Clicky

On FilmCrunch: New Moon Cast Tour

Latest Video: Bleeding Edge TV 322: Motorola DROID Reviewx

In this video we give you a preview and walkthrough of the new Motorola DROID smartphone from Verizon Wireless. We go over Android 2.0, Google Maps Navigation, the QWERTY keyboard, and more.
Play Video
Close Player   Episode Permalink Comment on this Video Subscribe to this show via iTunes, Miro, or RSS Download for: iPod High Definition

2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Roku HD-XR Player

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet, Women, Techies, Under $100, Under $250

Roku Netflix Player

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, has come to the , 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

Advertisement

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, released 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 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.


JVC PICSIO jumps into HD pocket cam market at $200

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Handhelds, HDTV, Portable Audio / Video

JVC PICSIO

is throwing its hat into the US pocket HD camcorder rat race, officially bringing their PICSIO cam to the US, a few weeks after announcing the PICSIO’s Japan release details. JVC is advertising the PICSIO GC-FM1 as a 1080p cam, which is a lie, since it actually does 1440x1080 at 30fps. You also have a 720p mode that shoots at 60fps, which is where we think the sweet spot is on the PICSIO. The device can also capture still 8 megapixel images, a nice value-added feature, and all the content gets recorded onto an SD card that you’ll have to provide yourself. You can get the PICSIO in purple, black, or blue, and at $200, it’s definitely a competitor to the , despite the PICSIO’s lack of mic input port.

Looks like Amazon has the JVC PICSIO for $179, a $20 discount.

Read More | JVC PICSIO

Newegg Deal: Samsung 58” 1080p plasma HDTV

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals

Samsung PN58A650 plasma

is selling the 58” Samsung PN58A650 Touch of Color plasma HDTV at a very decent price. The Samsung PN58A650 hooks you up with a full 1080p display, and four HDMI inputs. You can pick up the the HDTV set for just $1799.99, which is $1,200 less than the original price, and even about $600 less than the best price on Amazon. Take a look at the Samsung PN58A650 HDTV on Newegg to get the savings.

As always, you can find all sorts of Newegg promo codes and deals on our forums.

Read More | Samsung 58" PN58A650 HDTV

Panasonic 50-inch 3D 1080p Blu-ray Plasma TV

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Displays, HDTV

Panasonic 50 inch with Blu-ray

Last January, we got a chance to see ‘s 3D demonstration on their 103-inch screen, and it appears that the company was able to shrink it down for the typical consumer, and they’ll be showing it off at CEATEC 2009 next week.  Their 50-inch screen is meant for the typical consumer (starting with early adopters.) To take advantage of 3D on this set, you need to use it alongside a 3D-compatible player along with shutter glasses.  There is no word on a price point, but these 3D TVs should be all the rage next year.

Read More | Panasonic Japan

Zune HD Review: Music discovery at its finest

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Features, HDTV, Microsoft, Portable Audio / Video

Zune HD black and platinum

We’ve had the new in our hands for a few weeks, and now that we’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly get to know it at an intimate level, we figured it was time to share - but first things first. We’ve gotta say it. Microsoft has been consistently wowing us over the last few months. Say what you will about , , et al, but at the end of the day, they are solid offerings that stack of well against their competitors. Then of course, there’s the Xbox 360, which just received a dashboard overhaul, making it even more useful and feature-rich, and there is even more to come this fall. For us to even be thinking about Microsoft in this way is a huge departure from even just one year ago.

So, all that said, where does the Zune HD fit into all this? Well, as we’ve posted previously, the thing has an OLED 16x9 display, and packs in the NVIDIA Tegra processor. Those two pieces of news has us super-excited to see if this thing would live up to the hype. Does it? Go grab a drink and get comfortable, because we are going to delve right in.

Click to continue reading Zune HD Review: Music discovery at its finest


JVC announces HD Everio GZ-HM400 video camera

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Cameras, HDTV

JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400 video camera

is up to more camera tricks with the new HD Everio GZ-HM400.  This camera has 32GB of internal memory and can record to an SD/SDHC card.  It features a 10.3 megapixel CMOS sensor for nine-megapixel stills and 1080p video.  It also has a One Touch Upload to YouTube and an export function to download stills and videos to an iTunes Library.  It is available now at a price of $999.95, but Amazon has them for $896.44, a 10% savings.

Read More | Virtual Press Office

Microsoft Zune services offline in preparation for Zune HD and software launch

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Microsoft, Portable Audio / Video, Software

Zune 4.0 Coming

While not as exciting when the Apple Store online goes down, you should still be aware that Microsoft has taken all services down in preparation for the launch of the Zune 4.0 software, and the release of the tomorrow. We are guessing things will be functional again around midnight tonight. In fact, you may wanna stop by Gear Live around that time as well. Just sayin’.


Apple TV 160GB now $100 less at $229, 40GB model gone

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Apple TV 160GB

continues to support their Apple TV hobby, if by “support” you mean “do nothing for two years except drop the price on the high end model, and kill the low end model.” That’s right, the 40GB Apple TV is no longer available for purchase from Apple, and the 160GB model has received a $100 price cut, from $329 to $229. A nice change, sure…but really, we’d like to see a little more than this as it pertains to the Apple TV. C’mon Apple, what’s up?

In the meantime, you can grab the new lower price 160GB Apple TV at the Apple Store online.

Read More | Apple TV

JVC LT-32WX50 LCD HDTV is a quarter-inch thick

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

JVC LT-32WX50

You read the headline correctly, this new LCD from is only a quarter inch thin at its thickest.  The LT-32WX50 has edge-lit backlighting, a wide color gamut, two HMI inputs, VGA-style PC input, RS-232 port of custom installations, and a 4000:1 contrast ratio.  It should be available in November for a price of about $3,000. If you ask us, that is fairly expensive for an edge-lit display, what with the lack of local dimming and what not.

Read More | CNET

Advertisement