcast. This is all pending approval from a variety of government boards of course, including the Justice Department, the FCC, and the Federal Trade Commission. There's also a bit of funding that needs to move around and some closing conditions that need to be met before the deal is final. Comcast says that most of this is simply routine, and no issues are expected. Response to the news has been mixed, with consumer advocacy groups being especially concerned. A cable company as large as Comcast owning a broadcaster as large as NBC Universal raises some red flags. The question being raised most commonly is that of exclusive content. Comcast now has the broadcasting rights to shows and movies created by NBC Universal of course, but also the rights to The Olympics and other sporting events. It's entirely possible that Comcast could restrict other cable companies from having access to programming. Hulu is a concern common among viewers, but Comcast says there's no need to worry. As Comcast CEO Brian Roberts put it “We love Hulu and have no intent to crush it like a bug”. It's a strange way to reassure fans of the net based television service. He also has stated that there is currently no plan to institute any kind of premium, paid content on the site. Comcast's famously stringent bandwidth caps also have people worried. Were Comcast to restrict access or lower bandwidth to competitor's sites, or simply deny them content, it could create an uneven playing field.Posted Thu Dec 3, 2009 at 05:15 PM PST by: -
3D Blu-rays Hitting PCs in 2010[teaser]With the right monitor and a beefy enough computer, you'll be able to watch 3D Blu-ray movies on your PC thanks to Nvidia 3D Vision. [/teaser] Nvidia is a company more commonly associated with videogames than with movies. Their graphics cards have been powering PCs for years, and their chips can be found in smartphones, tablets, and even the Playstation 3. Early last year though, they launched a product called 3D Vision that picked up a pretty strong following with the gaming crowd. 3D Vision is a software application that allows games to be played in 3D when coupled with Nvidia's active shutter 3D glasses. Of course, a PC with decent specs and an appropriate video card is required, as well as a 120Hz monitor. With an update to the software early next year – launching in tandem with the first 120Hz 1080p monitor – 3D Vision users will be able to watch their 3D Blu-ray discs on their PCs. Nvidia has stated that most Blu-ray drives will be compatible, but hasn't released a specific list yet. Acer will be launching the monitor in early 2010 and is expected to announce a release date and price shortly. In addition to 3D Blu-ray content, Nvidia is working to incorporate 3D viewing of web based content, photo slideshows, and various non-gaming applications including Google Earth. Source: Video BusinessPosted Thu Dec 3, 2009 at 11:00 AM PST by:
