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Sky HD vs Freeview HD: Ofcom confirms final plans for high definition

The day that Sky HD was released I got the service as I wanted the best for my large HDTV, but after one year and the contact had ended, I left Sky HD, as there was not enough HD channels. Today we are hearing that Ofcom has published its plans that will overhaul digital terrestrial television in the UK, this includes information on the planned launch of Freeview HD in 2008. Ofcom wants all multiplex operators to use the QAM-64 digital transmission mode, this will allow for a greater number of channels to be broadcast per multiplex and also multiplex B will end up carrying high definition channels.

Sky HD charges an extra £10 for its HD channels which are just the same channels you get in standard definition, really they should be giving this as a free offer but that would be too good for the customer I guess. To that happens, the only free HD channels we are going to see will be Freeview HD. Hit the read link below for more information on Ofcom’s final plan for Freeview HD.

Source: Read

Sony Blu-ray Disc Format: Do you know what it is? 60% of US does

Now that HD-DVD is well and truly dead, who knows what Sony Blu-ray is and about it’s disc format? Media research firm Interpret have released the results of a new study which shows that 60% of the US knows what the Blu-ray disc format is, this is much better than it has been and even higher than France (30%), Japan (45%), Germany (49%) and the UK at (56%).

The survey was taken in mid-January with consumers aged 18-54, and now homes in the United States with BD-disc players is over 10 million (not sure if that includes Sony PS3’s).

Do you know what Blu-ray disc is?

Source: Read | Via Pocket Lint

Sony HDR-TG1 1080i $900 camcorder will get respect: Video of world’s smallest cam

Battle of the world’s smallest camcorder seems to be going on and we say that this Sony HDR-TG11080i $900 camcorder will get respect thus title of world’s smallest cam, or will it?

Sony has just launched their new camcorder that will definitely get attention, you ready for the features? The Sony HDR-TG11080i camcorder is only 1.3- x 4.7- x 2.5-inches and weighs ten ounces and will take video capture in 1080i, so far so good people.

It will takes stills at 4 megapixels plus has MS Pro Duo and Pro Duo Mark2 cards, 2.7 inch touchscreen, 5.1 Dolby Digital audio recording, 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, BIONZ processing engine and bundled 4GB Pro Duo Mark2.

Get this all for a nice cool $900, please watch the video provided below.

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Sony HDR-SR12 HD camcorder is not cheap but still strong competitor

The Sony HDR-SR12 HD 1080/60 camcorder has just been reviewed by CamcorderInfo and an in depth one at that which you can read via the source link below. We believe that this camcorder deserves a lot more loving.

Ok with a price tag of around $1399 it is not the cheapest option but yet still a very strong competitor to similar models, you know like that of the Canon HF10. Yes the bitrate is a bit lower than the Canon model at 16Mbps and the overall image quality was overall comparable due to the Bionz image processor and Exmos CMOS sensor.

There review is pretty good but comparing it to the Canon HF10 is not what many people would have done, because the HF is a pocket-size solid state recorder, while the SR is an HDD-based tank. The HDMI connector is a mini connector and not a standard sized one which means apparently a cable will have to be bought to get HDMI.

It does have 120GB storage which is good plus the fixed 60i framerate seems a pretty good selling point also, ok if shooting the camcorder in 30p or 24p is not that important then the Sony HDR-SR12 HD camcorder is defiantly worth thinking about.

If you know more about the HDR-SR12, please do let us know?

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Sky adds two more HD channels: Sky Movies Premiere HD Sky Sports HD

Sky has added two more HD channels at last. The two channels will be Sky Movies Premiere HD and Sky Sports HD.

Sky Movies Premiere HD will simulcast the latest releases the broadcaster has to offer at the same time as its Sky Movies Premiere channel.

Sky has had to move the HD movie channel from its position at the end of the main batch of Sky movie channels.

The new home for the channel is now at the end of the complete movie block in the EPG, and can be found beyond other movie channels.

So now there are 16 HD channels come on sky we want more.

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Up To $12,000 HDTV’s from NuVision: 10 new models

The top of the range NuVision HDTV does cost around $12,000, but as there are 10 new models you will find something for everyone’s pocket. NuVision have centered the new high definition televisions around its Lucidium line and the screen sizes range from the massive 65-inch model down to just 22 inches.

Features change depending on which size and model you go for, but currently we hear only half of the new NuVision Lucidium models are available for shipping.

View the full range on nuvision.com/tv/

First BD-Live Sony Blu-ray’s: The 6th Day & Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

The first two BD-Live titles are being released from Sony and while I could think of many other Blu-ray movies I like more, the fact is the first two will be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sci-fi thriller The 6th Day and musical Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

The US release date will be April 8th, this fits just fine with the Sony PS3 2.20 firmware launch and gives millions of Playstation 3 owners the ability to use Profile 2.0 (internet connectivity and Blu-ray).

