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Motion Blur Solutions Don’t Work Says Study[teaser]DisplayMate, the company behind calibration and optimization software for a wide range of electronics, conducted a study that they say disproves the myth of motion blur. [/teaser] Plasma got a bum rap for burn in issues, and even though it’s a non issue on new sets, the rumor persists. DisplayMate set out to attempt to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen with LCDs. The other problem of course, is the overmarketing of alleged fixes to the problem, such as 120Hz, 240Hz, and undoubtedly 480Hz display technologies. “After extensive side-by-side objective testing with moving test patterns, moving photographs and live video we found that there was no visually detectable difference in motion blur performance for current mid to top-of-the-line LCD HDTVs, regardless of their Response Time, 60 or 120 Hz refresh rates, strobed LED backlighting, or motion enhancement processing,” says the study. They also stated that while this blur was evident in the test patterns, it was undetectable visually when using typical video content. Any blurring issues that they did spot were found to be anomalies, or blurring in the source material, rather than blurring due to the television. They sum it all up quite nicely. “As a result our bottom line recommendations are… If you stick with the mid to top tier models from the reputable brands, you should ignore Response Time specifications, not worry about LCD motion blur, and don’t spend extra for 120 Hz or higher refresh rates, strobed LED backlighting, or advanced motion blur processing.” Source: Display MatePosted Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
Netflix Discs for PS3 are Shipping Now[teaser]Assuming you’ve requested your Netflix disc, it’s on its way now. If not, get on it! [/teaser] The much anticipated availability of Netflix on PS3 is soon to be a reality for customers that ordered their discs from the company. The massively popular video streaming service has started shipping discs. The initial availability of the service relies on the BD Live feature of a complimentary disc from Netflix. Sony has announced that a firmware update in early 2010 will enable users to access Netflix directly from the Xross Media Bar without the need for the disc. The addition of Netflix streaming to the PS3 is being seen as quite the coup in the ongoing war between the PS3 and Xbox 360. Sources say that Netflix streaming could soon be coming to the Wii as well as soon as early 2010. PS3 owners who haven’t yet ordered their disc need only to jump over to Netflix.com/PS3 and log into their account. Source: KotakuPosted Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
HD Advisor 35 UpEditor'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 Restoring Older Movies Q: I recently bought the Blu-ray for one of my favorite monster movies, 'Gojira'. I'd seen the original Japanese version on DVD and really loved it, so I was excited when I saw the movie at Best Buy for $12.99 and I snatched it up. Now, I understand the damage the original print suffered during post production, but it looked like the new transfer wasn't much of an improvement at all. I'm glad I bought it, because I didn't have a copy before, but it doesn't look like a lot was done to the new -- if it was new -- print. My question is if a movie with as much damage as 'Gojira' can be cleaned up for a Blu-ray release, or would it just be cost prohibitive to do a restoration of a film with this much original damage? Or was Classic Media just lazy and greedy in releasing this transfer? A: The answer is most likely some combination of all those options. Unfortunately, the film elements for many older movies, especially foreign movies of a certain age, were often not stored or treated as well as they should have been. Any damage those elements have suffered over the years may be permanently ingrained into the movie. A full-blown restoration would require the rights-holders to compile the best bits and pieces from the camera negative and surviving prints to assemble a copy with the least amount of damage. Photochemical processes and digital clean-up may then be performed to correct any imperfections. This is typically a time-consuming and expensive process. How far the studio is willing to go with this is usually determined by what resources they have at their disposal and how high their sales expectations may be. For example, a major studio like Warner Bros. can afford to pull out all the stops for a sure-fire seller like 'The Wizard of Oz'. However, a smaller studio like Classic Media may not necessarily be guaranteed that a perfect restoration of 'Gojira' would ever recoup their investment. As such, they try to make the best with what they've got. Further, Classic Media is just the license holder for 'Gojira' in the United States. They do not own the film elements. Those are held by the original production studio, Toho Co., Ltd. Classic Media is forced to work with whatever quality of source that Toho provides them. In most cases like this, the original foreign studio strikes the video master and simply gives it to the American licensee, who will author it onto a disc with English menus and subtitles. The licensee may not have any control over the film-to-video transfer at all. Squeaking Noise from TV Speakers Q: I have a bit of an issue with my home theater set up. I have a Samsung LN-46A650 