Archive for the ‘High Definition’ Category

Considering just how popular Popcorn Hour’s A-100 has been with the media center crowd, we’re not shocked at all to find the intarweb ablaze now that rumors of a new trio have surfaced. Said rumblings have originated from a curious post over at GeekZone, which sees a prospective reseller of Popcorn Hour products admit that “three new models” will be released “in the very near future,” including one with WiFi. We are told that the three models will be priced around $250, $250 and $320, though not a bit of it has been confirmed. Hit the read link for a list of proposed specifications for each of the possibly forthcoming boxes, and in case you haven’t figured it out, we’d keep those hopes low for now.

[Thanks, Simon]

What else can we say? The concept here is pure genius, and it totally makes those pricey security systems seem way pointless (okay, slightly less critical). The FakeTV is a strobe that sets up in an occupied room at night and flashes up beams of light. From the inside, we can imagine it looks fairly curious, but from the outside, it gives prospective burglars the idea that someone is actually awake and watching a television program. It promises to produce the effects of “scene changes, fades, swells, flicks, on-screen motion and color changes,” just like they were generated by a bona fide set. We can’t speak for how well (or not) this thing actually works, but at just $49, we’d say it’s a solid buy if you’re the paranoid type.

[Via BoingBoing]

Now that Hallmark Movie Channel HD has found a sufficient amount of carriers to air on, parent company Crown Media has inked a deal with Broadcast Facilities to “to provide full HD network playback” for the aforesaid channel. BFI owns and operates Andrita Media Center, the “largest independent High Definition (HD) digital media facility on the West Coast,” and the deal requires that Andrita expand its HD network playback center “to support the origination of the Hallmark Movie Channel’s extensive original and library movie content in HD on a 24 / 7 basis.” Unfortunately, we haven’t a clue if this is the puzzle piece we’ve been waiting for to swap out stretch-o-vision content with authentic high-def material, but surely it can’t hurt matters.

Make no mistake, Atlona’s a bona fide supporter of HDMI, but it’s making absolutely sure you know that it will also be throwing its support behind DisplayPort. Of course, all it’s saying at the moment is that it will soon be providing DisplayPort cabling “for as long as one of its customers has a need for one,” but it looks like we’ll have to be patient before finding out what other sort of DisplayPort contraptions the firm has up its sleeve.

Life’s good in Bristol — at least it sure looks that way based on reports stemming from The Cable Show in New Orleans and the latest Nielsen data. For starters, primetime viewership on ESPN grew 15%, while total day ratings ratcheted up 13%. According to Sean Bratches, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the outfit, ESPN’s ratings were 43% higher in high-definition homes versus standard-definition homes, reiterating that sports and movies are the two biggest draws of owning an HDTV. Needless to say, the news simply means that the network can demand even more for precious ad time, but we won’t even pretend you didn’t see that coming.

Just after hearing that the Ellen Degeneres Show would be going HD in a few short long months, another daytime favorite (or not, depending on perspective) will also be dipping its toes in the wondrous waters of off-site high-definition. Reportedly, the infamous chit-chat show is set to tape a week of episodes from Sin City next month, as it swoops in on Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from June 23rd through 27th. The excursion will mark the first time The View has broadcast in HDTV while on location, though no details of further involvement were mentioned.

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After slipping past their original spring release date, Panasonic’s PZ850 series of plasmas are no longer the only ones with YouTube support, but those desiring internet features, high contrast ratios and easy-access calibration settings can expect them on shelves this summer. The 46-, 50- and 58-inch versions should all be available in mid-June, with the 65-incher rolling out in August. Other than the IP features (Picasa access is also part of the package) the THX-certified PZ850s support h.264 playback from the SD card slot, RS-232C, 24p native playback, and a variety of display modes and settings to get the picture just the way the director intended, the way you like it, or anywhere in between. Check after the break for a list of prices, and our video hands on from CES 2008.

TH-65PZ850 - $7,999
TH-58PZ850 - $4,299
TH-50PZ850 - $3,499
TH-46PZ850 - $3,099

What we’re watching tonight:

• CBS (1080i) presents the season finales of ‘The Big Bang Theory‘ at 8 p.m., ‘How I Met Your Mother‘, ‘Two and a Half Men‘, ‘Rules of Engagement‘ and ‘CSI: Miami‘
• NBC (1080i) features ‘American Gladiators‘ at 8 p.m.
• ABC (720p) has ‘Dancing With the Stars‘ at 8 p.m.
• CW (1080i) has the season finale of ‘Gossip Girl‘ at 8 p.m. and ‘One Tree Hill‘ at 9 p.m.
• Fox (720p) has the season finales of ‘Bones‘ at 8 p.m. and ‘House‘
• TNT (1080i) lines up Game 7 of Spurs/Hornets at 8:30 p.m.
• ESPN HD (720p) has Cubs/Astros at 7 p.m.
• ESPN2 HD (720p) has Arena League football with LA/Chicago at 8 p.m.
• ABC Family (720p) has ‘Greek ‘at 8 p.m. followed by ‘Wildfire‘
• USA (1080i) presents ‘WWE: Raw‘ at 9 p.m.