Netflix has been steering customers towards its streaming-only service since it raised prices for its DVD and streaming plans last summer by as much as 60 percent. Although the company did bleed a good amount of subscribers due to the price hike, it has gained 610,000 new subscribers with 220,000 of them signed up for streaming service, boosting the company’s streaming subscriber count to 21.67 million and its total subscriber count to 24.4 million.

Overall, Netflix had good news to report and investors have been pleased, sending the stock up 10 percent in after-hour trading. However, the company continues to warn of unprofitable quarters to come due to expansion costs and diminishing DVD revenue.

[via AllThingsD]

CDs and DVDs with data stored on them should be accessible as well, though installing a program from a disc might not. You can also connect a USB hard drive for network attached storage, which becomes accessible to anyone accessing the WiFi signal. The usual collection of security and in-browser management options are included with the SMART Hub, though unfortunately it lacks a battery, so you’ll have to position it near a power outlet. There is no Blu-ray support.

Streaming to smartphones and tablets is possible through an app that connects with Samsung’s AllShare service, and automates the backup of photos and other data. The app will be available for both Android and iOS, according to a Samsung representative. No pricing or availability details were available at CES.

Plug into your home or hotel broadband connection and the Optical SMART Hub works as a wireless router. Up to four devices can access content at any one time, and there’s a USB port for hooking up external drives too. Allshare DLNA support streams direct to compatible TVs and other gadgets, and you can remotely burn CDs and DVDs from your PC, Mac or laptop.

If you’ve been considering carrying an external optical drive for your ultrabook, MacBook Air or other ultraportable, then Samsung’s option might well kill a few birds with one glossy white stone. The Samsung Optical SMART Hub SE-208BW will gon on sale this quarter, priced at $129.99.

The 19-inch screen supports resolutions of 1366 x 768 and has three HDMI ports on the back, which is a lot for a small 19-inch set. Sceptre claims that the TV is the fist in the industry of the screen size that offers three HDMI ports. The extra ports allow the TV to be used as a computer monitor as well. The actual viewable image size is 18.5-inches.

The set has brightness rating of 250 cd/m2 and a contrast ratio that is typically 1000:1. The panel response time is 5ms. Other than the three HDMI ports the TV also has a USB port, headphone port, SPDIF, RF port, and a VGA port. Other connectivity includes composite and component. The TV is available now for $249.99 at retail stores around the country.

Actual revenue reached $822 million, up 49 percent year-over-year, while profit hit $62 million, up 63 percent from the same period last year. However, the company projects to be hit with a loss of between $60 to $70 million in Q1 of 2012 due to its expansion into the UK and Ireland.

Partly due to the price hike, Netflix lost 800,000 subscribers last quarter in the US, leaving it with 23.8 million subscribers, of which 21.5 million subscribed to streaming and 13.4 million subscribed to DVD rentals. The company noted that only seven percent of new Netflix streaming customers chose the DVD option.

Netflix is set to lose Starz content, but Hastings downplays this, saying that Starz only accounted for six percent of actual viewing time on Netflix. Hastings also claimed that neither Amazon Prime nor Hulu Plus were threats as one has less content and the other only shows recent TV content.

[via TechCrunch]

“Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement about the about-turn. “There is a difference between moving quickly — which Netflix has done very well for years — and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case.”

It’s ironically a repeat of just what Hastings said caused Netflix headaches back in July, when the company announced pricing changes that saw some packages increase in cost each month. At the debut of Qwikster, Hastings admitted that the company’s business evolution had happened faster than its communications, and that he needed “to be extra-communicative.”

The company now says that price changes are done with, and the focus is on increasing the number of streaming options. Previously customers had been warned that they would need to manage their preferences and ratings on two separate sites if they subscribed to both Netflix and the defunct-before-it-started Qwikster, each being operated entirely distinctly.

According to former Borders customers (thanks everyone who sent this in, by the way,) Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch sent them an email [which can be seen here] that the surviving books and media company acquired the customer data which included “the subject matter of your DVD and other video purchases” amongst other tidbits. Lynch wrote that they sought out the purchase of this data in order to “try and earn your business.”

Massachusetts State Attorney General Martha Coakley has released a statement that noted the following as specifically what is included in the data in question:

Information customers shared with the Borders website, including name, address, and e-mail address.

Information collected from customers in the Borders Rewards loyalty program, including customer name, address, e-mail address, and purchase history. This purchase history will not include the titles of video materials (like DVDs or VHS tapes) purchased by customers.

E-mail addresses from customers who requested to receive special offers from Borders.

You should note here, of course, that credit card information and any and all financial-related information is not included in the Borders database nor in this sale of data. To quell fears that they’d just been bamboozled by the companies in the deal, Lynch added the following in the letter to customers:

It’s important for you to understand, however, that you have the absolute right to opt-out of having your customer data transferred to Barnes & Noble. If you would like to opt-out, we will ensure all your data we receive from Borders is disposed of in a secure and confidential manner. Please visit www.bn.com/borders by October 29, 2011 to do so.

Sound good enough for you?

According to this same government source, Business Secretary Vince Cable will announce the government’s response to Hargreaves report on Wednesday. One of the most clear reasons why this set of findings done by Hargreaves, professor of digital economy at Cardiff School of Journalism, is that there’s room for 8 billion pounds (aka $13 billion USD) to be added to the economy. This change of law would shake up Britain’s 300-year-old ruling on copyright which Hargreaves says are obstructing innovation and growth.

Business Secretary Vince Cable will indeed signal the government’s agreeing to Hargreaves’ recommendation to legalize “format shifting” of legitimately purchased copyrighted works such as music, said the same source as mentioned above. This same practice has been legalized in most European countries save Britain, Ireland, and of course Malta. This changing of law will allow consumers to copy data from CDs to devices such as iPods or personal home computers, but does not allow for the sharing of content over the internet without the copyright owner’s permission.

This ruling will extend over Hargreaves recommendation to introduce an exception that includes copyright for parody, this meaning comedians such as, for example, Weird Al, would be able to parody someone else’s work without seeking permission from the holder of the copyright of the original work. Would that this weren’t already a law in the USA for many years now, we’d be without such classics as “Eat It,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Perform This Way.” Of course the law works a bit differently here in the USA than in England where the law is, instead, not written down with pen and ink.

Finally, the government has not yet spoken on how the introduction of a central digital copyright exchange will be rules upon, one where a licenses in copyright could be bought and sold – as per Hargreaves recommendation again.

[via Rueters]

It can physically store up to 320 CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray Discs. You simply insert a disc and it will automatically copy its content to the Kaleidescape System. After the M700 is finished copying, you can eject the CDs and DVDs from the vault to store elsewhere or leave them inside. Their digital copies can be played back even with the original discs removed. But for Blu-Ray Discs, you must store the discs inside the M700 inorder to playback the content.

There is a front display panel that indicates the import progress, number of discs stored, and the number of available slots. There are also buttons that let you eject all CDs, all DVDs, all Blu-Rays, or all discs. Multiple M700 Disc Vaults can work with the Kaleidescape system such that you can store thousands of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray Discs. And, the integrated Kaleidescape M-Class Player provides pristine playback of the content stored.

However, all this convenience does come with a hefty price and is geared for the more serious home theater enthusiast with deep pockets. The M700 Disc Vault retails for $5,995 and when paired with a 1U Server for a complete Blu-Ray movie server, it will cost you $15,990. Visit the product page for more info.

In essence, Netflix is saying that those who want DVDs and streaming won’t get anything new or better, but they will need to pay more for that right. And as expected, a large group of the company’s customers have come out in criticism of that.

