EveryJoe » Zach Flauaus

Amazon Unbox: Now in HD on TiVo

Zach Flauaus — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:38:01 +0000

Amazon Unbox, the service that allows you to download TV shows and movies onto your TiVo, is now going to be available in HD. With TiVo HD being TiVo’s “main stock-keeping unit in retail,” it’s about time they decided to bring more HD content to the table, and what better way than to have HD content on demand through your broadband connection (Video-on-demand anyone?). There’s no word on pricing, a schedule of release, or the content that will be in HD, but one can hope most, if not all content will be available in HD. Time will tell… Hopefully.

Via [Zatz Not Funny]

Post from: EveryJoe

Amazon Unbox: Now in HD on TiVo

Samsung A650 Series LCD TV: No More Auto Offs

Zach Flauaus — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:29:24 +0000

For the owners of the Samsung A650 series LCD TVs, have you wanted to throw away your set because it turns off automatically? Well, you won’t have to do so any longer. Samsung has released a new firmware that is recommended ONLY if your TV automatically shuts off. If you have the LN40A650A1F, LN46A650A1F, or the LN52A650A1F, then you are free to download the firmware update onto a USB flash drive only if you are experiencing these problems (as mentioned above). Afterwards, you’ll be able to watch your TV without it shutting off.

Via [TV Lamps N' Bulbs]

Read [Samsung]

Post from: EveryJoe

Samsung A650 Series LCD TV: No More Auto Offs

Gateway’s Quad-HD 30″ Display – Damn…

Zach Flauaus — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:16:52 +0000

Gateway has opened the gates to a new display of theirs, and this time, it’s a Quad-HD display. Featuring HDMI, single and dual-link DVI-D, VGA, component, S-Video (Really?), and composite (Are you serious??), this monitor has got it all. The Gateway XHD3000 includes a Silicon Optix video processing chipset for it to present 1600p video in shiny goodness. The monitor also includes integrated speakers Gateway is touting as “advanced 3D sound pouring from eight high-performance speakers.” Yeah… Haven’t heard that many integrated speakers that are “high-performance.”

As always, you can hook up your consoles and other peripherals to the display as well as your computer at native 2560×1600 resolution. I have one small question/snippet to add: Why is Gateway touting this display as the first Quad-HD display? I’m assuming they’re saying that because of the HDMI and friends, but Apple (and even Dell) beat them to the table in terms of resolution years ago. One of life’s many mysteries… Available now for $1699.

Via [Today's Review]

Read [Gateway]

Post from: EveryJoe

Gateway’s Quad-HD 30″ Display – Damn…

12 New HD Channels for Cox Customers in Northwest AR

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:23:43 +0000

No exact date found, but for Cox subscribers in Northwestern Arkansas, your HD sets will be a bit happier by the end of the month. Twelve new HD channels have been confirmed to launch in the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Rogers areas of Arkansas. Channels in the package include:

HGTV
Discovery
Food Network
Versus/Golf
Travel Channel
Cinemax
TBS
TLC
CNN
Science Channel
Animal Planet
NFL Network

Hopefully they’ll come sooner rather than later to make everybody happen. Let us know if you subscribe to Cox and get the new channels.

Via [EngadgetHD]

Post from: EveryJoe

12 New HD Channels for Cox Customers in Northwest AR

ATSC’s 25th Birthday

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:07:07 +0000

Get out the streamers, party favors, and… Wait, it’s just a standard? Ehh… We can still party. The Advanced Television Systems Committee (you may know them as “ATSC”) has turned 25 years old. ATSC, for those of you who may not know, is the successor to NTSC. And to backtrack more, NTSC is the standard upon which analog TV signals are broadcasted in. So thus, ATSC signals are digital and will be the only signals broadcasted in major markets in February 2009.

The extremely lengthy press release goes into who was at the ATSC meeting along with the future of it. Apparently in the future there will be three ATSC divisions (just what we need…) from fixed transmissions to getting traffic data in your car. Here’s to another 25 years of ATSC, because on behalf of America, I say this: We don’t want to switch again.

