To the last person on Earth (that reads this site) who can't already stream Netflix to their home theater in at least four different ways: if you have a 2010 Panasonic HDTV or Blu-ray player your sometime is now, as the video streaming widget originally promised way back during CES should have recently shown up in a software update. You'll find it in the VIERA Cast menu next to existing tools like Amazon VOD, Skype and Pandora (pictured above) unless of course you're sporting one of last year's models, which are sadly and inexplicably left wanting. If there's any confusion, peep the press release after the break to make sure your specific model made the cut, we'll be double checking for a 5.1 audio option on any of our Watch Instantly movies, again.

[Thanks, Justin]

What we're watching tonight:

• NBC (1080i) has the NFL Kickoff 2010 at 7:30 p.m. and Vikings/Saints regular season football at 8:30 p.m.
• ESPN (720p) has Auburn/Mississippi State college football at 7:30 p.m.
• CW (1080i) has the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries at 8 p.m. and series premiere of Nikita at 9 p.m.
• ABC (720p) has the season finale of Rookie Blue at 9 p.m.
• WGN (1080i) has WWE Superstars at 8 p.m.
• History (720p) has 9/11 State of Emergency at 9 p.m.
• Spike TV (1080i) has TNA: Impact! at 9 p.m. and TNA Reaction at 11 p.m.
• MTV (1080i) has Jersey Shore at 10 p.m.
• ESPNU (720p) has Central Michigan/Temple college football at 7 p.m.
• ESPN2 (720p) has Primetime at the US Open at 8 p.m. and Real Salt Lake/Seattle Sounders FC MLS action at 11 p.m.

For cable and satellite television providers, mobile DVR programming capability is arguably the new HD. Well, no, 3D is actually the new HD... but regardless, being able to set up recording from afar is a must-have feature that's being rolled out far and wide. Cablevision is the latest to get into the game this week now that its Optimum app is available both in the App Store for iOS devices and in the Android Market, giving access to channel lineups and listings along with the ability to set up new recordings (either for single episodes or series) and delete stuff you don't want anymore. It might not be quite as trick as Dish Network's Sling integration... but then again, Cablevision doesn't own Sling. So it goes! Follow the break for the full press release.

Of course, this press release from SRS Labs doesn't actually say Netflix will use its technology to enable surround sound audio on Watch Instantly streams, but when you claim your tools add "easy and seamless" surround sound decoding to Silverlight apps then we have an immediate suggestion as to how they could be put to use. Whether you give any credit to (or have even noticed) the SRS stamp on a bevy of media playing software and hardware, its ubiquity certainly means that interested parties (like, say, Netflix) could be sure the audio would be supported across the multitude of platforms they stream video to. Microsoft and SRS have issued the tools for anyone (even Netflix) to support 5.1 streams just by adding this code to their apps and are demonstrating it at IBC 2010 and on a demo website, all we have to do is sit back and wait for the technology to be implemented. If only we knew of somewhere an upgrade to surround sound on streaming video was in high demand...

Here's an interesting tidbit. Denon's admittedly pricey AVR-4311CI -- which was introduced in late April -- may very well end up being the first major product to gain iTunes AirPlay compatibility retroactively. Yeah, retroactively. According to an updated product listing, the AVR will see a "planned upgrade" in the fall of 2010 that will "provide Apple iTunes AirPlay compatibility [that will let you] stream your favorite music to the AVR-4311CI." Now, we already knew that Denon was a partner of both Apple and BridgeCo (the enabling company behind AirPlay), but this is first mention of any existing product receiving a simple upgrade (firmware, we're guessing) that would add support for Apple's newly touted streaming feature. In other words, this may mean that hundreds, if not thousands, of AirPlay compatible devices are already on the market, and just as soon as Apple and / or BridgeCo green-lights the respective firmware updates, home entertainment systems everywhere may gain support for a protocol that wasn't even public before last week. Here's hoping, right?