[Image credit: katiescrapbooklady]

But so far, its competitors, including Amazon, Hulu, and even Redbox, haven’t said a word. In their secret meetings behind closed doors, though, you can rest assured that they’re happy to see Netflix make that decision, since they undoubtedly believe it might have a beneficial impact on their operations.

Then again, it might not. Sure, customers who have DVD-and-streaming plans won’t be happy by the news, but do we really think it will be enough to push them to other services? Amazon, Hulu, Vudu, and all the other Netflix streaming competitors still don’t have the same quality of content (or service) to justify a changeover. Plus, folks that have been paying $10 per month and decide to ditch DVDs will see their monthly charges drop a couple bucks.

So, while I understand that some people are upset to see Netflix’s rates rise, we need to remember that its streaming business likely won’t be negatively affected. In fact, I can see the company adding more streaming-only customers in the coming months as it starts offering the plans to new customers, and eventually, existing customers.

The way I see it, the only competitor to Netflix that benefits here is Coinstar. That company, which owns and operates Redbox, is now offering a far better value proposition to customers. Rather than pay $7.99 for DVDs each month, Netflix customers can sign up with Redbox and pay just $1 per day per DVD rental. As long as the respective user typically only rents a handful of DVDs each month, they might just make out well in the deal.

But even then, the impact might or might not be major. As soon as a customer buys eight films from Redbox, they’re matching Netflix’s price. And if they want more, the financially prudent move would have been to stick with Netflix.

Simply put, I’m not quite sure Netflix will lose out with its new plans. It might lose some customers that hate the thought of subscribing to a service that has offered up a 60 percent price hike, but over time, many folks might just realize that even at $15.98, Netflix might still be a better option than the competition.

In the end, it’s an individual choice based on individual preferences. But if a current Netflix user is both a heavy streamer and a heavy DVD renter, opting for the competition’s offerings still might not be the best idea.

The unlimited DVD and streaming bundle used to cost customers $9.99 a month, but will now cost $15.98 a month as customers will have to separately subscribe to the DVD plan for $7.99 a month and the streaming plan for another $7.99 a month. Additionally, the company has announced new DVD plans of $7.99 a month for 1 DVD out-at-a-time or $11.99 a month for 2 DVDs out-at-a-time.

The reasoning behind this move? Netflix explains that when they first unveiled their unlimited streaming plan and treated DVDs as a $2 add on, they didn’t realize that there was still quite a large demand for DVDs. Since it did not make financial sense for their business, they are now separating it from streaming to more accurately reflect the cost of the service.

The new pricing plan will take effect immediately for new customers but will not be instated until September 1 for existing customers.

[via Netflix Blog]

There’s also on-demand media streaming support, including Netflix, Blockbuster, VUDU and Film Fresh, in up to HD quality, and Onkyo has used Marvell’s Qdeo processor for 1080p upscaling, deinterlacing and noise reduction. Ports include two HDMI outputs, so as to make hooking up – and flicking between – an HDTV and a projector more straightforward.

DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD, along with THX certification, round out the key specs, though as you’d probably imagine there are plenty of other ports on the back including digital and analog audio outputs.

And what would you pay for this rich, creamy, uncommonly good Blu-ray player (disclaimer: we haven’t actually tried it; it could be rubbish)? Onkyo will be asking $599 when the BD-SP809 lands in August.

As expected, fans on both sides of the debate jumped on the story. Some said that Nintendo’s decision to nix Blu-ray in the Wii U proved that the company just didn’t know what it was doing in the gaming space any longer. Those who came out in defense of Nintendo said it makes perfect sense, since streaming is the future, and the console will likely support Netflix and other similar services.

Although I can see both sides of the argument, I’m a little perplexed by Nintendo’s decision to not offer Blu-ray in the Wii U. Yes, I understand the company’s licensing argument and I can see where streaming would be more important, but whether we like it or not, physical media isn’t going anywhere. And Blu-ray will be with us for the long haul.

As far as I’m concerned, every next-generation console, including the Wii U, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox 720 (or whatever those platforms will be called) should be running Blu-ray.

When I think about a game console, I no longer consider it as a device that only lets me play video games. Instead, I see game consoles as full home-entertainment platforms that allow me to enjoy different types of content depending on my mood.

So, if I want to play a video game, I can turn on my console and do so. But if after I’m done playing for a while, I want to watch a movie, I should be able to pop a disc into the device and be entertained. And just in case there’s something on Netflix that I want to watch, I shouldn’t have any trouble flipping over to that app and firing it up.

As much as Nintendo seemingly doesn’t want to admit it, the gaming business is about more than just video games nowadays. It’s why Xbox Live and PlayStation Network are integral to the experiences of using the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And it’s also why Microsoft is doubling down on television content with the upcoming availability of live TV on its Xbox 360.

My ultimate goal in the living room is to eliminate all the many devices I currently have connected to my television, and get down to one or two products that let me do everything. As I’ve mentioned on SlashGear before, I believe the PlayStation 3 helps me get closer to that goal than any other device — gaming or not — on the market. And it’s my hope that the PlayStation 4 will capitalize on that even more.

By not offering Blu-ray or DVD playback in the Wii U, Nintendo has left itself open to unnecessary criticism. And if Microsoft and Sony can deliver that playback along with improved game experiences, should we really expect Nintendo’s console to be the next generation’s winner?

Sorry, Nintendo, but the times are changing. And it’s about time you realize that.

DVD sales dropped 20% in the US over Q1 2011. Studios are blaming the timing of Easter and a bunch of movie release during the same time frame in 2010 for the decline in sales. The bigger picture shows something different than that in my mind. While the overall DVD sales market plummeted to $500 million under what it was last year, spending on streaming and subscription services grew significantly. These services grew to the tune of 33% during the quarter.

This is s a clear indication that consumers want digital movies. Those that don’t want digital films also are starting to prefer kiosk rentals with the rental of DVDs through outlets like Blockbuster dropped 36%. I think it’s time for the movie industry to stop trying to prop up the inevitable end of mainstream physical store rentals and end the wait periods for movies to hit kiosks like Redbox and digital rentals like PPV and Netflix. I would like to see a study on how many consumers simply don’t watch a film when they have to wait 30 days to rent at Redbox or see it on a streaming basis.

The move is not surprising considering that rivals such as Netflix, and previously Blockbuster, have all added game rentals to supplement the diminishing income from movie rentals. The company plans to place games in over 21,000 of its kiosks, with a rental price of $2 per day for games. The company currently charges $1 per day for DVD movies and $1.50 for Blu-Ray movies.

Game titles will be available for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The company has decided to exclude handheld games such as those for the Nintendo DS and 3DS, placing their focus for now on the home console market. Just like with Redbox movies, customers can pick up games on the go or reserve online ahead of time. Alll titles will be available at the kiosks on their first week of launch but not necessarily on their street date.

[via Gamasutra]

Currently, Netflix offers a $7.99 streaming-only service that gives you one stream at a time or a one-DVD plan that offers unlimited streaming but doesn’t allow for multiple simultaneous streaming. However, they do offer multiple simultaneous streaming of up to four at a time with a four-DVD monthly plan.

Their new offering later this year may be to simplify things and focus on pushing households to sign up for either additional streams or multiple accounts under one umbrella family plan.

The Investors FAQ message reads:

The evolution toward individual memberships will take time, and we are still thinking about how to best do it. One option would be to allow an account to add additional concurrent streams (using the analogy of our DVD business, it would be like choosing a higher-priced plan that allows a subscriber to have more DVDs at home). Our $7.99-per-month plan is for one stream at a time, and later this year we expect to be able to offer consumers some account options to watch multiple simultaneous streams. Or it could be that there is a price point that would encourage multiple accounts in one household.

