Engadget HD Podcast 102 - 09.17.2008
By Trent Wolbe 
posted Sep 17th 2008 11:00AM
posted Sep 17th 2008 11:00AM
We decided to kick off the new fall HDTV season with a little help, so we invited our friend Brent Evans from Geek Tonic on the show to fill us in on the new shows. But like us, Brent is also a HD geek, and had a thing or two to say about SageTV even though it wasn't on topic -- we don't mind one bit. After we got back on topic we talked up the new HD products from Sling and how we might use them, then once again we fell into the downloads vs disc debate as Vudu readies Blu-ray quality rentals and Blu-ray Discs start showing up in Red Box rental kiosks. Finally, we all talk up our favorite shows, including which we'll continue to watch from last year, as well as the ones we're planning on dedicating some DVR space to this year. Get the podcast
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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim
Guest: Brent Evans
Producer: Trent Wolbe
02:02 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 0101 - 09.9.2008
21:26 - Sling Media's Slingbox PRO-HD / SlingCatcher up for pre-order
27:56 - VUDU readying Blu-ray quality rentals
34:59 - Blu-ray Discs popping up in Red Box rental kiosks
37:26 - DirecTV's Media Center Tuner still not on track for this year
43:30 - Vizio switches marketing gears from discount to high-quality
45:14 - Digeo readies two Moxi set-top-boxes for release
48:57 - The ultimate guide to the Fall HDTV schedule
LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)
Ben can you talk about your HP Extender review next week? You never talked about it on the podcast a few weeks ago because of the 100th show special.
Sure, anything specific you want to hear about?
i just want to add that i actually enjoy chuck.... its actually pretty funny. i also hate some of the shows you liked (2 and a half men and big bang theory... esp big bang theory with your comment about chuck being stupid... to me thats what big bang theory is).... guess its different tastes for different people.
I am Brent's wife and we also like Chuck. The new show from last year that really grew on us as the season went on (I liked it from the beginning) was Reaper.
Yeah Chuck is silly, but good entertainment if you don't take it too seriously.
Man, what happened to K-Ville and Cane!?
Mitchell
K-ville & Cane were both canceled.
Ben, it is wierd that you love Lost which is conflict driven but heavily rooted in character development but you dislike House which is the same. That is what seperates House from all those other stupid procedural shows.
As for the new shows, the strike definitely had a lot to do with how little new shows there are and how many borderline shows got renewed. Studios didnt have their new pilots in time and had to rely on renewing questionable shows and using scripts for pilots that were already done.
Although Lost and Medium are my favorite shows, you are right they both have their personal stories. The difference is they work it in a way that doesn't bother me. Some shows like Jericho did it too, but I was able to fwd through it.
I really liked House until the whole shooter storyline took over. It really comes down to how much of the show is about the characters and how much is about the main point of the show.
Ben,
Could your post the shows you are looking forward to watch this fall? I am too lazy to write down your list by listening to the podcast again...(podcast re-runs are no fun)-- Plus, I think it could help a couple other people out whose media center listing was lost since the summer TV Pack update. Thanks!
To clarify my wireless HDMI comment from last week, I wish wireless HDMI had been available when I did my install. It turned out being a real headache getting the cable pulled and working reliably. I ended up buying\exchanging 3 different HDMI cables before I found one that was acceptable to me. I still get the occasional sparkle when watching HD content, but I'm living with it. Now that I have a nice cable run to the projector, I wouldn't pull it out in favor of wireless HDMI.
I don't want to spend the money on a good HDMI amplifier because I don't think I'll need it once I upgrade my receiver. Like many people, I'm still using a perfectly good 3 year old unit that only has component outputs. I use it strictly for audio switching\amplification. As soon as I upgrade to an HDMI receiver, I'll be passing the output of my scalar through it. I'm optimistic that the receiver will boost the output just enough to eliminate the sparkles.
A reasonably priced wireless HDMI solution would be a nice alternative for people like me who have challenging installation issues.
Ben you said you had a list of things you do to your PC to get it ready for Media Center after a fresh installation. Can you share it?
Thanks
Will You guys ever talk about Uverse? The AT&T alternative to FiOS. We have gone live with Total Home DVR in the Dallas Area. Its great and continues to progress....
I cannot recall who, but someone mentioned that they would not watch the Ultimate Fighter because it is not in HD. It IS actually offered in HD, if you get SpikeHD that is. Possibly DirecTV is the only company offering this station? The GeekTonic list fails to indicate that this show is available in HD.
Jim,
That's probably my fault. I honestly didn't even realize Spike had an HD channel. I'll have to check around for the HD listings for that.
Thanks,
Just to let you know, Redbox only charges you $1/day for a maximum of 25 days. after the 25th day, it's yours to keep. So, you'll never spend more than $25.
That's how it works for DVDs anyways, the Redboxes in my area don't have blu-ray discs, so I have no idea if it works the same way for Blu-ray. At least the last time I checked they didn't. I stopped renting after I purchased a PS3...
You're right Justin - I missed that $25 maximum so my bad. I notice the policy says $1/day plus tax and the max is $25 plus tax. http://www.redbox.com/Help/Faq.aspx
I checked multiple redbox locations in Kansas City this weekend and none of them had Blu-ray. Couldn't find anything about Blu-ray on the redbox.com website either so it must be just a trial-run in select locations.
What about Entourage. Certainly my favorite show - and no mention of it at all? What's up?
Firts of all, let me just start by saying that Philips 42PFL7403D/27
this is the best TV that ever came out. This TV is not HD, it's beyond HD. This is the closest thing to reality. Actually, it is better than reality because of the more vibrant colors. Thanks to the 120hz and Perfect Pixel Engine, the picture on this TV can not be described by anyone and must be seen. I bought it yesterday without even seeing what it can do (just liked the specs) and was not only impressed, but was scratching my head all day trying to figure out how is it possible to get this good of a picture out of TV. i am not sure if anyone has seen it, buut it is hard to find it on display. Don't buy this TV if you don't have the Blu-Ray player, because this is where it shines. Put in any Blu-Ray movie and stand back 6-7 feet (this is a must) and the way you watch TV will change forever. I never thought that Philips could do it, I was thinking Samsung or Sony, but this is the TV to buy today. I was blown away by the pop and realism. It will make your DVDs look like Blu-Ray but will not have the same in your face effect. The movies on this Philips do not look like movies, but real life, really as if you are there. I've seen Sony and Samsung, but it is the sharpness that I am talikng about. My wife said she could never watch a horror movie on it because she would not sleep for days. This is the way movies are supposed to be seen, and the way director wanted you to see it. Anyway, have you guys checked it out and if not please do.