[Thanks, Ben]

Expect to see some changes to Boxee when its $199 D-Link-built Box ships in November, as Lead Apps Developer / Community evangelist Rob Spectre tells NewTeeVee that among them will be a new Webkit based browser. The current Mozilla based browser is clearly useful for some quick & unblocked Hulu viewing, but still doesn't render many sites properly. According to Spectre, HTML5 "absolutely should be the future for the browsers you use on your TV," with competition from Google TV we can see why he'd say that, and it should be ready to stream video from even more sites that don't build Boxee apps. The desktop versions of the software will get the new browser in version 1.0 after the Boxee Box is released, so make sure your comparison charts are appropriately updated.

We can all agree the old cable/satellite set-top boxes could use some refreshing, but these new ones on display from SanDisk and NDS might not be what the doctor ordered. The team has combined SanDisk's latest P4 solid state drives (successors to the older pSSD drive pictured above) with NDS set-top box software to demonstrate at IBC 2010 a tiny DVR that uses less power, space and runs far cooler than any hard drive equipped box -- if you don't mind capacities of 4GB, 8GB and 16GB. The idea here is for boxes that are "DVR-like" in their features with progressive downloading and live pause. SanDisk believes they make for cost-effective alternatives to hard drive-based boxes and they may have a point, but in a world where multiroom DVRs with driveless thin clients attached and network DVRs that remove the need for local storage of any kind, it's hard to see many situations where these would fit in.

If you were into last week's announcements from Apple and Roku but still thought separating from even one Benjamin for a media streamer was just too much to ask, we have a solution that may work. The One Day, One Deal people at Woot.com have picked the Netflix, Amazon VOD and UFC-streaming Roku HD-XR with WiFi N (and a 1080p upgrade practically around the corner) for today's offering, currently standing at $69.99 + $5 shipping for a refurbished unit with a 90 day warranty, which is the best deal we've seen since it launched. Sure, you can sit around and keep thinking over the comparisons, or you can just click the buy button now before they run out of stock, which could happen at any moment. Like now. Or now. Or...you get the point.

[Thanks, Isaac]

Way to take the wind out of our sails, ARM -- no sooner does your dual-core Cortex-A9 finally ship, do you reveal an even more powerful smartphone, smartbook and server-slaying beast. The Cortex-A15 MPCore picks up where the A9 left off, but with reportedly five times the power of existing CPUs, raising the bar for ARM-based single- and dual-core cell phone processors up to 1.5GHz... or as high as 2.5GHz in quad-core server-friendly rigs with hardware virtualization baked in and support for well over 4GB of memory. One terabyte, actually. Like we'd heard, the ARMv7-A "Eagle" chips are destined for Texas Instruments, but ST-Ericsson and Samsung as also named as "lead licensees," so we fully expect to see some badass silicon powering a Galaxy when the 32nm and 28nm parts ship in 2013. Press release and video after the break, replete with ARM partner companies fawning over the new hotness. We can't really blame them.

Now this is an HTPC worth gawking at. Zotac has just revised its long-standing Zbox line with a new duo, and we have to say -- we're digging the new look. Beyond the exterior improvements, the outfit has bolstered the internals by providing the HD-ID33 and HD-ID34 with Intel's new 1.8GHz Atom D525 CPU, 2GB of DDR2-800 memory, NVIDIA's next-gen Ion graphics platform, an HDMI output, 6-in-1 card reader, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a couple of USB 2.0 ports and an unexpected pair of USB 3.0 sockets. The only notable difference between the two is the inclusion of a 250GB hard drive in the ID34, while the 2.5-inch HDD slot is left open for DIYers in the ID33. Windows 7 is onboard, naturally, as is a slot-loading Blu-ray drive that the company is (rightfully) proud of. It's not talking prices just yet, but we're willing to overlook a modest premium to finally get BD support within a delightfully small package. Hit the gallery below for more eye candy.