television, a Sony STR-DG720 receiver, a Sony BPD-S560 Blu-ray player, and a Philips DVP5960 Region-Free up-converting DVD Player for my main hookups. My issue is that whenever I switch components on my receiver (i.e. Blu-ray to DVD player), my television's speakers let out a loud intermittent squeak every few seconds. The problem fixes itself once I have a disc playing or I shut my receiver off and then turn it back on. I have tried switching inputs on the TV and receiver and also trying different HDMI cables and there is no change. Is this an issue with my TV or my receiver? A: I'm going to assume that you have everything connected by HDMI. It also sounds like you have your disc players connected first to the receiver, and then out from the receiver to the TV (which is generally the best option). Does your TV have a setting that will disable audio on the HDMI input? Does this still happen if you mute the volume on your receiver before switching from one source to another? When all else fails, your best bet is the process of elimination. Disconnect everything and then reconnect one component at a time until you discover exactly what combination of elements is causing the issue. Projector Zooming Q: I've been thinking about buying a projector for my home-theater, but I have a doubt that really concerns me. How do I know what the projection area will be? In others words, how big will my screen be? As far as I know, there is a rule for projectors that, once the distance between the projector and the screen has been determined, one could not adjust the size of the projection, because the picture would get correctly focused on screen. How can I know if, for example, putting my projector 15 feet away from the screen, will I get a 50', 60' or 90' screen? A: Most modern home theater projectors have separate zoom and focus controls. Once you've mounted the projector, you can zoom to make the image larger or smaller. The lens should allow you to dial in proper focus at any size within the zoom range. In order to determine how large an image you can project, you need to know the projector's throw range and zoom ratio. Most manufacturers provide projection calculators on their web sites. If you can't find that, try looking up the model at Projector Central. Using the projection calculator, you can enter your distance from screen and determine how large an image you will project at any zoom setting. Homework Assignment: You Be the Advisor Some questions that the HD Advisor receives 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! Speaker Feedback Q: I recently re-did my family room into a multi-purpose media room, and I've come across an issue that I cannot seem to solve. When I am listening to anything, be it audio or film, when I am adjusting the volume I get feedback. I have an Onkyo TX-SR 875 and when adjusting the volume I get a "bump" sound through the sub-woofer, on every .5 increment. So imagine the volume rapidly increasing or decreasing, there is a rapid thump. Now I'm not sure if this is worth mentioning, but I ran dedicated power (20 amp circuit) for the Onkyo thinking that I would not get issues like this, but alas it was not to be. All cables were custom made and buzzed to ensure there would be no shorts in the cables. My speaker system consists of Athena Technologies (an API Company) S3 and P3 Series of speakers. Not sure if you are familiar with these speakers but they are modular. The S3 and P3 can be attached (via Ni-Cad railings) and run in full range, or be separated and run as, well, separates. Which means that I am running 2 subs. Now the Onkyo only having the one sub output makes me wonder if splitting it may in fact be the issue. I have tried bypassing cables, running the cables away from line voltage cables, I just cannot solve this and I hope you will be able to offer a solution. 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 Nov 6, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Wal-Mart’s Pre Black-Friday Sale Offers Impressive HDTV Discounts[teaser]Black Friday is only a month away, but Wal-Mart is kicking things off early. [/teaser] There’s little disputing the glory of Black Friday. Sure, lining up at 4am is a pain, but the opportunity to get a ridiculous deal can be impossible to resist. Need a new Blu-ray player, HDTV, or just a handful of movies to add to your collection? Black Friday is the day for you. Though the last year or two have been less than impressive, this year is expected to be huge. Wal-Mart gets things started early with some pretty solid pre-Black Friday discounts on televisions, and a less than impressive mark down on a Blu-ray player. On Saturday, November 7th, the simultaneously loved and hated giant of a chain will be offering one day only specials. A 42” Sharp LCD is first on the list, (LC42SB45UT) for $498. It’s a 1080p television that offers a native contrast ratio of 2,000:1 and four HDMI inputs. The $498 asking price is around two hundred dollars less than online retailers such as Amazon. If that’s not your thing, there’s also a 46” plasma from Panasonic (TC-P46U1) for $788. At around $300 under the typical asking price, the Panasonic sports a 1080p resolution, a native contrast ratio of 30,000:1 and a 600Hz sub field drive that helps to reduce motion artifacts. A Sony Blu-ray player (BDP-S360) is selling as well, but with a $148 price tag for an item selling online at $151, high demand doesn’t seem likely. Also of note is an incredible deal on the Xbox 360 Arcade unit. The normal $199 price will net you not only a 360, but a $100 Wal-Mart gift card as well. The Xbox Arcade does lack a hard drive but does include enough built in memory to run Netflix and save a few games. Source: Wal-MartPosted Fri Nov 6, 2009 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
