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Apple TV review (2010): 5 Things We Like
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Product Reviews,
We know you’ve been waiting for our Apple TV review, and we’ve been playing with Apple’s second try at a home theater set top box for about ten days now, and figured it was time to report back with our thoughts. The thing is, it really is a lot of the same in terms of usability and interface. There aren’t many changes (yet!) to that side of things, despite things being very different under the hood. The new Apple TV is a lot smaller, and runs iOS 4, and is priced at just $99. It’s centered around a focus on renting movies and TV shows rather than purchasing them. It’s also got Netflix integration and the new AirPlay functionality that allows you to fling video and audio content from your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch right to the Apple TV with ease.
Rather than go into this as a full review, we figured we’d focus instead on five aspects of the new Apple TV that we like, and five things about the Apple TV that we hate. So let’s jump into five things we like about the Apple TV:
Click to continue reading Apple TV review (2010): 5 Things We Like
Gallery: Apple TV review (2010): 5 Things We Like
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Deal of the Day: $300 off Sony BRAVIA 40-inch HDTV with Blu-ray player
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals,
Today’s Deal of the Day kills two birds with one stone if you’re looking for a new HDTV and Blu-ray player. The Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX40B is a 40-inch LCD HDTV that has a built-in Blu-ray player with XMB interface, and today’s deal saves you $300 off the total price, which is a savings of 30% with the Dell promo code.
Save $300 on Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX40B Blu-ray HDTV
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.
Gallery: Deal of the Day: $300 off Sony BRAVIA 40-inch HDTV with Blu-ray player
Deal of the Day: Save 15% on Vizio E470VL LCD HDTV
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Displays, HDTV, Hot Deals,
Looking for a great deal on an HDTV? Today’s Deal of the Day brings you the Vizio E470VL 1080p LCD HDTV. It’s got a 120Hz refresh rate, 5ms response time, three HDMI inputs, and 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio on a 47-inch display, and with the Dell promo code you end up with a 15% discount, saving you $130—that’s the cheapest we’ve ever seen for this display.
Save 15% on Vizio E470VL 47-inch HDTV
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.
Gallery: Deal of the Day: Save 15% on Vizio E470VL LCD HDTV
Let the Apple TV hacking begin!
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Mods / Hacks,
Looks like Eric Sadun over at TUAW has found that the new Apple TV is definitely hackable, as the device is instantly recognizable by PhoneView (an OS X app that let’s you browse the disk of your iOS devices.) Since the Apple TV runs iOS and has been found to pack 8GB of storage, aside from the fact that the Apple TV version os iOS has already been hacked by the iOS Dev-Team using their SHAtter jailbreak, it’s a no-brainer that we will be seeing third-party apps on this thing at some point in the very near future.
Read More 
| TUAW
Gallery: Let the Apple TV hacking begin!
Some Apple TV orders delayed by up to 3 weeks
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
Did you order one of those new $99 Apple TV units that Apple announced at their fall music event? If so, you may wanna keep an eye on your inbox, because the company has been sending notices to some customers letting them know that their orders have been delayed by 2-3 weeks:
“Our records indicate that when you placed your order you paid for upgraded shipping,” Apple wrote in the emails. “Due to a delay, we may have not been able to meet our delivery commitment.”
We’re guessing that this is a case where more people were interested in picking up the $99 box than Apple had expected to be able to send out before September finishes out. However, if you go to the Apple TV page on the Apple Store, it still shows that the device will ship within this month.
Read More | Apple Insider
Gallery: Some Apple TV orders delayed by up to 3 weeks
Toshiba BDX2700 Blu-ray player review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Product Reviews,
If you were wondering how Toshiba‘s mid-range Blu-ray player fared when compared to everything else out there, the guys over at TweakTown have put together a nice review of the device.
Toshiba was once a major player in the two-year long “High Definition Wars”, pitting the HD-DVD format against Blu-ray disc. With fans in each camp, the ultimate fate of HD DVD came about when manufacturers began dropping support for that format and switched over to releasing movies on Blu-ray alone, thus cutting HD-DVD off at the knees. Though the format still lives on today in used movie stores all across the country, Toshiba eventually dropped all support for their competing format and began releasing Blu-ray disc players of its own.