Netflix may also be looking beyond the household, hoping to boost individual memberships in the future as well. Individual plans could involve streaming content to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets along with having more social integration with Facebook. This may all be in the horizon for the company as they aim to ramp up their service with improved recommendations for a more personalized experience.

[via VentureBeat]

As for the Philips Harmony Component HiFi, that slots into the company’s 8000 Series DVD line-up and has an integrated iPhone/iPod dock, CD, DVD, and USB support. No WiFi, but you do get a 2 x 80W RMS Class-D digital amp.

Finally, the bulbous Philips Fidelio SoundSphere packs WiFi for streaming Apple music over AirPlay, as well as a local dock for getting content off your iPod or iPhone. It will go on sale in May 2011, priced at €799 ($1,115); no word on pricing or availability for the other two systems.

Press Release:

Philips introduces Wi-Fi Multiroom Hi-Fi System with best-in-class High-Fidelity sound

Barcelona, Spain – Philips is taking the sound quality of wireless Multiroom systems to the next level: the new Philips Wi-Fi Multiroom Hi-Fi System offers crystal clear sound from the latest so-called ClariSound speakers, while giving you access to all your favorite songs anywhere around your home.

With the MultiroomMusic function it does not matter where you are in the house; you can enjoy different songs in different rooms, or play the same tunes in every room by a simple touch on the screen. You can easily stream all your music wirelessly from the Multiroom Music Center to the different Music Stations placed anywhere in your home.

Pristine sound from ClariSound speakers
Philips’ new Multiroom Hi-Fi system will fill the room with pure sound through the new ClariSound speakers. To reproduce high-end frequencies perfectly, the soft-dome tweeter of the ClariSound speaker is positioned on top of the speaker box, allowing sound to travel along the speaker baffle. This helps recover the richness and wideness of the original performance.

For these speakers Philips also makes use of a glass fiber woofer cone, which produces a more natural sound thanks to its lightweight design. An innovative front-firing bass port, filled with acoustic material, ensures pure and tight bass reproduction.

A world of music at your fingertips
The Philips Multiroom Hi-Fi system gives you access to all your music, independent of source or format:

· Listen to all your digital music collection stored on the external USB Hard Disc of the system. With up to 2000 albums available anytime at the touch of the screen, you do not even need to turn on your computer to access your favorite tunes
· Explore over ten thousand Internet radio stations from around the world as well as online music subscription services at the touch of a button. Alternatively, you can listen to your favorite local FM radio stations in the traditional way
· Wirelessly stream music and pictures from PC, MAC or your home server in excellent sound quality without having to worry about wires
· Additionally, you can play your favorite tracks from the CD/DVD player, connect any other USB device for more music content or add an optional dock to play and charge your iPod or iPhone

Simplicity in usability
While the full color touch screen of the Multiroom system allows you to easily navigate through your content and enjoy album artworks, you can also turn any iPhone, iPod Touch or Android smartphone into a comprehensive remote control by using the complimentary AV remote app. Using the app you can wirelessly browse and play any source of music the Multiroom system offers. You can download the app for free from iTunes AppStore or Android market place.

The connectivity and convenience of the Philips Multiroom Hi-Fi system enables you to easily access all your favorite songs without any hassle and anywhere in your home. Coupled with the sleek design and premium finish, it sits perfectly within the home where it will fill the rooms with quality, authentic sound from any source you like.

Press Release:

New Philips Harmony Component Hi-Fi system range delivers authentic sound reproduction

Barcelona, Spain – Philips introduces its new Harmony Hi-Fi range, delivering music-lovers an ideal combination of authentic sound reproduction, premium design and a simple user experience.

As part of the Harmony range, the new 8000 series DVD Hi-Fi component system offers impressive sound quality for a compact system thanks to the new ClariSound speakers, which offer the finest balance between natural sound, detailed precision and bass tightness.

Pristine sound with true-to-life details

To reproduce high-end frequencies perfectly, the soft-dome tweeter is positioned on top of the speaker box, allowing sound to travel along the speaker baffle. This helps recover the richness and wideness of the original performance and thus offer a wider soundstage.

For these speakers Philips also makes use of a glass fiber woofer cone which ensures a more natural reproduction of voices and instruments thanks to its lightweight design. An innovative front-firing bass port, processed with acoustic material to reduce turbulence, ensures pure and tight bass reproduction.

The system comes with an innovative integrated dock which plays and charges iPad, iPod and iPhone, even in its protective case. The system is designed with a 2 x 80W RMS Class-D digital amplifier, and lets you enjoy your CDs, DVDs (with HDMI output delivering 1080p upscaling) and music content from your USB storage devices.

Combining the finest materials like pure aluminium for the casing, real wood for the speaker boxes and glass fiber woofers, giving a unique design identity to the speakers, the new Philips Harmony 8000 series DVD Hi-Fi component system enables you to experience natural, true-to-life sound right from your living room.

Press Release:

New Philips Fidelio SoundSphere uses Wi-Fi and supports Apple’s AirPlay®

Barcelona, Spain – Philips today unveils the merging of two of its most successful product lines, SoundSphere and Fidelio, in order to bring music lovers the ultimate, full-fidelity listening experience. Combining the impressive functionality of its docking speaker range Fidelio, the superior sound quality of the Philips SoundSphere technology and Apple’s AirPlay®, the Philips Fidelio SoundSphere docking speakers delivers authentic sound – while your device simply stays in your hand.

With Airplay, the Philips Fidelio SoundSphere docking speakers give you both an amazing sound and hassle-free access to all your music from iTunes.

The Sound is in the Design The amazing sound quality of the Philips Fidelio SoundSphere docking speaker lies in its design. The curved design of the separate speakers with their unique free-floating tweeters on top of both speakers mean Philips Fidelio SoundSphere delivers sound in all directions for a deeper and wider audio impression with minimized interferences.

The Sound is in the Air The Philips Fidelio Soundsphere docking speaker utilizes Airplay1 to seamlessly play music over a home Wi-Fi network from iTunes on Mac and PC, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. With AirPlay, you enjoy all your music via the brilliant speakers of the Philips Fidelio SoundSphere without plugging in cables or even docking your device.

The Philips Fidelio SoundSphere docking speaker integrates perfectly with your iTunes, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and gives you an authentic sound experience everywhere in your home through a unique combination of technology, design and functionality. Philips Fidelio SoundSphere will be available from May 2011 with a recommended retail price of 799 EUR.

All this and MORE today on The Daily Slash!

R3 Media Network

Editor’s Choice
Tangible Digital Music via C60 by IDEO [SEVERE WANT]
Google Hotpot NFC stickers will work with Nexus S [NFC 4 LYFE]
Notion Ink prompting concerns with lack of hardware demo, sky-high return fees [Updated] [WATCH OUT]
Google smash, freeze & burn 25 Cr-48 Chrome OS notebooks in praise of the cloud [Video] [DIE!]
Speakal outs Cool iPig iPhone dock system [OINK]
Windows Phone 7 Launcher On Android [NEATO]
Google Nexus S unboxing & hands-on [Video] [HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY]
Wine Vending Machines in Pennsylvania [NEXT, WHISKEY DISPENSERS]
Gorillaz to Release FREE Album on Christmas Day, Entirely Recorded on iPad [GORILLAZ FA FREE]

SlashPhone
HTC Legend Gets Android 2.2 Update Across Europe
Android 2.3 Update To Hit Samsung Galaxy S Smartphone
Costco to Stop Selling Apple Devices

