Sony's Bravia Compatible, Bluetooth Digital Photo Frames With HDMI
Digital photo frames have definitely been a hot seller for the past year or so, but by and large they're pretty much all the same. That is until now. Sony has announced a new line of digital photo frames, the S-Frame brand, featuring three new photo frames: the DPF-V900, DPF-V700, and DPF-D70.
All three frames have the standard features including 800x480 WVGA resolution, 15:9 aspect ratio, and an image processor that will display pictures up to 48 megapixels. You can also choose between 10 different slide show options, display more than one picture at a time, and display a calendar and clock. The DPF-900 has a 9-inch screen while the DPF-700 has a 7-inch screen and both have 512 MB of internal storage. The DPF-70 features a 7-inch frame and 256 MB of internal storage.
The added memory of the DPF-900 and DPF-700 allow the photo frames to boast some extra features that really differentiate them from other frames on the market. First of all, using a Bluetooth adapter sold separately, you can import photo files wirelessly from a handheld Bluetooth-enabled device to your digital photo frame. Plus, the frames connect to Sony Bravia HDTV's and a few other compatible sets via an HDMI cable so you can view your photos in high-def resolution on your TV screen. Finally, the frames use Sony's revolutionary Bionz processor which recognizes faces in pictures allowing for faster processing and in-frame photo corrections. I would have to say that up until now, digital photo frames didn't particularly appeal to me, but with these new features and the HDTV connectivity, I'll definitely check these ones out. I'll have to wait until March though, the expect release date, when we can expect to pay $250, $190, $140 for the DPF-900, DPF-700, and DPF-70 respectively.
Apple TV Software Update Delayed, "Not Quite Finished" Says Apple
Remember when Steve Jobs promised us the Apple TV Take 2 software update during his Macworld keynote a couple of weeks back? Wondering what ever happened to that software update? Apple is now saying that the Take 2 software, which allows direct download movie rental via iTunes, is "not quite finished" and will be made available for free to current Apple TV owners "in another week or two". Jobs was definitely pressured to live up to last year's Macworld where he debuted the iPhone, a nearly impossible task, so we're not surprised he may have fibbed a little by giving us the impression the software was available for immediate release. If you're looking at purchasing a MacBook Air, however, they are shipping.
Asus Unveils 42 Inch Linux-Based LCD Eee TV For $200
The Asus Eee PC family of low-cost computers will soon have an addition of interest to TV fans. The E-TV is a 42-inch LCD TV that will actually have the Linux operating system on board, allowing users to surf the web and check their email right from their TV. We've seen this before, but not at a price tag of no more than $200. No word on availability dates yet, but other additions are expected to be available by April or May, so it's reasonable to assume we'll see the E-TV in just a few months.
Sony Kicks HD DVD When It's Down, Offering Discount For Turning In HD DVD Players
Nothing like kicking a high-def disc format when it's down, and that's exactly what Sony is doing in Germany right now. The company is offering a savings of 150 Euros off the purchase of a Sony BDP-S300 when HD DVD owners turn in their used players. The offer is only available in Germany currently, and isn't as great as it seems as BDP-S300's go for 499 Euros there, equivalent to $737 US greenbacks. Minus the discount, the price of the BDP-S300 is more comparable to the American regular price of around $500. Don't count on this deal coming to the US anytime soon though. HD DVD adoption is much greater in the States making such a deal nothing more than a financial nightmare for Sony. Good for Germans though, and pretty hilarious too.
Sony Launches Bravia VPL-VW40 Home Theater Projector In Europe
Sony launched the BRAVIA Full HD VPL-VW40 Home Theatre Projector yesterday in Europe, bringing professional picture quality to a wider audience by appealing to the price-conscious home theater enthusiast.
The VPL-VW40 delivers full HD 1080p picture quality utilizing Sony SXRD™ technology bringing the cinema experience into your living room. Powered by a Bravia engine, which digitally enhances each frame in real time and reduces noise considerably, the VPL-VW40 features a super fast 2.5ms response time and a contrast ratio of up to 15000:1. Such a high ratio is made possible by Sony Advanced Iris 2, that responds automatically to the level of lighting in each scene and adjusting the projector's aperture to achieve the best contrast possible at any given moment. The VPL-VW40 is compatible with most other home theater components as it has 24p True Cinema allowing it to handle a 1080/24p input. With two HDMI connectors, you can even hook up your Blu-ray player or Playstation 3 to the projector and project the resulting images on screen sizes up to 300 inches.