Although HD DVD lost, it did offer picture-in-picture and Internet connectivity while Blu-ray did not offer these with Profile 1.0. Now those owners of Profile 1.0 Blu-ray players may not be able to use these new features in Profile 2.0 without buying a new player. (Unless you own a PS3 that is).

What would your choice of been for the first two BD-Live Blu-ray discs?

Source: Read

Philips UK BDP7200 Blu-ray player in 7 months: only 1.1 profile, Sony PS3 better

Philips new Blu-ray player (the BDP7200) will be coming to the UK in 7 months, sadly this player will only have a Blu-ray 1.1 profile and Philips are not sure if the BDP7200 will have an Ethernet port to update to the BD-Live 2.0 profile.

We are also hearing that the Blu-ray Disc Association should be enforcing all new players to be profile 2.0 compliant around October time…this makes the Philips BDP7200 look a bad choice.

The best choice still for me is the Sony PS3, not only is it for gaming but it will get a firmware update (v2.20) to include BD-Live interactive this month.

Do you feel the Playstation 3 is the best value for money Blu-ray player?

Source: Read

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 camera: touchscreen and HD recording capabilities

Panasonic recently announced their cool LUMIX DMC-FX500 10.1-megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera which has a 3-inch touch screen, Auto Focus tracking system, 5X optical zoom and 720p movie mode.

This camera has a very good amount of specs that should get you going, the bit we really like is the fact it has 10.1-megapixel and HD recording capabilities (720p movie mode) and of course the touchscreen but it does not stop there.

It also has a 25-millimeter ultra-wide-angle lens, movie mode capable of logging clips at 1,280 x 720 at 30fps, 50MB of built-in memory, SD / SDHC card slot and WVGA (848 x 480) and VGA (640 x 480) video modes are available as well.

How about face detection, optical image stabilization, Auto Focus tracking and red-eye correction. If you like the sound of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 camera then you will not only be happy with the specs but you will also be happy to know you can have it in either black or silver for only $399.95.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 is expected in May sometime.

Source – Photography BLOG

Mitsubishi Blu-ray recorders can store HD content on to standard DVD’s

Mitsubishi have released two new Blu-ray players, the 500GB DVR-BZ200 and also the 250GB DVR-BZ200. Both of these players have support for Blu-ray’s AVCREC specification, what this mean is that you can record around 2 hours of Full HD content on a standard DVD disc.

However as always there is always a catch and that is the standard is only limited to ISDB broadcasts, this means that you can only use this service in Japan at the moment. However it should not be to long before we start to see more AVCREC capable devices.

Source - Akihabaranews

CRT Televisions vs. HDTV: high definition better from distance

CRT televisions might be the past and old technology, but when standing very close to a CRT and HDTV, the CRT wins hands down. Now does this mean they have much better picture quality?

Although CRT’s look great close up, compare them to a high definition TV from a distance with a HD broadcast, the HDTV wins hands down. How many of us sit close to TV’s, not many I am sure and if you do not have a HD broadcast like Sky HD or Blu-ray with your HDTV then you have not seen how fantastic the picture can be.

CRT Televisions vs. HDTV, what’s your opinion?

Have you got a Sony Blu-ray player yet, if not why?

I have not bought a dedicated Sony Blu-ray player as it would not make sense with my Sony PS3 having one, but this does let me buy and rent Blu-ray discs. Watching movies on Blu-ray and with a high definition TV is fantastic and much better than DVD, but is it worth it.

With the news of Sony putting up Blu-ray prices, why would you want one now if they are getting more expensive.

Have you got a Sony Blu-ray player yet, if not why?

My Sony PS3 Blu-ray drive gets a movie in it about every 2 weeks, so if the PS3 did not have one I doubt I would of bought one.

Sony Blu-ray Player Prices Increase as HD DVD is dead

Remember the good old days when Blu-ray was competing with its rival format HD DVD, well it seems that we have to dig a little deeper into our pockets. Now that HD DVD is dead that has sparked an increase in prices for the Sony Blu-ray players, as they do not have any competition to worry about.

When HD DVD players were on the market, Blu-ray did not see it as tough competition but it was because of the cheap price of the HD DVD players that forced Sony into reducing their prices as their Blu-ray players were not selling quick enough.

One of the main reasons that the HD DVD format died is because most of the people who was purchasing Blu-ray titles owned a PlayStation 3, this was yet another reason for them to cut the price of their standalone players.

Now we have to wonder how much more will have to pay for a Blu-ray player, as Sony has no one competing with them.

Source - Toms Hardware

YouTube users will be able to login directly from their TiVo Series3 TiVo HD

This could be great news people, especially those who have YouTube accounts; a new press release that recently popped up is letting everyone know that Tivo owners will be able to login into their YouTube accounts straight from their Tivo machine that is connected to broadband.

