Wired@Home.blog

Amazon.com Launches Amazon Video On Demand

Amazon.com has launched it's Amazon Video On Demand service for movies and TV shows. You can now choose from thousands of movies and commercial-free TV shows to watch from your PC or Mac, no downloading required! They even have new Fall TV shows that you can watch before they premier on TV!






I will give the new service a try and report back here later this week. You can check it out now as there's some great content to choose from including hours many worth of free content. Let us know what you think of Amazon's new Video On Demand service.

DIY: Calibrate your HDTV (or become a professional and make money!)

Here's your chance to learn how to calibrate your HDTV set like the pros. Better yet, if you're going to spend the money on the top 9 calibration tools, why not become a professional and charge others for the service. Read the CE Pro Article.

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.

Wanted: DirecTV HD

I'm really growing impatient with DirecTV's constant claims of 100 HD channels by the end of 2007. What happened to the 70 HD Channels they were supposed to turn on September 19th? I've been patiently waiting, wanting more for the last 3 years and so far I've seen nothing but unfulfilled promises. Let's not even bring up the fact that if I want to watch the NFL Sunday Ticket games in HD, I have to subscribe to an additional $99 Superfan package. This is on top of the $250 or so I've paid each of the last 8 years for the privilege of watching every Dallas Cowboys game or surfing through the other dozen or so games on each Sunday.

Come on DirecTV...We're waiting...but not for much longer.

HD TV Shows and Movies Coming to Your Xbox 360

On November 6, Microsoft Corp. announced agreements with CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to bring an initial lineup of more than 1,000 hours of hit television shows and movies to Xbox 360™ consoles in the U.S. by the end of the year. Additionally, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console to bring standard and HD TV shows and movies to the customer via digital distribution over the Internet.

Beginning on its first anniversary, November 22, Xbox 360 will become the first gaming console in history to provide HD TV shows and movies directly to gamers in their own living rooms. Xbox 360 gamers will be able to download full-length TV shows to own, and will be able to rent movies via download from the Xbox Live® network, the world leader in online distribution of high-definition gaming and entertainment content. This announcement also brings with it several additional firsts:

• For the first time, consumers will have an integrated gaming and entertainment experience on a gaming console, including downloadable HD television programming and movies. This new full-length content adds to the ever-expanding number of choices gamers have on their Xbox 360 consoles, whether they want to play games, play a movie on DVD, or watch a downloaded program in either standard or high definition.
• For the very first time CBS will offer high-definition download-to-own TV shows including CSI, Jericho, Numb3rs, and even remastered classic Star Trek episodes! Gamers can buy an episode and watch it as many times as they like.
• For the first time on any gaming platform, NASCAR.COM will deliver download-to-own condensed versions of select NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races from Race Rewind.
• Also for the first time, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will make 50 of its most intense fights available for download as well as select episodes from the original season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

"This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it."

The initial lineup of TV shows and feature films available for download will include a growing catalog of popular hits. Examples of what will be available before the end of the year include:

• Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force from The Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
• CSI, Survivor, and remastered episodes of classic Star Trek from CBS.
• Emmy and Peabody award-winning comedy South Park and Chappelle's Show from COMEDY CENTRAL.
• The Real World and Pimp My Ride from MTV.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender and SpongeBob SquarePants from Nickelodeon.
• Skyland and The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival from Nicktoons Network.
• Mission: Impossible III, Nacho Libre, and Jackass: The Movie from Paramount Pictures.
• Carpocalypse and Raising the Roofs from Spike TV.
• Race Rewind provided by NASCAR.COM.
• Select episodes of the original season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series and UFC: All Access from the UFC.
• Breaking Bonaduce and Hogan Knows Best from VH1.
• The Matrix, Superman Returns, and Batman Forever from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Xbox 360 gamers can access Xbox Live Marketplace with a free Xbox Live Silver membership and a broadband connection. More information about the content available on Xbox Live Marketplace can be found at http://www.xbox.com/marketplaceentertainment.

1200 Channels and...

Wow, we've come along way from Bruce Springsteen's 57 Channels and nothin' on. A French company, Holersoft has developed Windows only application that will allow you to tune in 1200 channels! Don't believe it? Check out their channel list. Did I mention all 1200 channels are free? The only thing to buy is the software although there is a free trial version. What do you bet the cable & satellite providers will stand up and take notice of this!

[via GigaOm]

LG Unveils "Time Machine" Plasma & LCD TV's

Finally, time travel is here via LG's new Time Machine TV's! We'll time-shifted travel in TV land that is...LG unveiled its line of “Time Machine” TVs this week, including both LCD and plasma models. The plasma models come in 42-inch and 50-inch versions, while the LCD TVs come in 37-inch and 42-inch models and hold the distinction of being the first TVs to feature integrated digital video recorders (DVR). The 80GB hard drive can hold up to 40 hours of standard-definition programming, and the unit offers continuous automatic recording in one-hour intervals. Of course they have HDMI connectivity. No word on pricing yet.

[via ubergizmo]

Is OLED and SED the future of the flat panel display?

Sound and Vision Magazine thinks that OLED will replace LCD and SED will replace Plasma flat panel displays. What do you think?

[via HDBlog]

Technorati Tags: lcd, oled, plasma, sed, flat panel display

Review: Westinghouse LVM-42w2 42-inch 1080p LCD Monitor

Audioholics has posted an in-depth review of the Westinghouse LVM-42w2 42-inch 1080p LCD Monitor. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[via HDBeat]

Technorati Tags: hdtv, high definition, home theater, lcd, 1080p, television, westinghouse

Hitachi to offer quad tuner and PVR with LCD and plasma TVs

Hitachi will offer four tuners and a hard drive based PVR in their upcoming plasmas and LCD TVs

For its 50th anniversary, Hitachi has announced a new line of high-definition plasma and LCD televisions with a little more than just a built-in HDTV terrestrial tuner. The Wooo 9000 line of TVs has 4 tuners, (2 digital, 2 analog), HDMI input, SD memory card slots, USB, CableCard and a 10/100 Ethernet port for the PVR-based models. Hard-drive sizes or capacity is not known at present.

[via PVR Wire via DailyTech]

Technorati Tags: hdtv, high definition, hitachi, home theater, plasma, pvr, pvr wire, dailytech