Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Last week we looked at a new service from Blockbuster that’ll be starting up in the US to allow you to stream movies from its catalogue to a dedicated set top box. Well, the service might turn out to be bigger than you think, following a further announcement that it’ll be looking to build the technology needed to use it into some Blu-ray players next year. It’s unclear whether it’ll be teaming up with a Blu-ray manufacturer to build it into new players or offer a retro-fit solution for existing ones, but in doing so customers will be able to rent HD-quality movies as well as choosing from the standard definition selection. CEO Jim Keyes confirmed that by the first quarter of next year it will put “the same capability into a Blu-ray player” and though he did acknowledge that bandwidth may be an issue, said that it would be possible if customers are “willing to wait the extra download time”. This will put it in direction competition with services like Netflix, which has already been woven into Blu-ray players like the LG BD300, but sadly there’s still no word on a UK release. - Paul Lester [ElectricPig] Blockbuster on-demand Blu-ray

Original post by nafiz

While Blu-ray is still an untested novelty for many consumers, Panasonic is already talking about 3-D Blu-ray in 2010. The news comes just months after Philips showcased its impressive 3-D TVs and points the way towards a future where we can all watch 3-D TV at home without the silly cardboard specs. Panasonic is working on a Blu-ray Disc capable of storing 2-channel 1080p 3D pictures, along with an HDMI cable to carry the video to a ’suitable’ TV. The best thing about the proposal being made to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) though is that Panasonic is using existing Blu-ray and HDMI technology which will help it - and us - avoid another dumb proprietary HD format spat.Images are encoded with the 2-channel encoder already part of MPEG-4 and the video for right and left eye each offer Full HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. The discs will also be playable on existing Blu-players and Panasonic thinks the tech will be ready for rollout in 2010. We may not need the 3-D glasses but it’s possible we’ll need a TV with the ability to handle 3-D signals. There’s always a catch. Also, with Blu-ray titles still trickling onto the market after more than 2-years out, how long before we see a lot of decent - yes, decent - 3-D titles?-Martin Lynch TV 3D blu-ray

Original post by nafiz

We’ve heard a lot about Blu-ray in the past couple of years but is the technology any closer to making it into your home this Christmas? This time last year the high-defintion (HD) war was in full swing between Blu-ray and HD DVD but dedicated players [excluding the Ṕ] were not cheap. Now, a year on, Blu-ray stands alone and the path to HD immortality and becoming the ‘next DVD’ stands clear but are players cheap enough to tempt you to stick one in your stocking this Silly Season?Last year, dedicated Blu-ray players - apart from being few and far between in the UK - boasted wallet-crushing price tags ranging from £400-800. This time out, prices are a more reasonable £200 and [much] higher, but you can also get older Blu-ray spinners for around £150. So, will you be taking the Blu-ray plunge or holding out? Let us know.-Martin Lynch blu-ray movies christmas

Original post by nafiz

Last Christmas, Blu-ray players costs an obscene amount of money and, while they aren’t exactly cheap now, they are heading in the right direction and becoming affordable for most consumers. Sharp’s BD-HP21H has just hit the UK and despite the sticker price of £250, you can find this player online for a shade under £200. This is a Profile 1.1 player with 1080p support and 24 frames per second (fps) playback, meaning the movies run at the same speed they were filmed at and make motion-scenes much smoother and clearer. The machine also promises to upscale your DVDs to near-HD quality and the HDMI 1.3 jack offers support for Deep Color as well as advanced sound formats like Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Advanced.Blu-ray players can take an age to start up but the BD-HP21H has a Quick Start feature which means you’ll be up and running in 10 seconds. There’s no memory card slot but you can read JPEG photos from blank CDS. And for those worried about bills, the player promises low power consumption: 26W in operation and 0.5W in stand-by.-Martin Lynch blu-ray movies

Original post by nafiz

Last Christmas, Blu-ray players costs an obscene amount of money and, while they aren’t exactly cheap now, they are heading in the right direction and becoming affordable for most consumers. Sharp’s BD-HP21H has just hit the UK and despite the sticker price of £250, you can find this player online for a shade under £200. This is a Profile 1.1 player with 1080p support and 24 frames per second (fps) playback, meaning the movies run at the same speed they were filmed at and make motion-scenes much smoother and clearer. The machine also promises to upscale your DVDs to near-HD quality and the HDMI 1.3 jack offers support for Deep Color as well as advanced sound formats like Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Advanced.Blu-ray players can take an age to start up but the BD-HP21H has a Quick Start feature which means you’ll be up and running in 10 seconds. There’s no memory card slot but you can read JPEG photos from blank CDS. And for those worried about bills, the player promises low power consumption: 26W in operation and 0.5W in stand-by.-Martin Lynch blu-ray movies

