Audio Video News

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Audio Video News
Blockbuster Pricing Floats Downward
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 31, 2011  | 
Memorial Day shoppers got a special treat at Blockbuster in the form of radically lower rental prices.

In the wake of its acquisition by the Dish Network, Blockbuster is reducing the price of "just released" rentals from $4.99 for three days to $2.99 for the first day and 99 cents per additional day. Other new titles will cost $1.99 first day, 99 cents per additional day.

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Audio Video News
Apple Prepares Cloud Service
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 27, 2011  | 
Apple is fixing to follow Amazon and Pioneer into the cloud. Music industry sources say Apple is lining up support to launch a new service that would store music online.

What would make Apple's service different than the other two? It would license the music, instead of leaving the legal details of acquisition to the user. Hence the music industry consultations.

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Audio Video News
DLNA to Stream from Cable STBs
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 26, 2011  | 
Over the years DLNA has emerged as a useful standard enabling a/v products to pull content from router-connected computers, among other uses. Now some new interoperability guidelines will enable it to do the same from cable, satellite, or telco TV set top boxes.

The new standard was developed in conjunction with CableLabs, the research arm of the cable, satellite, and telco TV industries, and uses DTCP-IP link-protected streaming. It effectively means you can stream pay-TV signals throughout the home without having to pay for extra set top boxes, though you will need at least one box using the new technology.

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Audio Video News
Is 3D Gear Abused in Your Local Theater?
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 25, 2011  | 
We couldn't quite believe this when we read it. But apparently it's true: Movie theaters are leaving 3D equipment in place when showing 2D films. The result, says The Boston Globe, is an image with a fraction of the proper brightness.

Reports the paper: "A walk through the AMC Loews Boston Common on Tremont Street one evening in mid-April illustrates the problem: gloomy, underlit images on eight of the multiplex's 19 screens...."

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Audio Video News
Lot of water under the bridge, lot of other stuff too
Michael Berk  |  May 24, 2011  | 

 

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Audio Video News
Vizio Products to Get Vudu Button
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 24, 2011  | 
In the mood for Vudu's 1080p video stream with Dolby Digital Plus surround? Vizio is going to make it easy for you by building a dedicated Vudu button into 2011 TVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes.

Vudu says other manufacturers will offer the button too though their names weren't disclosed at presstime.

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Audio Video News
Sony 4K digital projectors - 3D with a pigeon aftertaste?
Michael Berk  |  May 23, 2011  | 

 

3D - love it or hate it, it's taking over as a mainstream cinema projection format, and the necessity of having 3D projectors on tap has driven many theaters to transition to digital equipment in more of their screening rooms. A better experience for all, right?

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Audio Video News
TiVo Subscribers Say Ouch
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 23, 2011  | 
TiVo is unquestionably the industry's deluxe DVR, but that status has always come at a price: Users pay for both hardware and the monthly program guide subscription. Now the latter is rising in price.

TiVo's monthly fee of $12.95 is going up to $19.99. And the cost of lifetime service, previously $399, is now $499. The new prices became effective last week, on May 19, 2011.

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Audio Video News
Sharp to Flaunt Super Hi-Vision HDTV
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 20, 2011  | 
Hankering for an HDTV with 16 times the total resolution of 1080p, currently the consumer TV industry's gold standard? Sharp offers for your consideration the Super Hi-Vision set, currently in prototype.

Resolution of the 85-inch panel is 7680 by 4320 pixels, definitely an increase over the 1920 by 1080 pixels available in today's best sets at the consumer retail level. That's 103 pixels per inch, versus the 36 pixels per inch of a 60-inch 1080p set, or 33 megapixels, versus the 2 megapixels of current HDTV.

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Other TechAudio Video News
3D Titans Talk Transformative Tech
Brent Butterworth  |  May 19, 2011  | 

A crowd of movie-industry folk, film students, and press assembled last night for a preview of clips from the upcoming Transformers: Dark of the Moon - the first in the series to be shot in 3D - as well as a lengthy and surprisingly technical discussion between Transformers director Michael Bay and Avatar director James Cameron.

The presentation, titled "3D: A Transforming Visual Art," took place at the Paramount Theater, on the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood.

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Audio Video News
KEF sharpens the cutting edge
Michael Berk  |  May 19, 2011  | 

 

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Audio Video News
Samsung makes good on 3D glasses promotion
Michael Berk  |  May 19, 2011  | 

We'd mentioned last month Samsung's plan to distribute two pairs of 3D glasses free with each 3D TV sold after April 24; turns out there were some glitches in the process of getting consumers their glasses, so if you feel you missed out, go ahead and

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Audio Video News
Netflix: I'm the King of the World
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 19, 2011  | 
It's official: Netflix is now king of the internet, eclipsing all other forms of net traffic, bringing an abrupt end to the nation's use of other video streaming operations, web browsing, email, and naughty bits.

Oh all right, that's an exaggeration. But not by much. a recent study by Sandvine, a network analytics firm, reveals that Netflix is indeed the biggest bandwidth consumer on the net.

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Audio Video News
Audio Heavyweight Holman to Join Apple
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 18, 2011  | 
Another day, another Apple rumor. Surround audiophiles may find today's rumor especially juicy: R. Tomlinson Holman, who was instrumental in developing THX, may be about to take a job with Apple.

If this is true, it suggests Apple may be planning a major audio-related move, one in which the help of a certified home theater audio heavyweight would be indispensable.

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Audio Video News
Netflix Snags Miramax
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 17, 2011  | 
For the first time, Miramax movies will become available on a digital subscription service. And the name of that service? Netflix, of course.

Miramax and Netflix have signed a multi-year agreement to stream hundreds of movies including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Bad Santa, Scream, Spy Kids, The Piano, and Kill Bill. Look for them starting in June 2011.

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