Next week: 1080p video on YouTube

Straight from the "getting blood from a stone" files, YouTube has announced that it will begin streaming 1080p video next week. Until now, the highest resolution YouTube could stream was 720p, and that was only a minority of videos. The move to true, modern HD is a significant change for the service.

Don't expect a sudden jump in quality for all YouTube videos, though. Video quality is constrained by the original footage and the display used to view the end result. If the video was shot on an SD camcorder, or an HD camcorder that can only record 720p (like the popular Flip UltraHD), it won't take advantage of 1080p streaming. Even if the footage was recorded in 1080p, if you watch YouTube on your computer, on an ordinary monitor, you probably won't see a difference. If you watch YouTube on an HDTV and the video you select was shot on a decent 1080p video camera, you'll probably see a nice bump in quality.

HD Deals: $200 Rebate On Best Buy Purchases

If you are one of the lucky ones to own an American Express card then this deal will get you to save some serious cash while you are shopping. The catch ... you have to do it quick: Be one of the first 50 AMEX users to purchase $500 or more at Best Buy between November 18th and December 31st and you will receive a $200 rebate. And for those not lucky enough to get that mega discount, the credit card company is also giving $40 back when you spend $100 or more to 125 registered users. But even if you aren't quick enough to get in on those deals we have more HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

HD Deals: Army of Darkness on Blu-ray

With Zombies being such a hot topic recently we thought this deal on one of the best to ever play a member of the walking dead, Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness, was a can't miss. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Microsoft Bans Up to a Million Modded Xbox 360 Players

For obvious reasons, Microsoft has never been a big fan of people alter their Xbox 360 consoles to play copied games. Their standard punishment usually comes in the form of a quick swing of the Xbox Live banhammer, which disallows modders to play online or access any of the other Xbox Live amenities, like Netflix streaming. This week it's being reported that up to a million users suffered that exact fate as part of a mass-banning, which was timed to coincide with the release of Modern Warfare 2. In the past, the bans have been permanent, making the only way to access online content to buy an entirely new console. It's not clear if MS will hold to that for this wave of executions, but if they do, gamers with no interest in going online will probably be able to get a very good deal on an a used, modded Xbox 360 over the next couple of weeks. Now that we got that blog post out of the way, it's back to playing MW2 on my unmodded Xbox 360.

Source: CNN

-Stan Horaczek

Boxee Coming to a Set-Top Box

If you haven't at least given Boxee's open-source media center utility a chance, you have seriously been missing out. The ambitious little project took a hit earlier this year when they were told to stop serving up Hulu content [You'll find some interesting commentary regarding that decision in this article from Fast Company], but it doesn't appear to be slowing them down one bit. This morning it was announced on the Boxee blog that the platform will be making its way into a set-top box to be revealed on December 7th. Until now, you had to be running a dedicated HTPC in order to use it. The announcement is very light on specs (none, in fact) but the prospect is an exciting one. I hope to see Boxee making its way into all kinds of devices the way Netflix has.

Source: Boxee

-Stan Horaczek

PerfectLock HDMI cables can hold 25 pounds

You're probably not going to use a locking HDMI cable as a leash for your pug, but it's nice to know the option is there. PerfectPath, one of the cable companies that isn't Monster, showed off its new PerfectLock HDMI cables at the CES Unleashed preview event in New York on Tuesday. According to the company, the cables' locks can handle up to 25 pounds of stress.

On one hand, if you're exerting 25 pounds on your cables, something is probably wrong with your home theater. On the other hand, a couple of those cables and I could become the nerdiest mountain climber ever.

— Will Greenwald

HD Deals: LG 50-Inch Plasma HDTV

The Holiday season is just around the corner and today's deal is a perfect gift for anyone looking to upgrade their small HDTV. We found this LG 50-inch plasma for close to half-off at $969.99 (normally $1,699.95). More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

HD Deals: 50% Off All Criterion Movies

If you were searching for that perfect gift for the movie fan that has everything, today's deal from Barnes & Noble might give you the chance to find a rare classic they might not have. Not only is the store offering a variety of deals on DVDs and Blu-ray discs, but it is taking 50% off of any Criterion Collection movie in its library. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

3D inches towards a standard

It seems like everybody is trying to do their own thing when it comes to 3D video. Since there's no specific standard, different HDTV makers are all implementing 3D in slightly different ways. These differences might not seem apparent to most consumers, but they're still individual technical approaches which means you can't mix and match 3D glasses to fit whatever 3D-compatible HDTV you have. Fortunately, that might be changing soon.

The CEA is looking at the 3D@Home Consortium's developing 3D standard as a possible one-size-fits-all 3D tech template for most HDTVs. 3D@Home is a group consisting of several movie studios and electronics manufacturers, who are all working together to eventually produce a single standard for 3D technology in HDTVs. The consortium has already released several documents describing possible universal standards for 3D video, active shutter glasses, and passive lens glasses, and the CEA is considering them for integration into its own set of technical standards.