Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
Latest Gear Live Videos
Vudu HDX 1080p movie downloads are “insanely sharp”
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Yesterday, VUDU went live with their new HDX 1080p movie downloads, and word on the street (or, at least, from Pogue at the Times) is that they are the best thing available as it pertains to the digital download movie game. Now, VUDU promised “Blu-ray quality” movies, and I don’t think that’s what we are seeing here. After all, that would mean some people would have to spend the better part of a day downloading a flick - that would make for an awkward evening when inviting the girl over. However, the quality is decidedly sharper than DVD, and looks better than high definition downloads from other services, like iTunes through Apple TV. So, how do they achieve this goodness? Well, the bit rate for the videos hovers around 9Mbps, and goes as high as 20Mbps during fast-moving action scenes. Nothing else touches that, including your cable company with their On Demand, seriously.
VUDU currently has 65 movies available to rent in their HDX format, and all new releases will be available in HDX as well. A VUDU box will run you $299, but if you buy it before the end of the year, you get a $200 movie credit, which seems to make it worth the price of admission - especially since those who own HDTVs have such a hard time finding great content to take advantage of their screens on a consistent basis. You can get one online, or at your local Best Buy.
Read More 
| New York Times
Gallery: Vudu HDX 1080p movie downloads are “insanely sharp”
Advertisement
When we see a product like this, it makes us want to scream, “Gimmee!” Sharp’s new LCD TVs, the AQUOS XS1 Series, made their debut at CEATEC 2008 and feature an incredible 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Each HDTV is only 2.28cm thick and has 150% color representation with 450 cd/m2 brightness. Expected in Japan October 15, the 52-inch model will sell for ¥980,000 ($9,256.00,) while the 65-inch TV carries a ¥1,280,000 (~$12,092.00) price.
Read More | Aving
Gallery: Sharp AQUOS XS1 Series LCDs
CBS Employs Touchscreen for Electoral States
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Videos,
We admit that we have been watching CBS news to catch the latest on Sarah Palin, and found that we were really impressed by some of the technology used in their Eye to Eye series. Jeff Greenfield was using this incredible touchscreen that could instantly change a red state to blue (or vice versa) while altering the count at the same time. Here’s hoping that the upcoming Presidential election will have lots of bells and whistles (without so many promos attached.)
Read More | CBS News
Gallery: CBS Employs Touchscreen for Electoral States
Nero Liquid TV - TiVo Your PC
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies, Software,
TiVo and Nero have teamed to make Liquid TV software. It includes the simple TiVo interface to watch and record TV shows and movies in HD and Standard formats on your TV or PC. Liquid TV has the ability to burn to DVD or hard drive, pause, export to PMP or iPod, and schedule recordings in the U.S. and Canada. The package includes TiVo’s Season Pass, WishList, and a 12 month subscription to the service, and comes with tuner for your PC and remote. All in all, this is a fine deal for $199.00 that will be out October 15. If you already have a tuner, Nero is offering the software separately for $99.00, TiVo subscription included.
Read More | Nero
Gallery: Nero Liquid TV - TiVo Your PC
Sling Media announced this morning that they’ve started shipping their much-anticipated Slingbox PRO-HD uber placeshifter, which turns out to be the first with the ability to to deliver content in high definition (up to 1080i) over a network, or locally. The PRO-HD can accept signals from cable boxes, DVRs, and anything else that can plug into its coaxial, component, S-video, RCA, and composite inputs. It can take advantage of up to four difference sources, and can then transmit it to just about anything. The best part here, though, is that the Slingbox PRO-HD can transmit HD video, so if you are running the SlingPlayer 2.0 software (only available on Windows at the moment - boo!) you can view live and recorded video, right up 1080i HDTV. You can pick one up for $300. If HD isn’t y our thing, you can pick up the Slingbox PRO for $230.
