[via TV Snob]
ProShield eliminates glare and protects flat-screens
[via TV Snob]
The digital TV switchover begins... in Britain
We're still quite a few [Image courtesy of BBC]
DLP Cinema now in more than 5,000 cinemas worldwide
There is simply nothing worse than leaving the comfort of your own high-def home theater and spending hard cash at a local cinema that sports projectors from the 90's. Thankfully, Texas Instruments DLP magic has infiltrated at least 5,000 theaters world-wide providing what we HD geeks need out of a movie going experience. So far there are DLP-equipped theater on every continent, save Antarctica, and they expect to double their install base to 10,000 one year from now. Plus, DLP Cinema has found a niche market in the revival of 3D films and is one of the chief reasons for their installations. If your not lucky 'nough to have a dedicated home theater yet, the shear number of these theaters indicate that there probably is a DLP Cinema close by anyways.HDTV Listings for October 17, 2007
What we're watching: We'll check out the new cop show, Life, again.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Panasonic's internal LF-PB271JD drive burns Blu-ray at 4x
[Via Impress]
Sky intos HD boxes for the artsy type
We doubt anyone has every looked at their cable box and thought, "You know what this set-top box needs - finger painting." What do we know though; they say Brits have a higher sense of style than we do here in the States. These set-top boxes from Sky are designed by Christopher Brooke and Bruno Basso and will be available in five styles for £199 to £299 with a Sky HD subscription. We have to ask though, are you suppose to sit these boxes on your A/V rack or do they come with a wall mount?
Syntax-Brillian to exit LCoS biz
Have you eye on a Syntax-Brillian LCoS? Well, you might want to jump on it a bit quicker now that they are pulling out of the business to concentrate in the crowded LCD market. Syntax-Brillian not only sells these rear-projection sets, but also manufacturers the LCoS microdisplays and light engines.so we aren't clear on how this will affect the rest of the LCoS market, but the RPTV market is shrinking as fast as the flat-panel market is growing. People want thin before size and we're sure that this won't be the last manufacturer calling it quits on the rear projection market.
More New Yorkers get a taste of FiOS
While many of us are still twiddling our thumbs waiting for FiOS to take our town by storm, another section of New Yorkers are getting the opportunity to indulge. Reportedly, Verizon recently "won a video franchise for its FiOS TV service in Buchanan, NY," bringing the total amount of New York communities with FiOS access to 65. Furthermore, the operator is purportedly marketing its FiOS internet service to additional consumers in the state, particularly in parts of Cornwall, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie. Go on, you lucky souls, gloat all you'd like -- we'll just live vicariously through you until our day comes.
Best Buy kicks analog TVs to the curb
Best Buy is saying sayonara to analog TVs by announcing that it has pulled all analog sets from its shelves, which marks the first time a big box retailer of this magnitude has publicly announced an exit from the analog TV biz. Of course, this decision now enables the firm to shamelessly proclaim that any television purchased within the confines of its brick and mortar walls will work in the all-digital future -- and for those not willing to pick up a new set, it also stated that it will be participating in the NTIA DTV Converter Box Coupon Program starting early next year. At first glance, the announcement sounds like much needed progress towards getting folks ready for the 2009 switchover, but for moms and pops scouting a 13-inch analog CRT on the cheap for that garage / playroom, it looks like you'll be "forced" to check out one with a digital tuner... or an LCD. As if you needed another excuse, right?DirecTV 11 delayed till Q1 2008
Sony expands European LCD manufacturing capability
Everyone knows that flat-panel TVs are the way of the future and Sony is expanding their manufacturing capabilities in Europe. Many consumers are under the impression that all things electronic is built in some Asian facility but in fact, a good amount of flat panels come from Europe. Sony's latest plant just opened in Nitra, Slovakia and should pump out three million high-end Bravia LCD TVs each year. The best news is that as manufacturers such as Sony expands their production base, the overall cost of these sets should decrease more rapidly resulting in more flat-panels for everyone.The-not-so-special Jack Ryan Special Edition box set
Feel free to correct us if we're wrong, but special edition DVD/HD DVDs should have extra content and therefore worthy of the moniker, right? Well, apparently someone at Paramount didn't agree, as the new Jack Ryan collector set doesn't include any of the bonus features listed on the box. No audio commentary, no featurettes, nothing extra at all is included in the set besides the movies. In fact, viewers are reporting that when the discs are popped in, they just start playing without displaying a menu at all. No word from Paramount just yet, but apparently, when you buy this box set, the only thing owners are going to enjoy is the movies themselves.Denon intros two new high end Blu-ray players
[Via Akihabara News]
Engadget HD Podcast 054 - 10.17.2007
On this week's addition of the Engadget HD podcast, we cover the blunder that is profile 1.1, and wonder where all the new compliant players are, but we also talk a little Nielsen numbers, thanks to our friends at Home Media Magazine. The other big news again this week is DirecTV and all their new HD channels, where we wonder what cable can do to compete. We round it out on our soap box wondering if anyone listening falls into the wait-and-see camp in regards to buying their first HDTV.Get the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).
[Vote] Vote for us on Podcast Alley!
Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim
Producer: Trent Wolbe
07:21 - LG's BH200 to be first profile 1.1 Blu-ray player
11:38 - Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending October 7th, 2007
14:07 - HD DVD standalone players sales are back on top
18:23 - Sony aiming for sub-$200 Blu-ray PC reader in early 2008
21:36 - DirecTV launches yet another 5 HD channels
22:53 - Another week, another 10 new HD channels for DirecTV
26:19 - Can cable compete with satellite?
28:59 - Verizon FIOS to add A&E HD on channel 842
31:31 - AT&T U-verse adds more HD channels
34:02 - When to buy an HDTV
39:14 - All I want for Christmas is my HDTV... and an Apple
40:54 - Amazon launches HD 101 site
44:21 - JD Power ratings put BRAVIA LCD, Pioneer plasma, and Samsung DLP on top
LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)
More details about upcoming ESPNews HD
We already knew that ESPNews HD wasn't launching this year, but rather, in March of '08. What we didn't know is how ESPN's third high-def station was going to look. More deets have surfaced and quite frankly, the channel is going to look sweet in HD. ESPN is utilizing a scaled down 16x9 high-def video feed and supplementing three sides of the screen with their "HD Sideline" graphics -- think scores, news, headshots, and of course, advertisement. Frankly, we're stoked that ESPN isn't transposing their current ESPNews 4x3 feed and implanting graphics on either side resulting in a non-HD 16x9 channel; something like what CNBC is doing.
