09-Dec-06 14:00:30
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player and a PC adorned with a fighting robot.
Source: News.com
08-Dec-06 23:12:22
Toshiba's 2nd generation HD DVD players are available now. Why should you care? Because the first gen players had a Beyonce-level buttload of problems, which Toshiba was trying to fix via firmware update.
This one's thinner, loads twice as fast and doesn't go nuts when a movie starts. – Jason Chen
Product Page [Toshiba via AVSForum]
This one's thinner, loads twice as fast and doesn't go nuts when a movie starts. – Jason Chen
Product Page [Toshiba via AVSForum]
Source: Gizmodo
08-Dec-06 21:11:00
Filed under: Storage
Sure, we've seen 1TB discs before, but instead of complicating things with holograms and the like, a research team at the University of Central Florida has taken a different tact and developed some advances in laser technology that could actually make disc drives cheaper and more portable -- along with the obvious benefits of 1TB of storage and speedier read/write times. Unfortunately, we left our PhDs at home today, so we really haven't the foggiest idea how this all works, but the gist of the idea seems to be the fancy dual laser wavelengths being used, allowing for sharper imaging and recording. These lasers can interact with 3D materials -- such as the multiple layers on a disc, or even a storage "cube" -- without interference from the solid material, providing for more durable and more dense storage. To switch between reading and writing is only a matter of applying more power, and the simplicity of the method means that cheaper lasers could possibly b...
Sure, we've seen 1TB discs before, but instead of complicating things with holograms and the like, a research team at the University of Central Florida has taken a different tact and developed some advances in laser technology that could actually make disc drives cheaper and more portable -- along with the obvious benefits of 1TB of storage and speedier read/write times. Unfortunately, we left our PhDs at home today, so we really haven't the foggiest idea how this all works, but the gist of the idea seems to be the fancy dual laser wavelengths being used, allowing for sharper imaging and recording. These lasers can interact with 3D materials -- such as the multiple layers on a disc, or even a storage "cube" -- without interference from the solid material, providing for more durable and more dense storage. To switch between reading and writing is only a matter of applying more power, and the simplicity of the method means that cheaper lasers could possibly b...
Source: Engadget
08-Dec-06 19:59:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
After a relatively brief delay, the cheaper of Toshiba's two second-generation HD DVD players for the U.S. is now available. Shipping in limited quantities to some dealers already, a few AVSForum members were able to pick them up at Best Buy yesterday and today. Priced at $499, in exchange for a new slim design and faster loading times (around 30 seconds from power on to movie play according to initial reports), this revision loses the 5.1 analog audio outputs of the HD-A1. Still, if you've been waiting for that bug free (don't bet on it) second revision hardware with HDMI (1080p coming on the HD-XA2) output not available on the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, this is it.
[Thanks, Ken F.]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring ga...
After a relatively brief delay, the cheaper of Toshiba's two second-generation HD DVD players for the U.S. is now available. Shipping in limited quantities to some dealers already, a few AVSForum members were able to pick them up at Best Buy yesterday and today. Priced at $499, in exchange for a new slim design and faster loading times (around 30 seconds from power on to movie play according to initial reports), this revision loses the 5.1 analog audio outputs of the HD-A1. Still, if you've been waiting for that bug free (don't bet on it) second revision hardware with HDMI (1080p coming on the HD-XA2) output not available on the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, this is it.
[Thanks, Ken F.]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring ga...
Source: Engadget
08-Dec-06 18:31:43
Without the love from sponsors, how else could I feed my need for beer and liquor to drink away the pain of everyday life? Thanks American Express, Audi, Best Buy, Circuit City, DICE, Don Julio, Fox Soccer Channel, Genji, Google Checkout, HD-DVD, Intel, LG VX8600, Logitech, Mio, Nokia, OJO Phones, P.C. Richard & Son, Parrot, Pentax, Pioneer, SV Supreme Vodka, Shure, Smarthome, Sonos, Sprint, Texas Instruments and Zune.
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Source: Gizmodo
07-Dec-06 22:30:50
Home theater buffs still undecided about which next-gen DVD they should buy should visit thedvdwars.com, where they use Amazon as a data source to determine which format is "winning" the dvd wars right now.