Original post by nafiz

Are you the kind of eagle-eyed AV fan who can spot a grainy standard-def TV image at a 1,000 paces? If so, then bully for you because some of the latest research from the US shows that 1-in-5 HDTV owners can’t tell if they are watching HD glory or standard-def tat. This is the sixth annual survey on this topic by the Leichtman Research Group (LRG) and it seems that folk are still as observant as ever, although the number of confused people is falling. From a survey of over 1300 households, 18% of viewers thought they were watching HD when in fact they were watching the same SD stuff they were used to.This is down from 25% in 2006.It may seem like a lot a but when you factor into the mix that they were watching highly compressed HD broadcast feeds - which are a long way from the type of HD you′ve seen on Blu-ray discs - you can understand where some of the confusion arises. I recently watched a HD episode of Burn Notice on FX HD and was surprised and sorely disappointed at just how much image grain there was [especially for dimly lit scenes] thanks to the compression. Compared to the quality of video on Discovery HD, it made watching hippos rolling the mud a more tempting viewing experience. Retailers were also blamed for the confusion. It seems that just 4-out-of-10 were told, when buying their skinny HDTVS, that they would need to invest in some HD broadcasts to make the most of them. Despite the confusion though, HDTV sales are booming. Sadly with HD, the gap between the popularity of HDTVs and the paucity of HD content is still massive.-Martin Lynch [PC World] HDTV TV HD

Original post by nafiz

Last month Sky HD subscribers saw seven new channels emerge to help consolidate the company’s position as the most comprehensive HD selection in Europe, and it looks like one more will be squeezed in before this end of the month. Disney will be launching an HD version of its Cinemagic channel in time for Christmas, which takes the new total to an impressive 29. It seems like good timing for us as we′ve noticed that Christmas TV certainly isn’t what it used to be over the last few years, with very little (if anything) in the way of classics like James Bond, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. A bit of Pixar would do nicely while you’re getting over your Christmas lunch then, and it lines up movies like The Incredibles and Ratatouille along with classics such as Tinkerbell and Sleeping Beauty for the kids. Like the last seven channels added to the HD range, there’s no specific date set at which it’ll be available, but we can confirm that it will be in December. With prices for Sky HD boxes falling all the time, can you think of many more reasons not to upgrade? - Paul Lester [EnGadget] Pixar Sky HD

Original post by nafiz

Onkyo does a fine line in home cinema receivers and has just now launched its first Blu-ray players in time for the Christmas rush. This is not the company’s first foray into HD as Onkyo backed the defeated HD DVD format in the HD battle but, thankfully, profits-over-pride gives us another quality Blu-ray spinner in the DV-BD606. It costs a shade under £400 which means it’s in the mid-to-high end of the fledgling Blu-ray player market but it does pack a lot in. It has a HDMI v1.3 port for Deep Color compatibility, 1080p support with 24fps playback. It supports Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound which is about as good as it gets, and there’s an upscaler for making your DVDs look better than they already do. A useful add-on is the ability to play DivX files from disc or SD Cards. Be aware though that this is a Profile 1.1 player, not a 2.0 one, which means there’s no support for the BD Live interactive features on some newer discs. That said, a lot of people couldn’t care less about interactive content, there’s not a lot of BD Live content out there and much of that leaves a lot to be desired.-Martin Lynch [Onkyo]

Original post by nafiz

Blu-ray may have won the HD war [against HD DVD] but it’s still fighting hard to win the hearts and wallets of consumers. Obviously, a looming recession doesn’t help anything but according to Stan Glasgow, head of Sony’s US electronics division, sales of its Blu-ray players will not hit its worldwide goal of 5 million units. To be fair though, it won’t miss by much. Glasgow said: “It’s not that far off of it. Maybe 10 per cent off of what we had thought. It’s truly one of the items that has performed well during this economic mess.”Prices of Blu-ray players are expected to be slashed after the US Thanksgiving holiday this week, with many hoping it will prompt a surge in sales in the Christmas run-up. Prices for some models are expected to hit just $150. But even Glasgow admits that the high price of Blu-ray movies has to fall to help drive sales. “They (movie studios) need to make money, and the packaged media (discs) is a critical way for them to make money so I understand their problems also,” he said. “But I’d love to see those prices come down, as well as the price of Blu-ray players, to drive adoption.” Even though sales in the DVD market are on the way down, 147 million DVD players and recorders were sold in 2007, according to In-Stat.-Martin Lynch [Reuters] blu-ray movies sony

Original post by nafiz

Today marks the day you’ll be able to get your mitts on the first Freesat+ digital TV recorder, the Humax FOXSAT-HDR. As well as offering access to all those free-to-air standard definition TV and radio channels, it’s the only device that will let you record the Freesat HD channels from the BBC and ITV. It sports a whopping 320GB had disk drive and a hefty price tag of £299 - which is steep - but, unlike Sky’s subscription service, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee. Check out the key features after the jump.*320GB hard drive to store up to 80 hours of HD programming, or up to 200 hours of standard definition shows *Eight day electronic programme guide to plan your viewing and recording with ease *Series recording to automatically capture all the episodes of your favourite shows *Live pause and instant rewind to give you full control over your viewing *Option to record programmes in standard and high-definition when shows are broadcast in both formats *Split recordings for two-part programmes that may have a break in the middle for a news bulletin, such as films *Digital text and interactive services According to Freesat, the current HD highlights are Strictly Come Dancing, Little Britain USA, In the Night Garden and Little Dorrit on BBC HD while ITV HD is chipping in UEFA Champions League matches, England Internationals, the FA Cup and teen drama Britannia High. The box goes on sale across ’selected’ John Lewis, Comet, Argos and Dixons stores [plus some independent retailers] this weekend.-Martin Lynch TV BBC freesat

