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Latest Gear Live Videos
Universal Supports HD DVD via Home Viewing
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
This past weekend we were about to watch a video from Universal when, wedged between the previews and the film, was a blatant commercial about the wonders of HD DVD, including the mention of how the discs will play on the Xbox. Curious about this newest battle in the HD vs.Blu-ray battle, we went to the website it suggested. Backing on the site is also coming from Warner Brothers, HBO, Paramount, HP, Intel, and Microsoft, and Toshiba is still offering lower priced players and 5 free DVDs with purchase. Things should really heat up in the next few months and we are not just referring to the planet’s temperature.
Read More 
| HD DVD
Gallery: Universal Supports HD DVD via Home Viewing
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Toshiba HD DVD Player Pricing Stays Put
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Toshiba has announced that its recent HD-DVD players’ promotional pricing will not return to its original cost. This is excellent news to those who have yet had occasion to purchase one and may serve as a hint for this year’s holiday shopping, which seems to arrive earlier every year. The company’s HD-D2 is only $279.99, the HD-A2 is now $299.99, the HD-A20 is $399.99, and if you want to splurge, their HD-XA2 has been rolled back to $799.99. Here’s to Toshiba, who obviously knows that a good deal is a good idea in the realm of mostly high-priced gadgets.
Read More | Toshiba via Electronic House
Gallery: Toshiba HD DVD Player Pricing Stays Put
Blockbuster To Feature Blu-ray Exclusively in Stores
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Blockbuster has decided to rent only Blu-ray in 1,450 of its stores beginning next month when it expands its inventory. Renting both formats in 250 stores late last year, the company said that consumers preferred Blu-ray more than 70% of the time. It will continue to rent both types in those original stores as well as online. Gear Live was so curious about the decision that it studied the “facts” and came up with this:
- More titles were available on Blu-ray than HD.
- Several of the major studios, including Disney, were releasing exclusively Blu-ray titles.
- Sony Playstation 3 already comes equipped with Blu-ray capability.
- Releases of the popular Casino Royale, Spiderman, and Pirates of the Caribbean came out solely on Blu-ray.
We are still thinking that maybe a battle has been won, but certainly not the DVD war. We just don’t think that buying a new player is worth the price of admission just yet.
Read More | CNN
Gallery: Blockbuster To Feature Blu-ray Exclusively in Stores
Plasma Window: Think of it as a Screensaver for Your Flat Screen TV
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Software,
So your uber-expensive flat screen TV is hanging on the wall and you’re so happy. But let’s be real—when turned off, your flat screen is dull, dull, dull. Turn things around with Plasma Window, a collection of DVDs for your widescreen that displays a virtual fireplace (complete with crackling sounds), aquarium, landscape, waterfall, or even classic works of art that hang on your wall. Throwing a party? Try the disc that offers a light show. Sweet! While the Plasma Window collection is made specifically for digital, widescreen and LCD TVs, the company insists their DVDs work on any television. Each DVD is available for $15 USD and up.
Read More | Plasma Window via Red Ferret
Gallery: Plasma Window: Think of it as a Screensaver for Your Flat Screen TV
Toshiba to Release HD Drive for Laptops
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Corporate News, HDTV, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video,
Those of you with portable PC monitors larger than your TV screens can celebrate the arrival of Toshiba SDD’s (Storage Device Division) slim HD DVD-RW drive for laptops. The SD-L912A can read and write to HD DVD-R, standard DVD, and CDs, and also read, write, and rewrite to DVD-RW discs. This drive allows a laptop more back-up capability for a larger amount of data. Hitting the public around July, Toshiba cautions that since it is only a first generation it will only burn at 1x speed, but we are just content in the knowledge that we can burn a few movies to take with us before we take our summer vacation.
