- Author: admin
- Filed under: Apple, HDTV
- Date: Apr 2,2011
Disputes with Fox, Viacom and Discovery caused Time Warner to pull 11 of the 32 original channels from its live TV streaming TWCable TV app yesterday, but as promised it has brought in some new ones to replace them.
Among the 17 channels added are several networks from the ABC/Disney group including ABC Family, Disney, Disney XD and ESPNnews, plus NBC Universal selections like MSNBC, Syfy and USA as well as the curious addition of Fox News.
We’re still not convinced watching TV on our tablet is a more useful development than using it as a remote/couch companion but until those features arrive or the app gets sued out of existence, that’s what this one does. Check the full list of new channels after the break or on the TWCable Untangled blog.
Update: There’s no word from Time Warner, but Multichannel News reports five more new channels have been added this afternoon – Bloomberg TV, PBS Kids Sprout, Hallmark Movie Channel, Current TV and TruTV. Turner also stated TBS will join them once the app supports MLB blackout restrictions, which is also the reason why other ESPN stations aren’t included yet. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: HDTV
- Date: Feb 6,2011
Remember Google TV? It’s still kickin’, but El Goog still has quite a few content distribution quibbles to solve before it can be taken seriously — at least in our estimation.
Logitech was one of the first outfits to buy into Google’s scheme to take over the television, with the Revue first out of the gate to provide Google TV access to existing sets.
We had our fair share of gripes with the box, and while it definitely enabled quite the unusual videocall in a prior episode of The Engadget Show, we were never convinced said fun was worth the price. Enough about us, though — how’s your Revue treating you? Has it revolutionized the way you consume television content?
Anything you’d change about it? Tweak the user interface? Broaden compatibility? Change up the keyboard? Let us know in comments below — something tells us Google’s still listening up for input.
- Author: admin
- Filed under: HDTV
- Date: Jan 20,2011
Reaching two million downloads in a year may seem paltry considering Apple’s app store delivered 1.5 billion downloads in its first year, and the Mac app store passed one million downloads on opening day.
Still, it’s the largest number we’ve seen from a TV maker, and when you factor in that Samsung’s store just passed one million downloads back in November, it seems the Korean tech giant has a good thing going.
Naturally, we knew the company was serious about apps when it announced the Free the TV contest late last summer to lure developers to the platform, and today the app store is available in over 120 countries and features roughly 380 applications, 259 of which are free.
It also doesn’t hurt that the brand has already sold boatloads of Smart TVs and plans to ship 12 million more in 2011. The question is, when the store hits the 10 million mark, can Samsung possibly pull off a new interpretive dance that tops its 2011 CES keynote? We certainly hope so. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: HDTV
- Date: Feb 9,2010
Looks like Panasonic’s push to lead the 3D pack continues unabated. It’s been just over a week since the company announced the opening of its first Blu-ray 3D authoring facility and now word’s coming out of Tokyo’s Yurakucho District that the world will soon be getting not one but four devices, including the DMP-BDT900-K, a pretty straight forward player that features the latest Advanced AVC encoding engine and a generous helping of ports (including two USB, Ethernet, two HDMI outs, one component out, and an SDXC compatible memory card port).
If playback alone doesn’t float your boat (and we don’t blame you), three of the new models include 3D Blu-ray recorders, including the DMR-BWT3000 (2TB), DMR-BWT2000 (1TB), and DMR-BWT1000 (750GB).
All the aforementioned recorders sport 2Digital BS / 110°CS TV tuner, 1 Analog TV tuner, i.Link, SDXC memory card slot, Ethernet, VIERA Link, VOD Services, and BD-Live. Both the 2TB and 1TB models come with a pair of HDMI ports, while 750GB model owners will have to make do with one.
All three are pegged to burn BD-RE discs at 1x, BD-R at 6x, and BD-R LTH, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and DVD-R DL formats. Akihabara is reporting a street date of April 23rd, 2010.
It’s not that ASUS hasn’t dipped its toes in HDTV waters before (by the way, whatever happened to that altogether enticing Eee TV?), but we dare say that the TV Monitor T1 is a fresh, if not unsurprising new direction for the company.
Arriving in 22- (22T1E), 24- (24T1E) and 27-inch (27T1E) sizes, this trio of sets features a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) panel, a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 nits of brightness, five millisecond response time, built-in TV tuners (for the UK market) and a pair of seven-watt speakers.
As for sockets, you’ll find VGA, HDMI (x2), component, composite, S-Video and even a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. Read the rest of this entry »
Make no mistake, there are quite a few firms out there with solutions for concealing that wall-hung flat-panel, but we see no harm in one more alternative joining the mix.
The Zen-inspired Kabe from TV2ART aims to blend one’s HDTV into its surroundings by floating just a few inches away from the wall and possessing a slidable painting that can cover up the set when needed or slide out of the way when gameday comes.
As expected, the unit is offered in a myriad styles, and interested consumers can even have one crafted from wood, aluminum, copper or just about any other material known to man. Read the rest of this entry »
While calling it the holy grail of 3D may be a stretch, there’s no denying that the technology has been largely held back and (rightfully) seen as a gimmick due to the whole “unsightly glasses” requirement.
Granted, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of 3D being experienced sans goggles, but the newfangled agreement between Magnetic and NEC could deliver just that to a display near you very soon.
Reportedly, the duo is off demonstrating a 57-inch Enabl3D display at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas, and while this iteration is admittedly aimed at commercial users, the promise of seeing imagery “pop more than a foot off the screen without the use of any special glasses” sure sounds intriguing. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, don’t you feel silly. After springing for that 103-incher last year, Panasonic has made a mockery of your spendy home theater with a 150-inch display at CES, and now an upgraded version of the original 103-inch behemoth.
The new TH-103PF10UK upgrades the video processing, anti-reflective coating, “wireless presentation capabilities,” media card reader and adds dual HDMI, but the actual display seems to be the same as last time around.
There’s also a 100,000 hour warranty included, which is only fitting since we’re guessing this new 103-inch won’t be selling for much less than $70 grand. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: HDTV
- Date: Feb 23,2008
Some rumors never die, and this one we heard even before the official Warner press release was issued. Now that the format war is officially over, newspapers and magazines everywhere are looking back on the events preceding Toshiba’s announcement.
While no one really knows why each studio made its decision, The Globe and Mail cites “analysts” who think the payoff was a factor. Well, we asked Warner point blank about the payoff rumor and Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros.
Home Entertainment Group said that it “was not a bidding war” and that it really came down to Q4 sales.
Read the rest of this entry »
While some vendors are out there blowharding their 45nm processes, Panasonic is actually doing something about it. Today, Panasonic started mass production of the world’s first 45nm system LSIs.
More specifically, they’ve started manufacturing a 45nm-based UniPhier (Universal Platform for High-quality Image Enhancing Revolution) at their new semicoductor factory in Uozu, Japan. In other words, we’re due to see more powerful A/V gear from Panny capable of processing a pair of 1080p displays in parallel, H.264 encoding, symmetric multi-processing, and high-performance 3D graphics from circuitry consuming about half the power and surface area of traditional 65nm-based processes. Really, what’s not to love ?
[via engadget]