Original post by nafiz

If you’ve got any plans to head to Asia for pleasure or business in the near future, be aware that the dodgy characters floating around market stalls with wheelbarrows full of ‘100% genuine, high quality the best’ movies have found a new format to play with. Blu-ray is the flavour of the month and as usual most of the money used to create the things has gone into the packaging rather than the actual disc itself. While they may look legitimate, the Asian equivalent of ‘knock-off Nigel’ are apparently ripping and downgrading genuine Blu-ray discs to 1080i using the AVCHD codec that you’ll find in HD camcorders. The shrunken contents of their heinous activities are then being burnt to regular DVDs, slapped in a legitimate looking case and flogged on. Of course we wouldn’t expect most people to actually buy anything from these people if they have any hope of it being close to the quality of the original, but the old “it’s so cheap, no one’s gonna bother returning them″ marketing strategy is bound to generate some serious sales. - Paul Lester [TechRadar] Blu-ray HD pirates

Original post by nafiz

Sick and tired of cr**py YouTube video quality? Well, check out kottke.org’s tips on how to enable HQ video on YouTube. It’s not HD quality, but much better than the default.

The specs for the Youtube HQ video is mp4 encoded using H.264 and stereo AAC sound at 480𝘨 resolution.

Also you need to do to link to a high quality video on your blog is simply append &fmt=18 onto the end of the YouTube URL, i.e.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuqiGrWBRqE&fmt=18

And if you want to embed the code on your blog/site you add &ap=%2526fmt%3᪢, i.e.:

<object width=”425″ height=”344″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/MuqiGrWBRqE&hl=en&fs=1 &ap=%2526fmt%3D18“></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/MuqiGrWBRqE&hl=en&fs=1&ampap=%2526fmt%3D18” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always″ allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″></embed></object>

Now head on over to Kottke to see the before and after video quality comparisons. Good stuff!

Tags: AAC, H.264, HD, hq video, kottke.org, stereo, video, youtube

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Cellphones

We know, you′re just dying to say this is a complete shock, but we’re here to inform you that it’s not. If you’ll recall, Cox dug deep to snatch up a decent block of spectrum in this year’s 700MHz auction, and it even went so far as to promise a differentiated product that would eventually integrate with its other content and services. Sure enough, it’s keeping its word. After spending $500 million on wireless capacity in its markets, president Pat Esser says it’s time to turn things on. By relying on Cox’s own 3G network (along with Sprint’s, initially), the carrier will offer up an undisclosed amount of handsets that will “include a network address book that automatically synchronizes with home PCs″ and allow remote programming of one’s DVR. Furthermore, users will be able to access e-mail and voicemail that they receive at home right on their mobile, and ideally, subscribers could watch TV shows right on their handsets. Get ready for an awkward new rival in the wireless space beginning, um, anytime now.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Networking

Alright Minneapolis, you’ve had your fun. Now it’s time for another swath of Comcast markets to indulge in the lavish joys that only DOCSIS 3.0 can provide. For those unaware, the aforesaid technology enables 50Mbps internet to be delivered over the cable company’s infrastructure, which brings it up to speed (ahem) with offerings by fiber-based carriers Verizon and AT&T. In the next few weeks, the DOCSIS 3.0-based “Extreme 50″ option will bring 50Mbps up / 5Mbps down to subscribers in parts of New England, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Better still, the company announced its intentions to bring the $139.95 per month service to ten other big markets where it will reach “about 10 million homes and businesses in the next few months.” Oh, and if that’s just too much intarwebz for you to handle, an “Ultra″ 22Mbps downstream service will be available for $62.95 per month.

[Via Reuters, image courtesy of TheRedWoodMotel]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Just when you were ready to give up cable altogether and watch TV on your computer, telecommunication companies start aggressively rolling out fast new ways to get TV, Internet and voice services — do I hear “Triple Play”?

And they really, really want your business. AT&T has announced it would begin selling its AT&T U-verse TV and U-verse High Speed Internet services in Circuit City and Wal-Mart stores across the country.

U-verse uses a hybrid network of fast fiber-optic and conventional copper wires to bring TV, Internet and voice services to your home. Bundles start at $69 a month. It’s trying to sweeten the deal by offering $200 cash back to customers who order certain U-verse packages online.

Why the big deals and incentives? AT&T is duking it out with Verizon’s FiOS and cable companies like Time Warner Cable to get into new homes as customers frustrated with the relatively slow speeds of DSL look for faster service.

And they′re doing it at a tough time. Broadband service providers are having trouble recruiting new subscribers, due to a soft housing market, a weakened economy, broadband market maturity and predictable seasonality, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. 

More at the LA Times.

Tags: at&t, circuit city, fios, strategy analytics, time warner cable, u-verse, verizon, wal-mart

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Original post by nafiz