HDTV and Home Theater Podcast News

AT&T and Sling Media Collaborate on Slingplayer Mobile App for 3G Mobile Broadband Network

HT Guys — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:04:27 +0000

DALLAS, Feb. 4, 2010 – AT&T* today announced that its 3G mobile broadband network will support Sling Media, Inc.’s SlingPlayer Mobile™ app.

Sling Media, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), originally developed its wireless app to make efficient use of 3G network bandwidth – and to conserve the finite wireless spectrum available to the wireless industry. Since mid December 2009, AT&T has been testing the app and has recently notified Sling Media -- as well as Apple – that the optimized app can run on its 3G network. The SlingPlayer Mobile app already is available for use today on AT&T’s Wi-Fi network, the nation’s largest with more than 20,000 hotspots.

Why I'm Buying an iPad

HT Guys — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:23:26 +0000

So the iPad is now more than a figment of our imagination and depending on who you talk to its either an epic fail or a home run. I don't think its either but I plan on buying two or three of these neat little devices and here's why.

LED to Surpass CCFL in Large-Area TFT LCD Backlights in 2011

HT Guys — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:38:32 +0000

AUSTIN, TEXAS, January 26, 2010—The LED backlight unit market has rapidly emerged in the TFT LCD industry, and momentum for this segment is expected to continue over the next five years. In the latest DisplaySearch Quarterly LED Backlight Report, the company reports that LED backlight units will surpass CCFL/EEFL backlights in large-area TFT LCD panels in 2011, and achieve 74% penetration in 2013. Large-area LED backlight demand for all applications will grow from 114 million units in 2009 to 770 million units in 2015.

OPPO Releases New BDP-80 Blu-ray Disc Player

HT Guys — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:00:24 +0000

Mountain View, Calif. – January 25, 2010 – OPPO Digital (www.oppodigital.com) announced today the release of a new high-performance Blu-ray Disc player, model number BDP-80.

The new BDP-80 is a full-featured universal Blu-ray Disc™ player that supports BD Profile 2.0 (BD-Live and BonusView), DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD (SACD), HDCD, CD and other popular media formats such as AVCHD, MKV video files, digital photos and music. Sharing the same decoder and similarly optimized firmware as OPPO’s award-winning BDP-83, the BDP-80 features fast disc load times, quick response to user operations, and robust audio and video controls. In contrast to the BDP-83, which utilizes an onboard VRS by Anchor Bay video processor, the BDP-80 design has been optimized for use as a digital audio/video transport, emphasizing the accuracy of its digital audio/video outputs. At the same time, the BDP-80 is versatile enough to be used as a stand-alone universal Blu-ray player, thanks to its full array of output connections and audio/video decoding capabilities.

Mirage MX/Denon AVR 590 Listener Review By J.R. McCullough

HT Guys — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:58:58 +0000

First I wanted to outline my problem. As my kids have gotten older, it has become harder and harder for me to find some alone time with my favorite hobbies -- music, movies, and gaming. My son is always in the basement, and the family room is too "public" for me to immerse myself in a game or to take part in some critical listening. It seems like I'm always getting interrupted. That leaves my office as my only sanctuary in the house. Unfortunately, high-quality computer speakers are difficult to find. Furthermore, if I wanted to hook up another source to the speakers, my options were limited.

3D-Capable TVs to Achieve 1.2M+ Shipments in 2010, 15.6M in 2013

HT Guys — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:31:05 +0000

AUSTIN, TEXAS, January 20, 2010—Closing out on a year in which average selling prices for TVs are expected to fall for the first time since the flat panel TV transition began, TV manufacturers are building new combinations to re-value their products and retain consumer interest.

Elemental Designs A7-700 Subwoofer Listener Review by Carl Houghton

HT Guys — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:05:40 +0000

Carl liked his new Elemental Designs A7-700 subwoofer so much he wanted to write a quick review.