This service will work with the TiVo Series3 and the new TiVo HD.

Please read the full press release below. Please let us know what you think of this new service.

PRESS RELEASE:
TiVo to Provide YouTube Videos Directly to the Television

ALVISO, Calif., March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced an agreement with YouTube(TM) that will offer access to YouTube videos directly from the TV via a TiVo DVR. The service will be available later this year to broadband-connected subscribers with (TM) DVRs, including the new HD TiVo.

Every day hundreds of millions of videos are viewed on YouTube and hundreds of thousands of videos are uploaded. Upon launch of the TiVo-YouTube service, TiVo users will be able to search, browse and watch these videos directly on their television sets through their broadband connected TiVo DVRs. The combination of having the YouTube experience with the convenience and familiarity of TiVo’s intuitive user interface will provide TiVo subscribers with the ability to discover and enjoy the most shared and most discussed web videos in the world on their televisions. Importantly, users will be able to log into their YouTube accounts directly from their TiVo boxes and access their favorite YouTube channels and playlists.

“We’re delighted to be working with the world’s leading online video community so that TiVo subscribers can access YouTube’s popular content on the TV via the TiVo DVR,” said Tara Maitra, Vice President and GM of Content Services at TiVo Inc. “Being able to make available YouTube videos to the TiVo subscriber base using one device, one remote and one user interface is another major step in our commitment to combine all of your television and web video viewing options in one easy to use service.”

Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 digital camera ships March 28th

The Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 digital camera has finally got a shipping date which is March 28th in Japan.

Some of the main features on this stunning cam include ultra-high speed 60 frames per second (fps) burst rate for still images, record movies at full high definition plus 1,200 fps high speed movie recording that captures movement faster than the eye can see for ultra-slow motion replay.

This 6 megapixel camera has no release dates set for US or Europe at the moment. It will cost around $999 (pre tax) however.

Source- I4U via product page

InFocus sexy Play Big IN83 1080p DLP HD projector official and $5999

Good news for those who want a very decent projector, well get this latest because InFocus later this month you will be able to get your hands on the InFocus Play Big IN83 1080p HD DLP projector.

This projector will deliver full HD and features TI’s DarkChip4 DLP chip, 2.35:1 Cinemascope / widescreen aspect ratio support, native 5,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,600 ANSI lumens, Pixelworks DNX 10-bit video processing and HDMI 1.3.

Your liking this aren’t you? The only downside we can see is that you will have to part with a staggering $5999. For more images and information get yourselves over to Engadget.

HD VMD vs Blu-ray: is this the new format war

We know that the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray is over, and it was the latter that was victories. However if Blu-ray thought that they could take it easy, then they will have to think again.

Many people in the industry are now saying that there could be another format war coming. The contender to Blu-ray is HD VMD. This format is made by a London company called New Medium Enterprises.

There are two things that HD VMD have going for them, the first is that the quality is much the same as Blu-ray and the second is that it has a lower price. Could this be enough to help HD VMD take on the king of format Blu-Ray?

Source - Tech Blorge

Sony in talks about a Microsoft Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive and Apple option

Well the format war between HD DVD and Sony Blu-ray is well and truly over (although some are still in denial), and the moment this happened there were talks of a Blu-ray option for the Xbox 360, but this was all just talk.

Today we are hearing something more solid, Sony Electronics US president, Stan Glasgow is apparently in talks with Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 and it does not stop there, as we are also hearing that he is in talks with Apple as well about a Blu-ray option for its computers.

Its early days, but we will update you when we get more.

Source: Read | Via

Toshiba DVD burner: Gigashot HD video camera add-on

The Gigashot HD camcorders already have a huge storage capacity of either 80GB or 100GB, however if that is still not enough and you like to free up some space then Toshiba have a new DVD burner add-on. You have the choice of either transferring the data from the hard drive on your Gigashot HD video camera, or record directly on to DVD-Rs.

The DVD burner drive also has HDMI, component and composite outputs, this allows for you to connect it to your TV. There is also a handy little remote as well.

Expect to pay ¥17,800 that’s $165

Source - Slash Gear

Is the Sony PS3 Blu-ray good enough or do we need a standalone player?

So I have been sitting here watching a Blu-ray movie on my Sony PS3, man I fell good that Blu-ray has won over HD DVD. Then I got to thinking about a standalone Blu-ray player and how they are not future proof.

The thing is as far as I know the Blu-ray player in the Sony PlayStation 3 is future proof as the firmware update that we get, adds new features all the time. The thing is is the built-in Blu-ray player in this games console as good as a standalone player.

Many people have said that the Blu-ray player in the Sony PS3 is not as good as a standalone player. However I have no problems with the built-in player, the thing is if you have a TV that you have spent thousands on and one of the most expensive Blu-ray players, only then will you get to see a difference.

So do we need a standalone Blu-ray player or is PS3 good enough?