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Up Blu-ray review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Adventure, Animation, Family, DVD Reviews,
This week, Pixar released their latest film, Up, on DVD and Blu-ray, and we’ve been going through all the content on the Blu-ray release over the past couple of weeks. We know that the movie did extremely well at the box office, and reviews for the actual movie were great - but how does the home release of Up hold, er, up? Hit that read link, and we’ll let you know our thoughts on one of the biggest home releases of the holiday season.
The Movie
As is typical with our Blu-ray and DVD reviews, we won’t actually be reviewing the movie itself in full, but we will say this: Up is another Pixar release that combines family fun and entertainment with some highly emotional storytelling, with a perfect balance. The movie easily beats a lot of the cruft that you see other Hollywood studios pumping out on a regular basis. You’ve got lovable characters in Carl Fredrickson, Russell, and Dug, with dialogue that’s funny for kids, with some lines specifically aimed at adults. The movie even features miscarriage and death, but with subtlety, so the kids don’t get confused. It’s definitely worth seeing.
Click to continue reading Up Blu-ray review
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Black Friday 2009: Toys R Us ad
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Cameras, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Toys, Video Games,
We’ve gotta say, Toys R Us gets big props from us for how they are handling their Black Friday 2009 sale. Rather than making you wait out in the cold until four or five in the morning, they are opening up at midnight, and they’ve got a bunch of doorbusters to make you head straight on over after your Thanksgiving get-together. We are talking about tremendous deals on video games, toys, and even a few gadgets and Blu-ray titles. We’ve got the list for you after the jump.
Click to continue reading Black Friday 2009: Toys R Us ad
Black Friday 2009: Target ad
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, GPS, Handhelds, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Smart Home, Movies, Portable Audio / Video, Storage, Video Games,
Continuing on with our coverage of Black Friday 2009 sales leaks, we’ve got the details on what Target is going to be doing to get you out of bed early for their 5:00am doorbusters. Wondering if they’ll have any great deals on gadgets and tech? How does a 1TB hard drive for under $60 sound? Check out the full list after the jump.
Click to continue reading Black Friday 2009: Target ad
Amazon has a big Blu-ray sale going on
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Movies,
So, we’ve been trying to keep you updated on the various Black Friday 2009 sales that are coming up, but we felt obliged to tell you about this Blu-ray sale that Amazon has going on right now. The sale includes 15 Blu-ray titles, like Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, Casino, King Kong, and more. If you buy three titles, you save $20. If you buy six, you save $50. If you buy 10, you save $100. Head on over to the Amazon Blu-ray sale to get all the details.
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| Amazon Blu-ray Sale
Black Friday 2009: Best Buy ad
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, GPS, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Portable Audio / Video, Storage, Wireless / WiFi,
Best Buy’s Black Friday 2009 ad has leaked, and it is chock-full of goodness, in our humble opinion. If you are a gamer, you’ll definitely want to take a look at some of the deals they’ve got on a bunch of titles, as well as console bundles. HDTVs are also drastically reduced in price, and they’ve even got a Blu-ray player for $99. Good times all around.
Click to continue reading Black Friday 2009: Best Buy ad
Newegg Pre-Black Friday Leak: Toshiba 32” LCD HDTV for $329
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals,
Newegg has got a pre-Black Friday 2009 sale that we just caught wind of. They are selling the Toshiba 32-inch 32AV502R LCD HDTV for the super-low price of just $329. The set is a 720p high definition display, 16x9 aspect ratio, with an 8ms response time. The offer is valid from now through December 19, while supplies last - and we are assuming that these are going to go quick at that price, as these make an excellent gift, or secondary/bedroom television. If you’re interested, head on over to Newegg and check out the Toshiba 32AV502R.
As always, you can find all sorts of Newegg promo codes and deals on our forums.