Android Community
Epic has no immediate plans to bring Infinity Blade to Android gamers
Dell confirms AT&T-locked Streak Froyo update in Jan 2011
Google NFC Hotpot stickers will pull Places into your Gingerbread phone [NFC]
Howard Stern content coming to XM Radio app
Notion Ink doubts surface: questions first, pre-orders later [Updated]
LG Optimus One Series Will Receive Android 2.3
Motorola Android Tablet In The Wilds, With Specs?
Droid X Update Available Now 2.2.1 (Blur 2.3.340)
4G Tablet Planned by T-Mobile for 2011
Froyo now available for Vibrant on Bell, Virgin Mobile and SaskTel
LG Boasts Over 2 Million Sales of its Optimus Series
Wirefly Brings Android Home For The Holidays With Big Sale
80 Percent of Verizon Phones sold are Android, BlackBerry devices in steep decline
Windows Phone 7 Launcher On Android
Google Nexus S unboxing & hands-on [Video]
“Exploding” DROID 2 more likely damaged after a drop tips Motorola insider
Angry Birds “Bad Piggy Bank” in-app payments announced

SlashGear
Novatel sue ZTE and Franklin Wireless over alleged MiFi patent infringement
US military force removable media lock-down to prevent WikiLeaks sequel
DZdock was created by an 11-year-old
Microsoft add Windows Phone 7 download reports to App Hub; pull forward royalty payouts
Gran Turismo 5 sells like donuts at a police convention
Apple iTunes Rewind 2010 highlights hot trends in iOS apps
Anonymous to stop DDoS attacks and start spamming Wikileaks content?
Patriot Memory launches Supersonic USB 3.0 drive
GelaSkins launches skins for new MacBook Air models
iKit unveils cool FM transmitter for iPod/iPhone with touchscreen
UMID is no more according to Dynamism
Engineer builds working reproduction of Greek Antikythera Mechanism from Lego
HTV Evo gets Ballistic HD case protection
Speakal outs Cool iPig iPhone dock system
RJI survey looks into how people use their iPad
Orbotix Sphero remote-control game ball due at CES 2011
Amazon WikiLeaks ebook back on sale as retailer denies hypocrisy
First “Operation Payback” DDoS arrest made; WikiLeaks denies involvement
iPad 2 dual-camera rumors refuse to die: “slimmer, lighter & better resolution”
Google smash, freeze & burn 25 Cr-48 Chrome OS notebooks in praise of the cloud [Video]
Mathmos Smart Astro lava lamp adds LEDs to 60s classic
Mac App Store will lack in-app payments & Game Center at launch
Sprint 4G tablet plans confirmed: PlayBook, HTC EVO Shift 4G or something else?
Notion Ink prompting concerns with lack of hardware demo, sky-high return fees [Updated]
Second Windows Phone 7 update due at MWC 2011 tip developers
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Tangible Digital Music via C60 by IDEO
World’s Earliest Computer Made of Lego
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Openleaks to be Launched by Former WikiLeaks Staff
Skyara Sells Experience
Blizzard China Leaks Five Year Plan, Manager Resigns
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To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

[Image credit: Bill S]

A Blu-Ray player will make everyone happy. Everybody likes movies or TV shows, sold by the season. Personally, I think we’re in a golden age of television. Though there is plenty of garbage on the tube every night, the good shows are more thoughtful, complex and interesting than ever before. They have huge budgets behind them, talented actors, and clever writing. Of course, I’ll bet critics say this every few years about their current wave of programming, but then won’t it be fun to have something to look back on later? To pop in a copy of “Lost” and tell your kids how cool it was, even though it hardly stands up better than the old episodes of “The Prisoner” (which is pretty good, actually)?

Movies look better than ever, and the best way to watch movies is Blu-Ray. Hands-down. You get the fantastic picture, the surround sound, the interesting extras, all in one convenient package. Plus, if you’re like many people I know, you’ve already taken advantage of the huge glut of large screen TVs that are so inexpensive right now. I bought my first HDTV, a 36-inch Panasonic plasma, for nearly twice the cost of today’s 55-inchers. Instead of searching through your cable lineup for HD content, or trying to grab some HD channels over the air, go buy some movies that will look great on your set and make you truly happy with your purchase. Or, better yet, in addition to channel surfing, make your Blu-Ray library a part of your entertainment lineup.

Does it sound like I’m shilling for the Blu-Ray industry? I swear I’m not. Like I said, I don’t even have a Blu-Ray player myself, but I’m going to get one soon, for good reason.

You might have heard that Blu-Ray is already a dying technology. After all, you can watch streaming movies, in HD, from Netflix. You can download HD movies from iTunes or other online services. You can rent movies on your Xbox console. So why on earth should you buy a Blu-Ray player?

Because the technology behind digital media is not there yet. It’s getting close, but there is still a long way to go. First of all, storage has never been cheaper, and storage capacities for digital players is rising exponentially, even as costs are dropping. But there still isn’t enough storage to hold all of your movies.

A downloadable HD movie will take up about 4-5 GB of storage space. But that’s usually a 720p movie. That should look great on your 30-inch desktop monitor, but on your 55-inch HDTV? It won’t deliver the quality you’re aspiring to. Larger movies will consume more space, but many download stores aren’t even offering full, 1080p movies yet. Plus, if you have a more advanced sound system, current downloads won’t take advantage of your system’s capabilities. It isn’t hard to find a solid 7.1-channel surround setup for under $300, so I’d bet these advanced home theater systems are going to become more prevalent in homes. But with current downloadable content, you won’t hear everything to its full potential.

A Blu-Ray movie, which is to say a high-definition, 1080p movie with 5.1-channel (or better) surround sound and all the bells and whistles, takes up between 10GB and 15GB of space, approximately. I have a laptop computer with a 320GB hard disk drive. Many laptops are crammed with 500GB or more, and it isn’t unusual to find a desktop in the 2TB range. So, that should be enough storage space, right?

Not really, especially not if you’re a movie collector. Even if you could download movies at this quality level, you would quickly fill up a hard drive. Throw in the photos, the music, the home movies, the applications and documents that we all keep on our computers, and you aren’t left with enough space to hold more than a handful of high quality films. Want to keep an entire TV series at hand? Think again.

You could always buy an external drive, but those can be a hassle, especially if you want to watch movies while traveling. Portable drives spin at a lower RPM, and they usually aren’t meant to handle the heavy load of constant media streaming. In fact, the biggest problem with all hard disk drives is that they are almost guaranteed to go down at some point. Hard drives are like tires. They wear out over time. If you’ve ever had a drive crash irreparably, and I’m assuming most of you have, you know what I mean. So, are you going to keep a backup of all your saved digital movies? You’ll need another external drive just to make sure your films are safe for as long as you want them. And even then, drives always die, eventually.

Netflix and other streaming services are great, and great value, but even with today’s faster networks, the streaming services are too heavy for the bandwidth load. Some cable and Internet providers are starting to push back, and there’s no telling which way the net neutrality wind will blow. It could shift with every incoming administration. Even at today’s data rates, you can’t be sure you’ll get the best, HD quality content, and even if you do, it won’t live up to the quality of a Blu-Ray disc. It won’t even come close.

I still have the first DVD I ever purchased. It was The Matrix. I watch it from time to time. Sure, physical media can get scratched or cracked, but with just a modicum of care, they can last for decades. My copy of The Matrix has outlasted 4 different hard disk drives. I used to have a backup of the movie on my computer, but the hard drive went down, and when I went to restore the drive from a backup, that backup was corrupted (damn you, Time Machine!). Now I use 3 separate drives to backup my work computer, but I don’t bother keeping my digital media files stored on all three. They would simply take up too much space.