Ease-of-setup, a quiet fan, and a contemporary design round out the features of the Bravia VPL-VW40 home theater projector. The price for this high-end projector is expected to be relatively low-end, tagged at somewhere just south of $3000.
Two Chinese-language newspapers, Economic Daily News (EDN) and Commercial Times, are reporting that international HDTV manufacturers such as Sharp and Panasonic will slash LCD TV prices by 7-20%. Even some plasma prices have been slashed including Panasonic's 103-inch monster plasma set, price reduced to NT$2 million ($62, 072 US), and Kolin's 65-inch LCD set, down to NT$298, 000. While these price reductions apply to the Taiwanese market, it's reasonable to assume these price cuts will eventually make their way over to the United States in the near future.
No Large Screen OLED TV's From Panasonic Until At Least 2012
Toshihiro Sakamoto, president of Panasonic AVC Networks Company, shed some light on what we can expect from Panasonic's high-def department in the next few years, in an interview with TWICE, an online consumer electronics magazine. Some of the highlights of the interview are old news, but Sakamoto provided clarification on a number of issues including the usage of Tru2way technology. So what can we expect from Panasonic?
1. Flat panel TV's still are the center of the 21st century living room and Panasonic tends to make HDTV more usable with technologies such as the VIERA Link audio/video operating system. All Panasonic HDTV's will now be under the VIERA brand name.
2. Panasonic will have a Tru2way-ready HDTV available sometime this year in collaboration with Comcast. Tru2way requires no set-top box and is controlled via one remote.
3. VIERACast, a VIERA IPTV, will enable access to YouTube and Picasa photo albums on your HDTV via Google.
4. Plasma displays in development will have about twice the brightness of current models and be ridiculously thin as their 24.7 mm thin plasma display showed. Sakamoto says plasma can compete with LCD even with larger LCD screens drastically dropping in price.
5. Panasonic's monster 150-inch plasma display shown at CES will not be available until after 2009 as a new factory must be built to house the building requirements for such large panels. The reasoning behind such a large TV: that's what consumers want and it's the perfect size panel to display 2160x4096 pixel resolution, 4 times 1080p.
6. Wireless 1080p signal transmission will be a prominent HDTV feature in the next few years.
7. Panasonic is in talks with cable companies other than Comcast to use Tru2way and other DVR technologies.
8. We won't see any OLED TV's retailed for a few years yet. Panasonic feels they need their own specialized facility for the production of OLED and doesn't expect it to be available in larger screen sizes (32 inches and above) until somewhere in the vicinity of 2012-2014.
9. Panasonic is happy about Warner Bros. decision to exclusively back the Blu-ray disc format as it will accelerate the American format war, something that ended already in Japan.
SIM2 Multimedia's HT3000 HOST Home Theater Projector To Hit Shelves In February
SIM2 Multimedia, an Italian manufacturer of electronics has announced the upcoming release of the Grand Cinema HD3000 home theater projector. To hit shelves next month, the HT3000 was first seen at the 2007 CEDIA show in Denver, Colorado boasting the latest "DarkChip 3" DLP 1080p chipset and an outboard video input processor that connects SIM2's three-line optical-digital High-Definition Optical Signal Transfer (HOST) system resulting in the connection of the projector and outboard processor at distances of up to 250 meters.
The HOST systems is revolutionary, allowing consumers to input any number of different sources to the projector via a single fiber optic cable. Not only does it make installation options endless, the HOST system also eliminates signal losses associated with long cable runs. The HOST processor has 6 HDCP-compliant HDMI inputs, 3 HD-cable component video inputs, in addition to composite, DVI, S-video, and RGB. An RS232 port allows for integration with home automation systems via a compatible touch panel and 10-bit video processing scales to 1080p. Non-proprietary technologies used in the SIM2 Grand Cinema HT3000 projector include Texas Instruments' BrilliantColor which increases the color range of the projector allowing for more intense colors and greater contrast, and Unishape's lamp technology, a precise light delivery system that increases both light output and color bit depth.
The projector's smoothly contoured exterior was designed by internationally-renowned Giorgio Revoldini giving a true European quality feel to HT3000.
