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NBC-Comcast deal comes under Justice Department, FCC scrutiny

By Joseph L. Flatley

posted Mar 12th 2010 at 10:24AM

We can't say we didn't warn you. Looks like the kids at Comcast have to answer some questions over at the Justice Department -- and the FCC -- before they get their hands on NBC. Both agencies have pledged to "examine the transaction closely," says AP, being ever-vigilant as they are to protect consumers and competition in this free market society of ours. The review could last upwards of a year, but if that means that 2011 could see the debut of NBC-Universal's "Comcastic!" theme parks, it will all have been worth it.

PhysOrg

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First Panasonic 3DTV review in, great blacks and the best 3D anywhere

By Ben Drawbaugh

posted Mar 11th 2010 at 7:56PM

While the rest of us wait to try out the latest 3DTVs that went on sale this week for ourselves, Gary Merson took a trip with his test equipment to Panasonic's NJ headquarters. The good news is that the 2D picture quality was better than last year's model and in fact the black level reading was one-half of the V10's out of the box performance. So as if getting a better HD picture for less money wasn't enough, Gary says the "the 3D image (is) outstanding with considerably more brightness and pop than the motion picture theater 3D movie experience." So yeah it is the best 3D experience you can get anywhere.

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Caption Contest: 3D is a mind blow, everyone can agree on that

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 11th 2010 at 7:21PM

What do b-boys, random celebrities like Mark Sanchez, Andy Samberg and Hillary Duff, and the Black Eyed Peas have to do with 3DTV? We're not sure either, but that didn't stop Samsung from mixing them up during its "worldwide launch event" yesterday in NYC. Check the video (embedded after the break) for the above revelation about 3D from the JIMP troubador himself, but what was going through the heads of our friend Jimmy C and the BEP when this picture was taken?

Chris: "And see, just by turning this knob to the right, we can give Avatar a plot."
Richard Lawler: "If everyone starts wearing these, we're going to need new outfits."
Nilay: "Fascinating. You say this is called a 'lady lump?'"
Joe: "What? Bono beat us to it?"
Joanna: "That Neytiri, she's a handful..."
Paul: "I've gotta feeling that nothing of intellectual importance is happening here."

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Switched On: Thumbs up, thumbs down at TiVo Premiere

By Ross Rubin

posted Mar 11th 2010 at 5:30PM

Columns

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

TiVo's announcement of TiVo Premiere represents the most significant user interface overhaul for the device in years. Based on Adobe Flash and optimized for the high-definition screens that are likely to be paired with CableCARD programming, the new user interface blends together live, recorded, and broadband content. That presentation is more akin to what we've seen from Windows Media Center, and less like TiVo's Series3 that segmented programming sources by type. TiVo has also beefed up its search capability, bringing it up to par with that of its only significant retail DVR competitor, Digeo's Moxi.

The new interaction widens the user experience gap between TiVo and your average cable or satellite DVR, and TiVo has two other features that set it apart. First, no doubt reacting to the Moxi competition, TiVo long ago reinstated its lifetime service option that was so popular in the product's early years. However, those who have opted for this plan through TiVo's major platform upgrades over the years have endured more lifetime sentences than many a felon.

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HDTV Listings for March 11, 2010

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 11th 2010 at 4:58PM

What we're watching tonight:

NBC (1080i) has Community at 8 p.m., Parks & Recreation at 8:30 p.m., The Office at 9 p.m. and 30 Rock at 9:30 p.m.
CBS (1080i) has Survivor 8 p.m., CSI at 9 p.m. and The Mentalist at 10 p.m.
ABC (720p) has Grey's Anatomy at 9 p.m. and Private Practice at 10 p.m.
FX (720p) has Archer at 10 p.m.
WGN (1080i) has WWE Superstars at 8 p.m
Food (1080i) airs Ace of Cakes at 10 p.m.
TLC (1080i) has Police Women of Maricopa at 9 p.m. and L.A. Ink at 10 p.m.
Spike (1080i) has TNA: Impact! at 9 p.m.
TNT (1080i) has an NBA doubleheader with Bulls/Magic at 8 p.m. and Trail Blazers/Warriors at 10:30 p.m.
EPSN (720p) has a college basketball doubleheader with Notre Dame/Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. and Cincinnati/West Virginia at 9:30 p.m.
ESPN2 (720p) has a college basketball doubleheader with North Carolina/Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. and Texas/Baylor at 9:30 p.m.

