HDTV Information

Mobile TV: Going Nowhere Fast

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:04:36 +0000

In a press release, The Diffusion Group (TDG) announced its new report, “The Possibilities and Challenges for Mobile TV”. In the release, TDG states that mobile TV subscription services are forecast to double their subscriber base by 2013. This sounds exciting until you find out that this means increasing from 1.6 million this year to 3.3 million subscribers in 2013. That number pales in comparison to other services; for example, Comcast is estimated to have 23.5 million cable TV subscribers.

The press release indicates that demand for the service is lower than originally expected, partly because it is an additional fee on top of other subscription services. Also, few mobile phones are equipped to receive the over-the-air Mobile TV signals.

I agree that the cost may be part of the problem, but the real barrier to growth for these offerings is that users have good alternatives already. Most of the people who would be willing to pay for a mobile TV service already have smart phones with data plans. And this allows them to access streaming content from the Internet at no additional fee beyond their existing data plan. (And if they’re paying for the data plan, they may as well use it.)

TDG suggests that the solution may be to bundle Mobile TV service in with other subscription TV services such as cable or satellite. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Cable and satellite are already struggling to stop the bleeding of lost customers, and are working feverishly to make their own content available to subscribers over the Internet, through TV Everywhere initiatives.

Mobile TV is a cool idea that would have been a lot cooler 15 years ago. Unfortunately, in today’s crowded market of free, pay-as-you-go, and subscribtion services on the Internet, there really is not room — or need – for another entertainment distribution system.

HDTV Almanac

Netflix in Your Pocket

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:44:40 +0000

Last spring, I wrote about Netflix demo’ing its streaming service on a Windows Phone 7 operating system. Now comes word that Netflix is releasing free applications for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch that will let subscribers access streaming content on these portable devices.

The free apps can access the streaming service across either a WiFi or 3G data connection. You can even stop in the middle of a movie or TV episode, and then when you come back, it will pick up right where you left off. This works even if you restart on another device, such as your home computer. You can download the free apps from the Apple iTunes store.

This announcement is particularly interesting in the light of recent news reports that Apple is negotiating to rent TV episodes for $.99 each. The all-you-can-eat Netflix service is available to any subscriber with an .99 monthly subscription or higher, so the break-even point is just 10 shows a month, no matter whether you watch on your phone, media player, computer, notebook, video game console, or Internet-connected TV or Blu-ray player. Netflix is expanding its footprint across the entertainment landscape, and Apple’s pay-as-you-go model may be a difficult sell.

HDTV Almanac

Roku Price Drop

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:41:09 +0000

What’s a Roku? It’s a media player that you connect to your home network, through which it accesses the Internet to get streaming content for your television. It’s a whole lot easier than setting up a full-blown computer, and at about 5 by 5 by 2 inches, it’s a lot smaller too.

The box lets you access content from a wide range of services. Netflix is the one that the most people may want, but it also connects to Amazon Video on Demand, Pandora, Major Leage Baseball, and many others. You’ll find news, sports, movies, music, photos, and social media sites. Some require subscriptions or pay-as-you-go fees, but many of them are available for free.

And now Roku has lowered its prices. The Standard Definition (SD) model has gone from .99 tp .99 (though the Web site shows this model as out of stock). The HD model dropped from .99 to .99, and the HD-XR model which includes 802.11n WiFi support has fallen from 9.99 to .99. If you’ve got a wired network connection near your HDTV, then the HD model can do the job and the price tag brings it down close to impulse-buy range.

Expect to see competition in this media player market to heat up as consumers start to understand what these little boxes can do for them. And prices will probably keep falling.

HDTV Almanac

Machete Movie Review

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:29:02 +0000

Robert Rodriguez finally delivers on the promise of 2007′s "Grindhouse" with this gleefully campy Mex-ploitation flick about a knife-wielding anti-hero doling out bloody slices of justice.

Big Picture Big Sound – Home Theater, HDTV, Movie Reviews

Panasonic Unveils SC-BTT350, SC-BTT750 Blu-ray 3D Home Theater Systems

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:05:33 +0000

Panasonic adds a new dimension to their affordable Blu-ray home theater line.