Read More | fosfor gadgets
Gallery: Toshiba to Release HD Drive for Laptops
Matsushita Wins Award for Humongous HDTV
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
Another winner at the SID this year is the Matsushita’s Panasonic Plasma Display with the world’s first 103-inch Diagonal 1080p TV. The TH-103PF series features 16 bit color, high-def HDTV with a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution, a contrast ratio of 5,000:1, and 4,096 steps of color gradation. That’s equal to about 2 million pixels or twice the amount now available on current sets. The 89 x 50-inches display would be the equivalent of four 50-inch plasma screens. The sets also features Motion Pattern Noise Reduction for a clearer image.
Read More | SID Awards
Gallery: Matsushita Wins Award for Humongous HDTV
Samsung Wins Award at SID 2007
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
This year’s Display of the Year Award at the Society in Design 2007, going on this week in Long Beach, has gone to Samsung’s 40-inch LCD with LED backlighting. It features a 10,000:1 contrast and 105% more color saturation than the current NTSC standard. It also has a 120Hz McFiTm (motion-compensated frame interpolation) technology which means that it moves at twice the current speed of 60Hz models to make clearer images. Samsung will also be displaying the planet’s largest (A4-sized/14.3-inch diagonal) color “electronic paper” (e-paper) to create extra-large digital information displays (DIDs.)
Read More | Samsung McFiTm LCD
Gallery: Samsung Wins Award at SID 2007
Fujitsu Offers New HDTVs
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
Here’s another set of HDTVs to add to what seems a glut lately from the smaller companies. Fujitsu has a couple of new ones to add to their Plasmavision line. The P55XHA51WSb has a 55-inch screen while the P63XHA51WSb has a whopping 63-inch screen. Both panels feature 1366 x 768 resolutions and AVM processors for motion prediction and anti-aliasing, a 900cd/m2 brightness with a 3000:1 contrast ratio, and two HDMI ports. Both also can handle composite and 2x composite video, S-Video, PC VGA, RS232, and 3x Stereo Audio. Look for gimongous prices of £4495 (~$6076.00) and £6495 (~$8779.00) respectively.
Read More | Pocket-lint
Gallery: Fujitsu Offers New HDTVs
Home Theater Does Double Duty
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Music,
This home theater, designed by Harmony Interiors, can not only play to a roomful of people, it can accommodate the viewing pleasures of those on the other side of the screen. Designed as a Golf Dream Home at the Jack Nicklaus Signature community in North Carolina, it features an outdoor motorized 11 x 7-foot phantom screen that can be seen from the porch or the lawn with its own putting green.
It also comes with a SharpVision XV-Z3000 video projector, a projector lift located on the ceiling for storing when not in use, and a Bose AV 38 Media Center for DVDs, music, and high-definition cable programs. It also includes a built-in Visable amp, a subwoofer, Bose Jewel, Adapt IQ, and FreeSpace environmental speakers, and has a Universal remote control MX3000 touchscreen.
Imagine being able to watch this 2007 Home of The Year award winner and practice along with the pros at the same time. You may not have to be a Tiger Woods, but hopefully you have enough expertise to putt away without endangering the equipment.
Read More | Harmony Interiors
Gallery: Home Theater Does Double Duty
Pump Up This Home Theater
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Misc. Tech, Movies, Music,
FrontGate’s new Home Theater comes with an inflatable, hi-def white vinyl HD screen, just in case you are sitting in your outside jacuzzi and want to catch the Grey’s Anatomy finale during Nielsens sweeps this month. Made of mesh reinforced PVC, it also comes with an Epson Movie Mate 30 DVD Player/projector, CD/DVD player, a high-speed air pump, and two full-range self-powered speakers with 30 foot audio cables. Included in the $2,499.00 to $2,999.00 price is your choice of an 8 or 12 foot screen with 16 x 9 widescreen, a ground sheet, ground stakes, and nylon rope for stabilizing, just in case a storm’s abrewin’. When it finally hits, FrontGate claims it will fold up neatly into its own padded bag.
Read More | FrontGate
Gallery: Pump Up This Home Theater
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