DVDs

“This site also demonstrates one of the great dangers of archeology, not to life and limb, although that does sometimes take place, I'm talking about folklore.” – Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) – Raiders of the Lost Ark (Lucasfilms – 1981)

Some called it a battle. Others a war. But the blue laser thing was more like a tussle…a two year tussle. HD DVD had Toshiba, the DVD Forum (that sure helped DVD-RAM?) and a few studios that were kinda, maybe, sorta on their side. Oh yeah…and Microsoft.

BD had Sony and its string of content owners, Panasonic, the CE industry and a lot of financially grateful production houses. On one side a technology leader who wanted to have a consumer presence. On the other…hardened marketing/sales. Read more

Panasonic’s new DMP-BD30 High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player is the first Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, a function which adds features like four Picture-in-Picture modes including Enhanced Commentary (from directors and actors), Backstage Pass, Peek Behind the Animation and Audio Mixing. And with the included SD Memory card slot, you can view JPEG images (the DMP-BD30 even converts the images to 1920x1080 resolution - perfect for viewing on a 1080p Plasma TV) and playback HD content recorded in the AVCHD format.

Technology advances include Deep Color Compatibility and HDMI 1.3B that bumps the step gradation from 8-bit 256 all the way up to 12-bit, 4,096 step gradation. To further enhance viewing, the DMP-BD30 also provides 1080/24p playback, so the consumer can enjoy the same 24-fps (frames per second) reproduction as the original movie. This eliminates the need to utilize 3.2 pull down, a process to convert 24-fps images to 60-fps, resulting in a smoother picture. Read more

To create the ultimate home theater, everyone needs an HD DVD player. Toshiba has three new models (the HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35) that provide high definition video, high resolution audio and interactive features to get the most out of movie watching.

The good thing is, there is no need to get rid of your old DVDs… all of Toshiba's HD DVD players play standard DVDs. Toshiba's HD DVD players even upscale standard DVDs to produce a better picture than you get with your current DVD player. Read more

HD DVD or Blu-ray disc? Can’t decide? No problem with the second-generation Super Blu Player (model BH200) from LG. Just announced at CEDIA, this new high-def player features Blu-ray disc and HD DVD playback with BD-Java and HDi interactivity for a variety of high-definition content regardless of the disc format.

LG’s Super Blu Player will be available to U.S. in mid-October at a suggested retail price of $999. Read more

This unobtrusive entertainment system from Klipsch uses digital processing circuitry to simulate the effect of a larger, five-speaker system with only two satellites, a subwoofer and an A/V center.

Each satellite employs dual magnetically shielded 3-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch magnetically shielded tweeter mated to an exclusive Tractrix Horn, a design that delivers genuine lifelike sound as well as producing more output using less energy. Klipsch is the only speaker manufacturer to utilize horn technology in all of its product lines. Klipsch knows horn technology better that any speaker manufacturer and it shows in Klipsch’s extensive and very popular product line. In fact, the same cutting-edge research that drives the development of the company’s leading movie cinema speakers appears in the CS-700. Read more

Ten years after its introduction, the installed base of home DVD players has finally – almost – replaced VHS players. No matter how much the PC, CE industry wants people to replace today’s technology with tomorrow’s…it takes time.

At the same time people have been wringing their hands that two high definition disc formats (Blu-ray Disc – BD – and HD DVD – High Definition DVD) are keeping the consumer from buying next generation movies.

Most of the attention thus far surrounding blue laser technology focuses on movies and which will be the dominant format for the home. One camp enjoys saying that HD DVD is less expensive to produce – thus being cheaper – than BD. The other camp points out that their format delivers more storage capacity – 15GB vs. 25GB for single layer discs – thus enabling Hollywood to include more special content and providing consumers more storage capacity. Read more

Verbatim DigitalMovie DVDs look like movie reels,but their new VideoGard hard coating is something that really impresses us and it’s now available on all of their Video DVD ±R/RW media. Save your irreplaceable home videos or the recordings of your favorite TV programs and don’t worry about the discs being damaged by abrasion or mishandling by the kids. Read more

The great thing is there is very little cost difference between regular DVD discs and Verbatim’s VideoGard Video DVD media. They work in any DVD Burner or player and your photos, videos or music will be safe no matter how clumsy your uncle is.

In January 1977, 80 million viewers surrounded their television set to watch the mini-series that followed the lives of several generations of a slave family and changed the racial consciousness of a nation. 100 million viewers - almost half the country at the time, saw the thought provoking final episode. A stunning 85% of all television homes saw all or part of the mini-series, and it still claims the position as the #1 mini-series of all time. Now 30 years later, audiences can relive the family’s saga that garnered 9 Emmy awards, 1 Golden Globe and 1 Peabody among many others. Unavailable on DVD since 2004, Warner Home Video will re-release Roots in a 30th Anniversary Special Edition that includes an additional new bonus disc of special features on May 22, 2007 for $59.98. Read more

Peerflix has announced a new online trading process for those who own the 6+ billion DVDs out there. The new Peerflix community will include a cash economy – meaning users will earn cash value for their DVDs. Each trade earns them more cash. If and when they choose to leave the community, they can cash out and walk away with their account balance. As new DVD formats (HD DVD and Blu-ray) enter the market, users can upgrade their DVD collection. Read more

This holiday season, high definition (HD) video is taking center stage. With HDTV sets now available for less than $1000 and HD programming widely offered by cable and satellite providers, many consumers are ready to take the plunge. Whether or not an HDTV set is on this year's wish list for your family, there's no denying that HD is here to stay.

What many people may not realize is that the transition to HD isn't limited to HDTV sets and broadcast programming. In fact, new technology is making it possible to capture and record your own home movies in HD. To get started, you'll need a high definition camcorder, sometimes referred to as an HDV camcorder. With HDV camcorders commanding around $1,500, they're not exactly inexpensive, but as with all new technologies, prices quickly fall. Read more