Big Picture Big Sound – Home Theater, HDTV, Movie Reviews

Apple’s fall event happens today at 10AM PT / 1PM ET, and we’ll be there live!

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:59:52 +0000

So it’s just around the corner. What are we going to see? Some new iPods? A revamped Apple TV? Updates to iTunes? iOS 4 for the iPad? A fix to your heartbreaking antenna problem? New, brightly colored iShoes? Or all of the above? It’s hard to say, but luckily Engadget will be covering Apple’s latest event live with up-to-the-minute coverage. As usual, we’ll be providing the best liveblogging in the business, so you can just kick back with a cool drink and enjoy the show.

Tune in at this URL at the times below today for all the action!

07:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
02:00AM – Tokyo (September 2nd)

Apple’s fall event happens today at 10AM PT / 1PM ET, and we’ll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget HD

Amulet voice-activated Windows Media Center remote hits the FCC

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:41:52 +0000

Amulet Device’s intriguing voice-activated remote for Windows Media Center has long since missed its original ship date, but it just popped up at the FCC, complete with product shots and the user manual. Besides providing typical universal features like IR learning, as a package the rechargeable battery-powered controller, USB dongle, and companion Windows Media Center Plugin will allow users to operate their home theater by simply speaking commands to the remote’s built-in microphone. Like any good robot servant, the remote will also audibly respond to questions such as “what song is playing” and even distinguish when you’re talking to it versus just chatting with friends, thanks to nifty advanced positioning sensing technology. Sadly taking dictation isn’t in the cards and there’s still no word on an official launch date, but that hasn’t stopped the budding emperor in us from hoping it arrives soon.

Amulet voice-activated Windows Media Center remote hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget HD

Monitor vs. TV: What’s in a Name?

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:42:13 +0000

I long for the old days, when things were simpler. Back when a computer monitor was a computer monitor, and a TV was a TV. It’s not that way anymore. Almost all TVs now have a way that lets you connect it to a laptop or desktop computer: either a VGA connector, or an HDMI connector that can hook up to a DVI port. But we still have computer monitors that don’t have TV tuners, so you can’t watch television programming on them (unless you stream it over the Internet or something like that).

Well, not so fast. Samsung has announced their 30 series of “computer monitors” that are available now, and a new 90 series of monitors that will ship in September. The 24″ FX2490HD has an LED backlight, 1080p resolution, two HDMI connectors in addition to VGA and component video connectors, and a USB port that lets you play content stored on a thumb drive. And it includes tuners and a coax connection for cable or over-the-air signals. It even can do picture-in-picture.

Hey, I don’t know about you, but this waddles and quacks like a familiar waterfowl. I really don’t get why it’s not an HDTV. I do get that it’s a compact display, and if I were sending a kid off to college, this would be just the sort of space-saving convenience that I’d want to send along. But why this would do the job better than some other 24″ display that is called an HDTV escapes me at this point.

HDTV Almanac

Apple’s fall event is tomorrow, and we’ll be there live!

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:10:33 +0000

Tune in at this URL at the times below on Wednesday, September 1st for all the action!

Apple’s fall event is tomorrow, and we’ll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget HD

Survey: Most Have Seen 3D Movies

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:41:11 +0000

TWICE commissioned a survey about consumer opinion about 3DTV, and the results have some interesting highlights. A good place to start is the fact that about 78% of the respondents have seen at least one 3D movie in a cinema. This is interesting because nearly the identical 78% have never seen a 3DTV.

Now, nearly the same 78% of those who had seen a 3D movie were positive about the experience, but only 54% had positive comments about the 3DTV viewing experience. Only 54% of the total said that they would consider buying a 3DTV, but most of them figured it would be more than a year before they’d buy one. The three most common reasons for not getting a 3DTV were the need to buy additional items (41%), the cost (36%), and the lack of content (24%).

TWICE published the results under the headline “Consumers Know 3D But Need More Convincing”. My take on the results is a bit different; the consumers appear to be well-informed, and they are waiting for the prices to come down and the amount of available content to go up. I wouldn’t call that a need for convincing as much as this is the sign of a patient attitude. Aside from the early adopters, the value proposition just isn’t strong enough yet for the average consumer. I expect that we’re right on track for broader acceptance of 3DTV in late 2012 and into 2013.

HDTV Almanac