As excited we are that Zac Efron's summertime flick Charlie St. Cloud is coming to Blu-ray November 9 (and we're really excited) the main reason we're mentioning this one is it's the second flick by Universal to offer buyers their choice of bonus movies viewable through internet streaming. Lorenzo's Oil and What Dreams May Come (also like the Get Him to the Greek deal because both films have not yet been released on Blu-ray) can stream to viewers TVs via their BD-Live connected Blu-ray player or to another device on the pocketBLU app for iOS, Blackberry, Android, Windows and Macintosh hardware. We're still not sure what to make of streaming video as the new big thing for BD-Live, but if these implementations work better than the buggy implementation included on the Wolfman Blu-ray, then free extras are always welcome.

What we're watching tonight:

• USA (1080i) has the summer finale of Psych at 10 p.m.
• NBC (1080i) has Minute to Win It at 8 p.m. and America's Got Talent at 9 p.m.
• Showtime (1080i) has the season premiere of Inside the NFL at 9 p.m.
• HBO (1080i) has the season finale of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets at 10 p.m.
• TNT (1080i) has Dark Blue at 9 & 10 p.m.
• Discovery (1080i) has Man vs. Wild at 9 p.m. and Surviving the Cut: Ranger School at 10 p.m.
• TLC (1080i) has L.A. Ink at 10 p.m.
• FX (720p) has the series premiere of Terriers at 10 p.m.
• Comedy Central (1080i) has Tosh.0 at 10:30 p.m.
• Spike TV (1080i) has the season finale of Pros vs. Joes at 10 p.m.
• ESPN (720p) has Rays/Red Sox at 7 p.m. and Dodgers/Padres at 10 p.m.
• ESPN2 (720p) has Primetime at the US Open at 7 p.m.
• NFL Network (1080i) has America's Team: 2009 Saints at 9 p.m. and Kickoff Fan Forum at 10 p.m.

After a slight holiday delay we're right back to cover all the big HD news from the last week. In case you were under a rock, the new Apple TV was revealed and of course competitors like Roku, Boxee and Amazon were quick to respond. After our opinions on Jobs' box and the new reality of $0.99 television show rentals/purchases we dived right into a slew of IFA news from Sony, LG, Toshiba Panasonic and the rest including Avatar on Blu-ray 3D this year, new TVs, a 3D projector from Sony and much, much more. We could be seeing the Xbox 360 added as a U-Verse set-top box soon, but we're even more excited about a new channel announced in the wake of ESPN's agreement with Time Warner. To wrap things up, we've got our impressions of the first college football game aired on ESPN 3D, the new Chuck Blu-ray boxed set and (spoiler alert) a limited edition release of Inception on Blu-ray is on the way.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@Rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

00:01:28 - The new Apple TV for $99
00:05:00 - Apple TV (2010) first look / hands-on! (updated with video)
00:10:05 - Apple TV vs. the competition -- how does it stack up?
00:12:38 - Roku lowers prices across the board: HD box now $69, $99 HD-XR to get 1080p support
00:12:51 - Boxee Box priced at $199, Avner Ronen says it'll give users 'freedom to watch what you want'
00:16:14 - Amazon streaming 99-cent ABC and Fox shows... right now (update: purchases, not rentals!)
00:19:40 - Amazon planning subscription video service to challenge Netflix and Hulu?
00:24:52 - Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service extends into Europe, 'Music Unlimited' coming by year's end
00:27:22 - Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010
00:28:25 - Logitech Revue and Google TV get very early blurrycam impressions
00:31:31 - Sony: PlayStation 3 Blu-ray 3D update due in October
00:33:46 - Panasonic locks up Avatar Blu-ray 3D release for 2010
00:36:16 - Sony announces VPL-VW90ES 3D projector at IFA 2010
00:38:53 - LG LEX8 'Nano LED' TV eyes-on
00:41:11 - LG's 180-inch plasma that wasn't
00:42:12 - LG's 31-inch OLED spin-slices its way into our cold LCD hearts
00:43:45 - Plex announces partnership with LG, pledges to beat Boxee Box and Apple TV for free
00:45:20 - Toshiba's CEVO-Engine is Cell on steroids, with an ultra-bright LED LCD to burn your eyeballs into submission
00:47:14 - Toshiba goes all LED with new HDTVs at IFA 2010
00:48:06 - Toshiba finally dives into Blu-ray 3D with BDX3100 player, offers up BDX1100 if stereo's not your style
00:49:45 - Toshiba StorE TV+ drive connects up to 2TB of media directly to your HDTV
00:50:20 - Toshiba Places to deliver web content across all Toshiba screens
00:52:05 - Philips Cinema 21:9 Platinum 3D megadisplay eyes-on
00:53:12 - Philips Dimenco glasses-less 3D TV of the future, hopefully our future
00:54:08 - Sharp's 10.6-inch parallax barrier display makes us love our 3D glasses (video)
00:55:13 - Philips Home Control's Dual is a QWERTY remote for attractive people
00:57:55 - SageTV puts $150 HD Theater 300 up for pre-order, breaks down the specifications
01:00:57 - Amulet voice-activated Windows Media Center remote hits the FCC
01:04:50 - AT&T technical support tool suggests Xbox 360 will bring IPTV to U-Verse households soon
01:10:50 - New Time Warner Cable deal brings ESPN to mobile devices and PCs
01:16:00 - ESPN 3D review: college football kickoff
01:26:13 - Chuck: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray review
01:29:25 - Inception European Limited Edition Blu-ray (w/ briefcase) listed for December 6

