Tag archive: Ray

With rumors that a new Xbox is in the works, likely slated for next year, and sales dropping like a rock for every game system (ironically the Xbox appears to be holding on the best at the moment), I wonder if we are about to see a PC game resurgence. Windows 7 and DirectX 11 are coming, along with an expectation that Snow Leopard will actually embrace games for once. So are we months off from a smack down by PCs on game consoles, once… Read More

At the CES show in Las Vegas, most companies target one or two consumer categories. HP – a company that's just as much a corporate monolith as Microsoft or Intel – is ready for them all. New products include a new widescreen HP Touchsmart DX9000 22-inch with several new tweaks to the touch interface – including picture rotation and new interface options for flicking through photos. Call it the kitchen-user segment.… Read More

Today at CES, LG Electronics has demonstrated how the wonders of digital media could work. The idea — moving content off a server or laptop in your home to a living room device — is sound. Many companies, starting with Netgear as an early innovator and including Apple and D-Link, have tried to make the concept work. Yet, consumer electronics has struggled to embrace the digital realm when it comes to computer files. The LG BD300… Read More

Vizio has brought in some new products to its line, one of which is bound to make ears perk up – a Blu-ray player retailing for under $200. First out of the blocks is the new Sound bar and Wireless Subwoofer, which uses four 3” high efficiency mid/bass drivers and dual 3/4" high performance aluminum dome neodymium tweeter, and comes equipped with a hybrid tabletop stand and wall mount bracket providing consumers the… Read More

HP took the bulk approach to new product announcements on Monday by launching three new customizable PCs, a digital storage device, a monitor, and a webcam, all at once. The three new customizable PCs include an entertainment machine, mid-priced green machine, and budget machine. The HP Pavilion Elite m9200t, starting at $799, offers Intel Core 2 Duo processors up to 3.0 GHz along with a handful of other premium options such as up to 1TB… Read More

Oppo Digital has taken the wraps off its new DV-983H up-converting DVD player, ensconcing it at the high-end of their line. The DV-983H is also the last upscaling DVD player the company plans to make before (presumably) focusing completely on Blu-ray technology. "We've leveraged our years of experience in up-converting technology, not to mention the latest innovations from leading video and audio partners, to release our most… Read More

Getting a jump-start on its Consumer Electronics Show unveilings, HP announced its latest line-up of desktop computers and monitors from Las Vegas on Thursday. New products include a performance-oriented slimline PC, home entertainment PCs, monitors up to 24 inches, and more. The Pavilion Slimline s3330f is HP’s attempt to cram the performance of a full tower PC into a package one third the size. It comes equipped with a… Read More

Sony rewarded the PlayStation faithful on Monday with new firmware updates for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. Updates range from Internet radio on the PSP to DivX playback on the PS3. Version 3.80 of the PSP firmware allows users to tap into thousands of Internet radio stations using a Wi-Fi connection. After install, users must install the Internet Radio player onto a Memory Stick Duo card directly from their PSPs. The… Read More

Sony’s PlayStation 3 may be able to play hi-def video off of Blu-Ray discs, but up until now it hasn’t been able to handle one of the most popular formats for downloaded and homebrew video, DivX. That will change when the device finally gets DivX certification, which is in the works. According to DivX, Inc., the platform is currently up for certification now and should get it “in the near future.” New PS3s should… Read More

If you’re sick of the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format wars and really just want one to win out so you can invest in it, just remember that the constant battles between the two do occasionally result in some superb deals. Case and point: today’s Friday-only sale on the Toshiba HD-A2, available for $98.87 at Wal-Mart. It was only a week ago that the same player made waves in the home theater world by reaching the sub-$200 point at $198.… Read More

Sharp’s Aquos brand name will no longer be reserved exclusively for its TVs. The company broke its former naming conventions on Thursday with the Aquos Blu-Ray player, the first non-TV to carry the name in the U.S. The slim-profile BD-HP20U touts full 1080p output, which Sharp naturally intends to be paired with one of its Aquos 1080p displays. To that end, the company even includes a proprietary feature known as Aquos Link, which… Read More

Considering that sales numbers indicate many videophiles are (for the moment) staying out of the high-def format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD, there have to be more than a few people with big-screen, high-def capable televisions wondering how they can get the most from their existing movies without potentially shooting themselves in the foot by buying the "wrong" format. Oppo Digital has one answer in the form of its new DV-980H… Read More

In addition to Blockbuster placing its substantial weight behind Blu-Ray in the ongoing high-def format wars, the nation’s second-largest retailer will now assume the same position. Target announced on Thursday that its stores will only stock Blu-Ray players in the future, preferring not to pick up any stand-alone HD-DVD players. Target would not cite the reason for its shift in policy, but its shelves are already devoid of HD-DVD… Read More

A jubilant Sony appears to be winning the first battles in the HD DVD/Blu-Ray technology war.   The company has announced that shipments of its Blu-Ray DVDplayers to the U.S. could massively increase this year – from 100,000 to 600,000.   However, it gives credit not to the players themselves, but the movies coming out on the Blu-Ray format.Of the top 20 new films released on DVD, some 14 or 15 have been exclusive to Blu-Ray,… Read More

Last week, news began circulating (and the AACS confirmed) that a process key had been discovered, potentially breaking the AACS content protection scheme used in existing HD DVD and Blu-ray movie titles wide open. This week, Antigua's SlySoft aims to capitalized on the market to “back up” HD DVD titles with its new AnyDVD HD software, enabling even non-technical computer users to strip AACS protection from movies, and… Read More