The BDX2700 is a replacement to Toshiba’s first generation Blu-ray player; the BDX2000 (released almost a year ago) and is the current top of the line player (the BDX2500 is a cheaper version which lacks built-in wireless connectivity). The BDX2700 is a “basic” Blu-ray player, which is perfect for those who are upgrading from the straightforward DVD disc players and are confused by the myriad of connectivity options and “apps” that are required for so many consumer electronics these days. Video connections are the typical HDMI, component and composite, while the audio side of things drops the coaxial connection in favor of full analog connectivity (in the event that your sound system doesn’t decode the Blu-ray lossless audio codecs).
Click on over to the site for the full scoop.
Read More | TweakTown
Gallery: Toshiba BDX2700 Blu-ray player review
Avatar 3D Blu-ray release will be Panasonic exclusive at first
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
If you own a 3D HDTV and have been waiting for Avatar 3D to drop on Blu-ray, it looks like you’ll have to wait a bit longer than originally planned if you don’t own a Panasonic Viera model television. The long-awaited title is the first 3D Blu-ray movie that will get serious attention from home theater enthusiasts, and is seemingly a huge opportunity to sell consumers on the technology, so it’s pretty disappointing that Panasonic scored this timed exclusive that will keep Avatar off of the store shelves for a while. The movie will come bundled with select Viera 3D models, but if you already own one, there will be a way for you to get in on it as well. Look for it before the end of 2010.
Read More | CNET
Gallery: Avatar 3D Blu-ray release will be Panasonic exclusive at first
Apple announces new Apple TV with cheap content rentals, Netflix
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
This morning Apple announced their new update to the Apple TV platform at their fall music event. Since the launch of the Apple TV in 2006, Apple has always maintained that the device and platform were just a “hobby.” With today’s update at the fall music event the focus was on bringing Hollywood movies and TV shows to the device, offering everything in HD, and lowering prices on the content. The new device is 75% smaller, and there’s really not much more to say about the actual hardware. However, the changes that most would care about are on the software and service side of things. HD television show rentals are now just $0.99, which is $2 cheaper than they used to be. You can also rent high definition movies, on the day and date that they are available on DVD, for $4.99. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you can use the Apple TV to access your Instant Queue as well.The device focuses on streaming rather than syncing, and will be available at the end of September, in about four weeks. You can pre-order one today for $99.
Read More | Apple TV
Gallery: Apple announces new Apple TV with cheap content rentals, Netflix
Deal of the Day: Vizio Razor LED 42-inch LCD HDTV
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Hot Deals,
If you’re looking for an inexpensive LED HDTV, today’s Deal of the Day is one you might wanna take a gander at. What we’ve got here is the Vizio RazorLED M420NV, a 42-inch LED-backlit LCD HDTV. It’s a 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate. With the Dell coupon code you end up getting $320 off the price, netting you an awesome 34% savings.
Save 34% on the Vizio RazorLED M420NV LED HDTV
Gallery: Deal of the Day: Vizio Razor LED 42-inch LCD HDTV
Deal of the Day: 44% off Sony BRAVIA 52- and 46-inch LED HDTV (2010 model)
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Hot Deals,
If you’re in the market for a new HDTV, then you’ll wanna pay close attention to today’s Deal of the Day, because it’s one of our best. You can currently save a whopping $950 (that’s 43%!) off of one of the new 52-inch Sony BRAVIA JDL-52EX700 1080p LED displays. Looking for something a bit smaller? How about $750 off (4%!) of the 46-inch Sony BRAVIA KDL-46EX700? The great thing about these deals is that these are the current 2010 models, not some older units that needs to be clearanced out. These sets have integrated 802.11n WiFi, DLNA support, and even stream content from Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, Slacker, and more. Oh, and even better? Free shipping.
Here are the links:
Gallery: Deal of the Day: 44% off Sony BRAVIA 52- and 46-inch LED HDTV (2010 model)
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