Sony BDP-CX960 400 Disc Blu-ray Disc / DVD MegaChanger Listener Review by Dennis Comfort

HT Guys — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:29:50 +0000

Here's a short review that I've thrown together on the BDP-CX960 Blu-ray changer by Sony. I recently bought this to replace my existing BDP-550 Blu-ray (single disk) player. I have been very happy with the 550 (as of now, it's the only Sony Blu-ray player that will output in 6 channel analog audio), but as my collection of movies has grown, I was becoming interested in a changer. I own 3 Sony DVP-CS777EX changers (400 DVDs/CDs, SACDs) connected to an Escient DVDM-100 movie server, but I really wanted something to handle Blu-ray.

On the Road to CES

HT Guys — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:55:54 +0000

We got to meet a long time listener from New Zealand. He was driving back to LA as we were driving in. We met at the State line and enjoyed a Starbucks!

From left to right:

Ara, Laurence, Braden

Dreamer Blu-TV Interactive Television Service Now Available on Oppo Digital Blu Ray Disc Players

HT Guys — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:40:36 +0000

LAS VEGAS, NV [CES Tradeshow Booth #10045] - Jan. 7, 2010 - Dreamer Corporation, a leader in interactive TV platforms, today announced that OPPO Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of Blu-ray Disc players, is offering Dreamer's Blu-TV interactive television service on the OPPO BDP-83 model, which has won multiple awards since its introduction to the U.S. market in July 2009. Dreamer will demonstrate Blu-TV on the OPPO Digital player in its booth (#10045) at CES 2010 from January 7 - 10.

XSTREAMHD™ REVOLUTIONARY WHOLE-HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AVAILABLE FOR ADVANCE PURCHASE ON JANUARY 7

HT Guys — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:50:19 +0000

Mclean, VA – January 7, 2010 – XStreamHD, an emerging leader in the delivery and distribution of Full High Definition (HD) entertainment directly to the home has announced for the first time an advance purchase option which will allow consumers to reserve the product prior to the official delivery date of April 30, 2010. Consumers can pre-order either XStreamHD's FAST Start or PRO Start packages with only a $25 deposit to receive guaranteed delivery of the first release systems.

Dolby Brings Intelligent Loudness Control to Motorola’s DCX Set-Top Portfolio

HT Guys — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:29:14 +0000

San Francisco, January 6, 2010—Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB) and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) Home & Networks Mobility business announced today that Dolby^® Volume technology will be featured in Motorola’s industry leading cable set-top portfolio for the North American and Latin American markets. Dolby Volume technology allows consumers to control the volume level on their playback devices so that it remains consistent across commercials and channel changes.

DISH NETWORK® INTRODUCES TV EVERYWHERE™

HT Guys — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:07:22 +0000

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Jan. 6, 2010 – DISH Network L.L.C., America’s fastest growing pay-TV provider, today introduced TV Everywhere™ – a unique suite of integrated products designed to maximize the convenience and ease of watching TV anytime and anywhere.

SKYPE AND PANASONIC ANNOUNCE COLLABORATION TO ADD SKYPE SOFTWARE TO VIERA® HDTVs

HT Guys — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:36:11 +0000

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (January 5, 2010) – Panasonic Corporation, a worldwide leader in High Definition technology and built-in TV web entertainment, and Skype, a leader in internet communications, today announced a collaboration that will enable consumers to make voice and video calls over Skype™ on Panasonic's line of 2010 VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs planned for launch in spring 2010.

D-LINK DEBUTS BOXEE BOX AT CES 2010; DIRECTLY LINKS INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES TO TVs EVERYWHERE

HT Guys — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:11:24 +0000

LAS VEGAS, CES Booth 36232, South Hall, LVCC, Jan. 5, 2010 - D-Link made lots of geeks and early adopters happy today by introducing the revolutionary Boxee Box by D-Link, winner of the CES Best of Innovations award in the Home Entertainment category.

The Boxee Box by D-Link reinterprets what TV should be. The Boxee Box delivers movies, TV shows, music, and photos from a user's computer, home network, and the Internet to their HDTV with no PC needed. Additionally, Boxee's core social features make it easy for friends to discover new content from each other through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and more.