The RVU Alliance Expands – Networked Entertainment to Benefit[teaser]The RVU Alliance is a newly formed group that was created to set the standards and specifications for secure content delivery over a home network. [/teaser] Thanks to the addition of a group of members according to Motorola, Humax and more, we may be getting one step closer to a centralized entertainment experience. To break it down simply, it goes like this. The RVU wants you to be able to view your content no matter where you are in your house. They’re creating the standards that hopefully, companies will follow in the future to allow viewing of all of your content no matter what set-top box, computer or game console you’re using. Needless to say, we’re fans. Originally consisting of Broadcom, Cisco, Samsung, DirecTV and Verizon, the RVU Alliance added a group of members today who will be developing and promoting the technology. Motorola and Humax may be the most familiar names, as they make up a significant portion of the set-top box market. Among the other members are Pace, a developer for the pay TV industry and Thomson, who provide services for content creators. Also joining are NXP semiconductors and Entropic Entertainment, who have a hand in the chips being used in various consumer electronics devices. An announcement like this in November could easily mean big things at the quickly approaching Consumer Electronics Show this January. Source: Press ReleasePosted Fri Nov 6, 2009 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
BD-Live Hopes to Connect Viewers to Movies AND PeopleBy Michael S. Palmer [teaser]Reps from Walt Disney, Sony, Universal, and Fox gathered for a panel at this year’s Blu-Con 2.0 to discuss the present and future of BD-Live.[/teaser] Currently, 4 million Blu-rays connect to BD-Live every month. 50% of users return to the various portals (1984-esque tangent: Sony remembers your player’s I.P. address, and thus knows if you repeatedly access digital content. Big Brother knows where you are at all times!). I’ve always wondered why BD-Live features have been so lackluster. Apparently, the challenge here is education. Studios and retailers are already educating the consumer on alien terms like HDTV, HDMI, 1080p, 7.1 and Blu-ray. Creating a brand new social experience for BD-Live and having to educate the consumer even further is an uphill battle on top of an uphill battle. Which is why the current strategy for studios is to build upon technology and habits that already exist (via iPhone apps, and partnerships with popular websites like Facebook and IMDB.com). To them, BD-Live should be not only an extension / augmentation of the movie, but also of the consumer’s life. Here’s a run down of strategies / features by studio: How can they make it easy, dynamic, and interactive? Their first BD-Live title was ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ and since then they’ve had the ‘Hannah Montanna’ movie tied to Radio Disney, and the recent ‘Snow White’ features include “living menus” that change appearance according to the time and local weather, as well as the ability to receive a phone call from a Disney princess. ‘Lost - Season 5’ will feature “Lost University” (https://www.lostuniversity.org/). LU, with its Polar Bear mascot, is a Blu-ray/BD-Live exclusive, and gives Lost’s rabid fan base a chance to not only learn about the show, but also to study the themes and mythology built into the Lost universe. Disney hopes that ‘Lost’ fans who have yet to go Blu will buy Blu-ray players in order to participate. SONY: Every release since April of 2008 has featured BD-Live (and of course, it should, given that their parent company invented Blu-ray). Initially, the BD-Live link was to a portal for additional content downloads and a chance to fill out surveys to let Sony know how they’re doing. Snore. Recently, however, Sony’s focus has been two-fold. 1) The chance to edit clips from the movies (as seen on ‘Step Brothers,’ ‘Year One,’ and the upcoming ‘Snatch’) and post them on Facebook. And 2) “MovieIQ,” which is a live interactive database about the movie’s cast, crew, and production. A nifty feature bound for ‘Julie & Julia’ (Dec. 8th) is the ability to choose and email yourself recipes from the movie as it plays. UNIVERSAL: Admittedly arriving late to the Blu-ray world last year, Universal sees the BD-Live experience as something that should be “simple and sharable.” On their discs, look for “community screenings” (everyone around the country, or world, watches the film at the same time, chatting about it via BD-Live), and integrated Facebook / iPhone applications. Recently, for ‘Fast & Furious’ Universal released a car customizing iPhone app (build a car, and share with your friends online) that has proved popular. FOX: Sharing similar buzz words as simple and social, Fox introduced “Live Lookup” with ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ a few months ago. Integrated with IMDB.com, it’s similar to Sony’s “MovieIQ”, but for my money, much more fluid and visual. Frankly, it’s a shame that we have to have two different versions of the same feature, but