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Latest Gear Live Videos
Pioneer Releases Blu-Ray Player
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
It’s Pioneer’s turn to out a new Blu-ray player with their Elite BDP-95FD. It features a 1080p 24 frames per second reproduction rate and outputs audio formats including Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+, and DTS-HD. It also has a simple graphical user interface for simple navigation. The player is compatible with Windows/XP/Vista/Media Center, as well as Linux and Mac with software. Its remote can control other CEC-enabled products. Look for the player next month with a $1000.00 price tag.
Read More 
| Digital Tech News
Gallery: Pioneer Releases Blu-Ray Player
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Original Star Trek To Go HD
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Trekkers should be thrilled that Toshiba and CBS have joined forces and will release the original Star Trek in HD DVD. The 10 disc set of Season One will have standard def on the other side. The discs also have a new 5.1 soundtrack, picture-in-picture comments, a detailed interactive tour of the Enterprise, and a chance to compare the remastered episodes with the original ones. The best part of the deal is that although the set’s MSRP is $199.00, you get a Phaser Remote with purchase. Expect the collection to land on the planet November 20. We wonder if Mr. Spock would have preferred Blu-Ray.
Read More | Electronic House
Gallery: Original Star Trek To Go HD
Vudu is Nothing New
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet, Misc. Tech, Movies,
Another company has decided that we still don’t have enough choices when it comes to watching movies. Vudu promises access to over 5,000 movies with its 250-gigabyte hard drive that will handle about 100 hours of storage. The Vudu runs by Ethernet with at least a 2 Mbpm broadband Internet connection. In time, the box will have more storage capability with an additional USB hard drive. The price of the Vudu is $399.00 and although there is no subscription fee, you pay 99 cents to $3.99 to rent or $4.99 to $19.99 to own. The way we go through movies around here makes us think that with that kind of spending, we could probably purchase a new car by the end of the year. We’ll just be satisfied with our now dependable NetFlix which we figure pays for itself in the first week of any given month.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Vudu is Nothing New
Sanyo has unveiled what they claim is the smallest and lightest HD digital cam on the planet. With a volume of only 16.6 cubic inches and a weight of only 9.5 ounces, the Xacti HD 1000 features an 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution that can record up to 85 minutes of 1081i high-def or over 5 hours of TV quality video with an 8G SD card (not included.) Sanyo’s new technology allows for only one processing chip while utilizing 4.2 watts of power. Its “Face Chaser” automatically detects and isolates up to 12 figures for auto-focus and proper exposure. The Xacti will be available in the U.S. next month and will retail for $799.99, which makes it about $84.00 per ounce.
Read More | fosfor gadgets
Gallery: Sanyo’s New Diminutive Xacti
Monster Introduces New Speed-Rated HDMI Cable Line
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
Monster has just announced their new HDMI cable line, and this one looks to be a doozy. Looking to stay ahead of the curve, Monster has introduced a total of five different speeds for their HDMI offerings. Those would be Standard Speed (2.23 Gbps), High Speed (4.95 Gbps), Advanced High Speed (6.68 Gbps), Ultra-High Speed (10.2 Gbps), and Ultimate High Speed (14.93 Gbps). Now you might be wondering to yourself why any of this is even necessary. In our own opinion, it isn’t. Monster could have cut two of those speeds out of the equation and had a lineup that would still meet the needs of pretty much every consumer. The reason they went this way, however, seems to be so that customer can buy exactly the cable they need without having to spend more on one that might be overkill. Hear me out.
The Ultimate High Speed cable hits 14.93 Gbps. If you are just pushing 480p signals in your home entertainment system, you don’t need that, and therefore can spend a lot less on the Standard Speed. However, if you are doing 720p/1080i, the Standard won’t be enough, and you should then bump up to the High Speed cable - Advanced High Speed would be overkill unless you have devices that send and receive 1080p signals. Starting to make sense?
