Engadget HD Podcast 140 - 06.10.2009
By Trent Wolbe 
posted Jun 10th 2009 12:45PM
posted Jun 10th 2009 12:45PM
A pretty light week in HD news, but the three of us put our heads together and with a little help from our Ustream chatroom, managed to talk for an hour. There's definitely great gear for HT enthusiasts, including Panasonic's new V10 NeoPDP panels and Paradigm's SUB 25 monster subwoofer; either (or both!) of which would be a great way to kick off TV's post-analog broadcast era this weekend. If the world doesn't explode into ones and zeros on Friday, we'll be back next week with more news.Get the podcast
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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Steven Kim, Richard Lawler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
00:58 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 139 - 06.03.2009
07:05 - A cool new DTV map from the FCC to help you prepare for the transition
15:27 - CNET: TC-P50V10 is "Panasonic's best plasma yet"
21:26 - Hertz so good -- Paradigm Signature SUB 25 subwoofer review
27:48 - Epix HD 720p movie streaming service eyes-on
35:40 - Buena Vista and Vudu to sell HD titles day-and-date with Blu-ray
40:45 - AACS finalize, death to analog in 2013
48:10 - Poll: 1080p streaming video vs. Blu-ray
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Hi,
I'm kind of warming up to the new format, the Ustream part is working better and better and Richard is a great addition to the ramblings of Ben and Steve :)
I just have to put my two cents in (or "ören" as I am Swedish and don't use cents) the BluRay/Streaming discussion. I rip my BDs with AnyDVD HD and then remux them to MKV with the original videostream and the AC3 track. This way the quality is preserved and I don't have to listen to my PS3 taking off or go through the hassle of loading up a BD disc on the HTPC. Plus, it sits there in my library just a click away from me at all times.
Ok, some of the files tend to be a little big, Fifth Element landed on 26 gigs but hey, I have to use that WHS storage for something right?
Point is, a title like 300 is encoded at 16.1 Mbps and the audiotrack at 640 kbps. Do you really think that most of us won't be able to stream that in a couple of years? I've got a 100 mbit connection right now, and I would gladly use that bandwidth to download BD quality movies if someone would just let me.. legally.
I'd give you that LPCM is takin up a sh*t load of space but I dare you to find a living room where the acoustic response alters the audio quality less than the difference between EAC3 and LPCM..
zeeke
Great podcast. I'm really glad Richard is a regular host now. And Steve's sound quality really was quite good, I must say.
I was hoping Ben could author a HD 101 about OTA TV...he put out a lot of terms today and I wasn't able to keep up.
Pradeep asked about websites for media center: Check out Systm Ep 65 Build a Great Vista Home Theater: (Patrick Norton & Robert Heron). They cover all the basics and should get anyone started. I dont I agree with everything they say but and some comment are a little out of date but that is a good start.
AC3 was used on LaserDisc in 1995, Clear and Present Danger was the first title.
Here's a link explaining Bluray audio decoding on the Receiver vs the Player. So Steve, you don't have to waste time testing which one is better.
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=32961