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Imagion AG hits 500 BD-Live movies authored, plans more U.S. Blu-ray releases

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 11th 2010 at 4:25PM

It's been an under the radar race to 500, but that's how many Blu-ray discs Imagion AG has put together using its dynamicHD BD-Live platform. Many of those are international releases, although their work on CSI and Star Trek:TOS hits closer to home, and now the company is partnering with Giant Interactive to work on more BD-Live discs in the U.S under the BD-Connect name. We're still holding out hope BD-Live lives up to its promise and brings many worthwhile new experiences to Blu-ray discs, are we the only ones? Hello? Anyone?

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TiVo returning to the UK thanks to partnership with Virgin Media

By Vladislav Savov

posted Mar 11th 2010 at 9:01AM

It looks like TiVo's freshly minted Premiere hardware will soon be setting sail eastwards as The Daily Telegraph is reporting Virgin Media's next generation set-top box will be built around it. Loyal readers of Engadget HD will already be aware that TiVo and Virgin hooked up last November and this latest news relates to the first hardware to be spawned from that relationship. According to TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, the Premiere will "heavily inspire the development work" going into Virgin's next TV appendage, which may or may not mean that the cable company will simply rebadge the well-received new boxes. What's assured though is much greater integration with online content, with search linking you out to Amazon, BBC's iPlayer, YouTube or good old standard broadcast channels. The whole thing's about unlimited choice, apparently, and should be showing up on the Queen's isles by the end of this year. We can wait, but we'd rather we didn't have to.

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HDTV Listings for March 10, 2010

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 10th 2010 at 4:58PM

What we're watching tonight:

Fox (720p) has Human Target at 8 p.m. and American Idol at 9 p.m.
ABC (720p) lines up Scrubs at 8 p.m., The Middle at 8:30 p.m., Modern Family at 9 p.m., Cougar Town at 9:30 p.m. and Ugly Betty at 10 p.m.
CBS (1080i) lines up The New Adventures of Old Christine at 8 p.m., Gary Unmarried at 8:30 p.m., Criminal Minds at 9 p.m. and CSI: NY at 10 p.m.
USA (1080i) has the season finale of Psych at 10 p.m.
CW (1080i) has the series premiere of High Society at 9:30 p.m.
NBC (1080i) has Mercy at 8 p.m. and Law & Order: SVU at 10 p.m.
History (720p) has MonsterQuest at 9 p.m.
Showtime (1080i) has Inside NASCAR at 10 p.m.
DirecTV (1080i) has Underbelly at 10 p.m.
Brave (1080i) has Shear Genius at 10 p.m.
TBS (1080i) brings House of Payne at 10 & 10:30 p.m.
ESPN (720p) has Seton Hall/Notre Dame college basketball at 7 p.m. and Cincinnati/Louisville at 9:30 p.m.

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Panasonic 3D home entertainment system goes on sale to a country in mourning

By Joseph L. Flatley

posted Mar 10th 2010 at 12:37PM

Beginning today, customers at Best Buy's Magnolia stores can pick up that Panasonic full HD 3D Home Entertainment System the kids in Japan have been going crazy over for the last month or so. Consisting of a 50-inch Viera VT20 HDTV, a BDT300 Blu-ray Disc Player, and but one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter glasses, the total price is $2900 -- but if you plan on having company over you'll need to pick up additional pairs of 3D eyewear for $150 each. As you well know, Panny is due to start sponsoring free 3D programming to DirecTV HD customers starting in June, so if you're not set up with the service you might as well add that to your shopping list. PC Magazine braved the stampede to check out the scene in Manhattan, so hit the source link to see the pics. As for us, we're going back to watching Snowboard Academy on VHS, as we do every time one of its stars has fallen. PR after the break.

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HP MediaSmart add-in adds TiVo compatibility, enables video transfers to and fro

By Tim Stevens

posted Mar 10th 2010 at 7:59AM

HP MediaSmart add-in adds TiVo compatibility, enables video transfers to and fro

For those enjoying media bliss thanks to a little MediaSmart box humming away somewhere in the corner, life just got a even more lovely. HP has announced a partnership with TiVo that allows MediaSmart users to install a Windows Home Server add-in, enabling the two devices to talk sweet nothings to each other. From within the WHS console you'll be able to suck recorded content from the TiVo onto the MediaSmart's expansive storage array and, from there, play it on any of your compatible devices (PC, Mac, Xbox, PS3, etc.). Or, when you start to miss those happy TiVo sounds, you can send that content back over to DVR to view from there. The WHS extension is available right now to MediaSmart owners, so get on with the downloading already.

