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Daily Tech: The Xbox 360 Gets HD Streaming

GeekSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:01:17 -0700

Start popping the popcorn now: Netflix is going to stream in High-Def on Xbox 360s! - Gizmodo
Thought the HD disc competition died with HD DVD? Think again. Royal Digital Media is planning a competitor for Blu-ray. - Engadget
Motorola is flailing and has decided to turn all their attention and resources to Android. - TechCrunch
Best Buy announced a Black Friday VIP contest that includes a $1,000 gift card. - CrunchGear
It's almost Halloween, and if you don't have a costume yet, check out all these geeky ideas! - CMD Shift

ABC Streams Shows In HD Over The Net

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:00:17 -0700

With ABC's new full episode flash player, you can check out all your favorite shows online for free. In addition, ABC recently launched HD Streaming in Beta, which means you can get high-def quality through the convenience of your computer (a minimum 1024 x 168 resolution is recommended). To watch the HD shows, you will need to download a player from Move Networks as well as have a broadband connection which is a bit of a pain. I say wait a few months or so for further improvements.
Source: CrunchGear

HD For The Holidays

GeekSugar — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 10:37:55 -0800

Nothing says I’m a chic geek like an awesome HDTV set, and now that prices for hi-def sets are actually falling, you’ll be able to get a great wall mount TV with amazing picture quality without breaking the bank.

Philips 26" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD HDTV
This widescreen LCD HDTV Philips is slim, trim and perfect for everyday use. What it lacks in size, it makes up in function: Just add a HD-capable antenna to its built-in HDTV tuner and receive over-the-air high-definition broadcasts. You can also connect your digital camera through the USB port and share your favorite digital images with your guests - sweet! Buy the Philips 26" for $900.

Two more options, so read more

Sony 46" BRAVIA LCD
Sony's campaign for the Bravia claims it's the world's first television for men and women, and I think they're right on the mark. It offers 1080p HD picture, Dolby Digital surround sound and a small but powerful speaker design. It's perfect for all those Superbowl and Sex and the City parties you've always wanted to host and stylish enough that you won't ever look at it and think "do I really need this?" All in all it's worth the investment. Get the Bravia at Sony Style for $3,500.

Pioneer Elite 60" PureVision Plasma Television
This giant HD Plasma gives you something to aspire to. It offers amazing resolution, a 60” Diagonal screen with 16:9 Wide-Screen Aspect Ratio and independent HDMI inputs with the ability to accept a 1080p/24Hz signal. In the HDTV world, it's close to the holy grail. Let's just say that any guy who sees one of these in your house will be drooling. Get the Pioneer Elite for $7,500.

Geek tip: Once you purchase your new TV, make sure you contact your satellite or cable subscriber to get a high-def cable or satellite box.

Daily Tech: The HTC HD2 Is Coming to the US Early Next Year

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:18:52 -0800

The latest from HTC, the HD2, is expected to the US earlier next year - Gizmodo
Wal-Mart confirms that the Xbox 360 will go on sale for $199 this Saturday, and it even comes with a $100 gift card - Kotaku
Did you suffer from a T-Mobile service outage today? T-Mobile says everything should be restored now - Engadget
The iPhone App Store has just surpassed 100,000 apps - The Silicon Alley Insider
A court in South Korea has just ruled that cab drives can continue to have televisions on their dashboards - BBC News
It's giveaway time on GeekSugar! Log in for your chances to win one of these AT&T Smartphones - GeekSugar

HD DVD/Blu-ray Combo Products to Debut in 07

GeekSugar — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:36:51 -0800

The battle of Blu-ray versus HD DVD continues with the two technologies facing off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week in Las Vegas. There are however, a few neutral products that bring the best of both worlds together and should delight gadget lovers.

LG Electronics announced that it will launch the world's first dual-format high-definition disc player, capable of playing both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD content. The company said the unit will be released in the United States in early 2007, and that it "expects this technological breakthrough to end the confusion and inconvenience of competing high-definition disc formats for both content producers and consumers."

Warner Bros. followed with the announcement that it would launch a hybrid disc that works in both Blu-ray and HD DVD players. According to the AP, Warner Bros. developed the "Total HD Disc" to help break the stalemate between HD DVD, developed by a consortium led by Toshiba Corp., and rival Blu-ray, backed by Sony Corp.

HD DVD and Blu-ray offer resolutions that are much higher than standard-definition DVDs, and offer brighter contrast and color, sharper sound and higher levels of interactivity.

Get Your HD DVD Money Back From Best Buy

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:15:15 -0700

Now that the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray is finally over, I bet you're still wondering what to do with that dummy DVD player that you sunk your cold hard cash into. Thankfully, there is a silver lining to your HD DVD raincloud. For all you hard core Best Buy customers, rejoice! If you bought a Toshiba HD DVD player from the home of the Geek Squad before February 23, you're entitled to a nice $50 gift card to replace your defunked player. And if you are an Xbox fan and bought your HD DVD add-on, the refund applies to you as well. Best Buy president Brian J. Dunn, hopes that the gift cards will come as a nice consolation prize for choosing the wrong side in the format war:

"Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs,"

This coming on the heels of Circuit City offering full credits for HD DVD players within 90 days of purchase. To find out how to get your Best Buy refund, read more

For Reward Zone members, you don't have to do a thing! You'll get your gift cards sent to you right away. If you purchased the player with your credit card, cash or check, call (888) Best Buy and supply a receipt. What's more, even if you didn't buy your player from Best Buy, the guys in blue and yellow are offering a trade in program. Once you agree on a trade in price, Best Buy will send you a gift card in your agreed upon amount. But then again, maybe you should store it - it could be worth something someday. Remember LaserDisc?

