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A few weeks back, there was a buzz that VUDU would soon add Blu-ray-quality rentals. Now it’s official. The company just announced HDX, a new video format that delivers full 1080p at 24 fps to screens 40 inches and up—all via web distribution. Thanks to the company’s TruFilm technology, it’s supposedly the best that money can buy. Even better, it’s the same money you were spending before. That’s right; VUDU says they won’t charge extra for HDX titles. “VUDU HDX truly raises the bar on… View this story
Blu-ray • Digital Media Servers • Digital Media Stores • Web Services • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Product News

Bummed that Netflix‘s streaming video service seems to only have movies from the 70s and 80s? You got some good news today then when the rental giant teamed with Starz to announce the availability of 2,500 more choices. That includes the likes of this year’s Oscar winner, “No Country for Old Men,” and other newer titles to fill your movie-watching needs. Netflix seems to have been praised for its streaming “Watch Instantly” queue service, but the one negative reviewers note is the predominance of catalog… View this story
AV Components • Digital Media Servers • Digital Media Stores • Miscellaneous • Web Services • Movies and Music • Enhancements • Product News

Are you watching more TV on your actual television, or on your PC these days? Love Hulu, Joost and other IPTV providers? You’re not the only one. Worldwide, IPTV subscriptions are soaring, according to the latest numbers from research firm Gartner. Global subscriptions to IPTV services are on a pace to hit close to 20 million (19.6 million was the prediction) in 2008, which would be a 64 percent increase over last year. That would also boost forecast revenue up to $4.5 billion, a 93.5… View this story
Miscellaneous • Web Services • Networking and Communication • IPTV • Enhancements • Product News

Imagine a magic box that cost only $99 and gave you access to a decent library of DVD-quality movies and TV shows anywhere, anytime and without any monthly fees. You could take it on vacation, move it from room to room, or just connect it to the biggest TV in your house and enjoy. That’s the Roku Netflix player in a nutshell. Of course there are some caveats - and this certainly isn’t going to be a perfect fit for everyone - but we’ll tear… View this story
Set Top Boxes • Web Services • Movies and Music • Reviews • Home Theater • Product News

The world of online video can still be pretty mysterious and overwhelming to try to navigate. There are far more viewing options out there if you want to watch movies and TV shows on your computer, especially if you’ve networked your PC to your TV. OVGuide.com wants to help you check out more than just Hulu and YouTube. The website aggregates online video sites and all the material out there, and injects some human editorial crunching within its newly revamped search engine to help pare… View this story
Miscellaneous • Web Services • Movies and Music • Networking and Communication • Internet • Enhancements • Product News

My first real vacation was a weeklong excursion to Miami Beach. What I remember more than Ethel Merman in “Call Me Madam,” the menacing funnel cloud of a waterspout, or my stolen coin purse, was the direction of the guide on the Jolly Roger tour boat. “Just throw it overboard,” he said in response to a question about empty soda cups. “It’ll end up somewhere downstream.” Even at six, I knew that was wrong. I can proudly say I’ve never dumped trash in the ocean.… View this story
Digital Media Servers • Digital Media Stores • Green Technology • Web Services • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Info and Answers

Next time you want to check who played “Pimple Popper M.D.” in the “Seinfeld” episode “The Slicer,” stop and catch up on an episode of “24.” OK—the actress in question is Marcia Cross ("Desperate Housewives"), but IMDB is full of fun info like that. Now they are adding TV and movie watching to their entertainment mix. Starting earlier this week, the site added video services via Hulu. Expect “limited commercial interuption,” but over 6,000 movies and TV shows are supposed to be available at some… View this story
Web Services • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Product News

In this week’s edition of When Marketing Plans Go Bad… Netflix is trying to drum up some interest by setting a Guinness World Record. It’s not for lost mail or even most paper cuts. Instead, they are looking for people to sit on their lazy butts and watch endless movies. Know anyone like that? The Netflix Movie Watching World Championship will be held over FIVE days in New York City. The release says the event will feature “some of the world’s most accomplished endurance enthusiasts.”… View this story
Web Services • Movies and Music • Weird Stuff • Home Theater • Product News

Looking for more on-demand viewing options than what your current provider is offering? If you own a Sony Bravia TV with its Bravia Internet Video Link, well, you’ve got instant access to thousands more TV shows and movies now. Sony announced today that Amazon’s Video On Demand service is now available through the Bravia Internet Video Link to go right to your TV. You can purchase or rent commercial-free movies and TV episodes, and there are a handful of free videos as well—mainly some TV… View this story
AV Components • Digital Media Stores • Displays • HDTV • Miscellaneous • Web Services • Movies and Music • Enhancements • Product News

In need of some inspiration to get into exercise mode? Maybe you want to keep track of how you’re actually performing with your daily (yeah, right) routine? The pocket-sized Fitbit Tracker is an unobtrusive and tech-savvy way to keep you on your toes. You can clip the little device to clothing or to your wrist so it can monitor your data, and then sync and send the info wirelessly to your PC or Mac so you can read it on-screen. If you go within 25… View this story
Miscellaneous • Gadgets • Web Services • Enhancements • Product News

About mid-summer, LG made an announcement about a partnership that would put two great technologies into one box. The BD300 will be the first Blu-ray player that can also stream movies from your Netflix account. “At LG we considered what, when and how consumers want to watch movies and television episodes. The result is the ultimate convergence of home theater entertainment and functionality,” said Allan Jason, VP of sales and marketing LG’s Digital Media/New Products Division. “With intelligent features and access to an ever-growing library… View this story
Blu-ray • Set Top Boxes • Web Services • Home Theater • Product News

How would you like to live in a house that is powered partly by solar panels, can smart-charge your electric car at off-peak hours to save you electricity, and has an energy monitoring system so you can see your electricity usage? If you had this today, you might be the chancellor of the University at Colorado in Boulder, CO. The chancellor’s house has been equipped by Xcel Energy, GridPoint and other partners in a Smart Grid Consortium that is building the nation’s first SmartGridCity in… View this story
Power Management • Climate Control Systems • Automotive • Green Technology • Web Services • Enhancements • Info and Answers