L.A. Law: High Def in Hollywood

Two lawyers are sitting in a bar. One turns to the other and asks, "Want a sneak peak at the latest Hollywood blockbuster?" Sounds like the opening to a great joke. This one isn't a joking matter. A petition filed with the FCC by the MPAA (you know, the folks who put ratings on films) is asking the FCC to go back on a previous ruling to protect Hollywood's rights. Poor, poor, Hollywood. This is one of those good news/bad news stories. It's been a long week, let's do the good news first. Hollywood is talking with major cable and satellite systems about offering video-on-demand HD movies significantly earlier than the movie's DVD or Blu-ray release, timed much closer to the theatrical release. That's it for the good news.

Blu-ray Still Singing the Blues

It's a little bit ironic, don't you think? After all the dust in the consumer electronics war between HD DVD and Blu-ray settled, it appears that not many people really cared at all. In a survey by Harris Interactive, only 9% of people who don't own Blu-ray already have any plans to buy a player in the next year, although a majority knew the format debate was over. This counters all speculation that consumers were waiting for the war to end. As it turns out, they didn't give a damn.

DTS Ditching Theaters, Staying Home

If you ever doubted how important the home theater market is, take a gander at this news flash. DTS, a leading innovator in surround sound, is ditching the movie business and concentrating solely on the home theater biz. They've officially sold their Digital Cinema business to Beaufort California, Inc. This news follows the earlier sale of Digital Images last month. Surprisingly, neither sale was for outrageous amounts: $7.5 million for the Digital Image business, and only $3.3 mill for the Cinema division. Here's what the CEO of DTS had to say about the sale.

iPod in the Sky with Singapore Air

Flying first class has never been this classy. Singapore Airlines, known for their luxurious seating, gourmet in-flight dining, and gorgeous flight attendants is making news again. On their all-business class planes flying from New York and LA to Singapore, your entertainment options are becoming even better. The airplanes have been equipped with iPod/iPhone docks right in the seats. To watch the videos from the iPods or any other inflight option, they've installed 15.4-inch LCD widescreen displays. Panasonic Avionics installed personal portable players in addition to the docks. Singapore also supplies active noise-canceling headphones. What's an important safety feature of this arrangement?

Who Needs Dinner When I Can Buy a TV?

Honey, pass the Puppy Chow and hand me the remote.

In a time of economic woes, Wal-Mart has posted earnings that are up 6.9%. While many folks are struggling to make their house payments, where's the profit coming from? Oddly enough, it's the economic problems that are driving the sales. When times are tough, the tough go shopping! Seriously. As times get tougher, discount stores see increased sales, and Wal-Mart is certainly the most popular discount store that folks are flocking to. What's even more surprising is what they're spending their limited funds on.

More Sling

Audio and video placeshifting technology: That's what Sling Media does, and does well. If you just got back from the ISS (motto: "Urine doesn't taste so bad!") you might not know about SlingBox. Slingbox "slings" AV signals. It connects to a standard audio/video source and streams the content to your computer using a high-speed broadband connection. Your computer runs Sling's software client. In other words, you can access any video source (such as your cable box or satellite receiver) from any broadband-wired PC - whether it's across the room or across the world - for no subscription fees. Even better, you can sling video to Internet-capable mobile devices (such as a web-enabled, Windows mobile-powered cell phone). Place-shifting — excellent!

Now, Sling Media is upping the ante.

A Lifetime of TiVo

Woohoo!!! Celebrate good times, come on! Let's celebrate! TiVo's Lifetime Service is back! For fans of the TiVo service, this can be great news. Plus, unlike what others are reporting, a quick phone call to TiVo customer service revealed that the cost will be $299, for the lifetime of the unit. The price was $399, but during this rollout phase and continuing indefinitely, the price looks to be holding at $299. What's the catch?

Samsung: Singing the Blues at 240Hz

There have been plenty of new developments in plasma displays lately, but here's some interesting news from Samsung in the LCD world. Samsung just revealed the world's first LCD screen driven at 240Hz. The new "Blue Phase" LCD panel is a huge leap toward giving LCD images a more natural movement. Current LCD screens are driven at 120Hz, so do the math: the new screens respond twice as fast. This reduces the need to overdrive the the 120Hz circuits. What are the other advantages to going Blue?