The UK's biggest retailer of next-generation DVD's, Woolworth's, has dropped the HD DVD format in favor of Blu-ray. No cutbacks for shelf space there, they just dropped the format entirely. The change will take a few months, to commence in March, but Woolworth's will continue to sell HD DVD's online.
The decision was made after Christmas sales figures showed that Blu-ray outsold HD DVD 10-1 during the festive season in UK Woolworth's stores, though those numbers due in part to the success of the Playstation 3 game console in the land of royalty.
The HD DVD Promotional group has responded with pricing info and standalone sales numbers. Olivier Van Wynendaele, European assistant general manager of the Consumer Products Division for Toshiba told Pocket-lint that HD DVD standalone player sales still account for 60% of overall high-def player sales and HD DVD players still cost about half the price of Blu-ray players. He also pointed out to software sales figures, saying that UK HD DVD player owners have purchased on average 3.5 HD DVD's while the average Blu-ray player owner has only purchased one Blu-ray disc.
While disappointed by the decision, Van Wynendaele said that it's much to early to pick a winner in the format war, and where customers have choice they'll inevitably pick HD DVD over Blu-ray.
Aquavision's 57-Inch AVF 57-4LCD Waterproof LCD TV Perfect For Lounging In The Bathtub, Swimming Pool
Aquavision will be unveiling a 57-inch waterproof in-wall LCD television at Integrated Systems Europe 2008 (ISE), suitable for installation in bathrooms, sitting rooms, and even swimming pools. The Aquavision AVF 57-4LCD features full HD 1080p resolution, both analog and digital tuners, and a full supply of inputs including 2 HDMI ports, 1 component video, 1 S-video, and a PC input. The set also has an RS232 control port which enable it to be controlled from a compatible touch panel anywhere in the home. Also, because the AVF 57-4LCD can be seamlessly integrated into any wall, the set has a Mirrorvision finish, which turns the screen into a mirror when the set is turned off. Finally it comes with two remotes, one master and one waterproof in case you want to have it by your side when you're in the bathtub.
With a MSRP of $999, we'd hope that the new LG BH200 would be a full-featured dual format player and it is. The player fully supports HD DVD and Blu-ray specs including menu viewing and bonus content on HD DVD discs and picture-in-picture on Blu-ray. In addition it upscales standard DVD to 1080p resolution and has full support for audio CD playback. Audio support includes decoding capabilities for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in-unit and the player's design is slick and stylish with an easy-to-use graphical interface.
With some discs, especially those incorporating BD Java, occasional pauses were present and the player could be sluggish at times when identifying the disc format and when using advanced menus. While it is a full-featured dual-format player, we question if the heavy price tag is worth the features when you can buy two separate HD DVD and Blu-ray players for less than half the price.
HD DVD Rumor: Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player $100, HD-A30 $149 At Circuit City
You may want to head to your local Circuit City outlet if you still have an interest in purchasing an HD DVD player. Rumor has it the Circuit City is looking to clear out their stock of Toshiba HD DVD players, pricing the HD-A3 at $100 and the HD-A30 at $149. These are ridiculously low prices, blowing the $98 HD-A2 deal pre-Black Friday last year, right out of the water. Tyler Pruitt of Format War Central took a trip to his local Circuit City and has confirmed that the rumors seem to be true, but I'm sure despite the beating the HD DVD has taken lately, they'll sell out fast, so you better hurry. This could mean that Circuit City is ditching HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. We'll have to wait and see.
LCD TV: JVC Genessa Premium LH905 LCD Series To Hit Japanese Shelves
JVC has announced the late February release of the Genessa Premium LH905 LCD TV series in Japan. Coming in 37-, 42-, and 47 inch sizes, all models of the LH905 series feature full 1080p resolution, 10-bit processing, and a 120 Hz frame rate resulting in a picture free of motion blur. JVC-specific features include a 32-bit Genessa CPU imaging engine, Real 36-bit RGB processing, a Real Bit Driver, Clear Motion NR-i technology, Real Color Creation, and x.v.Color support. Inputs include 3 HDMI 1.3 ports plus a generous amount of component, composite, D4, and S-video inputs. The three models are expected to be priced at 30 million JPY for the LT-37LH905, 40 million JPY for the LT-42LH905, and 50 million JPY for the LT-47LH905.
