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Toshiba to drop HD DVD?

Well it certainly seems that way according to an article in the Hollywood Reporter that quotes sources from Toshiba. Jodi Sally, VP of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products, was quoted as saying "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of its recent price reductions on all HD DVD players." Another HD DVD source is quoted as saying “An announcement is coming soon, It could be a matter of weeks.”

It's unfortunate but not surprising given the hundreds of millions of dollars that Sony's Blu-ray camp has thrown at the movie studios. 

Earlier this week, Netflix and Best Buy announced their support for Blu-ray. You can also look to Amazon.com who is offering 50% off HD DVD's and other online retailers that have or will follow.

CES 2008: CES - It's a Wrap

Well, another CES has come and gone and I'm still recovering. The early numbers show the attendance was down from about 150,000 last year to about 140,000 this year. Really? I didn't notice, the show seemed more crowded and bigger than ever, covering over 8 football fields! There was so much to see and no matter how long you're there, it's still tough to see and touch everything. There really wasn't much this year that stood out and grabbed me. Yes, I laughed at Bill Gates final Keynote address, drooled over Panasonic's 150" Plasma TV that would require a crane to lift it into place, Kid Rock and the new Corvette ZR1, Comcast's new FREE VOD website Fancast, XStreamHD, Logitech's SqueezeBox Duet...actually, there was some cool stuff to see this year.

Here's some more great CES 2008 Wrap Ups:

About.com
Best of CES 2008

CNET CES 2008 Wrap Up
Home Audio Wrap Up
Home Video Wrap Up
HDTV Wrap Up
Computers Wrap Up
Emerging Technologies Wrap Up
Car Tech Wrap Up
Portable Wrap Up
Cell Phone & Smart Phone Wrap Up

DigitalCameraReview.com
CES 2008 Wrap-Up

Earth2Tech
CES Green Gadget Wrap Up

Engadget
CES 2008: Everything you must see
The Best of Crapgadget

Engadget HD
CES 2008: The Best and worst of HD
CES 2008: The Best of Set Top Boxes
CES 2008: The Best of LCD TV HDTVs
CES 2008: The Best of Plasma HDTVs
CES 2008: The Best of Blu-ray Players

GearLog
Best of CES 2008

Gizmodo
Best of CES 2008

Mahalo
Everything CES 2008
CES 2008 Videos

PC Magazine
Best of CES 2008

popgadget
CES - It's a wrap

Tech Digest
CES 2008: The 50 Hottest Products

CES 2008: CNET's Best of CES Awards

CNET has posted it's annual Best of CES Award winners. The winners range from a green eco friendly TV to DIY gadgets. Check it out...

Over 10,000 CNET members also voted on the People's Voice Award winners in each CE category.

You can also watch a video of the awards here.

CES 2008: DirecTV's HDPC-20 PC Tuner Card is real...at least on paper

Earl over at DBSTalk has posted what appear to be official brochure scans for DirecTV's long anticipated, at least 2 years long, USB HDPC-20 PC Tuner. The dual tuner receiver will allow you to use your PC as a DVR while watching DirecTV programming, hopefully in HD although the brochure makes no mention of it. I'm guessing yes by the model number but we'll have to wait for more info to leak/surface from DirecTV. It looks like only support for Vista Media Center PC's, no word on Mac support just yet.

CES 2008: Comcast CEO predicts the end of the Cable TV Set Top Box!

Could it be true, Cable TV subscribers might one day soon be able to ditch the big ugly box sitting atop of their TV or in their entertainment center? Well thats the prediction made today by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts during his keynote address at CES. He predicts that by the end of the year, "virtually the entire cable industry will support Tru2way," which is an open cable standard developed by CableLabs. Initial partners include Motorola, TiVo, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Microsoft, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Cisco Systems, and Sun Microsystems.

If Tru2Way really works as advertised, when a consumer buys a device with tru2way, they can bring it home, plug it in, and get all interactive cable
services available from a traditional set-top box. Wouldn't that be something? Now there's something for DIRECTV and Dish Network to think about...

