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Vudu Does HD VOD Big Time
Vudu, a startup that sells and rents movies via its Internet-connected set-top box, has boosted High-Definition library to 1,100 on-demand titles – for now, outdistancing any cable operator’s HD video-on-demand service.
To build what it c
laimed is the largest library of HD content available to consumers, Vudu added on average of 150 HD titles per week in October.
The service requires a minimum 4-Mbps connection for instant playback of HD titles.
Vudu is attempting to sell its $300 set-top to home-theater buffs by emphasizing the service’s broad content selection and navigation features. Movies on the service are available for 24-hour rental for between 99 cents and $3.99, and $9.99 to $19.99 for download-to-own.
As part of its strategy to target high-end consumers, Vudu last month began offering 65 feature movie titles for rental in 1080p high-definition video format, the highest HD format currently defined.
More at Multichannel News.
Tags: video on demand, vod, vudu
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PC Magazine Stops the Presses - Online Only
I grew up reading PC Magazine and I looked forward each couple weeks to picking up my copy of PC Magazine at the local grocery store. But today, Ziff Davis has announced that the legendary PC Magazine print publication is shutting down its print publication and focusing exclusively on online content. This is truly a sad day… 
Hold on while I grab some tissues…
PC Magazine started the whole in-depth comparative reviews of PCs and Microsoft software. They expanded later to including gadgets, MP3 players, mobile phones, GPS, and other technology. PC Magazine offered insightful tech tips and great columnists like John C. Dvorak. Back in the 80s and 90s the print publication was 400-500 pages, making for hours of tech- reading pleasure. Today, it’s down to 150 pages and soon to be 0 (January 2009).
Well, I guess it’s “greener” that way. But I for one will miss my print copy of PC Magazine.
Tags: John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine
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Xbox 360 as Internet-to-TV Portal
Hoping to provide viewers with an easy way to move Internet-based video onto TV screens, GridNetworks has announced a new service that would do just that by routing the content through an Xbox 360 gaming console.
The service is designed to work with any device that uses Universal Plug and Play protocols and, in the future, GridNetworks wants to be able to use Sony’s PlayStation 3 as the conduit as well.
More at Multichannel News.
Tags: gridnetworks, internet-based video, PlayStation 3, Sony, Universal Plug and Play, xbox 360
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Pioneer Stores Coming to a Mall Near You
Don’t know why gadget companies want to open up their own unique stores, but Pioneer has opened its second U.S. retail store in Phoenix.
The 3,200 square-foot store showcases Pioneer’s state-of-the-art products in a comfortable home environment with six vignettes, each featuring unique themes and different technologies, as well as a revamped mobile electronics section bringing an interactive shopping experience to customers.
Well, I guess I do know, but don’t think that Pioneer ranks up their with Apple or Bose as a big draw.
But maybe I’m wrong.
Would you rather shop at an all-gadgets retailer like Best Buy or head to a unique manufacturer-only site?
Or are you comfortable doing both?
Tags: apple, best buy, bose, mobile electronics, pioneer
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How Much Is That HDTV in the Window?
New consumer research has found that 34% of U.S. households have at least one HDTV set, double the percentage of households that had such TVs two years ago.
The growth of HDTV sets has largely been driven by on-going consumer purchasing of TV sets coupled with a dwindling supply of lower-end non-HDTV sets being sold, according to the Leichtman Research Group.
Overall, 22% of all households purchased a new TV set in the past 12 months, with 43% of this group spending more than $1,000 on a new TV.
These findings are based on a survey of 1,302 households throughout the United States.
Now if we could just get the other two-thirds to pick up a HDTV set we’d be all better off … would that help the global economy or what?
More at Multichannel News.
Tags: hdtv
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Wal-Mart Getting Jump on Black Friday Deals
An upcoming Wal-Mart sale will offer Black Friday-like deals, including a notebook for $298 and 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $798.
Just as it did last year with a sale that lured shoppers into its maze of fluorescent lighting for $350 laptops, Wal-Mart will once again begin its holiday sales early with a one-day shopping event to precede Black Friday.
The company’s sale will include several high-profile deals, including a laptop for $298, a 46-inch Sanyo LCD HDTV for $798, and a PS3 that comes with a $100 gift card.
Specifications on the $298 laptop, a Compaq CQ50-139WM, have moved up significantly from the models offered as last year’s doorbusters. Though it will still get a single-core Intel Celeron M processor clocked at 2GHz, the CQ50 also gets 2GB of DDR2 RAM a 160GB hard drive, and Intel’s 4500MHD media accelerator.
More at DigitalTrends.
Tags: black friday, compaq, intel celeron m, sanyo, wal-mart
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Top HDTVs under $1000
Want to know the top HDTVs & LCDs under $1000? Well, Amazon has a sweet round-up of the top HDTVs that won’t break the bank. My 480i/480p/1080i 65″ rear-projection TV is getting a bit old, it’s bulky, and it doesn’t support 1080p, so might be time for me to buy one of these or add it to my Christmas wish list. 
Read: Amazon’s Top HDTVs under $1000
Tags: 1080i, 1080p, 480i, 480p, HDTV, LCD, television, top HDTVs
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Roku Streaming HD from Roku — Before Year End
Roku representatives have responded to rumors on its online forum board regarding when it will launch streaming HD services and announced, earlier than they’d like, that it will team up with Netflix to bring HD content to its subscribers.