Read More | Toshiba 32" LCD HDTV
2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Kodak Zi8
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Handhelds, HDTV, Women, Men, Techies, Under $250,
We love how inexpensive it’s gotten for people to attain the ability to record high definition video, and we think this category is set to explode this holiday season. Based on this, and you know how much we love video, we’ve got to recommend the Kodak Zi8 handheld camera. Why? Well, the Kodak Zi8 records full 1080p HD video at 30 fps, and can also take 5 megapixel still images. It incorporates image stabilization as well, which helps avoid that whole Blair Witch shaky cam effect that none of us enjoy, and in a rare move, it even has a microphone jack so you can connect a nice, high quality audio device, if you so choose.
It’s definitely a great value for such a small device that packs a nice punch. The Kodak Zi8 typically sells for $179, but you can find it on Amazon for a little less than that.
Honorable Mention:
Flip Mino: It isn’t HD, but it’s about $60 cheaper than the Kodak Zi8.
Read More | Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera
2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Roku HD-XR Player
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet, Women, Techies, Under $100, Under $250,
We are kicking off our 2009 Holiday Gift Guide with the Roku HD-XR player. Why? Well, we think that it’s the perfect time to introduce someone to the new hotness that is TV, delivered over the web, and right into the living room. Sure, Netflix has come to the Xbox 360, but if you want streaming access to the Netflix service and don’t own a game console, this is your cheapest barrier to entry. The HD-XR model also gives you access to the Amazon Unbox catalogue, as well as the entire MLB game service as well, if you are subscribed.
Definitely a great gift for movie buffs, the Roku HD-XR player is able to stream over 12,000 movies and television shows from the Netflix Watch Instantly catalogue, and over 45,000 from Amazon Video on Demand. It connects to your home network through an ethernet port, or over Wi-Fi, connecting at up to 802.11n if you have it. There’s also a USB port on back, which Roku says is for future use. Our guess is that they’ll be allowing the device to read from an external USB drive, which would be stellar.
The actual device is tiny, so it takes up barely any space, and setup takes just a couple of minutes - very simple. Of course, a Netflix subscription is required, but once you have that, everything else is a piece of cake.
Honorable Mention: If you want all the features of the Roku HD-XR, but don’t need the USB port or 802.11n wireless speeds, you can grab the Roku HD Player for $99!
Read More | Roku HD-XR
Bleeding Edge TV 319: Apple TV 3.0 walkthrough
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Apple, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Music, Podcasts, Software, Videocasts, Videos,
Yesterday, Apple released Apple TV 3.0, the first “major” release for the device in about two years. The company has often referred to the Apple TV as a hobby, as opposed to a real business. That said, there are a few nice additions that can be found in the Apple TV 3.0 update, so we give you a full walkthrough of the device, giving you a sampling of some of the new hotness.
Some of the standout features are the obviously redesigned home screen. Instead of the centered grid, you get a full screen menu that makes it easier to navigate right to the content that you want. I mean, it’s nice, but it seems to be the biggest visual upgrade to the device, which we think is in need of a hardware refresh. You also score Genius DJ playlist abilities, nice for parties and such, but I rock a Sonos system, so it doesn’t really appeal to me personally. Same goes for Internet radio, but it is there as a feature, and it’s nice. The one we like is the addition of iTunes Extras and iTunes LP content. We are fans of the iTunes LP, so being able to see it on an HDTV, which is where we think it shines, is also “nice.”
If you are picking up on a trend, you win. This whole 3.0 business is, in a word, “nice.” It isn’t anything more than that. It brings the Apple TV in line with other Apple products, allowing it to do things that other devices can do, and it gets a UI refresh, and the Helvetica font. All well and good, but let’s hope that next time around we get some decent new hardware. In any event, hit the play button for the full tour.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Animation, Classics, Family, DVD Reviews,
Not many people realize this, but Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is Disney‘s very first full-length animated motion picture. Some would say it is the most prized possession inside the Disney Vault, since one could argue that this movie not only pushed the still-young Disney studio well on its way to being the global powerhouse that it is today, but it also expanded and legitimized the art of animation. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first movie to be released as part of the Disney Platinum Series, which has been around for a while now. However, when it came time to get the Blu-ray treatment, Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio were both released before Snow White, as Disney wanted to get this one just right. The result? The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray set.
Is it worthy of the title? Journey with us as we dig deep into the Snow White Diamond Edition and find out.
Click to continue reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray review