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CBS Sports to present the Final Four in 100 3D theaters

By Ben Drawbaugh

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 8:13PM

There's no bigger sport in March than College Basketball and CBS is once again stepping up its coverage of March Madness by covering the last three games in 3D. With some help from Cinedigm Digital Cineman Corp, 100 movie theaters throughout the nation will present the games in 3D for your viewing pleasure, but If you don't live near a theater -- or just want to find content for your new 3DTV -- you might be in luck as CBS is also reaching out to cable and satellite providers about sharing the love. This is yet another live 3D broadcast to add to the others this year, which will hopefully be just the beginning of live 3D sports for years to come.

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Engadget HD Podcast 182 - 03.09.2010

By Trent Wolbe

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 6:15PM

3DTVs get their big launch at Best Buy this week, but we kick off with talk of TiVo's latest legal victory. We do talk 3D for some time though and can't wait to see if the in store demos live up to what we saw at CES -- we also take some time to try to clear up some confusion in regards to HDMI, 3D and all the requirements and standards. Finally we talk about why an IR emitter for a iPhone is a bad idea, why we don't really care much about Real's loss to the MPAA and why you should wait for the BBC's version of Life on Blu-ray rather than watching it on Discovery.

Get the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Richard Lawler

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
03:10 - Comments from Podcast 181
09:00 - TiVo's $200m damages award in EchoStar case affirmed, EchoStar to appeal (again)
15:58 - Panasonic's VT25 3DTVs will be nearly 50% off Japanese prices, launch this week at Best Buy
21:50 - Panasonic G20 HDTV review shows plasma's still got it
23:37 - Samsung debuts 3DTV LED LCD ads during the Oscars
28:03 - HDMI 1.4a spec released in full, lays down mandatory 3D format support details
39:27 - New Potato's FLPR IR dongle gives your iPhone home automation capabilities
40:00 - RedEye mini converts iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into IR-beaming universal remote
47:73 - RealNetworks to stop selling RealDVD, your copyrights are safe -- for now
54:44 - Discovery's next epic series Life airs March 21 on seven networks, June 1 on Blu-ray

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)

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brite-View LinkE pipes content to four Ethernet sources over existing powerline network

By Darren Murph

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 5:59PM

The market is darn near flooded with HomePlug AV-compatible powerline solutions, but Zinnet has seen fit to one-up the networking mainstays by dishing out a product that serves not one, but four Ethernet-packin' devices simultaneously. Designed for use with its brite-View CinemaTube (but fully capable of working with game consoles, Blu-ray players and media streamers), this two-piece kit allows internet content to flow through your home's existing powerline network and hit up to four devices on the other end. Simply plug the solo port adapter into a wall socket beside your router or broadband modem, and the four port adapter in your home theater room (or den, for the simplistic among us). From there, you can connect your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku set-top-box, Blu-ray player, CinemaTube deck or any other AV device that benefits from a wired internet connection; just like that, you've got a makeshift connection to four devices, and you'll never have to worry over WiFi dropouts again. All that's required to bring this joy into your life is $89.99 and a basic understanding of online checkout procedure, both of which we're sure you can handle.

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The processor in the TiVo Premiere is over twice as fast as the Series3

By Ben Drawbaugh

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 5:49PM

Just about all of you can tell us exactly how fast the processor in your computer is, but what about your DVR? We don't give it much thought ourselves until things slow down, but this chart from TiVo Community's Premiere FAQ really opens our eyes to why so many DVRs have such crapy interfaces. As you can see, the new TiVo Premiere sports a processor that is way faster than just about any DVR out there, and easily dwarfs the old Series3 and TiVo HD. This not only makes it easy to understand why the new Premiere interface didn't get back ported to the Series3, but it also makes us wonder what other capabilities might be leveraged by TiVo with this new found power.

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HDTV Listings for March 9, 2010

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 4:45PM

What we're watching tonight:

Fox (720p) has American Idol at 8 p.m.
CBS (1080i) has NCIS at 8 p.m., NCIS: LA at 9 p.m. and The Good Wife at 10 p.m.
ABC (720p) has Lost at 9 p.m. and the season finale of The Forgotten at 10 p.m.
NBC (1080i) airs Parenthood at 10 p.m.
USA (1080i) has the season finale of White Collar at 10 p.m.
TNT (1080i) has Southland at 10 p.m.
History (720p) has Life After People at 10 p.m.
TLC (1080i) brings 19 Kids & Counting at 9 p.m. and The Miss Turkey trot and Miss Drumsticks Pageants at 10 p.m.
Spike TV (1080i) airs Blue Mountain State at 10 p.m. and Players at 10:30 p.m.
Food (1080i) has Chopped at 10 p.m.
Travel (1080i) has the series premiere of Food Wars at 10 & 10:30 p.m.
Syfy (1080i) has WWE NXT at 10 p.m.
ESPN (720p) has women's college basketball with West Virginia/Connecticut at 7 p.m.
Versus (1080i) has Islanders/Flyers hockey at 7:30 p.m.