Compared to the recently announced Xbox and Netflix tie-up that will also see streaming HD content to the Xbox, Roku will use different Advanced Profile encoding to deliver the HD content at significantly lower bit-rates.
In related news, CNet reports that Netflix has decided to stop selling used DVDs to its customer base, instead deciding to focus its attention on its rental by mail and Watch Instantly services.
“As you know, our core business is delivering great movie rentals to you on DVD by mail and instantly to the computer and TV, so we’ve decided it makes sense for us to focus exclusively on that,” the company stated in a Netflix blog post.
More on the streaming from Electronista (and thanks for the photo).
Tags: CNet, netflix, roku, streaming HD, xbox
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WB Goes for Legal Movie Downloads — In China Only
In an attempt to make headway against rampant film piracy, Warner Bros. will distribute newly released films online in China.
The studio struck a deal with Union Voole Technology in China to offer new movies as well as those that have never been seen in Chinese theaters at rental prices ranging from 60 cents to $1.
The inexpensive video-on-demand service seeks to entice China’s estimated 253 million Internet users to pay for Hollywood fare rather than download illicit copies.
How about a “Coming to America” version for all of us over here?
More at the Los Angeles Times.
Tags: movie downloads, warner bros.
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Watch Two TV Programs at Once on Same TV!
It sounds like an offer out of the back of a comic book, but Texas Instruments (TI), the maker of the DLP Cinema chip, is developing technology that might make it possible to watch two programs on one TV at the same time.
The company recently outlined some of its early developments that use 3-D technology for home entertainment at the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Technical Conference and Exhibition in Hollywood, CA.
One development, which TI expects to begin to preview at year’s end, is processing technology that if incorporated in a third-party home entertainment system could allow for 2-D, 3-D or “dual view mode” on the same TV. Dual view mode, similar to 3-D, combines two images, but they are two different images.
Yes, and you can expect to wear special glasses, too …
More at the Hollywood Reporter.
Tags: 2-d, 3-d, dlp, texas instruments
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Multi-Channel Election Night Coverage
If one channel just enough during election season, Dish Network is offering a mosiac channel with six simultaneous feeds of news channels.
It started Tuesday, Oct. 28, and will run through Nov. 7.
For those 11 days, you can turn to Channel 100 and catch Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CNN Headlines News, C-SPAN and C-SPAN 2.
(At least the remote control will get some rest …)
Since May, Dish has offered Dish Decision 2008, an interactive application with news and information about the presidential candidates, plus state-by-state news, information and polling about congressional and gubernatorial races.
Dish rival DirecTV is also offering an Election Day mosaic channel, in this case an eight-channel offering called Election Mix.
Thanks to TV Technology.
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Anybody Buying Blu-ray?
There are ads for them all over the place as everybody seems to be pushing Blu-ray as the better version of DVD – much like DAT was the new audio cassette (but at least that’s digital vs. analog, not better digital vs. digital) and we know what happened to DAT …
And who can argue with 1080 lines of resolution (BR) vs. 480 (DVD), but we the consuming universe just don’t want to shell out $30 for a BR title when we are quite happy to pay less (often much, much less) for a regular, good old DVD.
(And DVD are not really that old, are they?)
In a sign that there is than one of us out there with the same way of thinking, as of last month, only 4% of U.S. movie disc sales were Blu-ray, according to Nielsen VideoScan. Many consumers remain happy with mainstream DVDs, surveys show. 
So let me hear your arguments about going over the blu side …
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Sears Wants Your Old Gadgets
Sears is offering VenJuvo’s Trade4Credit program to Sears.com shoppers that will allow you to earn Sears store credit in exchange for trading in pre-owned gadgets that have been determined to still hold value.
The program, which offers free recycling and shipping, will accept a variety of gadgets, including iPhones, digital cameras and camcorders, MP3 players, GPS systems and gaming systems.
To use the service, simply have to log onto www.sears.trade4credit.com, select your gadget and then enter the specifics about it so the system can calculate an estimated trade-in value. Once the value is established, the user can print out the prepaid mailing label and send the device to VenJuvo.
After the device is received, VenJuvo will validate the value and within three days you will be able to collect a Sears gift card for that value.
A quick look at the site tells me the product categories are narrow and the prices low. Now, wouldn’t eBay be a better choice in some cases?
More at TWICE.
Tags: ebay, recycling, sears, trade4credit, twice, venjuvo
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HDTVs Sales Single End to STVs
Shipments of High-Definition televisions this year surpassed that of standard TVs, according to iSuppli, a leading market researcher.
Significant price reductions and the increasing availability of content over multiple distribution channels are the key drivers behind HDTV sales.
And don’t all sports events look better in HD? 
As a result, HDTV shipments are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 20% from 97.1 million units last year to 241.2 million by 2012. In 2008, HDTV shipments will reach 124.2 million units, while non-HDTV shipments fall to 86.6 million.
With the technology everywhere these days — on broadcast television, cable, satellite and the Internet, you can’t escape hearing about something being broadcast in HD or getting the most out of your HD receiver or the most HD channels available.
Shipments of standard definition TVs (STVs), on the other hand, are expected to decline at a rate of 27% from 114.8 million units in 2007 to 23.1 million units by 2012, iSuppli said.
More at InformationWeek.
Tags: HDTV, high-def tv, iSuppli, STV
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