18-Jun-07 08:00:16
After testing out both Blu-ray and HD DVD rentals in 250 of its 1,450 stores, movie rental chain Blockbuster has gone with Blu-ray as the format its going to widely deploy next month. The decision comes as customers in those 250 stores chose Blu-ray 70% of the time, obviously more than doubling the amount of HD DVDs rented. That's a pretty big margin this early in the format war.
However, HD DVD die hards have a slight bit of hope left. Blockbuster will still continue renting HD DVDs in the original 250 locations, so there could be a possibility in changing the decision if customers start renting a lot more of the HD discs or studios start pumping out a lot more movies on that format. We wouldn't count on it. – Jason Chen
Blockbuster to favor Blu-ray high-definition discs over rival HD DVD format [Pittsburgh Live]
However, HD DVD die hards have a slight bit of hope left. Blockbuster will still continue renting HD DVDs in the original 250 locations, so there could be a possibility in changing the decision if customers start renting a lot more of the HD discs or studios start pumping out a lot more movies on that format. We wouldn't count on it. – Jason Chen
Blockbuster to favor Blu-ray high-definition discs over rival HD DVD format [Pittsburgh Live]
Source: Gizmodo
17-Jun-07 23:51:00
Filed under: HDTV
In a huge blow to Toshiba, Universal, and the rest of the HD DVD devotees, rental giant Blockbuster has decided to stock only Blu-ray discs in the vast majority of its nationwide locations, although HD DVD titles will continue to be offered online and in the 250 (out of 1,450) stores that have been testing both formats since last year. Blockbuster VP Matthew Smith revealed to the AP that the decision to go with Blu-ray -- which will reportedly be announced tomorrow -- stemmed from an overwhelming customer preference for those titles in the test markets, accounting for over 70% of all HD discs rented. Interestingly enough, it seems that content -- and not price -- was the deciding factor for consumers, with Blu-ray-only hits such as the Spiderman and Pirates of the Caribbean films apparently outmatching equivalent HD DVD exclusives. While it's still a little too soon to declare Blu-ray the outright winner, this Blockbuster decision only contributes to the momentum ...
In a huge blow to Toshiba, Universal, and the rest of the HD DVD devotees, rental giant Blockbuster has decided to stock only Blu-ray discs in the vast majority of its nationwide locations, although HD DVD titles will continue to be offered online and in the 250 (out of 1,450) stores that have been testing both formats since last year. Blockbuster VP Matthew Smith revealed to the AP that the decision to go with Blu-ray -- which will reportedly be announced tomorrow -- stemmed from an overwhelming customer preference for those titles in the test markets, accounting for over 70% of all HD discs rented. Interestingly enough, it seems that content -- and not price -- was the deciding factor for consumers, with Blu-ray-only hits such as the Spiderman and Pirates of the Caribbean films apparently outmatching equivalent HD DVD exclusives. While it's still a little too soon to declare Blu-ray the outright winner, this Blockbuster decision only contributes to the momentum ...
Source: Engadget
17-Jun-07 13:00:02
Over on AVS Forums, a few members are complaining about a problem with copies of The Prestige: disc rot.
Those affected seem to believe that the rot is occurring in the disc coating. At the moment, this issue appears to be isolated to one thread and one movie. As far as I'm concerned, that's good news implying that we shouldn't all run for the hills just yet.
My discs were looking A-OK when I double checked them, though I don't own a copy of The Prestige. To further promote our unscientific poll, hit the comments to let us know how your Blu-ray discs are holding up. – Mark Wilson
AVS Forums [via crunchgear]
Those affected seem to believe that the rot is occurring in the disc coating. At the moment, this issue appears to be isolated to one thread and one movie. As far as I'm concerned, that's good news implying that we shouldn't all run for the hills just yet.