I guess simplifying would involve too many lawyers. Fox is also looking to get into community screenings, citing the desire to “elevate catalogue titles to event status.” Seems like in addition to dressing up, throwing props, and singing along to the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’, the first rule of the ‘Fight Club’ Blu-ray will be to not talk about the fact that everyone’s supposed to show up to watch the flick at the same time. WARNER was not in this panel, but they are very excited to host global community screenings for ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ (Dec. 7th). It’s clear, despite all efforts, that BD-Live has a way to go. Studios are researching their little hearts out to give us features like “Live Lookup,” and attempting to integrate their products into the arenas we already occupy. “Lost University” seems like a good start, but is admittedly only for die-hard fans. In the not-too-distant future, we could see e-commerce (the ability to buy products literally used in, or as seen in, the movie), editing movies in real time and inserting them into the film, putting your voice / likeness into the movies, or features akin to Google maps (posting/tagging user generated clips online that tie into filming locations). Perhaps in addition to developing and selling their movies, bold new filmmakers will also create exciting opportunities for interactivity in watching their movies, which is usually very passive (except for popcorn consumption). Or maybe it’ll be you, dear readers, with the next kick ass idea. What do you want from BD-Live? What’s a “gotta have it” toy you’d love at your fingertips as your favorite flick unfurls in glorious high def?Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 at 01:00 PM PST by: -
Touch Screen Displays Come to the Shower[teaser]Ultra high-end bathroom company Roca – yes, there are ultra high-end bathroom companies – has created a water drop shaped shower and bath that features a wraparound touchscreen display. [/teaser] Admit it, you’ve been watching a video on your zune or been listening to your favorite podcast on your iPod before a shower and thought “I wonder if there’s a way I can keep enjoying this entertainment while becoming clean.” Maybe you’ve taken a bath instead so you could read a book or watch a movie on your laptop, maybe you’ve ruined a perfectly good Bluetooth headset by taking it in with you, or maybe you’re one of those unfortunates that thought a Ziploc bag would be enough protection. It’s one of the few parts of the house that seldom features entertainment, aside from one of those sad shower radios, even though we’re there for at least a few minutes every day. For those with deep pocketbooks and room for a strange bath/shower amalgamation, Roca has a solution. Designed by We Chenghou, the Waterdrop is a combination bath and shower that incorporates a wraparound touchscreen display to control not only audio and video being fed into the unit, but the water intensity and temperature as well. The Waterdrop isn’t in Roca’s official catalog yet, so the price is a bit of a mystery, but we’re guessing it’s not exactly cheap. Source: Yanko DesignPosted Thu Nov 5, 2009 at 12:30 PM PST by: -
'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' Released on USB[teaser]Kingston and Paramount have teamed up to bring the much watched Transformers sequel directly to USB. [/teaser] Paramount Digital Entertainment has announced that they’ve signed a deal with Kingston to bring their films to USB drives and SD cards, but the release of 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' just has us scratching our heads. Everyone seems to agree that digital distribution is the future of entertainment, but just how it will be delivered seems to be in strong contention. Netflix and Hulu take a streaming approach, while Blockbuster and Amazon go for a pay per view sort of download service. Kingston and Paramount have, on the other hand, created a way to combine the inconvenience of having to leave the house to purchase a movie with the video quality of a stream. For $30, consumers are able to pick up the newest Transformers film on a 4GB USB drive. According to Kingston, users simply need to plug the USB drive into their computer to play the file, but details on what format the file will be in and what kind of DRM will be involved aren’t there. There’s also no information on the quality of the video included, but since it’s on a 4GB drive, we can assume it’s not up to Blu-ray standards. All this wouldn’t be so bad if the cost of the USB drive and movie were less than the two purchased separately, but for $30, that just isn’t the case, as a quick Amazon search quickly confirms. Paramount says that more movies are coming via USB sticks and SD cards, but if a $30 price tag and less than impressive visuals are what we’re getting, expect the trend to end soon. Source: Video BusinessPosted Thu Nov 5, 2009 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Best Buy to Embed CinemaNow on Most Connected Devices[teaser]No, we’re not just talking about Dynex or Insignia here, Best Buy announced today that they’ll be embedding the Roxio CinemaNow service into nearly all capable devices sold in their stores, in a variety of brands. Oh, and there’s more. [/teaser] The move will effect more than just Blu-ray players and HDTVs, as the CinemaNow digital distribution service will be embedded into not only the usual suspects