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Netflix is continuing to position the Watch Instantly streaming service against existing cable networks when negotiating for content, as evidenced by its latest deal with Nu Image/Millennium Films. The two are behind flicks like The Expendables, 16 Blocks and Drive Angry 3D, but this deal will kick in starting with flicks releasing next year, and allow them to go on Watch Instantly in the same window they would usually have reached cable pay-TV channels. No word on whether or not they will include HD streaming, but more content is always welcome, there's more detailed information in the press release after the break.

Another day, another exclusive Blu-ray 3D deal. This time it's Disney, opting to align its Alice in Wonderland and Bolt movies with Sony products over the holiday season as the two team up on "consumer and retail education, promotion and marketing support for in-home 3D devices and content." That means buyers of Sony 3D TVs and Blu-ray players may have one of the above as a pack-in, while everyone else waits 'til the unspecified time when they're released at retail. Hear that? That's the sound of 3D early adopters queueing up Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for the umpteenth time, camping out in line for Monster House next week or wildly overpaying for pack in/ overseas only 3D releases on eBay. As it stands, the year's slate of unbundled releases is otherwise blank beyond A Christmas Carol and Resident Evil, here's hoping it doesn't stay that way long. More details are in the press release after the break.

Ultra high-end German television maker Loewe revealed at IFA that its 32-inch and 42-inch Connect LED line will be refreshed with 200Hz edge LED backlit panels and improved MediaNet connectivity. Specifically MediaNet has been revamped to feature a new LAN interface for streaming local video or audio content on the TV's integrated DVR as well as from DLNA compatible devices and online sources. A so-called "Follow Me" feature is another handy addition that allows users to easily transfer a program in progress from TV to another display for completion -- which should prove useful to shipping magnates who prefer passing out to Titanic in bed after starting in the jacuzzi. Trusted Reviews also reports that Loewe, along with Sharp and Philips, is promoting web-based services built on CE-HTML that are optimized for TV displays, and even demoed a version of the BBC's iPlayer using the technology behind closed doors. Style-wise, the luxury set will ship in three colors along with a choice of stand and a 2.1 speaker setup when it hits the UK this November. Official pricing however is still unknown, but don't expect to find it at Asda.

What we're watching tonight:

• USA (1080i) has the season finale of White Collar at 9 p.m. and Covert Affairs at 10 p.m.
• NBC (1080i) has America's Got Talent at 9 p.m.
• Syfy (1080i) has Warehouse 13 at 9 p.m. and WWE: NXT at 10 p.m.
• HBO (1080i) presents My Trip to Al-Qaeda at 9 p.m.
• Discovery (1080i) airs Swords: Life on the Line at 9 p.m. and The Colony at 10 p.m.
• FX (720p) has the season premiere of Sons of Anarchy at 10 p.m. and the season finale of Louie at 10 & 10:30 p.m.
• G4 (1080i) has the season finale of It's Effin' Science at 9 p.m.