Toshiba's Turning Green

Toshiba changed their stripes when Blu-ray demolished HD DVD. So, in addition to abandoning red, they're going green. Methanol fuel, produced naturally from a variety of sources, is the main component in Toshiba's Direct Methanol Fuel Cells. Toshiba also announced a new Toshiba television on an entirely new platform, slated for the retail shelves by the end of 2009. The new microprocessor at the core of the TV is called the Cell, and the new television is called, appropriately enough, Cell TV. Standby. Science lesson coming up.

Women and Children First

The Korea Times is reporting that Samsung and LG will stop making Blu-ray/HD DVD combo players. This is another blow to the fast-sinking HD DVD luxury liner. Cutting their losses, and also cutting the throats of early adopters who adopted the wrong baby, Samsung and LG will pull the plug on their combo players, able to play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. Instead, they will focus on Blu-ray from now on. This means that if you have a huge stack of HD DVDs, you have several fewer options for playing your "legacy" discs.

To Infinity and Beyond

Consider something really bright (like the sun on a sunny day) and something really dark (like under your covers at night). That span from light to dark can be expressed as a contrast ratio; the human eye has good ability in that regard. Now consider your TV. The brights aren't exactly blinding, and the darks are gray. Your TV's contrast ratio is less than your eye's, and that is a severe limitation to the realism of the display. Every TV manufacturer is working overtime to improve that. Pioneer advertises "infinite contrast" in its Kuro line of plasmas. Now, LG has reportedly done the same thing — developed a plasma display with absolute blackness . . .

Strange Bedfellows

Competition isn't always a good thing. From VHS vs. Betamax all the way to SACD vs. DVD-Audio and most recently Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, competing formats have always been controversial. In the case of SACD and DVD-Audio, it could be said that the war killed off both sides. In an interesting display of peaceful coexistence, Korean corporations LG Electronics and Samsung are setting aside differences to work together to present a standard for mobile digital television systems. The two companies will join forces to present their jointly-developed technology to the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), which is looking to set the standard for North America's mobile DTV format. There's interesting speculation on why the two are suddenly working together.

Coming Attractions: JBL at Cannes

The 66th Cannes Film Festival kicks off with killer custom sound systems from JBL. Four JBL Synthesis systems, large-scale and according to JBL, ultra-high-end, are going to be installed in the theaters built in the Hotel Gray d'Albion to showcase the festival's film's sound quality. Complete with four-way speakers and 18-inch subwoofers, they're bound to make an impact.

What's of more interest to those of us who aren't on the VIP list at Cannes is the use of other JBL and Harman Kardon (both are part of Harman International) products in smaller screening rooms and video-on-demand booths for the many short films featured at Cannes. These are products that you could easily use in your own home. What's coming soon to a theater near you? (Well, near you if you live in France.)

Modern Audiophiles Rejoice: R.E.M. 45 rpm LP

While 45 rpm records aren't exactly news, and even 45 rpm LP records aren't news, most pop and indie fans will be surprised when they see these as new releases. Over at CNET, it's an interesting read. What's the frequency, Kenneth? R.E.M. released their latest studio recording, ACCELERATE on CD, but it's also on two long-playing 45 rpm 180gm records. No longer reserved for the jazz crowd, R.E.M. is embracing this technology. Why 45 rpm? It's the same reasoning that higher tape recorder speeds produce better signal-to-noise ratios and better sound. You can record more information if you take up more space, and since the disc is moving faster, you get more signal per second. (Really. Try to fit your signature on a 1-inch space. Now sign in a 2-inch space. Which is clearer and easier to read?) Of course, this means you're flipping the LP every 8-10 minutes or so, but for better sound quality, who's going to argue? How much will you pay for quality?

Does That Slip Come in Pink?

Okay class, let's settle down. Today's topic is "Globalization." Please remember that term, because I want you to know what to blame when you're wondering what happened to your livelihood. Globalization is when trade barriers drop and markets become internationalized. You can't produce locally and keep wages and prices balanced, because some other producer from some faraway land will take advantage of cheaper labor, and sell the same stuff in your market, but cheaper. Companies will always flow to low-cost labor, and you just can't compete with that. Plus, big companies can out-muscle smaller companies. Either way, workers get screwed!

Okay, class, for an example of the effects of Globalization, please turn your browsers to The New York Times. You'll see that the Times is reporting that Pioneer is planning to lay off 5% of its workforce. For your homework, I'd like you to "feel the pain" of those workers.