but set-top boxes, personal media players, and even mobile phones. From what we’ve heard, essentially anything that can play video and connect to the internet. So with a majority of the hardware purchased from Best Buy set to offer up the digital rental and purchasing service CinemaNow, what’s next? And how exactly does this aggressive move towards digital distribution benefit Best Buy? Best Buy’s Chris Homeister has the answers. “We’re going into this business in a big way,” he states. “The idea is to let consumers pay once for a DVD and then eventually be able to play it on any device.” This would mean, essentially, that a DVD purchase from Best Buy or BestBuy.com would translate into digital rights for the same content. Best Buy hopes that the inclusion of the service and the future availability of same day digital copies will create loyalty to the brand from consumers who tend to be increasingly concerned with bargain hunting. Of course, an advertising and educational campaign is sure to follow, explaining to consumers exactly what they’re getting and how it benefits them. As Dave Habiger of Sonic Solutions puts it, “With Best Buy's ability to drive in-store promotion and education, consumers will come to quickly understand and appreciate the convenience, flexibility, and control that digitally-delivered video entertainment affords them.” Source: Yahoo NewsPosted Thu Nov 5, 2009 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Blu-ray Brings a Smile to Martin Scorsese's Face!By Michael S. Palmer [teaser]For this year’s Blu-Con 2.0, the keynote speaker was heralded master filmmaker and movie fan extraordinaire Martin Scorsese.[/teaser] As an avid cinephile, restorer, and collector, he remembers the days when the only way to “own a movie” was through the poster. One could go to revival houses, of course, but after years of use and abuse, prints were scratched, faded, and even missing scenes. Then came the videotape. The first chance to build a film collection for the home, but VHS was a very limited technology. DVDs were one step better. A boon to the cause of restoration. Yet even DVDs were troubling, with the squabble over aspect ratios (full screen vs. wide screen). And now, Blu-ray disc. To Mr. Scorsese, despite the fact that the cinema going experience can never be fully recreated, Blu-ray is the closest home theatre has ever gotten. It marks the very best quality picture and sound. Visual clarity is so strong; it’s all encompassing, almost 3D. As for the audio, he recently remarked while mixing ‘Shine a Light’ that he was excited to know that what he and his team mixed, would transfer exactly to the home. When asked what he thought about the ability to alter classic titles for Blu-ray release, (such as removing production wires from special effects, or remixing mono soundtracks into 5.1 stereo surround) Mr. Scorsese said that one must preserve the vision of the filmmaker, through elements such as correct aspect ratio, color, and sound. In his own experience, when Mr. Scorsese originally released ‘Taxi Driver’ (which isn’t out on Blu-ray yet), the technology at the time limited him to a mono track, but Bernard Herman had recorded his haunting score in stereo (just like Warner Home Video did with the 'Wizard of Oz' in 2005). Returning to those elements isn’t a desecration of the original exhibition, but a chance for the filmmaker to use technology that was unavailable to them when they were making their movies. He wanted us to remember that there were actually early versions of stereo 60+ year ago (Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ was the first, exhibited in 1940 in “Fantasound”), used for such classics as ‘A Star is Born’ and ‘Shane.’ Regarding special effects, moderator Grover Crisp (SVP, Asset Management, Film Restoration & Digital Mastering, Sony Pictures Entertainment) spoke with Scorsese about the recent 4K restoration of ‘Dr. Strangelove.’ There were strings in some shots of the planes. Sony left the strings in for the studio’s master so they would always have them, but for the Blu-ray release removed the them, as the medium is so clear, on today’s larger television, the strings would have been distracting. Something Stanley Kubrick never wanted his audiences to see. As a fascinating anecdote, Mr. Scorsese said in the early 1990s Kubrick was self-preserving ‘Dr. Strangelove’ using a 35mm still camera, photographing it frame-by-frame. Scorsese chuckled, and then admitted that he wasn’t sure if Kubrick ever concluded this project. Peter Bogdanovich said there are, “no old movies, just ones you haven’t seen.” And it’s through Blu-ray that Scorsese finds this especially true. Blu-ray has the ability to extend the life of film, in that it presents and preserves all the elements that make this visual medium feel like film (grain, texture, color etc). He said with previous home entertainment formats, audiences might not have been able to tell you exactly why a movie wasn’t as good as it was in the theater. Yet subconsciously they could feel it when clarity, color, and quality were lost. When asked about his favorite Blu-ray movie, Mr. Scorsese didn’t want to pick just one, but admitted that every time he fires up John Ford’s ‘The Searchers,’ even just to check it out, he can’t turn it off. It still holds up, it’s very moving, and there’s beauty in the landscape and the nature of the faces.Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 at 04:00 PM PST by:
