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LG introduces world’s first Netflix streaming TV

LG Electronics was the first manufacturer to add Netflix streaming to a third party device, and now they’ve announced the world’s first Netflix enabled television.

The announcement came yesterday as a pre-CES press release. On display at the show will be a variety of LG HDTVs with Netflix streaming built in. There is no external set-top box, the display will be connected directly to the internet.

There will be four display sizes available: two LCDs at 42″ and 47″, and two plasmas at 50″ and 60″.

Source: USA Today

My Playstation 3 died yesterday

So I’m bummed. I just finish watching a Blu-ray version of Sony Picture’s The Fall and start working on something else while my brother-in-law starts playing LEGO Batman. I wasn’t paying attention as I was preoccupied but the system turned off and he left the room so I figured he was done playing. I turned off the TV and receiver. A couple minutes later my brother-in-law comes back in and asks why I turned the PS3 off.

I grab the Sixaxis controller and try to power the PS3 on, but the lights on the controller just blink. Next I tried the button on the front of the console. The green light flashed followed by a yellow light once and then the red light blinked continuously until I flipped the power switch on the rear. A few tries resulted in the same.

I found this video on YouTube showing exactly what I’m getting.




The next step is to call Sony at 1-800-345-SONY (7669) and see what they have to say. From the looks of online forums I’ll have to send it in to be replaced. I’ve had this console for about a year-and-a-half so I don’t know if they’ll cover it under warranty or not.

Wasn’t 2008 a great year?

It is New Years Eve, and I’m thinking back on this year. 2008 was huge. I’m sure you’ve been bombarded with all the details already so I won’t bore you with politics, wars, etc. But even for digital media and home theater, 2008 was an important year.



To begin the year, Warner Bros. dropped their support of HD DVD effectively ending the drawn out format war between the DVD Forum’s HD DVD format and the Blu-ray Disc Association’s Blu-ray Disc format. When Toshiba called it quits on HD DVD, the death knell was struck as they were the final manufacturer producing HD DVD players. This was the biggest news of the year for home theater enthusiasts who could now confidently buy into Blu-ray Disc ensured of its success.

More good news for home entertainment buffs was the coming of age of online streaming video. Every major motion picture studio and many independent studios cast their lots for digital delivery as a viable option for consumers. While I lament the quality of the content, instant access to movies, television programs and online-only content in the living room is a huge plus overall.

With the success of AppleTV and iTunes everyone was getting in the game. Vudu expanded their library and pushed the quality forward. Netflix released a set-top box for digital delivery. LG added streaming of Netflix content followed by Samsung and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. (Overall it was a very good year for Netflix.) Not to be outdone, Blockbuster released a free set-top box (with the purchase of $99 worth of rental credits).

Along with the victory of Blu-ray Disc came the release of a multitude of AV receivers capable to decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS:HD Master Audio. A renaissance for home theater began. The rear-projection television is reaching death’s door, and large screen flat panel HDTVs are more and more affordable every day. Now you can have theater-quality video and audio in your home at an affordable price.

Along with the low prices and large screen sizes came the apex of video and audio quality. Experts are predicting video quality won’t get much better until OLED starts to enter the market for real. With the newest Pioneer Kuro displays nearly matched by the lower-priced Panasonic VIERA panels, and now the Mitsubishi LaserVue displays, you couldn’t ask for more options.

I’m looking forward to see what 2009 has to offer. CES is just around the corner so we can expect to see what kind of new technologies to expect. With the recession I expect a lot of companies will be refocusing their product lines, so this will be interesting.

Slysoft breaks newest Blu-ray Disc BD+ plus DRM protection

Slysoft contacted me this morning to announce that they have once again broken the latest BD+ DRM protection issued by Hollywood Studios, with the newest version of AnyDVD HD, which was released today. The full press release follows.

Despite some sites reporting that “Slysoft has been beaten”, the Antiguan company renowned for promoting Fair Use Rights has effectively defeated BD+ once again and much earlier than expected; the cat and mouse game of DRM has entered the next round.

Although newer BD+ decryption wasn’t expected until February 2009, today’s AnyDVD HD 6.5.0.2 release decrypts copy protection on all current Blu-ray movies and, in turn, ensures that consumers may continue to backup and enjoy their Blu-ray movie purchases even when using computer monitors that are not HDCP compliant. In fact, Anydvd HD remains the only program that can decrypt all commercial Blu-ray releases, and this incredible magic is, as per usual with Anydvd HD, performed on the fly without requiring users to rip first to their hard drives.

The following is a selection of current Blu-ray releases supported by AnyDVD HD :

Futurama: Bender’s Game (U.S.)
Firefly, The Complete Series (U.S.)
Planet of the Apes (1968 ) (U.S.)
Predator 2 (1990)
Shine a Light (U.K)
Planet of the Apes (the series), U.S.
Space Chimps, USA
Meet Dave, USA
X-Files 2
X-Files 1
Home Alone
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Special Edition
Jingle All The Way
Super Troopers
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Horton hears a Who
French Connection I & II (UK)
In the Name of the King (US)
Vanishing Point (Germany)
Babylon A.D.

Customers are reminded that Slysoft will change its update policy from free lifetime updates to an annual subscription fee on January 1st, so this is the last chance to buy Slysoft products with free lifetime updates. Those buyers who act quickly during this time can also save an additional 20% with Slysoft’s special ongoing Christmas promotion at www.slysoft.com.

Amazon sale: 50% off select Blu-ray titles

Amazon just alerted us to yet another Blu-ray sale. This time you can save up to 50% off select titles. There’s definitely some deals to be had and a wide range of sale titles to choose from. I spotted “Reservoir Dogs” and “Crash” both priced at a mere $10.49.

This sale ends January 4th, 2009.

Olevia Blu-ray players reach $149

On a recent trip to Target I found a circular in the entrance advertising an Olevia Blu-ray player for $149. This I had to see. Sure enough, there it was (pictures below).

This is the same player Memorex manufactures. I expect to see these at the same price at Walmart soon (if not currently).

The shelf tag said it was a “special,” but I expect the price to stick.

In other related news, Memorex will be releasing a new BD-Live Blu-ray player in the spring of next year. With the launch of an internet connected Memorex Blu-ray standalone, we expect to see a wide range of budget BD Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players hitting the market.

Netflix streams HD content to Roku player

Netflix’s own digital media player will receive a firmware upgrade allowing them to play high-def content from your Watch Now queue. The player, made by Roku, costs $99 and connects directly to the internet and your TV via HDMI, or component video to play high-def video. The content available is sparse, but you can expect this service to grow over time.

High-def content from Netflix is already available to other streaming devices, including the Microsoft Xbox 360.



Press release follows:

SARATOGA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Roku Inc., a leading innovator in digital media technology and maker of the popular Netflix Player by Roku, today announced it has released support for streaming high definition (HD) content. Through the use of advanced compression technology, Roku can deliver instant streaming of HD content over average consumer broadband connections – bringing HD to the mass market at an affordable price of just $99.

“Netflix is a pioneer in streaming HD content over the Internet and the results are impressive,” said Anthony Wood, founder & CEO of Roku. “Adding hundreds of HD titles to their catalog of more than 12,000 streaming titles provides tremendous value to Roku owners.”

Netflix, Inc. is the first content provider to deliver HD content to the Roku player. Additional providers of HD content are expected in the first quarter of 2009. The new software will be automatically delivered to all Roku players free-of-charge over the course of the next few weeks.

“No other HD device delivers as diverse a catalog of HD entertainment along with flexible HDTV connections and incomparable price-value as Roku,” says Richard Doherty, Research Director for The Envisioneering Group. “More and more HD video programming is instantly available, making Roku even more valuable over time than many expensive PVRs and leased services.”

ABOUT ROKU

Roku is a market leader in innovative applications for digital media. Through its work in both software and hardware, the company develops and sells consumer products and business solutions to bring rich media to the end user. Its products include: The Netflix Player by Roku, and the BrightSign digital signage controllers. Roku is privately held and based in Saratoga, Calif. For more information on the company and its products, visit: http://www.roku.com.

Source: Business Wire