My discs were looking A-OK when I double checked them, though I don't own a copy of The Prestige. To further promote our unscientific poll, hit the comments to let us know how your Blu-ray discs are holding up. – Mark Wilson
AVS Forums [via crunchgear]
Source: Gizmodo
16-Jun-07 23:11:00
Filed under: Home Entertainment
A thread over at the AVS Forums has highlighted a potential problem with the coating of Blu-ray discs, described by many as "disc rot" due to the mould-like spots that have made several owner's Blu-ray discs unplayable. The five page thread has reports from dozens of forum members, many of them discovering spots which can't be rubbed off on Blu-ray versions of "The Prestige." It's impossible to judge how widespread the problem is from a single forum thread, although it's not unheard of to see a product recall after a problem is discovered by users on a forum. It's also worth noting that for every user that has reported the spots, there's one or more people with discs that have no problem. If you've encountered the same issue, your best policy is to try and get a refund / replacement disc from the place where you originally bought it from. If enough people are reporting a problem, then retailers will be a much stronger voice than a bunch of co...
A thread over at the AVS Forums has highlighted a potential problem with the coating of Blu-ray discs, described by many as "disc rot" due to the mould-like spots that have made several owner's Blu-ray discs unplayable. The five page thread has reports from dozens of forum members, many of them discovering spots which can't be rubbed off on Blu-ray versions of "The Prestige." It's impossible to judge how widespread the problem is from a single forum thread, although it's not unheard of to see a product recall after a problem is discovered by users on a forum. It's also worth noting that for every user that has reported the spots, there's one or more people with discs that have no problem. If you've encountered the same issue, your best policy is to try and get a refund / replacement disc from the place where you originally bought it from. If enough people are reporting a problem, then retailers will be a much stronger voice than a bunch of co...
Source: Engadget
16-Jun-07 01:31:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Some things are just better left unsaid, and if you're Microsoft's manager for Media Entertainment Convergence, you're getting a lesson in the age-old truth right now. Apparently, Richard Doherty managed to state that Microsoft may not "deliver HD content on an optical disc in five to ten years," and further dug his hole by suggesting that his company would "rather the content not be on a disc" at all. Of course, he wasn't truly stating that HD DVD and Blu-ray discs would be obsolete in under a decade, as he explained that digital downloads were simply the wave of the future. Richard added even more controversial fodder by claiming that Microsoft wouldn't be backing out of the HD DVD game anytime soon, and threw in one last cheap shot by saying that "Blu-ray had not delivered the interactive content like HD DVD had." Step down Mr. Doherty, you've said plenty.
[Via BGR]
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Office Dep...
Some things are just better left unsaid, and if you're Microsoft's manager for Media Entertainment Convergence, you're getting a lesson in the age-old truth right now. Apparently, Richard Doherty managed to state that Microsoft may not "deliver HD content on an optical disc in five to ten years," and further dug his hole by suggesting that his company would "rather the content not be on a disc" at all. Of course, he wasn't truly stating that HD DVD and Blu-ray discs would be obsolete in under a decade, as he explained that digital downloads were simply the wave of the future. Richard added even more controversial fodder by claiming that Microsoft wouldn't be backing out of the HD DVD game anytime soon, and threw in one last cheap shot by saying that "Blu-ray had not delivered the interactive content like HD DVD had." Step down Mr. Doherty, you've said plenty.
[Via BGR]
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Office Dep...
Source: Engadget
14-Jun-07 15:30:00
Last Monday, Brian and I had a chance to run down to Monster HQ in Brisbane, CA, to run some tests for the HDMI Cable Battlemodo. This time, we brought along a bag full of awesomely priced cables, mostly from Monoprice, that we were ready to run bandwidth tests on, side-by-side with Monster's finest (and most damned expensive) cables.
The tests, which fired digital signal through the cable to synthesize high-definition video, can be divided into REAL-WORLD requirements (720p and 8-bit 60Hz 1080p) and FUTURE-WORLD requirements (12-bit 60Hz 1080p and even 12-bit 120Hz 1080p). Mind you, the future formats don't exist now, so they should only be a concern when you are buying cables you intend to keep for five years, such as those you want to build into a wall.
What were our findings?
1) At short distances up to 6ft (2 meters), you can pretty much get away with any cable. Not all cables are the same, however, and in truth, it's the medium-priced cables that m...
Source: Gizmodo
13-Jun-07 15:15:41
At a press breakfast today in NYC, Sony Electronics US President Stan Glasgow admitted that Sony's attempts to unseat Apple in the once Walkman-dominated personal audio category are pretty close to over. For many years, Sony repeated the slogan, "It's still early in the game." Today, acknowledging Apple's 80% market share in personal audio, Glasgow said, "I wouldn't say the game is over, but it's really late in the game."