However, data by itself only gives part of the picture. But it's an important part.
As of today, HD DVD is winning in the amount of DVDs that can ship today (125 vs. 107), amount of DVDs that can be purchased today (154 vs. 152), the average salesrank of the top 10 products (854.2 vs. 2924.5), and the number of discs in the top 1000/10000. The only thing HD DVD is losing is in price, with an average price of $24.60 vs. $21.80. There are some collector's packs like Mission Impossible for $64 that may be throwing off the price.
The amount of players/drives in existence is still uneven, with the PlayStation 3 being impossible to find and the HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 attaching quite well to the widely available Xbox 360. Once this disparity evens out, ...
However, data by itself only gives part of the picture. But it's an important part.
As of today, HD DVD is winning in the amount of DVDs that can ship today (125 vs. 107), amount of DVDs that can be purchased today (154 vs. 152), the average salesrank of the top 10 products (854.2 vs. 2924.5), and the number of discs in the top 1000/10000. The only thing HD DVD is losing is in price, with an average price of $24.60 vs. $21.80. There are some collector's packs like Mission Impossible for $64 that may be throwing off the price.
The amount of players/drives in existence is still uneven, with the PlayStation 3 being impossible to find and the HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 attaching quite well to the widely available Xbox 360. Once this disparity evens out, ...
Source: Gizmodo
07-Dec-06 22:30:50
Home theater buffs still undecided about which next-gen DVD they should buy should visit thedvdwars.com, where they use Amazon as a data source to determine which format is "winning" the dvd wars right now.
However, data by itself only gives part of the picture. But it's an important part. As of today, HD DVD is winning
in the number of DVDs that can ship today (125 vs. 107), number of DVDs that can be purchased today (154 vs. 152), the average salesrank of the top 10 products (854.2 vs. 2924.5), and the number of discs in the top 1000/10000. The only category HD DVD is losing in is price, with an average price of $24.60 vs. $21.80. You should know that there are some collector's packs like Mission Impossible for $64 that may be throwing off the price.
The amount of players/drives in existence is still uneven, with the PlayStation 3 being impossible to find and the HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 attaching quite well to the widely available Xbox 360. Once this disp...
However, data by itself only gives part of the picture. But it's an important part. As of today, HD DVD is winning
in the number of DVDs that can ship today (125 vs. 107), number of DVDs that can be purchased today (154 vs. 152), the average salesrank of the top 10 products (854.2 vs. 2924.5), and the number of discs in the top 1000/10000. The only category HD DVD is losing in is price, with an average price of $24.60 vs. $21.80. You should know that there are some collector's packs like Mission Impossible for $64 that may be throwing off the price.
The amount of players/drives in existence is still uneven, with the PlayStation 3 being impossible to find and the HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 attaching quite well to the widely available Xbox 360. Once this disp...
Source: Gizmodo
07-Dec-06 16:16:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
While some folks just can't make up their mind, and other have already leaned one way or the other, a recent independent survey points to Sony's format being the one losing ground and interest, but we can't say we're surprised. Betamax, ATRAC, MiniDisc, and UMDs were all crafted by Sony, and all fell (basically) flat before ever really catching on, and it seems the costly Blu-ray format may be headed for the same fate. Cymfony, a market influence analytics company, found that "positive discussions" about HD DVD were "46-percent higher" than talks about Blu-ray, with over twice as many post authors being "impressed with HD DVD" rather than "impressed with Blu-ray." A good deal of the negativity shown towards Blu-ray was attributed to Sony's "heavy handed" approach of forcing Blu-ray upon PlayStation 3 owners, not to mention the notoriously delayed (and pricey) standalone players. Although it's still far too early to tell which format will rise v...