Source

Testing 1, 2, 3: The Flip UltraHD Review

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:47:17 -0700

To help capture some Memorial Day weekend festivities, I took the latest camcorder from Pure Digital Technologies - the Flip UltraHD - out for a test drive. Since the first Flip was announced in 2006, these simple-yet-sophisticated cams have not only been the video camera of choice among celebrities, but the general public has fallen in love with them as well (with sales skyrocketing after Oprah sang its praises).

Why is the UltraHD getting so much attention? Unlike its predecessor, the MinoHD that also records video in high-def, the UltraHD ($200) can capture up to 120 minutes of HD video footage with its 8GB of built-in memory - unlike the MinoHD, which is priced at $230 and only holds up to 60 minutes of video. The UltraHD also comes with a bigger, brighter antiglare LCD screen and an HDMI connector output.

To see more photos of the Flip Ultra HD camcorder and continue reading my review, just read more.

Flip features I love that come with the UltraHD? Well there's the flip out USB arm that makes it easy to upload videos and charge your camera (the UltraHD comes with two rechargeable AA batteries) and the fact that you can practically start recording as soon as you power it on (for those "grab the camera!" moments). I also love that it effortlessly works with so many different video applications including iTunes, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player - making it less of a headache to access your clips.

The Flip UltraHD is noticeably larger than the MinoHD but with its rubbery exterior and the fact that it can go in your purse or beach bag like any other camera or cell phone - the size wasn't really a thumbs down for me. I've uploaded my footage in HD through Vimeo.com so you can get an accurate idea of how clear the picture is (especially after being uploaded online), but if I connect it to my HDTV with a HDMI cable, it's so crisp, you'd be shocked that my video was recorded from a tiny $200 camera.

My sister who just had a baby (and isn't as nearly as techie as me) purchased one to capture all her little one's firsts, and she's already sent me a few videos with remarks on how much she loves her new cam. Overall, it's affordable, takes stellar video footage, and is extremely easy to use.

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Microsoft Announces the Zune HD: Coming This Fall

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:46:43 -0700

Zune fans rejoice! The multitouch Zune HD has just been announced by Microsoft and is said to be coming to store shelves this Fall. This new portable media device will sport a 3.3-inch, OLED touchscreen display, be able to play high-def videos, and will feature a built-in HD receiver so you can listen to HD radio. It will also come with WiFi, Xbox integration, and include a customizable Internet Explorer web browser. Microsoft has also revealed that they will showcase how the Zune works with Xbox LIVE at E3 next week, which should be interesting. Unfortunately details like price, colors, etc., weren't announced.

Bling-a-Ding-Ding: High Class Metallic HTC Touch HD Cases

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:04:18 -0700

I know I talk a ton of game about the iPhone around here, but don't think for a second that I don't have my eye out for knockout accessories for other types of cell phones. Take these high fallutin' HTC Touch HD Metallic Cases ($35) that look pretty expensive but are totally pocketbook friendly.

Engraved and available in two styles and colors (silver and titanium, naturally), these cases protect your hard-working HTC from scratches and bruises. Plus, the included mirrored screen protector turns your cell into a nice little compact for you to use on-the-go. Functional and fabulous - that's my kind of gadget.

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Flip Video Announces New FlipShare Video Sharing Software

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:25:44 -0700

The best thing I learned in kindergarten was that sharing is caring, and that's still one of my major tenets. It's one for Flip Video too - the company whose simple, portable video cameras made it easy to capture video is now making it just as easy to share the videos you make with your camera with new FlipShare software, just announced today.

FlipShare allows you to easily upload videos to websites like YouTube and MySpace, email them to friends, and sets you up with your own Flip Channel, where you can watch videos on the go. Speaking of on the go, there's also a new free FlipShare iPhone app.

I was lucky enough to test out the new FlipShare software and give it a hands-on review, so to see how I got going with the new one-click sharing, just read more.

I tried out FlipShare with the help of a Flip UltraHD, and opened up the new software (starting today, all camcorders will be shipped with this new version of software on the camera, and current users can download it from the Flip website). After I installed FlipShare, my videos automatically uploaded into the application. From there, I could edit my videos or send them with one click to my YouTube account or newly-created Flip Channel (note: It looks like you can only use videos in FlipShare that you're uploading directly from the camera, rather than existing videos on your camera).

Everything is pretty intuitive, with sharing options located in the title bar, and though I had to take a minute to link my FlipShare account with my YouTube account and set up my Flip Channel, from then on, everything truly was "one-click." I put up a video on YouTube. I emailed my mother a video. I made a movie into a greeting card. I sent it to my channel. Did I mention I did all these steps within a few minutes?!

Once you have videos in the FlipShare application, pretty much everything is drag and drop. You can also create DVDs from this application, so it kind of functions like iPhoto, but with features specifically tailored to a Flip Video camera. I am positive that I could give the least tech-savvy person in my family a Flip, and they'd be able to navigate this software with ease.

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