Click to continue reading Monster Introduces New Speed-Rated HDMI Cable Line
Gallery: Monster Introduces New Speed-Rated HDMI Cable Line
Sharp Plans For Thinner Panel LCD
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
Sharp has unveiled its ultra-thin flat panel LCD. So far just a prototype, the high-resolution 52-inch screen is only 20 mm (~1.14-inches) wide, weighs 25 kg, and has a contrast ration of 100,000:1. The company also bases its power consumption of 140 k per year on their idea of a “typical household” average daily viewing time of 4.5 hours. Sharp claims 150% of the NTSC color gamut on its flat panel, which seems a bit vague. Nonetheless, we definitely think thin is in.
Read More | Sharp
Gallery: Sharp Plans For Thinner Panel LCD
Analog TV Will Cease to Exist in 2009
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,
The Bad News
Analog broadcasting, as we now know it, will end by February 2009. When the time comes, your TV has to be capable of receiving digital signals or you will end up with a very large paperweight. If you have satellite service or cable they will provide you with anything you need, but if you use an antenna you will need an ATCS tuner.
The Good News
If you need the tuner (which costs between $50.00 and $70.00,) the government will help subsidize your purchase if you apply for up to two $40.00 coupons between January 1 and March 31, 2008.
The Best News
If you have a VCR, or DVR with a digital tuner that will do the trick, so save your old VCR even if you never got around to fixing that broken belt. Contact the FCC’s site for more infomation.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Analog TV Will Cease to Exist in 2009
Onkyo TX-SR875 and TX-SR905 Receivers Now Shipping
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Music,
After a couple of delays, Onkyo has finally announced that their flagship TX-SR905 and TX-SR875 7.1 surround sound receivers are now shipping. These are the first A/V receivers to include Silicon Optix’s Reon-VX HQV video processing chips, which provide the receivers with some fancy video scaling and deinterlacing capabilities, including upscaling of all video sources to 1080p for output over HDMI. All video sources are also upconverted to HD output via the units’ component video outputs to accommodate video displays lacking an HDMI input. You’ll find 3 HDMI inputs on the TX-SR9875, and four on the TX-SR975. Extra features on the 975 include built-in Ethernet for streaming Internet radio and network media, HD Radio receiver, and USB port for use with digital audio players and USB memory devices.
The Onkyo TX-SR875 is available for $1699 USD, while the TX-SR905 sells at $2099 - excellent prices for receivers that include THX Ultra2 mode.
Gallery: Onkyo TX-SR875 and TX-SR905 Receivers Now Shipping
Get Rid of Unsightly TV Cables
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
If you are fortunate enough to have an LCD or Plasma Screen and have it mounted, chances are you can’t afford something to cover up those ugly cables dangling beneath it. Anthony Lozano may have had the same problem and designed a wall-mounted, fiberboard channel that will hide cords that run between the bottom of the screen and the top of your A/V cabinet, even if it is just a couple of boards and a few bricks. The WS12 ($39.00) covers a 12-inch distance, the WS20 ($49.00) handles 20-inches, and the WS30 ($79.00) spans 30-inches. All of them can be painted and come in flat or textured finish. After we get one of these Wiring Solutions from Super Home Theatre, maybe we can work on replacing those bricks.
Read More | Electronic House
Gallery: Get Rid of Unsightly TV Cables
Toshiba HD-A3x Third Generation HD DVD Players Announced
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Hot on the heels of Samsung announcing their third generation Blue-ray players, Toshiba has just filled us in on their soon-to-be-released third gen HD DVD players. First thing to take note of right out of the gate is that the top-of-the-line model, the HD-A35, will cost $499 USD as opposed to the current $799 that the HD-XA2 goes for. The HD-A35 offers 5.1 channel analog output and High Bit Rate Audio (up to 7.1 channel) via HDMI.All of the new models will also boast 24p support and CE-Link, along with a much nicer streamlined appearance. As for pricing and availability, the HD-A3 will go for $299.99 and is expected to be available in October, the HD-A30 should ship in September at $399.99, and the HD-A35 will ship in October at the aforementioned price of $499.99. Click on over to PR Newswire for the full release.
Read More | PR NewsWire
Gallery: Toshiba HD-A3x Third Generation HD DVD Players Announced
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