HD DVD Deals: Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player Only $127
If you're looking forward to picking up all kinds of cheap HD DVD's as stores clear stock to make shelf space for Blu-ray, you might as well pick up a bargain HD DVD player to go with you new movie collection. Now only $127 at Amazon.com, the Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD player is Toshiba's third-generation HD DVD of choice displaying resolution up to 1080i or 720 and upconverting standard definition DVD's. If you buy it now, you'll also get 5 free HD DVD's via a mail-in rebate!
Gefen TV: New Line Of High-Quality A/V Products For The Home Theater Layman
Gefen has released a new line of A/V products aimed at home theater enthusiasts, simply called Gefen TV. The Gefen TV line is designed to enable an impressive home theater setup without in-depth knowledge of audio/video systems and priced to appeal to a audience beyond A/V professionals.
The first product release is the Gefen TV Switcher, which allows you to share one HDMI 1.3 port to 4 separate devices, allowing you to manually switch between devices. The Switcher also can detect which devices have recently received power and will automatically switch to those devices if you're not the manual type. Marketed as a "perfect companion to the Apple TV", The Gefen TV Switcher will route up to 1080p high-def content to your HDTV from all kinds of devices including Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and game consoles. The Gefen TV Switcher is available for $200 via the Gefen website.
Gefen will also be re-issuing their standard and high-definition personal video recorders under the Gefen TV name.
DTV 2009: Best Buy To Have Analog-To-Digital Converter Boxes By February 18
Best Buy has announced that they will have analog-to-digital converter boxes on their shelves February 18 in the US, in preparation for next year's big digital TV switch when those with analog-only television sets not hooked up to cable or satellite service will need a converter to receive over-the-air signals.
917 stores in 49 states will carry the Insignia brand of converters, expected to be priced in the $50-$70 range. Wyoming residents, who don't have access to a Best Buy outlet in-state, will be able to get their hands on a converter box via a special 800 number.
Remember that all US households are eligible for two $40 coupons to be used for the purchase of analog-to-digital converter boxes through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's TV Converter Box Coupon Program. You can apply for yours here or call 1-888-DTV-2009 to apply over the telephone.
How Much Do Less Do Ultra-Thin HDTV's Weigh Compared to Standard HDTV's?
For that past year and even more so at CES 2008, the trend in HDTV's seems to be shifting away from how big the screen is, to how thin the entire set is. Many people may find this to be a trivial detail, despite the aesthetic advantages of a super-thin HDTV, but Gizmodo's Wilson Rothman has pointed out that thinness isn't always trivial. Take for instance the example of installing a 50-inch plasma on a wall mount. The absolute thinness is not really the critical part, says Rothman, it's the reduced weight you have to wrestle to actually install a thin HDTV. He's put together an excellent chart comparing the screen size, thickness, and weight of old and current model HDTV in a number of different brand categories. You'd be surprised at how lopping a few inches off a set's thickness can drastically reduce its overall weight.
Web TV: Veoh To Distribute Comcast's FearNet Horror Channel
Internet TV startup Veoh has continued to built on its diverse content offerings, this time via a distribution deal with FearNet, a horror-themed web venture by Comcast. FearNet has launched their own channel on the Veoh platform and will feature full-length movies, footage from horror conventions, celebrity interviews and eventually FearNet features that will be exclusively aired on Veoh. The deal will allow FearNet to reach a much larger audience than it currently has access to, although they'll take a monetary hit by splitting ad revenues with Veoh.
Animation Innovation: Disney-Pixar Planning 3D Toy Story Trilogy
Walt Disney Studios has big plans for it's Toy Story animated movie series, releasing new Disney Digital 3-D versions of Toy Story on October 2, 2009 and Toy Story 2 on February 12, 2010 according to Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.
The 3D releases will lead up to the release of Toy Story 3, Disney-Pixar produced and to be released in 3D in movie theaters June 18, 2010. The Toy Story 3 theatrical release will be a first-of-a-kind in the animation world, and will be directed by Pixar filmmaker Lee Unkrich.
Is Your Child Starting To Show The Entrepreneurial Spirit? They'll Love New HD Series Biz Kid$
If you are the parent of a school-age child, you MUST read this. Remember that great show Bill Nye The Science Guy? While the Emmy Award-winning producers of that show will be debuting Biz Kid$ tomorrow, a fast-paced public television series aimed for school-aged kids that teaches kids all about money and finance.
