Recently Filed in Movies and Music

In “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith,” Chancellor Palpatine invites Jedi warrior Anakin Skywalker into his impressive office overlooking the capital Galactic City (aka Imperial City). It’s a pivotal moment in the film and the saga, for it is there that Palpatine invites the young Jedi to be his personal representative, setting in motion an inevitable clash. Nothing in the saga will ever the same. Home theater owner Steve Simon had a pivotal moment as well, though his likely didn’t involve Jedi forces and… View this story
Movies and Music • Themed Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

So it looks like a lot of our readers are still buying up HD DVDs . We don’t blame them; everyone loves a cheap thrill, especially when it’s delivered in high-def. In honor of recent developments, we decided to put together a quickie list of some of our favorite HD DVDs. Sure, we don’t expect the format to ever make a comeback, but if you’re still collecting, you might want to consider adding at least one of these to your A/V cabinet. Low prices and… View this story
HD DVD • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Info and Answers • Slideshows

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

Maybe you haven’t bought RealDVD yet, but you can still have a movie on your desktop or laptop—at least “Iron Man,” anyway. Dell has just announced a partnership with Paramount that will allow PC buyers to pre-load their new purchase with movie bundles.  The fee for such a service is $20. For now, that will get you a special digital edition of “Iron Man,” which includes a bonus featurette. It’s cool and all, but how many ”special editions” does this movie have? “Dell continues to… View this story
Computers • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Product News

Buying songs online is convenient, but like shopping for anything via the web, it’ll take time to wade through your choices. By contrast, subscription-based services like Rhapsody and Napster provide unlimited access to a library of millions of songs for a monthly fee. This is a great way to discover new music and artists without having to pay for every album and track you listen to. To sweeten the deal, manufacturers like Sonos and Control4 are offering owners of their digital music systems free 30-day… View this story
Digital Media Stores • Movies and Music • Audio • Info and Answers

The ”Iron Man: 2-Disc Ultimate Edition” just hit shelves today, and Paramount has already planned a few retail promotions. As if it the $318 million box-office take and overwhelmingly good reviews weren’t enough to entice you to add it to your Blu-ray collection, the studio has eight retail exclusives in various stores. Circuit City shoppers will be treated to exclusive Marvel Digital Comics featuring artwork from Adi Granov. Best Buy gets custom Marvel lithographs from Gerald Parel. The Target edition has cool Mark III mask… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Product News

You don’t just have to be a movie fan to appreciate the high-resolution beauty of Blu-ray. I tend to give concert DVDs many more repeat viewings than movie DVDs, and it looks like November is shaping up as a watershed month for concert Blu-ray discs. It’s sweet to see Blu-ray picking up steam and giving us more options for such sharp, rich and full sounding live music, not to mention better video quality. And since MHD (or Palladia now) shows the same dozen concerts every… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • Miscellaneous • Movies and Music • Audio • Product News

In this scary economy, it’s nice to see someone lowering prices. After spending a boatload on your A/V system, you can take that leftover pocket change and get a few DVD rentals. DVDPlay has lowered its rental prices to $1 per day. Even better, Home Media Magazine says that they will offer Blu-ray titles for the same price—for a limited time, anyway. The company says it will also add more movie titles. “In an economy of rising prices, our customers are looking for value for… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Home Theater • Product News

Sure we love DVDs as a holiday gift, but Warner is trying to over-stuff a few stockings by releasing “The Dark Knight” in TWO versions this winter. Bah humbug! According to High-Def Digest, the studio is putting out a 2-disc version, as well as collectible “limited” editions. The standard set will include 1080p/VC-1 video and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Expect a few featurettes on the first disc, with the second devoted to the entire film in HD, with a few featurettes, the 6-episode “Gotham Tonight”… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Home Theater • 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

Fresh on the heels of some interesting product introductions in Denver a few weeks ago, audio systems and accessories took center stage at two different previews in New York City the last few weeks. Battling with Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin for attention at the Millennium Hotel, was the long awaited Slacker program aimed at the audiophile component and PC software market. Palin was at the same hotel during her visit to the United Nations. Slacker also unveiled an at home and/or portable music player/download… View this story
Digital Media Stores • Portables • Movies and Music • Audio • Enhancements • Product News