A good Blu-Ray collection can grow to massive levels, and still be enjoyable years down the road. There is also something so much more pleasant about physical media. Would you rather have shelves on a bookcase devoted to Blu-Ray discs, with their cover artwork and glossy cases, or would you rather flip quickly through a list of titles on a machine? Even with all other considerations being equal, which they are not, I would rather be able to stand in front of my titles and have the sensory thrill of pulling each off the shelf, checking out the cover and the details on the back, and replacing it. It’s extra work and some organization, but that’s a trip down memory road. Organization on a computer? A few clicks and a bunch of typing. Blech.

The real reason I’m pushing Blu-Ray so hard is because I worry about the technology. Blu-Ray players are cheap, but they obviously aren’t catching fire like the industry hoped. That’s why so many players are filled to the brim with extra, unnecessary features, especially connected Internet features. Skip those, if you like. The real benefit is in the movies themselves. Blu-Ray players can be found easily for under $100, and Blu-Ray discs cost about the same as early DVD movies. As they become more popular, and as they have more competition in digital HD downloads, those prices could come down.

One strange phenomenon of digital media? Nobody wants to sell it cheap, at least not yet. Books, music, movies, these all cost about the same for digital versions as they do for a real physical copy. The most you’ll pay for a physical copy of Iron Man 2 on Blu-Ray is about $20, for an edition without all the collectible tchotchkes. That’s the same price you’ll pay to download an HD copy from iTunes, except that the Blu-Ray is higher quality picture and sound. Like I said, on your laptop screen, or on your iPad, you won’t notice the difference. But if you care about quality and you own some nice home theater equipment, you’ll see a difference.

I would still hold off on the 3D movie purchases, I think that glasses-free 3D technology is just around the corner, so I wouldn’t spring for the current line of 3D sets just yet. Personally, I’m planning on buying a PlayStation 3. I’ll probably watch more movies on it than I will play games. It’s network connected, and it can receive firmware updates easily, so I think it’s one of the more future-proof players around. Case in point, the PS3 got an update in September to handle 3D Blu-Ray movies, if you decide to spring for a more advanced TV set.

But, by all means, go buy a Blu-Ray player. Remember what it was like when you have a treasure trove of high quality films and TV shows at your disposal. Future proof your collection against dying hard drives, and save some money on cheaper films while you’re at it. Now is the best time to buy, and the future is still a long ways off.

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
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Android Community
Madden 2011 Demo Upgrade is $9.99, Coming to the Android Market Q1 2011
HTC Legend Update to Android 2.2 Now Live Across Europe
New “Mute A Twitter User” Feature On Twidroyd Excellent
Galaxy S will get Android 2.3 Gingerbread confirms Samsung India
Amazon offers cloud services integration for Android with new SDK
Gingerbread launcher hits Android Market for Froyo devices
Twidroyd Factory Equals Twitter Goodness for Android
LinguaSys TGPhoto Translation App for Android translates foreign signs for you
Nexus S updates to be OTA not via Samsung Kies
AT&T Dell Streak Froyo update not due until January 12?
Samsung coy on Galaxy S Gingerbread update despite apparent hardware compatibility
Over 300,000 Android devices activated per day confirms Rubin
Seesmic Brings Salesforce Chatter To Android

SlashGear
Notion Ink Adam pre-orders from 1.30pm EST: Price-cuts & more
Samsung India confirms Galaxy S Android 2.3 Gingerbread plans
Sony Ericsson pico-projection phone patent app hides its own display screen
Apple Sandy Bridge testing tips huge CPU/GPU refresh
Electric Butterfly in a Jar is not cruel
WikiLeaks Kindle ebook appears on Amazon [ITS ALL PUBLIC]
Jawbone THOUGHTS puts PTT on iPhone
Computer casemod puts gaming rig in a bomb disposal robot
Samsung and Ambarella from ASIC collaboration for hybrid camera SOCs
Intel expecting 35 Atom tablets in 2011; Dell’s Intel Android plans quietly deleted
GM touts Robonaut 2′s hands
MacBook Air screen glitch fix released
Sewell unveils cool HDdeck to convert USB to HDMI
Lite-On eNAU608 8x external DVD burner gets interchangeable designs for lid
Lava A10 smarpthone uses IPS touch screen
Halo JC 3 Phono preamp is now shipping
Stem Innovation debuts TimeCommand alarm clock dock for Apple gear
Epson and Thinxtream offer free app for PrintJinni printing from iOS4.2 devices
Sceptre launches a new 37-inch 1080p HDTV
Pioneer Network Vision head-up display for in-car PNDs due 2012 [Video]
Samsung 2.3 Gingerbread update for Galaxy S uncertain despite Nexus S similarities
AMD Radeon HD 6970/6950 due third week of Dec, undercutting GeForce GTX 580?
Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone on sale March 2011 tips insider
BlackBerry PlayBook poses for lengthy video demo
VGA dead by 2015 say Intel, AMD & PC/display makers
iTunes 90-second song previews added to US iTunes store
iPhone gaming evangelist Graeme Devine leaves Apple
Google accuse US Government of Microsoft favoritism
Prima plan release-day digital movies for $500 a pop on $20k system
Android activation rate now over 300,000 per day; blazes past iPhone
2010: The year I forgot about DVDs [COLUMN]
Google Cr-48 Chrome OS notebooks being delivered today
SlashGear Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z Giveaway [FEATURED]
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Unveiled
Lenovo IdeaPad Y460p/Y560p notebooks & IdeaCentre K330 desktop outed

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

But over the past year, my buying decisions have changed, and I’ve officially ditched DVD in favor of Blu-ray or streaming services.

[Image credit: John Ward]

Now, I know that some are probably wondering why it took so long. After all, Blu-ray has been around for quite some time, and the technology is being embraced in a big way to the detriment of DVD. But as I mentioned, I’m an entertainment addict. And far too many of my favorite films or television shows were still only available on DVD through 2009.

But this year, due mainly to my entertainment preferences, all that changed. Everything I wanted to buy was available on Blu-ray, which of course, prompted me to choose that copy. Moreover, much of the older content that I enjoy could be readily streamed through Netflix or other streaming services.

That resulted in a conscious decision on my part to stop buying DVDs. And at least for now, I just don’t see myself buying a DVD version of a film or television show at any point in the future.

To some extent, that’s a good feeling. DVD was ideal for me as I emerged from the darkness of the VHS days. But after I bought my first HDTV, became inundated with HD channels that made me cringe when I went back to SD content, and Blu-ray launched, it was becoming clear to me that DVD just couldn’t do the job anymore. I needed to go with the new technologies. And I needed to do it quickly.

Although I’ve mostly accomplished that goal, I should note that DVDs aren’t entirely gone from my life. Just last week I watched a few episodes from my series collection of The Sopranos, which I have on DVD. It was disappointing.

That said, I’ve spent the past year replacing much of my DVD content with Blu-ray versions of the titles. I already have a copy of The Godfather Trilogy on DVD, but I bought the Blu-ray version to round out my collection. I did the same with several other favorites, including Saving Private Ryan.

And all that fails to mention the times when I just don’t feel like going to the collection of discs to find a particular film, so I simply stream it from Netflix.

Simply put, DVDs just aren’t that big a part of my life any longer. They once ruled my entertainment experience. But like many others, I’m sure, they’ve quickly lost ground to the newer options that provide more quality and convenience.

And at least so far, I couldn’t be happier about it.

The idea is a pretty simple one. Instead of letting people rent movies on a DVD, Flix on Stix wants to let people use their own USB flash drives, or let them use one offered by the kiosk itself, to watch whatever movie they want. While there are talks about offering pre-loaded USB drives via the kiosk, it seems that the most likely event will be making customers bring their own, and then transferring the film onto it.

