Who needs a real fireplace when you can enjoy a faux fireplace - in HD no less? Did everyone grow up in areas that broadcast Yule Logs? WPIX in NY City had it every year when I was growing up. It wouldn't be the holidays without it. Now, HD VOD systems from Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Comcast are offering the traditional classic Christmas Yule Log, burning brightly in HD from iN DEMAND.
Also in iN DEMAND's gift bag . . .
A new study of HDTV owners reveals rather surprising results. Frank N. Magid Associates polled first-time HDTV set owners. Of the households who just purchased HDTVs, 41 percent don't have any way of viewing HD content from their cable or satellite provider. Compare that to the 80 percent of long-time HDTV owners who already have HD cable or satellite.
Are consumers just confused about HD, and do they think that the the DTV transition is suddenly going to upgrade their service to HD?
Keep reading to see what the folks at the company who conducted the survey thinks.
So, you've downloaded a ton of HD movies and TV shows to your iPod or iPhone. Good for you. So now you have a really great picture on a really tiny screen. Not exactly what the developers of HD had in mind, now, is it?
DLO is finally selling their oh-so-elegant solution. The HomeDock HD is the ideal interface between your iPod/iPhone and your home theater system. It will connect your iPod to an HD TV via HDMI with upscaling to either 720p or 1080i. It is compatible with all dockable iPods.
Keep reading for more specs on the HomeDock.
The one claim - okay, one of a few claims - that Hulu had over YouTube was the quality of the video. But, crafty YouTube viewers have scrounged around and found a few HD-quality videos mixed into the regular, pixelated, sputtering content we all know and love.
This new content is most likely real HD 720p, H.264-encoded mp4 files, better than the previously viewable "high quality" content.
This new material will require a faster connection and more powerful PC than before, but if you have the ability, it should be impressive, and give YouTube the quality-hike that they need to compete with Hulu in the eyes of Hollywood.
Keep reading for the hack needed so you can watch either the high-quality or 720p videos.
The on-demand movie business is alive and well and living in the set-top box business. And competition is fierce. Climbing above the fray, Vudu is claiming to have more HD movies than anyone else. More than Netflix, Xbox 360, Apple TV, and remarkably close to the amount of HD available than you can get on Blu-ray. Amazing.
CNet reported on this and luckily for us, did the math. Vudu has over 1,100 HD movies, including the approximately 200 that are offered in their highest-quality HDX format that competes with Blu-ray. Compare that to the 391 that are available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, or the 700 available on iTunes. Netflix is entering the game, but only with about 300 titles.
Compare these numbers to the total number of Blu-ray discs available for sale at Amazon.com . . .
You know the drill. You go to install some new equipment, but you're faced with a dilemma. Do you run cables across the floor, put the TV screen in a non-ideal position, or even giving up the idea of having HDTV in a room that doesn't have a satellite receiver. Audiovox has a potential solution.
There are wireless HD transmission systems, there are other whole-home systems, but the Audiovox HDP100, marketed under their Acoustic Research brand, is a very affordable and robust system. It can carry HDMI signals, audio, and 1080p video. It's being marketed to the general public, but custom installers are also excited about this product.
What's in the box?
Continue reading "Audiovox HDP100: HDMI Through Powerlines" »
You settle in to watch the latest HD streaming content only to be
constantly interrupted by stutters and stops as the buffering stalls
your video. Nothing like taking an hour and a half to watch an hour
long (or 44 minute long) show, right?
As broadband becomes more and more commonplace, Microsoft and Akamai are joining forces to add Akamai's AdaptiveEdge Streaming to Microsoft's Silverlight.
Using Microsoft's new Internet Information Services 7.0 Smooth Streaming (IIS7.0), users will be able to view HD streams instantly and without pauses for buffering. The new Microsoft technology will adjust playback to account for changes in connectivity speeds.
Akamai's digital media chief strategist Tim Napoleon had this to say about it.
Continue reading "Microsoft and Akamai deliver HD streams" »
We all know Hollywood has a certain image to maintain. When you see an actor on the big screen, up close and personal, you can see right into their soul. Good lord, let's hope you don't have to see every brush stroke of liquid foundation or flakes of powder makeup. Eww.
Film techniques were developed to soften the look of an actor's skin, but the clarity of HD makes that harder to do. Just as Hollywood was worried that HD would show every flaw on a person's face, which it does, HD also shows every attempt to cover up those flaws.
Hollywood has always been on the cutting edge of the makeup biz. Airbrush cosmetics were used in Ben Hur long before airbrushed makeup became popular. However, it's coming back in a big way. Airbrushing eliminates noticeable streaks and brush or sponge strokes, plus the coverage is more natural and looks better in HD. New mascaras, lipsticks, foundations (liquid makeup) and powders are being developed that will reflect light back instead of absorbing it, giving skin a smooth, flawless look. Not only is Botox gaining in popularity, but HD-specific makeup is becoming more and more popular.
Most interesting, though, is how HD makeup is moving out of the professional makeup artist's bags and moving into the mainstream.
See which companies are making that flawless porcelain finish available for us non-celebrity types.
Apple TV's latest update, version 2.2, has gone HD. In addition to security updates (always a good thing) and Genius features, Apple TV has HDTV options. Looks to me to be the same things offered through the iTunes Store, and this gives you two versions too.
What are the two versions?
After 37 seasons, The Price is Right is going high-def. Woohoo! The newly designed set will look brighter, the contestants will sparkle, and Drew Carey will never look better.
What else will be different?