Via [EngadgetHD]

Post from: EveryJoe

ATSC’s 25th Birthday

HDMI over CAT5 with Gefen HDMI RS-232 Extender

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:59:44 +0000

In a continuing series of products wanting to put HD content where you are, Gefen has released the “HDMI RS-232 Extender” (catchy, eh?) which will send out HDMI, RS232, and infrared signals through two CAT-5 (ethernet) cables. Not for the faint of wallets, the extender can send 1080p resolutions up to 150 feet or 1080i resolution content up to 300 feet. It’s also HDCP compliant so you don’t have to worry about not being able to watch copy-protected content. If you’ve got the money (note: this is pointed towards the bigger venues), then for $599 you can get Gefen to send you a pair out. Ouch…

Via [CE Pro]

Post from: EveryJoe

HDMI over CAT5 with Gefen HDMI RS-232 Extender

“Men in Black” Coming Soon to Blu-Ray

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:46:21 +0000

So we’ve known about Agent’s K and J saved the world over a decade ago, but now it’s time to witness our salvation in the glorious high definition goodness on Blu-Ray. June 17th is the day the original “Men in Black” movie comes to Blu-Ray in high definition. The Blu-Ray disc will include two commentary audio tracks (”Telestrator Commentary” and “Technical Commentary”), the standard deleted and alternative scence, along with the “Men in Black” music video by Will Smith and the Profile 2.0-exclusive “Intergalactic Pursuit” trivia game for those with Profile 2.0 compatible players. Mark your calendars, this will be one to get.

Via [HighDefDigest]

Post from: EveryJoe

“Men in Black” Coming Soon to Blu-Ray

Boob Tube meet TubeStick Hybrid: HD Tuner for Mac

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:34:18 +0000

Equinux’s TubeStick has been around for a while in Europe using their broadcasting standard (DVB-T) but this is the first time us in North America can join in on the fun. In a market previously dominated by Elgato, Equinux hopes to take some of that market share away by releasing an ATSC/NTSC standard-compatible tuner. The TubeStick Hybrid looks similar to it’s older English brother, just a bit longer/wider/heavier.

The software is where the TubeStick has an advantage. Using The Tube (their software), users can use “TubeTalk” where they can chat about a certain program they’re watching. Miss a detail? Ask around and hopefully get an answer without spoilers. You can also post episodes to your .Mac and FTP accounts.

We will be getting a TubeStick Hybrid in for review soon, so stay tuned for a first impressions post along with a review post.

Via [MacWorld]

Post from: EveryJoe

Boob Tube meet TubeStick Hybrid: HD Tuner for Mac

CableVision Bermuda Gets CNN HD, NFL Network HD

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 03 May 2008 20:10:38 +0000

I guess when there’s hurricanes around, Bermuda folks have to stay inside. So why not have cable? Better yet, why not have that cable in HD? CableVision in Bermuda has announced the availability of CNN HD and NFL Network HD to subscribers for an additional $12 per month. Still, it’s better than your other options, especially from a quote:

“CableVision’s HD line-up is unmatched in Bermuda. We are the only ones offering HD and it just keeps getting better.”

Aka, unless you love your SD content, you’re screwed.

Read [The Royal Gazette]

Via [EngadgetHD]

Post from: EveryJoe

CableVision Bermuda Gets CNN HD, NFL Network HD

Toshiba HDTVs New Feature: Auto Audio Leveling

Zach Flauaus — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:09:42 +0000

We’ve all run into that situation: You’re watching something on TV (usually cable or satellite) and your program is quiet and goes to a commercial (OxyClean anyone? “BAM!”) and your ear drums have ruptured, with a pending lawsuit on the way to the cable networks. Well, Toshiba and Dolby Labs have come up with a new technology to help level out those differences, and my main comment? It’s about time.

Due to the nature of human hearing, many subtleties of the content can be lost when listening at low audio levels. To address this problem, Dolby Volume continually analyzes the audio and properly balances low, middle, and high frequencies to maintain the nuances and impact of the program material regardless of playback volume.

Seriously, why didn’t anyone come up with this sooner? We’ve all been there at 3am in and out of sleep and then being awoken by a blaring commercial. Now then, if only they could license the technology into cable and satellite boxes without having to make us buy new TVs…

Read [Business Wire]

Via [EngadgetHD]

Post from: EveryJoe

Toshiba HDTVs New Feature: Auto Audio Leveling