Yamaha Turning Blue in the Tooth

Yamaha is making a big splash to bring Bluetooth convenience and ease to a whole new line of products. Some of them are quite exciting, and include receivers, home-theater-in-a-box systems, and perhaps the most interesting, a portable speaker, especially if you carry your music collection on your cellphone. Yahama is using Bluetooth in five of their new digital A/V receivers according to a new release from Dealerscope. The prices for these receivers will range from $229.95 up to $995.95. Four new home-theater-in-a-box systems will also incorporate Bluetooth capabilities. Those will be priced from $399.95 to $849.95. More details on another product if you keep reading...

An Odd Mating Dance

The dance has begun. The first moves are subtle. One partner dances slowly around the other, the other shows a vulnerable side. Certain moves are expected, others a surprise. In the world of corporate takeovers, actions speak volumes when it comes to foreshadowing what steps are coming up next.

In a telling move, Circuit City has opened their books to Carl Icahn, the largest shareholder in Blockbuster Video. Icahn has stated that he'll buy up Circuit City himself if Blockbuster can't secure its own financing. And to think, most consumers can't afford a Blu-ray player, and this guy's buying the entire corporation. The partnership makes sense: buy your home theater or gaming equipment, and then a few feet away, pick up new movies and games to use, all in one step. More financial posturings if you continue reading.

A Japanese Soap Opera: JVC & Kenwood

In a scene from a great Kabuki play, some of the biggest players in the Japanese manufacturing arena are shaking things up. Stick with us in this -- the plot's complicated. Especially in Japanese.  Panasonic's parent company Matsushita is also the main shareholder of JVC, known as Victor in Japan. JVC's been struggling lately, but enjoys success in the video camera field. Enter Kenwood, stage left. Kenwood hasn't been doing great lately, but has had a recent surge, particularly in the car audio market. Kenwood will buy enough shares of JVC to give them 13 percent of the company. In the second act, JVC and Kenwood will merge into one company later this year to become JVC Kenwood Holdings. The merge could happen as soon as October. More details if you continue reading.

Dust Off those Rabbit Ears!

Know any retrogrouch Luddites that have resisted the temptations of cable TV, to say nothing of the latest in satellite TV? Here's your chance to bring them up to date, and win some cool schwag for yourself too. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) just announced a national contest that's hoped to educate consumers about the impending switch to digital television, and encourage them to make the change now. Dubbed the "Rabbit Ears Pioneers" contest, the photo/essay contest is looking for stories about folks who still use antennas to receive over-the-air broadcasts for their television viewing. If chosen, the retrogrouch and you can both win a complete HD home theater system with an HDTV, Blu-ray player, and surround system.  Keep reading for details about the contest.

TiVo HD gets Unbox'ed with Amazon

While it's not big news that Amazon's Unbox has partnered with TiVo, it is news that HD content will also be available. Unbox is the service that lets you buy and download movies and TV shows directly from Amazon to your PC or broadband-connected TiVo DVR. A spokesman from TiVo is reported to say that the companies will launch HD service “in the not too distant future.” While HD content availability is limited for subscribers by bandwidth constraints, the provider companies are working frantically to try to broaden their capabilities. The rep from TiVo said that the service will be limited by bandwidth. That's pretty understandable. 

Code for XO∆E: DVD-A? SACD?

An interesting press release crossed my desk (read: popped into my e-mail Inbox) on Friday:

"John Mellencamp's Life, Death, Love, and Freedom, from Hear Music, July 15."

Buried down in the fourth paragraph is this:

"The album will be the first-ever release in the XO∆E (CODE) format. T Bone Burnett [who produced Mellencamp's new album] and his team of engineers developed CODE, a proprietary technology that creates high-definition audio files that are virtually indistinguishable from the original master tapes. The resonance, warmth, and presence that has been realized with CODE is unprecedented in the digital era."

"Unprecedented"? Doesn't that sound, um, familiar? Read on . . .

Plasma TV: Ghosts in the Machine

So, you've read all the reviews, scoured all the forums, even asked your know-it-all next door neighbor for his opinion. You agonized for months, debating back and forth between plasma and LCD. You finally got permission from the significant other in your life to spend the bucks to get whatever you want, and you made up your mind. You go plasma. Woo-hoo! You get it home, set it up, invite your buds over for a day of gaming, and that night, that very first night, you settle in with your honey for a nice movie. What the ??? Remnants of your games are still quite visible on the screen. Our friends over at DVICE were in the know way before you were. Why didn't anyone tell you about this?