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Elgato rolls out smaller, Windows 7-supporting EyeTV Hybrid

By Donald Melanson

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 4:43PM

Elgato's original EyeTV Hybrid USB tuner wasn't exactly oversized, but the company has nonetheless managed shrink things down a bit for the device's latest revision, and it's added some Windows 7 support for good measure. Most of the size reduction comes from ditching the analog connector found on the previous model (you'll still get an adapter), and you'll also now get a sturdier aluminum enclosure that stays in line with the company's Mac-only roots. Otherwise, you'll get the same support for over-the-air HD broadcasts as before, along with Elgato's EyeTV 3 software, and an included remote control -- all for the same $150 that the original model cost.

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Samsung puts price tags on its next receivers, soundbars and Blu-ray HTIB systems

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 3:20PM

There's more than just HDTVs on the way from Samsung this year, it's also picked today to reveal the price and ship dates for its Samsung Apps-equipped Blu-ray HTIB systems (HT-C7530W pictured above and all due in March or April) and HDMI 1.4-equipped 3D passthrough compatible receivers. Even though the cool kids are already on to HDMI 1.4a, that should be good enough to pass through 3D video and handle audio all in one cable so if you're planning a whole home theater revamp before Avatar comes home in 3D (whenever that is) you'll probably want to grab one with the feature. Other than the 7.1 channel HW-C770BS for $549 shipping this month, there's also a $499 HW-C900 model with multi-zone and video upscaling features for $499, though when it will arrive is still TBD.

Samsung 2010 HTIB, Samsung soundbars, Samsung receivers

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Sony signs up all six major studios for HD movies on PlayStation Network

By Donald Melanson

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 2:10PM

Well, it looks like Sony has a little treat for PS3 users now that they're able to turn their consoles back on -- it's just announced that it has signed up all six major studios to deliver HD movies on the PlayStation Network (the first company to do so, as Sony is happy to point out). That includes 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and, of course, Sony Pictures Entertainment, which combined have an initial slate of 19 HD movies available to buy or rent -- including "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Star Trek," "District 9," "Inglourious Basterds," and "The Wizard of Oz," to name a few. Those are only available in the US at the moment, but Sony says it plans to also roll them out to the U.K., France, Germany, and Spain "soon."

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Samsung 3D Starter Kit gets 3DTV and Blu-ray buyers started

By Joanna Stern

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 11:57AM

Hands-On

Planning on buying one of those fresh Samsung 3D HDTVs and Blu-ray players now that they are available? Well, the good news from Samsung's press conference is that you'll get a free 3D Starter Kit if you decide to fork over the cash for them both. Included are two pairs of active shutter glasses (available separately for $150) and the 3D Blu-ray version of Monsters vs. Aliens, which is exclusive to Samsung for the time being. And speaking of new 3D titles, DreamWorks' own Jeffrey Katzenberg took stage to announce that Shrek will be coming soon. We're not sure how we feel about these super expensive sets, but the hands-on pictures of the kit do seem to make spending plus $2,000 for that new Sammy 3DTV and Blu-ray player a bit more enticing.

Samsung 3D Starter Kit hands-on

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Samsung's 2010 3DTVs priced from $1,700 to ridiculous and everywhere in between

By Richard Lawler

posted Mar 9th 2010 at 10:59AM

Enjoy your CES peek at Samsung's ultrathin 9000 series LED-lit LCD HDTV, with its touchscreen, video displaying remote control (also available as a $350 add-on for the 7000, 8000,and 750 series televisions) and 3D capability? That's good, because bringing the 55-inch UN55C9000 home in April will cost you a cool $6,999 (the thrifty can slum it with the 46-inch version for $5,999.) Still, if you're just looking to jump in on 3D without spending the max money, the cheapest model available at first will be the standard LCD LN46C750 available in May. In between, there's all manner of LED (most of them listed above, both with and without 3D capabilities) or old-school CCFL backlit LCDs plus a healthy lineup of plasmas arriving over the next few months, so with a note that grabbing 3D Blu-ray player and display at the same time will net a couple free pairs of active shutter glasses and a copy of the Monsters vs. Aliens 3D Blu-ray, check Samsung's site for each type to see what your budget can handle.

Samsung 2010 LED LCDs, Samsung 2010 plasmas, Samsung 2010 CCFL LCDs

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"We did detect a bit more "pop" from greater distances and angles than competing tech, but unfortunately what we didn't see was any indication this technology is any closer to being ready for regular TV watching."

by Richard Lawler Posted Jan 11th 2010