HD Deals: Video Game Trade-In Deal

It might be hard to part ways with an old video game system like SNES or N64, but Amazon has a deal that might push you to clean out your attic. Just go to the trade-in store and accumulate $60 or more and you will receive an extra $30. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Sony developing wireless power for HDTVs

Wireless HDMI is a developing technology that will be able to transmit high-def video directly to a screen without running any cables from the video's source. Unfortunately, it still leaves the issue of actually providing power to the screen; even with wireless HDMI, an HDTV needs to be plugged into a wall socket to actually work. Sony is trying to change that.

Sony has just announced that it has developed a wireless power technology that can transmit 60 watts over a distance of half a meter. The technology uses magnetic resonance to wirelessly transmit electricity with up to 80% efficiency. According to Sony, since both the transmitter and receiver would have the same unique resonance, the transfer would remain consistent, and wouldn't affect objects placed between the two devices. It's still in its early stages, but applications for home theater use seem obvious, when Sony demonstrated the technology using an LCD screen.

HD Deals: Polk Audio CS2 Channel Speaker

Take a look at this deal we found on a Polk Audio CS2 Channel Loudspeaker for $109.99 normally $299.99. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

CableCARD is a bust with just 443,000 installed

Long ago, in the late 90's, telecom companies got together and created the CableCARD, a PCMCIA card that would let users access cable providers' digital cable without having to use their hardware. The CableCARD would make cable providers compliant with the Telecoms Act of 1996.

Over a decade later, it's an old joke. Virtually everyone uses provider-loaned set-top boxes, and less than half a million CableCARDs are used in the wild.

According to Multichannel News, Only 443,000 CableCARDs are in use in non-cable-company-provided devices. In contrast, the top 10 cable providers have installed 16.7 million of their own set-top boxes. While the provided boxes also use CableCARDs, since they're being provided by the cable companies themselves it essentially defeats the purpose.

HD Deals: Act I of 'Fable II'

Microsoft is offering Xbox live users a rare opportunity to download what we'd like to call "a giant game demo" for Fable II. It might take a while to download, but might be worth checking out before buying the game. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Lady GaGa launches her own line of headphones

Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine, and Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee held a joint press conference earlier today announcing the launch of Monster's new "Heartbeats by Lady Gaga" in-ear headphones.

Like Monster Cable's previous big-name headphones, "Beats by Dr. Dre," "Heartbeats by Lady Gaga" attempt to produce studio-quality sound, comparable to what Dre and Gaga hear when they produce their music. While Beats was developed with the work of both Dre and Monster Cable, Heartbeats is the company's first branded artistic line, with their physical appearance designed by Lady Gaga herself.

HD Deals: Dynaudio Contour S 5.4 Speaker

We have to thank one of the members of the forum for this find. Here's a used Dynaudio Contour S 5.4 Maple speaker for $3300.00. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Specimen Little Horns are actually big horns

It's hard to say much about custom audio gear makers Specimen's Little Horn speakers, other than that they're big horns. Each speaker consists of a 36-inch-tall fiberglass horn mounted on an 8-inch plywood cube. Almost four feet tall isn't exactly 'little' by any definition.

For big stereo speakers, the Little Horns are scant power nibblers, and can pump out sound while consuming only 10 watts each. The horns themselves are just very large resonators, and the actual speaker drivers are built into the cube-shaped base. Since they're custom speakers, the Little Horns are available with a variety of Fostex full-range drivers.

MIT explains OLEDs using a pickle

The headline makes it sound crazy, but after watching the video from MIT, it makes complete sense. Professor, Vladimir Bulovic does a delicious demonstration of how OLEDs are simply organic substrates sandwiched between electrodes. Eventually, he ditches the pickle and uses Sony's OLED XEL-1 to demonstrate exactly why OLED displays can be so thin and still look so good. I won't attempt to explain it any further since you really should just watch the video. Even if you're not interested in hearing about how much easier OLEDs should be to produce than LCDs, at least you'll get to see a glowing pickle. Everybody wins.

From PopSci.com

HD Deals: 'Need for Speed: Shift'

If you're in the market for a new racing game why not check out this deal we found on Need for Speed: Shift for $39.99 (normally $59.99). More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.