Rick Clancy, head of Sony's US public relations, quickly reminded reporters that Sony would still innovate in this category, but when discussion turned to the Sony Connect service, Glasgow said that, looking to the future, it would be more focused on movies and books. (It is currently the content hub for Sony's E-Ink Reader.)
On a brighter note, Sony confirmed that it would be using the PlayStation-style Cross Media Bar (XMB) in most or all of its TVs and audio-video products going forward, including Blu-ray players and audio receivers. In some ins...
Source: Gizmodo
13-Jun-07 10:39:00
Filed under: Laptops
Attention Wal-Mart shoppers, we've got pics-a-plenty from Dell's new Inspiron lineup. Better yet, French forum lesDelliens proclaims to have the specs on not only the 1520, 1521, 1720, and 1721 already churning in the rumor mill, but also on a new 14.1-inch 1420. Everything certainly looks kosher but you'll have to judge for yourselves. Click-though for a glimpse at the purported specifications (via machine translated French) or just click into the gallery below. Mmm, so many pretty pictures.
Gallery: Pics and specs of Dell's new Inspirons
Continue reading Pics and specs of Dell's unannounced Inspirons: HHDs, Blu-ray, and RAID?
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Attention Wal-Mart shoppers, we've got pics-a-plenty from Dell's new Inspiron lineup. Better yet, French forum lesDelliens proclaims to have the specs on not only the 1520, 1521, 1720, and 1721 already churning in the rumor mill, but also on a new 14.1-inch 1420. Everything certainly looks kosher but you'll have to judge for yourselves. Click-though for a glimpse at the purported specifications (via machine translated French) or just click into the gallery below. Mmm, so many pretty pictures.
Gallery: Pics and specs of Dell's new Inspirons
Continue reading Pics and specs of Dell's unannounced Inspirons: HHDs, Blu-ray, and RAID?
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
12-Jun-07 23:17:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage
Ah, the sweet aroma of competition in the air. That's what we've gotten a whiff of after catching an (admittedly grainy) shot of what appears to be an internal Blu-ray writing / HD DVD reading combo drive from Hitachi. The GGW-H20N should have no issues playing your favorite high-definition films on either format, and it can also burn 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs, BD-R, BD-RW, and the typical flavors of writable DVDs and CDs. Reportedly, the drive will also boast a speedy SATA interface and will posses a read rate of up to 6x and burn rate of 4x, but the most important detail (read: worldwide release details) was unsurprisingly omitted. Bring on the price drops.
[Via FormatWarCentral]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Ah, the sweet aroma of competition in the air. That's what we've gotten a whiff of after catching an (admittedly grainy) shot of what appears to be an internal Blu-ray writing / HD DVD reading combo drive from Hitachi. The GGW-H20N should have no issues playing your favorite high-definition films on either format, and it can also burn 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs, BD-R, BD-RW, and the typical flavors of writable DVDs and CDs. Reportedly, the drive will also boast a speedy SATA interface and will posses a read rate of up to 6x and burn rate of 4x, but the most important detail (read: worldwide release details) was unsurprisingly omitted. Bring on the price drops.
[Via FormatWarCentral]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
12-Jun-07 19:30:57
It's been a month since our last entry in PlayStation 3 Melee Watch, but this most recent instance involves Katanas. Apparently, some home invasionist came knocking on a door in search of a PlayStation 3 (Blu-ray fanatic?), but met with Damien Fernandez and his Katana.
After jumping out of bed and stabbing the intruder in the chest, the two of them ran out of the house, into the street, with Damien chasing after him with the sword. Everything ended peacefully when a K-9 officer found the burglar hiding in a palm tree. – Jason Chen
Teen Scares Off Burglar With Samurai Sword [Local10]
After jumping out of bed and stabbing the intruder in the chest, the two of them ran out of the house, into the street, with Damien chasing after him with the sword. Everything ended peacefully when a K-9 officer found the burglar hiding in a palm tree. – Jason Chen
Teen Scares Off Burglar With Samurai Sword [Local10]
Source: Gizmodo
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