Price wise, Flix on Stix is aiming low. $1 for three days; $2 for six days; $3 for nine days; and $4 for 12 days. And, as we mentioned above, you won’t have to worry about returning the flash drive to the kiosk. Instead, the company behind the idea wants to include software with the rental that would make it automatically refuse playback after a certain amount of days.

All of the kiosks will be installed with USB 3.0 ports, making it possible for those who have spent the money on a USB 3.0 flash drive to have quick installs of their movies. However, unless a major price shift happens by the time Flix on Stix happens, it’s likely to assume that the majority of people won’t have USB 3.0 drives. That means some long waits at the kiosk as you’re movie downloads and installs onto your flash drive. Will anyone really want to wait that long, when Redbox is remarkably quicker, or they can just use Netflix? There’s no word on when, or if, this idea will really hit the market any time soon, but if someone can put enough money behind the idea, we won’t be surprised to see these vending machines pop up in some big cities.

[via UhGizmo!]

Thanks to that limitation – only one computer can access the DVD player at any one time, something Zediva likens to “a really long cable and a really long remote control” – the company thinks they’ve bypassed negotiating streaming rights. No rights means cheaper prices, with the limited catalog (of only 40 or so films) going for $1.99 for a 14 day access period.

You can even have them mail you the DVD, though you’ll have to pay more for that. The legal ramifications are currently being argued, with questions over what copy protection – if any – is being bypassed in order to stream the DVD player’s output over the internet, so it’ll be interesting to see how long the studios take to respond.

[via TechCrunch]

Still, you can get the smaller model in a variety of colors – white, pink, blue and green – though you only get half the battery life: 3hrs, versus the 6hrs of the SD-P96DT. Each has an SD/SDHC memory card slot, and can play DivX video, MP3/WMA music files and JPEG images from either a card or a DVD.

Toshiba will throw in a 12V adapter for in-car use, an A/V output cable and a remote control, while the larger version gets external antennas for the tuners. No word on pricing at this stage, but the REGZA SD-P96DT is expected to drop in Japan in early December, while the REGZA SD-P76S will follow on midway through the month.

[via Akihabara News]

As Mike Masnick from TechDirt says, “Making it more difficult to let people watch movies the way they want to isn’t a solution that will work long term,” especially when it comes to a format like DVD (that will eventually go the way of the dodo like the VHS.) Time Warner Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bewkes said today on conference call with Bloomberg “So far the 28-day window has clearly been a success versus no delay … The question of whether we ought to go longer is very much under scrutiny. It may well be a good idea.” This is just like when they release Harry Potter in hardcover before the cheaper, more reasonably sized softcover. I just get so frazzled just thinking about it! Really, this is a real first-world problem.

[Via TechDirt]

Both units will feature Philips’ SoundSphere Systems, which will allow the units to pump out 100W RMS output. As for the MCD900, that’s going to be where your traditional media shines through. If you’ve got your DVD and CD collection gathering dust somewhere, then you’ll be happy to know that the MCD900 will support playback from both physical media options. Well, happy if you still feel like using your DVD or CD collection. It doesn’t support Blu-ray, though.

The MCi900 is the “future” piece of equipment between the pair. Along with featuring the SoundSphere Systems, it will also be able to play music back courtesy of the Streamium technology therein. You’ll be able to access music from USB hard drives, as well as the integrated 160GB hard drive within, so you should always have plenty of music ready to go. There’s also built-in WiFi, so you can take your pick of Internet radio stations, too. And yes, if you were wondering what the SoundSphere Technology looked like, it is those two spheres popping out above the main speakers.

[via IT Tech News]

Traditionally these films would go to DVD and then pay channels like HBO or Showtime. Some of the first films that will be streamed under the deal are “The Fighter” with Christian Bale, “Skyline”, “Season of the Witch” with Nicolas Cage, and “Movie 43.” Those last two films are set to hit theaters soon.

This will mean that either you will need a Netflix subscription or you will have to watch the films on DVD since they won’t land on the cable networks you may already subscribe to. Relativity Media is a big producer of films so this is a big deal for Netflix subscribers.

There’s also up to 4GB of DDR3 memory and whatever storage you can squeeze into a 2.5-inch HDD bay.  Happily Elitegroup have also squeezed in a DVD burner, so you can use the 21.5-inch Full HD 1080p display for media playback, though owners will probably want to plug in external speakers to the 5.1 surround sound connections, rather than rely on the stereo 2W integrated cones.

Otherwise there’s gigabit ethernet, six USB 2.0 ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, audio in/out and a slot for either a WiFi card or an optional 3G/WiMAX modem.  No word on pricing or availability as yet, nor if Elitegroup will be offering a touchscreen option, but we suppose it’s slightly more distinctive – though with a bigger desk footprint too – than some of the other all-in-ones we’ve seen recently.

[via Notebook Italia]

Instructables has a how-to that will walk you through the steps to make your CDs and DVDs playable again by fixing the scratches with Vaseline of all things. You smear the petroleum jelly on the disc and then wipe it back off.

I remember using that stuff on my kids’ diaper rash when they were infants; it is hard to get off just about any surface. The instructions suggest cotton balls, alcohol, and elbow grease for removal. Even severely scratched CDs are said to be repairable with this method.

The Toshiba G300 comes in 40-inch, 46-inch and 54.6-inch screen sizes and supports Full HD 1080p together with 120Hz for reduced motion blur.  Meanwhile the E200 comes in 31.5-inch, 37.6-inch and 40-inch sizes and also has 1080p support, though drops the 120Hz; it does get four HDMI ports, though, plus a PC input.

The Toshiba C100 and CV100 are basically the same TV set, with 720p HD support and 18.5-inch, 21.6-inch, 26-inch and 31.5-inch screen sizes, but the latter adds an integrated DVD player.  All four ranges will go on sale this month, priced as below.

G300 120Hz LCD TV

• 40G300, Suggested Retail Price $899.99
• 46G300, Suggested Retail Price $1,099.99
• 55G300, Suggested Retail Price $1,599.99

E200 1080p LCD TV

• 32E200, Suggested Retail Price $549.99
• 37E200, Suggested Retail Price $649.99
• 40E200, Suggested Retail Price $699.99

C100 720p LCD TV

• 19C100, Suggested Retail Price $249.99
• 22C100, Suggested Retail Price $299.99
• 26C100, Suggested Retail Price $399.99
• 32C100, Suggested Retail Price $449.99

CV100 720p LCD / DVD Combo TV

• 19CV100, Suggested Retail Price $299.99
• 22CV100, Suggested Retail Price $349.99
• 26CV100, Suggested Retail Price $449.99
• 32CV100, Suggested Retail Price $519.99

Press Release:

TOSHIBA UNVEILS ITS FIRST FOUR LCD TV SERIES FOR 2010
WITH ENHANCEMENTS AT EVERY LEVEL

The G300, E200, C100 and CV100 showcase sleek, new designs, enhanced connectivity, and excellent picture quality

Wayne, NJ — March 22, 2010 — Toshiba America Consumer Products L.L.C. (“Toshiba”), a market leader in LCD TV, today announced the availability of four new LCD TV Series for 2010. Complementing the brand’s new and upcoming LED product lines, Toshiba continues to offer a wide range of new LCD televisions, including the G300, E200 and C100 LCD TV, and CV100 LCD / DVD Combo TV, each featuring the new Horizon™ design. Boasting a slimming tapered bezel and attractive front panel gradation, the new Horizon design creates a more modern, elegant appearance. Available in a variety of sizes, from 19 to 55 inches, these new LCD series provide an exciting array of home entertainment options for every lifestyle and room in the home.