Designed to be engaging and entertaining, Biz Kid$ will air across the United States with 26 30-minute episodes, teaching kids the importance of establishing good financial habits early on through the use of profiles of kids who run their own businesses. Kids running every type of business from dog-walking to big companies with their own product lines are profiled, in cooperation with JA Worldwide(R) (Junior Achievement(R)), showing kids the basics of saving, budgeting, investing, and giving back to the community, while showing young viewers that they can be Biz Kid$ too.
Says Biz Kid$ Executive Producer Jamie Hammond of profiling young people running their own businesses, "This humanizes the financial literacy aspect of the production and shows kids the range of possibilities available to anyone who wants to become a biz kid."
More more information and resources check out the Biz Kid$ web site at bizkids.com.
Blu-ray Extends Disney Mall Tour To 7 New North American Cities
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Panasonic announced today the extension of their Disney Magical Blu-ray Tour to 7 new North American cities in 2008. The educational tour showcases Blu-ray technology through hands-on kiosks, product demonstrations, and a special presentation theater utilizing Panasonic VIERA HDTV's and Blu-ray players. The tour will make its first stop today in Toronto, Canada and then will head to Connecticut, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado, and Illinois.
The tour will include previews of upcoming Blu-ray releases such as Finding Nemo and The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe as well opportunities to try interactive games like "Car Finder Game" from Disney/Pixar's Cars.
YouTube Now On Your Cell Phone: YouTube For Mobile Officially Launches
YouTube officially launched YouTube For Mobile yesterday, offering mobile access to the majority of YouTube videos, access to your account and community features fundamental to the internet platform such as sharing, favorites, and commenting, and the ability to upload your own videos via email/mms on your cell phone.
YouTube For Mobile Explained
YouTube says the mobile service will be available in every corner of the globe including the following countries: UK, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, Germany, and Russia. Some features are required to use the service such as service with a wireless carrier that allows streaming videos and a mobile device that supports RTSP streaming.
InFocus Releases IN2100 Series DLP Front Projectors: Easy-To-Use And Reasonably Priced
InFocus has released a new line of DLP front projectors aimed for educational and commercial markets, the IN2100 Series. The Learn Big IN2100 EP Series is designed for the educational market, reasonably priced and full of easy-to-use features, while the Work Big IN2100 series is a conference and meeting room solution with a remote control system.
The IN2100 Series offers the choice of three resolutions: SVGA, XGA or WXGA. They are filter-free, have a brightness of 2500 lumens and a lamp life of 2500 hours. Plus, if you want to upgrade to InFocus' LiteShow II Wireless Presentation adaptor, these DLP projectors feature a built-in wireless port for facilitating the upgrade.
The IN2100 Series projectors will be available in February 2008 at US$599 for SVGA, US$749, for XGA and US$999 for WXGA models.
HDTV Deals: Monster Deal On A Mitsubishi WD-73733 73-Inch 1080p DLP HDTV For Your 2008 Super Bowl Party
We've been highlighting some excellent big-screen purchases that will make your Super Bowl 21 party the party of all parties. Today we're featuring the Mitsubishi WD-73733 73-inch monster of a DLP HDTV. Regularly priced at $3100, Amazon.com has a sale on right now pricing the model at only $2378.86 with free shipping, leaving an extra $721 in your wallet.
The WD-73733 is a 1080p DLP rear-projection HDTV utilizing the latest DLP chip from Texas Instruments. The set can display any signal, automatically upscaling everything to 1080p and supports the x.v. Color standard and Deep Color technology delivering resulting in 80% more color than standard HDTV's, greater contrast and less banding. Other exclusive technologies used in the display include Color 4D Noise Reduction, PerfectColor, and PerfectTint resulting a greater color palette, and the ability to fine tune your picture to your exact preferences. Plenty of connections are available including 3 HDMI 1.3 ports with Simplay HD certification, 3 component video inputs, a front USB connection for displaying pictures, and 3 A/V inputs with S-video. Outputs include Dolby Digital/PCM and an analog stereo output. Light at only 100 pounds and 17.5 inches at its thickest point, the WD-73733 is thin enough to fit pretty much anywhere you wish to put it. This is definitely a hot pick for your 2008 Super Bowl bash.