DuPont meet Dainippon, Dainippon meet DuPont

Not really known for being a big player in the consumer electronics world, DuPont just entered into a strategic partnership with Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The goal is to create a more affordable manufacturing process for printed organic light-emitting diode displays. DuPont is usually associated with industries ranging from agriculture to health care. However, they do have a top-notch plastics division and awesome manufacturing know-how. The leap into the OLED arena isn't that far of a stretch. OLEDs use thin films of emissive organic materials — right up DuPont's alley.

Continue reading for more details on what this means for us.

Compact Disc: 44.1k, or 45rpm?

Did you miss the Futuresonic 2008 Festival this year? If so, you also missed Aleks Kolkowski's seminar during the Urban Festival of Art, Music, and Ideas. Mr. Kolkowski is using a vintage record cutting lathe to create 45rpm records on your own recycled CDs. What a great way to recycle those old Milli Vanilli discs! He can also carve up your old DVDs too. I wonder what he can do with an HD DVD disc?

Singing in the...Sink?

Leave it to an Italian design company to turn something as mundane as brushing your teeth into art. Musical and visual art, at that. The WET design firm with a creative flare when dealing with plumbing (get it,... wet?...) has come out with a gorgeous new sink, the X-light Surround, complete with an input for your portable audio player. Talk about an iPod dock -- your toothbrush and Nano, side by side at last. The X-light Surround has built in speakers, visible through the transparent PMMA acrylic polymer surface. Just don't let your Shuffle shimmy into the sink. Wanna see more slippery ideas from WET?

OLED: Live Fast, Die Young

Without question, Sony's XEL-1 is one sweet TV. Its OLED display, the first in a commercially available TV, is wafer thin, its colors are vibrant, and the contrast ratio is outstanding. Be sure to see it, and don't wait too long. Because it might not last very long. The knock on active matrix organic light emitting technology (AMOLED), aside from its staggering expense ($2,500 for the 11-inch XEL-1), is its relatively short lifespan compared to traditional displays. Sony stated that the XEL-1 should last about 30,000 hours. Good, not great, but acceptable. Not so fast there, spanky - that's what market research firm DisplaySearch is saying...

Criterion Collection turns Blu

Take a peek at what news was waiting in my mailbox this morning. Criterion Collection is finally entering the Blu-ray market. While initially waiting it out on the sidelines until the pendulum finally swung away from HD DVD, the company known for releasing art house movies is turning to Blu-ray for their 1080p releases. Even better news for collectors, the Blu-ray releases will not cost any more than their standard DVD versions. We'll have to wait until October, but with titles including The Last Emperor and The Man Who Fell to Earth, the wait will be worthwhile. No word yet on what audio codec(s) they'll use, but expect it to be one of the high-resolution formats. Read below for the entire newsletter. Oh - and sign up for your own copy of the newsletter to get $10 off a $60 order placed before May 26th.

You Can Never be TOO Thin...

According to news out of Korea, the new LG Scarlet TV is the world's thinnest TV. Well, at 45mm thick, it  is quite thin. But the thinnest model in the world? Not so fast, Ms. Scarlet. In a scene that could play out behind the scenes at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, others are stepping forward to say that THEY are the thinnest, in particular - Hitachi's new line that's about to launch in the US. Hitachi's UltraThin 1.5 line converts to, if my math is right, 38.1mm. In a quick backstage alteration of phrasing, LG has changed their tune, rather quickly...

Media-Go-Round

Anyone heading to Japan anytime soon? If so, could you pick up one of these for me? Sony's released two versions of this new VAIO media server, with a whopping 1TB or 1.5TB of storage. Looks kinda like a whopper too. The 1TB model, VGF-HS1 will retail (for now, only in Japan) for $570, and the 1.5TB VGF-HS1S streets for $760. That's plenty of room to store HD videos to display on your Sony (or any other) HDTV. The distinctive shape is designed to match the VAIO TP1 home theater system. Behind that sleek facade lies inputs for all sorts of formats.  Wanna see what they play?

Blu in a Box

You know that keen DVD-powered Home Theater in a Box you got for Christmas? It is my solemn duty to tell you that it has been superseded. HTiBs have been a hot category for years, mainly equipped with DVD head units, but more and more companies are pulling the DVD drives and replacing them with Blu-ray. I suspect that days are numbered for any DVD HTiB priced more than $700. All the high-priced HTiB action is on BD. Case in point is Panasonic's first Blu-ray HTiB, the SC-BT100.