CES 2008: Logitech Squeezebox Duet Network Music System Delivers Music Anywhere in the Home

Logitech unveiled the Logitech® Squeezebox™ Duet network music system, extending the promise of the award-winning Squeezebox products, which allow people to access and listen to the music they love in any room of their home. The new Squeezebox Duet system offers an innovative controller, which includes a full-color LCD screen, and a compact receiver – enabling people to wirelessly browse, select and play their digital music on their existing stereo speakers anywhere in the home – even when their computer is off.

With the Logitech Squeezebox Duet network music system, music lovers can listen to their personal digital music collection, Internet radio and subscription services on their home-entertainment system in their living room, the stereo system in their bedroom, even on the mini-system in their kitchen – anywhere they have audio gear. And with the Squeezebox Duet controller, listeners can control their digital music from the palm of their hand. Read more...

CES 2008: XSTreamHD Announces Strategic Partnership with DTS and Seagate

XStreamHD, setting a new standard for the delivery and distribution of Full HD entertainment to the home, today announced strategic partnerships with two recognized pioneers of high-definition technology, DTS, Inc. (DTS) and Seagate Technology® (NYSE: STX). XStreamHD will provide the first-ever transport network to deliver high-definition movies and music directly to the home - offering up to 7.1 channels of DTS-HD Master Audio™, and featuring Seagate's purpose-built DB35 Series™ hard drives with up to an incredible one terabyte (TB) of storage, allowing consumers to use up to 2TB of storage in one solution. The XStreamHD solution will be unveiled for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 7-10.

"As our name implies, XStreamHD is about bringing the highest resolution audio and video to the home with unmatched quality and convenience. We are thrilled to offer our customers the clarity and dynamic range provided by DTS-HD Master Audio, along with the unparalleled storage capacity offered by Seagate, to advance the home theater experience," said George Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of XStreamHD.

XStreamHD will offer affordable access to HD movies, music, broadcast TV, electronic games, and more with unmatched quality and convenience - without the limitations of program schedules or physical media.

CES 2008: Dish Network Ups the HD Ante-100 HD Channels in 100 Markets

Dish Network announced plans today to increase its national HD channel count from 76 to 100 in 2008. The company also plans to add local HD channels in 65 new markets, bringing its HD local market total to 100.

"The addition of new HD national and local channels is a testament to DISH Network's unwavering focus on providing the best HD offerings," said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network. "We at DISH Network will continue to not only be a leader in the number of HD channels, but also in quality in value."

DISH Network plans to launch three satellites in 2008, providing the company additional bandwidth to maintain its reign as a top HD provider.

The company begins its HD launches with 11 local markets including: Austin, TX; Baltimore; Cleveland; Columbia, S.C.; Flint, Mich.; Greenville, S.C.; Huntsville, Ala.; Jackson, Miss.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Orlando, Fla.; and Richmond, Va. The addition of these markets brings DISH Network's local HD penetration to 80 percent of U.S. TV households.

In conjunction with the launch of new HD programming, DISH Network is offering more choices for HD customers, including HD packages as low as $10 per month for more than 20 of the most popular HD channels. New HD packages will be available beginning Feb. 1, 2008.

CES 2008: Blu-ray Live Interactive Demo

Engadget live blogged the Blu-ray interactive demo at CES from the Sony booth and it's a very interesting read. Some of the features highlighted by Leonard Maltin, Dean Devlin and various studio execs were BD Live, BD-J, the ability to include a portable copy of a movie on Blu ray Disk for playback on a PSP and even the ability to chat live while watching a movie. And of course you will be able to watch movie trailers but one potentially cool feature is the ability to create custom trailers and post them to the web. Cool stuff! HD DVD better think fast...                   

[via engadget]

How-To: Build a Mac Media Center - iTV

Tired of waiting around for Apple's iTV? Why not build your own? "Apple's forthcoming iTV promises to place all your digital media on your TV. But what if you don't want to wait months before enjoying your iTunes music and video or iPhoto pictures in your living room? And is iTV really worth the price? Ryan Faas looks at the options that exist right now and tells you why you might actually be able to spend less money and get a more rounded solution today."

iTheater has developed the mac media center software:



[via Make]