Vudu Cuts Set-Top Box Price By 25% In Response To Apple TV Take 2
Vudu has dropped the price of their set-top box in response to the Apple TV price cuts and upgrade. Vudu has knocked 25% off the price of their set-top box effective immediately, lowering the price from $399 to $295. The company will also offer a $100 credit to anyone who purchased a Vudu in the last 30 days. First released in September 2007, the Vudu offered high-quality, PC-free movie downloads from all major studios, and now includes downloadable TV shows and high-def content as well. Of course, with Apple's recent announcement of the Take 2 upgrade for the Apple TV, Vudu has a competitor with similar set-top box functionality. The Vudu price cut still puts them at nearly $70 more than the 40GB Apple TV and a little more than $30 cheaper than the 160GB Apple model, meaning that Vudu better look at coming up with some new and improved features very soon.
Game Card Remote: Poker And The Art Of Changing The Channel
Designed by Sungwoo Park, the Game Card remote uses the typical movements used in handling cards during a card game to take care of the usual remote control functions. Using a grip located in the in the center, similar to where you'd place your thumb when holding playing cards, you change the volume by sliding your thumb up and down and change the channel by sliding the top card over a notch. So simple yet so cool.
HDTV Deals: Monster Deal On A Samsung 1080p DLP HDTV For Your 2008 Super Bowl Party
When it comes to Super Bowl 2008, if you don't have tickets then you want to watch it on a nice, big flat-screen. And you're in luck, because here's monster sure to wow your friends and family headed over to your place for Super Bowl 21.
The Samsung HLT6176S 61" UltraSlim DLP HDTV is a 1080p, 3D capable display featuring a 10000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, thin bezel, hidden integrated speaker system with SRS TruSurround XT sound support, and the best next-generation DLP chip around from Texas Instruments. Loaded with inputs including 3 HDMI, 1 USB, and 1 PC mini-jack, the HLT6176S is a must-have for any home theater, especially to wow those watching Super Bowl 21 with you. With a MSRP of $2299.99, Amazon.com's price of only $1499.98 will save you $800 and right now with your purchase you'll receive a FREEPhilips DVP5982 Upscaling 1080p DVD player when you purchase the TV. All's you have to do is add it to your shopping cart and Amazon will automatically deduct the price from your overall purchase!
We thought we'd give you a quick update on how the ever-popular format war is shaping up, although it's quickly becoming a one-sided battle judging by the news we're about to share with you.
1. The Save HD DVD petition launched to convince Warner Bros. to reconsider their decision to jump ship to become an exclusive Blu-ray supporter now has over 16, 000 signatures.
2. Illinois-based Grant's Appliances, the 26th largest electronics retailer in the United States, has stopped ordering HD DVD stock even though their existing stock is depleted indicating that they'll be the latest retailer to exclusively sell Blu-ray products.
3. The Nintendo Wii may the hot console today, but the winner of the current generation game console sales war will be the Playstation 3, according to Next Generation editor Colin Campbell.
4. Samsung will be releasing firmware updates for their lineup of Blu-ray players in the coming weeks, most likely to fix playback problems with certain Blu-ray discs.
5. The week after Warner Bros. announced they would go Blu-ray exclusive, Blu-ray grabbed a huge 93% market share leaving HD DVD in the dust. "Format war" may no longer apply.
6. Home entertainment purchases and rentals fell 3.1% in 2007, the first relatively drastic drop in recent years, thanks in part to customer confusion created by the format war.
7. The Blu-ray Disc Association figures it'll take 8-10 years for Blu-ray to formally replace standard DVD, but have big promo plans later in the year with BD Live. Disney will apparently utilize it in a big way. Their smartest move will most likely be a greater emphasis on consumer education.
9. Universal's executive VP of high-def strategic marketing Ken Graffeo says the studio is still firmly behind HD DVD, "business as usual".
10.According to research firm DisplaySearch, gaming hardware is driving high-def sales rather than stand-alone players, but you probably knew that already.
Film 7: Investment Fund Latest Studio-Less Film Project Born Of The Hollywood Writer's Strike
While the Hollywood Writer's Strike definitely has a negative points, we love the fact that all of these "without the oppressing studios" film startups popping up seemingly every other day. Yet another project has been launched, the Film 7 fund, composed of five Hollywood producers and two Silicon Valley execs that plan to bring in financing from outside investors in order to fund films without the help of the major studios. The long-term plan is to produce 25 studio-quality films with moderate budgets over the next 5 years.