Underscoring Toshiba’s commitment to stellar picture quality, as well as elements that enhance consumer’s overall television viewing experience, these new LCD televisions feature several key picture quality and convenience technologies. DynaLight™ monitors the brightness level of each video frame and automatically adjusts for deeper black levels, creating higher dynamic contrast for a more realistic picture. Photo Frame capability allows these sets to act as both a TV and a Digital Photo Frame. Consumers can now showcase their favorite memories as a clear, crisp slide show on the high-resolution television screen, all controlled with just the TV remote. Additionally, Gaming Mode takes the gaming experience to a new level by reducing game control delay, thus giving the player improved reaction time and a more realistic playing experience. This is great when used with popular gaming consoles, or with PC games using the TVs PC Input.

“We have enhanced our 2010 TV Line-up from top to bottom” said Scott Ramirez, VP, TV Marketing. “For 2010, both LED and LCD are important TV categories, and we have ensured that our new LCD models get enhancements that make them compelling values for our consumers. With features like DynaLight, Photo Frame capability, Gaming Mode, and the new Horizon design, these models will become must haves in their category.”

G300 Series – Fast Action, Fast Connectivity

For sports enthusiasts and action movie fans alike, the G300 boasts ClearFrame™ 120Hz which doubles the video frames from 60 per second to 120 per second, designed to virtually eliminate motion blur without decreasing image brightness. Whether watching a football player angling toward the end zone, or eagerly following a high speed movie chase, the picture is crisp and clear regardless of image motion.

The G300 series is available in 40-inch, 46-inch, and newly offered 54.6-inch measured diagonally.

E200 Series – Great Picture, Great Looks

Enjoy a stunning picture bursting with color and clarity with 1080p Full HD, offered on the E200. With twice the pixel resolution of 720p HD models, Full HD is the pinnacle in picture quality. Using Full HD, there’s no need to scale down a 1080 signal. This series also comes fully equipped with convenient connectivity benefits such as 4 HDMI Digital Inputs with InstaPort™ and REGZA-LINK, and a Hi-Res PC Input. To compliment these features, the E200 also adds a subtle luminance to the logo, furthering the stylish appeal of the television.

The E200 series is available in 31.5-inch, 37.6-inch, and 40-inch screen sizes measured diagonally.

C100 Series –Features at Your Fingertips

Toshiba’s new C100 series is a feature packed 720p high-def TV providing high quality and value for the discerning consumer. The C100, available in four different screen sizes, and coupled with the attractive Horizon design, allows this television to complement virtually any room of the house including bedrooms, dens, and kitchens where the Photo Frame capability is especially useful.

The C100 Series is available in 18.5-inch, 21.6-inch, 26-inch, and 31.5-inch screen sizes measured diagonally.

CV100 Series – Eliminate the Wires

Toshiba’s CV100 series combines the television picture quality and basic design of the C100 series, but also adds the convenience of a built-in DVD player. This all-in-one entertainment series is a great fit for any room of the house, even when there are space constraints.

The CV100 series is available in 18.5-inch, 21.6-inch, 26-inch screen, and 31.5-inch screen sizes measured diagonally.

Pricing and Availability:
The G300, E200, C100 and CV100 will be available to purchase starting in March 2010.

G300 120Hz LCD TV

40G300, Suggested Retail Price $899.99
46G300, Suggested Retail Price $1,099.99
55G300, Suggested Retail Price $1,599.99

E200 1080p LCD TV

32E200, Suggested Retail Price $549.99
37E200, Suggested Retail Price $649.99
40E200, Suggested Retail Price $699.99

C100 720p LCD TV

19C100, Suggested Retail Price $249.99
22C100, Suggested Retail Price $299.99
26C100, Suggested Retail Price $399.99
32C100, Suggested Retail Price $449.99

CV100 720p LCD / DVD Combo TV

19CV100, Suggested Retail Price $299.99
22CV100, Suggested Retail Price $349.99
26CV100, Suggested Retail Price $449.99
32CV100, Suggested Retail Price $519.99

For full product details and more information on LCD televisions well as other television products, please visithttp://www.tacpnewsroom.com or http://www.toshibatv.com.

About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.
Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. (TACP) is owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. TACP markets and sells a full line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TVs, Hi-Definition Blu-ray Disc players, TV/DVD Combination products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. For additional information, please visit www.tacp.toshiba.com orwww.toshibatv.com.

We’re now well past the point where HD-DVD was vanquished by Blu-Ray, and this year at CES we’re finally seeing lower cost devices and content that’s flowing on a regular basis. Yet, in the long run it may well be Blu-Ray has won a Pyrrhic victory and it may well turn out once again that the best is the enemy of the good. I’m not suggesting Blu-Ray has failed or will fail, but it’s the type of technology that faces exactly this type of challenge from the “good enough”

Let’s go back in time for a bit. At the end of the 2001, there was a major effort to drive consumers beyond the ubiquitous compact disk and drive them to one of two new formats, SACD and DVD Audio. Both were optical disk formats designed to replace the existing CD standard and, at the same time, drive replacement cycles for both hardware and software. In the end, neither format prevailed and despite strong efforts from both sides, consumers remained with the CD as a standard while at the same time embracing the MP3 format for music (along with the iPod and other MP3 players), a format of lesser quality than the CD.

So how does a technology shift and cross the threshold for adoption? The ability to drive consumers to new technology is a difficult task requiring several key things to happen at the same time.

First, there requires broad unified hardware support. In the case of Blu-Ray this didn’t happen soon enough. Vendors were split with no unified standard, and instead created a format war that caused confusion among consumers. This initially held back adoption for consumers who waited for the market to sort itself out.

Second, deep content support is required. Even as Blu-Ray content now flows in some numbers at last, there’s far more new content available on DVD than on Blu-Ray, which also sells at higher price points for the same titles.

Finally, there needs to be a clear and visible consumer value proposition. CDs and DVDs both offered a clear value proposition to consumers. There was a visible difference in the experience that was easily grasped. Both were marked by a shift from analog tape format to disk, which was more reliable and offered novel features such as random access to content. Both offered clear quality differences than what came before and the quality was well above the threshold for just noticeable differences. Consumers still do not see the same value proposition with Blu-Ray, especially when cheap, up-scaling DVD players make their existing content look “good enough”.

Even as consumers still embrace their DVDs, the growth and penetration of broadband is facilitating content to be delivered directly to consumers without the need for any optical disk. Combined with portability and the ability to move content from room to room as well as onto portable devices, the market for downloaded video content continues to grow each day and more of that content is in Hi-Def format.

With pressure coming from DVD on one side and the growth in connected TVs and streaming content, consumers may opt once again for the “good enough” experience and never make the mass market leap to high definition optical disks.

Qualcomm plan to roll out increased interactive features, datacasting and on-demand viewing, but their biggest push in 2010 will be sports programming.  According to Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, the company is doubling their sports content, and will be offering over 3,000 hours of sports made up of football, basketball, hockey, tennis, baseball and more.

There’ll also be over 1,200 live sporting events, including Wimbledon and the US Open.  Qualcomm reckon the average FLO TV user watches 25 to 30 minutes of the service every day.  Check out SlashGear columnist Michael Gartenberg’s view on FLO TV here.

The radio has a 3.5-inch color LCD and is a single DIN design. That means the stereo won’t work in newer cars with double DIN radios without an adapter kit of some sort. The device has a flip down panel and it’s NTSP/PAL compatible.

The stereo works with DVD/DVD-R/MP3/MP4/VCD/CD/CD-R/CD-RW media and has a built-in AM/FM/MPX stereo with 30 presets. You can also play tracks from SD cards and USB sticks as well. Other features include a CD changer control interface, subwoofer out, and a remote control. The stereo has 200W of power and a pair of 2V preamp outputs. The MD-DVD3.5T is priced at $219.99.