Read More | Slingbox PRO-HD product page
Gallery: Slingbox PRO-HD shipping
Sony’s VaioTT Series Notebooks are wrapped in carbon fiber, less than an inch thick, and weigh only 2.87 lbs. With a 11.1-inch wide screens, they will play Blu-ray in full HDTV as well as one recording, storing, and playing personal content with BD media. Another has an a dual channel 256GB SSD with RAID. The basic TT is priced at $2,000.00, the BD version is $2,700.00, and the SSD is $2,750.00. Choose between gold, red, and two shades of black
Read More | Far East Gizmos
Gallery: Sony VaioTT Series Notebooks
ViewSonic N2201w LCD Wtih Built-in DVD Player
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Misc. Tech, Movies, Peripherals,
ViewSonic’s N2201w LCD has PC monitor capabilities and a built-in DVD player. With 1080i HD and a resolution of 1680x1050, the 22-inch screen has a response time of 5ms and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Compatible with ATSC/NTSC/QAM digital TV, it has HDMI 1.3 and composite inputs. The N2201w is available for $429.00. While we like the idea of combining components, we know from experience that if you buy something that combines them, half of it will break down before the other and getting it fixed will be expensive and a pain.
Read More | CE Pro
Gallery: ViewSonic N2201w LCD Wtih Built-in DVD Player
Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Broadband, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet,
Ten days ago, Verizon FiOS TV officially launched here in Washington state. I was actually invited to speak at the launch event that took place that day, alongside Verizon representatives, and local government officials. I was specifically chosen as a case study of just how good FiOS is, since I literally moved specifically because Comcast was way too slow for the things we expected out of our Internet connection here at Gear Live HQ. It was an event meant to talk up the advantages of FiOS over cable (specifically, Comcast, in this area). Obviously, with FiOS looming over their territory, Comcast went into damage control mode to combat Verizon’s claims that they were the best option for Internet and television services. We were sent both the FiOS press release and the Comcast press release, and we figured we would respond to the claims of each, point-by-point.
For some background, we’ve been Comcast customers for over six years, for both Internet and television services. When we moved for FiOS 15 months ago, Comcast was still our cable television provider. As of today, I am a FiOS customer for both Internet and television, and as of 10 days ago, am no longer a Comcast customer. Now, on with the comparisons.
Click to continue reading Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
Gallery: Verizon FiOS vs. Comcast: Feature-by-feature
Onkyo TX-NR906 and TX-SR876 THX Ultra2 Plus receivers released
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Peripherals,
Onkyo has just released a couple of new high-end THX Ultra2 receivers upon us all, in their TX-NR906 and TX-SR876 units. Both units feature 7.1-channel surround processing, four HDMI inputs, new THX Loudness Plus processing, XM HD, and the fantastic HQV Reon-VX upscaling processor. These bad boys will upconvert just about anything you throw at it to 1080p. In terms of audio, your got both units conservatively rated - the TX-SR876 is at 140 watts per channel, while the TX-NR906 hits you with 145 watts per channel. The TX-NR906 specifically is also Windows Vista certified, and supports digital audio devices (like the Zune) by way of its front USB port. You can also stream a bunch of audio formats on your local network to it, as well as streaming Internet radio, including SIRIUS iRadio.
Both models are available now. Suggested retail comes out to $1,799 for the TX-SR876, and $2,299 for the TX-NR906, but we are sure you can find them for a lot less if you do a little shopping around. Be sure to also hit up our Onkyo TX-SR906 image gallery.
Gallery: Onkyo TX-NR906 and TX-SR876 THX Ultra2 Plus receivers released
LG HT33S Home Theater System
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Music, Portable Audio / Video, USB,
LG has revealed its home theater system, the 2.1 channel HT33S. The glossy black exterior houses iPod docking, an optical port for sound, and the ability to convert standard def DVDs to HD1080p through HDMI upscaling. DivX, DVD, CD, MP3, WMA and JPEG are all compatible via USB. Finally, CD files can be converted to MP3 and saved as well. Presented at the IFA 2008 and tuned by audio expert Mark Levinson, look for an October release of the system.
Read More | Aving
Gallery: LG HT33S Home Theater System
Advertisement
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.