Liz Gannes over at NewTeeVee first caught wind of this, and while no names of involved parties have been released, she plans on attending a meet-and-greet for Film 7 this weekend with the likes of Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy so hopefully we'll get some more info then. One detail we're curious about is whether there are currently any projects in the works and how the films will be eventually distributed. Will we see them playing in theaters or will they be released solely on the web? We'd imagine that outside investors would demand a return on their investment and it seems doubtful that there would be to many willing to part with their money for a multi-million dollar film project to be released solely on the web. While video advertising is definitely evolving, it just wouldn't be a safe bet right now. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Apple's iTunes Movie Rental Strategy? Hint: It Has Nothing To Do With The Apple TV
Since the Apple iTunes movie rental service announcement at this month's MacWorld conference, we've wondered what Apple's strategy for the rental platform is. One theory is that Apple hopes to break into the digital movie rental sector before it takes off, and with the current popularity of the iTunes platform, now would be a good time. Another idea was that the company hoped to boost Apple TV sales by announcing movie rentals in conjunction with the release of the Take 2 software upgrade for the Apple TV. Neither theory really made complete sense to us.
With Apple's first quarter financial results announced today, the real story behind the movie service became clear. An analyst attending the press conference asked Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer if the goal behind iTunes movie rentals was profitability or incremental Apple TV sales, and the answer was actually something we never thought of but in hindsight should have been pretty obvious.
Of the $9.6 billion in revenue from the last quarter, the music segment accounted for 50% with 22 million iPods sold while the 2.3 million Mac's sold accounted for another 47% of quarterly revenues. With such a large portion of their revenues coming from these two segments, it shouldn't be surprising that the whole point of the iTunes movie rental service is to sell more iPods and Macs. In terms of profitability, Apple only expects to be slightly above the breakeven point after expenses are deducted from total movie rental revenues.
No mention was made of forecasted sales volumes for the Apple TV, but with the Take 2 upgrade, the company feels they "have it right this time" and could possibly be looking at improved marketing and in-store displays.
NuVision Releases 42-, 47, and 52-inch Lucidium DCM LCD HDTV's, Seven Models Expected To Ship In February
High-end HDTV maker NuVision is shipping the first 3 models of their 10 model Lucidium DCM LCD HDTVs. The three sets, in sizes of 42-, 47-, and 52 inches boast 1080p resolution, NiDO III Image processing, a Digital Switching Deep Black system, slim mounting depths, and a generous 4 HDMI 1.3 ports. Priced at $2199, $2799, and $4199 respectively, the three models are the first releases of a ten model lineup, with the remaining seven to ship next month. Six of seven February release will be in the 22-37 inch category, priced from $749 to $1899, and the last model will be the Lucidium HDN 65-inch model that will retail for a hefty $11999. The remaining seven models will have the same features as the currently shipping models.
Comcast's TiVo-Powered DVR Finally Ready, But Only In Boston
Comcast is finally ready to release the TiVo interface as a software upgrade for its DVR subscribers two years after initially promised...but only in Boston. Back in 2005, DirecTV stopped marketing TiVo after developing their own DVR, a big hit for TiVo. However that same year Comcast announced in a press release that they expected TiVo service to be available to the the majority of their customers by mid-to-late 2006. Definitely a lifesaver for TiVo. But it never happened and TiVo has lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers since.
Finally ready in 2008, Comcast says they drastically underestimated the difficulty of integrating TiVo into their DVR's and operating system, but the struggle finally ended thanks to the development of Tru2way software, a big focus of this year's CES conference in Las Vegas. Tru2way allows "TVs, DVRs and other consumer electronics to handle its interactive
Sony's Bravia Compatible, Bluetooth Digital Photo Frames With HDMI
You may want to head to your local Circuit City outlet if you still have an interest in purchasing an HD DVD player. Rumor has it the Circuit City is looking to clear out their stock of Toshiba HD DVD players, pricing the HD-A3 at $100 and the HD-A30 at $149. These are ridiculously low prices, blowing the $98 HD-A2 deal pre-Black Friday last year, right out of the water. Tyler Pruitt of Format War Central 