The addition of that optical drive, plus the NVIDIA Ion graphics chipset and HMDI connector, are what makes us so excited about using the EB1501 as an HTPC.  It’ll support 1080p high definition video output, and ASUS include software for upscaling standard-definition DVDs to at least 720p; meanwhile there’s 5.1-channel surround sound support, with an S/PDIF digital audio output.

You can even mount the nettop behind your display, using a VESA mount, and ASUS reckon you’ll save 70-percent on your energy use compared to a regular desktop.  No indication on Amazon as to when the EB1501 will start shipping, however.

[via Netbooked]

Update: ASUS UK have been in touch to tell us that the EB1501 is indeed shipping today in the UK, and that they’ve been in contact with the retailers to ask them to update their listings.

Meanwhile Amazon UK are still listing the EB1501 as not shipping for another 1 to 2 months, and there’s no mention of the release date.  We’ve got a request for more information in with ASUS’ PR people in the UK, and will update when we get to the bottom of the confusion.

As for why the EB1501 is so interesting, it’s one of the first nettops from ASUS to include both NVIDIA’s Ion GPU – which promises 1080p High Definition video playback via an HDMI port – and an integrated optical drive, in this case a slot-loading DVD burner.  That makes it a very alluring HTPC; it’s being advertised for around £339 ($560) in both black and white.

There’s also 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard-drive and four USB 2.0 ports.  Other connectivity includes eSATA and HDMI, together with optional WiFI, and the whole thing runs Windows 7 Home Premium.

To be fair, it’s arguably pointless to have a removable optical drive if it doesn’t result in a slimmer or lighter nettop overall, and the P305A3′s curved base means detaching the DVD burner won’t actually make it all that smaller.  We’re also not impressed with the Atom 230 processor, and hope Onkyo replace it with – at the very least – the dual-core Atom 330.  The nettop will go on sale in Japan on March 11th (which seems a very long way off) for 69,800 yen ($771) or with an HD 21.5-inch LCD for 89,800 ($992).

[via Netbooked]

There’s also up to 4GB of RAM supported, a 250GB 2.5-inch hard-drive, gigabit ethernet and WiFi b/g/n, while the drive is a slot-loading DVD burner and OS is Windows 7 Home Premium.  Connectivity includes six USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, HDMI, D-Sub, a multiformat card reader, audio in/out, S/PDIF and a WiFi antenna.

ASUS will also sell you a remote control or an optional keyboard/mouse set, and there’s a VESA mount in case you’d prefer to hide the EB1501 behind your flatscreen.  It’s expected to start from €399 ($581) with 2GB of RAM, but beyond waiting for Windows 7′s launch on October 22nd we’re not sure when exactly it will go on sale.

[via eeepc.it]

There’s obviously support for standard-definition DVDs, too, which the BD-HP52U can upscale, together with an image viewer and native AVCHD video support to make loading home camcorder footage straightforward.  When paired with a Sharp AQUOS HDTV, a single HDMI cable can not only funnel audio/video between the two but also control signals.

Finally there’s an RS-232C serial port for system-integration and that elusive promise of streaming video; Sharp are saying they’ll have more to announce on the latter later this month.  The Sharp BD-HP52U AQUOS Blu-ray player should be on sale in October 2009, with an MRSP of $379.99.

[image via Electronic House]

Press Release:

SHARP® INTRODUCES BD-LIVE AQUOS® BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER
WITH ENHANCED FEATURES

Deep Color for exceptional picture quality; Streaming video content and BD-ROM Profile 2.0

ATLANTA, September 10, 2009 – Sharp today expands its suite of Blu-ray players with the introduction of the Full HD 1080p BD-HP52U AQUOS® Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) player. When paired with an AQUOS HDTV Liquid Crystal television, consumers can enjoy the latest Blu-ray Disc titles, as well as standard-definition DVDs, in the highest resolution possible. The BD-HP52U will also provide consumers access to premium streaming video content* for a first-class home theater experience. The BD-HP52U also adds advanced audio decoding, additional playback options and Deep Color™ for the purest color available on video images, as well as an RS-232 port for management by external control systems.

The BD-HP52U supports BD-ROM Profile 2.0 for BD Live interactive features through an Ethernet jack-enabled Internet connection. Users can download and stream bonus content such as additional scenes, shorts, trailers and multi-player interactive games, providing the consumer full access to content otherwise unattainable.

“We continue to add new features to our Blu-ray family that raise the level of entertainment for our consumers, including enhancements to the picture and audio quality as well as wide compatibility with many formats,” said Bruce Tripido, associate vice president, Entertainment Products Division, Sharp Electronics Corporation. “With this new player, consumers can tap into additional information and downloadable features for an interactive home theater experience.”

Superior Video Quality
The BD-HP52U enables superior video quality with state-of-the-art HDMI 1.3 digital output with x.v. color, and 1920 x 1080 video at 24 frames per second output, matching the playback of the original film. This feature eliminates the need for frame-rate conversion that can cause motion artifacts on film-based material and degrade image quality. To further improve the image quality, the BD-HP52U incorporates Deep Color, which extends the maximum number of colors for each color component, reducing and in some cases eliminating color component artifacts.

For the best high-definition video and the highest fidelity audio in home theater today, the BD-HP52U features AQUOS Link, enabling a simple one-cable connection via HDMI® to carry a complete digital audio and video connection between the HDTV and the BD-HP52U player. Coupled with Blu-ray Disc technology, the BD-HP52U brings the multiplex experience right into the home.

High Fidelity Audio
The BD-HP52U features a next-generation audio format with full decoding, providing an immersive home theater experience. The player incorporates HQ Audio Circuits with an upgraded power supply that provides better sound and picture quality and delivers dynamic 7.1 Channel audio and true to life video. Surround-sound formats include Dolby® TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio via HDMI digital output. The player also decodes Dolby Digital Plus, which provides optimum surround sound for appropriately equipped receivers.

Advanced Playback and Compatibility
With backwards compatibility, consumers can play their existing standard definition DVD library on the BD-HP52U. By optimizing standard DVD playback signals, the BD-HP52U can deliver better picture and sound quality. The player also features a JPEG viewer, which allows users to view favorite digital images from their CD collection on screen in a slide show format. Consumers can also record and playback high-definition digital camcorder video files with AVCHD**. The BD-HP52U is also compatible with a wide range of formats including BD-ROM/RE/R, DVD Video, DVD-RW/R, DVD+RW/R, audio CDs and MP3 Audio files.

For added convenience, the BD player includes Sharp’s proprietary Quick Start*** feature for quick disc loading. For lower energy bills, both players feature low power consumption in both Power On mode and in Standby mode. The BD-HP52U also includes an anti-vibration chassis for stability and improved operation. The rigid chassis frame construction, combined with a dual-shield metal top cover, reduces the amount of vibration to the Blu-ray drive.

Pricing and Availability
• The BD-HP52U will be available in October for a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $379.99

As a result, no retailer can be prosecuted for selling titles to underage children; however the UK government is claiming that those previously prosecuted will not be able to overturn their convictions.  It will, however, take at least three months before a new law can be pushed through, and in the meantime retailers have apparently agreed to observe the rules voluntarily.

[via Guardian]

The player was on sale between January 2006 and July 2009, so there are plenty of people potentially affected.  Walmart themselves haven’t confirmed anything, but it’s believed that UK supermarket subsidiary ASDA also sold the players; we’re yet to hear whether they, too, are being recalled.

If you have an affected Durabrand DVD player, the advice is to stop using it immediately and take it back to your nearest Walmart store.  Of course if it’s already on fire then you probably shouldn’t pick it up.

[via Engadget]