While some folks just can't make up their mind, and other have already leaned one way or the other, a recent independent survey points to Sony's format being the one losing ground and interest, but we can't say we're surprised. Betamax, ATRAC, MiniDisc, and UMDs were all crafted by Sony, and all fell (basically) flat before ever really catching on, and it seems the costly Blu-ray format may be headed for the same fate. Cymfony, a market influence analytics company, found that "positive discussions" about HD DVD were "46-percent higher" than talks about Blu-ray, with over twice as many post authors being "impressed with HD DVD" rather than "impressed with Blu-ray." A good deal of the negativity shown towards Blu-ray was attributed to Sony's "heavy handed" approach of forcing Blu-ray upon PlayStation 3 owners, not to mention the notoriously delayed (and pricey) standalone players. Although it's still far too early to tell which format will rise v...
Source: Engadget
06-Dec-06 19:58:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Chinese engineers have been working on homegrown disc format EVD since 2003 with little to show for it, but today 20 firms -- representing 97 percent of the DVD manufacturers in the country -- displayed 80 players and announced plans to switch from DVD to the new format exclusively by 2008. EVD joins VMD as a low cost alternative to Blu-ray and HD DVD, using conventional red lasers combined with advanced compression technology to put high definition movies on discs. This "Red-ray" HD approach promises to support resolutions up to 1080p without a need to increase disc capacity significantly, and will allow them to launch with players at the same price as current DVD -only models. EVD is just one of several recent Chinese initiatives to decrease reliance on outside standards and licenses, but is doubtful to catch on elsewhere. That's really too bad, because with players priced at only $87, we're interested in the group's ideas and would like to...
Chinese engineers have been working on homegrown disc format EVD since 2003 with little to show for it, but today 20 firms -- representing 97 percent of the DVD manufacturers in the country -- displayed 80 players and announced plans to switch from DVD to the new format exclusively by 2008. EVD joins VMD as a low cost alternative to Blu-ray and HD DVD, using conventional red lasers combined with advanced compression technology to put high definition movies on discs. This "Red-ray" HD approach promises to support resolutions up to 1080p without a need to increase disc capacity significantly, and will allow them to launch with players at the same price as current DVD -only models. EVD is just one of several recent Chinese initiatives to decrease reliance on outside standards and licenses, but is doubtful to catch on elsewhere. That's really too bad, because with players priced at only $87, we're interested in the group's ideas and would like to...
Source: Engadget
06-Dec-06 13:37:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Media PCs
Hard to believe, but this HDV-ROM2.4FB drive from Buffalo (OEMed by Toshiba) marks a world's first HD DVD drive for PCs. Sure, the Toshiba Qosmio and other media savvy boxes already ship with integrated HD DVD, but you're not going to find any ATAPI HD DVD drives sold independently for PCs. It ships with the third party, PowerDVD HD DVD Edition software required to watch your MPAA-friendly high-def titles in XP or Vista and reads DVD±R/RW and DVD±R/R DL, DVD-ROM and CD-R/RW/ROM formats as you'd expect. At ¥38,850 (about $338) it's a pretty good deal when these ship at the end of the month in Japan, right? Sure, but the $199 Tosh-built Xbox 360 HD DVD player is already out and perfectly capable of pumping HD DVD vids natively under Vista (and even XP after some found driver magic) after installing the appropriate media application. Decisions, decisions.
[Via Impress]
Read | Permalink | Em...
Hard to believe, but this HDV-ROM2.4FB drive from Buffalo (OEMed by Toshiba) marks a world's first HD DVD drive for PCs. Sure, the Toshiba Qosmio and other media savvy boxes already ship with integrated HD DVD, but you're not going to find any ATAPI HD DVD drives sold independently for PCs. It ships with the third party, PowerDVD HD DVD Edition software required to watch your MPAA-friendly high-def titles in XP or Vista and reads DVD±R/RW and DVD±R/R DL, DVD-ROM and CD-R/RW/ROM formats as you'd expect. At ¥38,850 (about $338) it's a pretty good deal when these ship at the end of the month in Japan, right? Sure, but the $199 Tosh-built Xbox 360 HD DVD player is already out and perfectly capable of pumping HD DVD vids natively under Vista (and even XP after some found driver magic) after installing the appropriate media application. Decisions, decisions.
[Via Impress]
Read | Permalink | Em...
Source: Engadget
Welcome to the US HD-DVD Locator - helping you find a HD-DVD player for sale. Interested in Blu-Ray?
