Blu-ray, DVD, HDTV, Video info and more at WesleyTech.com

Apple still trailing competition with new Apple TV

Apple has a unique position in the marketplace. Because they are so popular for introducing game-changing products, when they don’t meet this goal it is seen as a failure. Steve Jobs is cursed with his success; he can never do anything mediocre.

And that’s exactly what the newly unveiled Apple TV is – mediocre.

The Apple TV wasn’t very popular compared to their other products. It was mainly ignored by popular culture, who swooned over the MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, and iPads. It was loved by those who did have it, but it was mostly the dedicated Apple users who actually looked that way.

This new Apple TV has shrunk in size, lost the hard drive (and the ability to purchase movies), and added a bunch of social media features – including Flickr and Mobile Me. Also new is the inclusion of Netflix and YouTube. This is interesting because Apple clearly understands the market dominance of those two services, and their product could not compete without them.

Apple decided to go another route with this box by removing the hard drive. Movies are not downloaded and stored anymore. It can stream movies on your computer through iTunes, but it won’t download to the box. The iTunes store will provide movies day-and-date with DVD (so they claim) for $4.99 – cheaper for library titles – and TV programs at $0.99 each. Everything will be available in HD where the original is in HD, and all movies will be in HD. (Apple claims 480p is HD, so we’ll keep an eye out on this.)

The best new feature is AirPlay, which streams from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch directly to the TV – a cool feature for those who have one of these devices.

The pre-sales are already available, and the product will begin shipping in 4 weeks. The best part is the Apple TV is now priced just $99, making it the most affordable Apple product that isn’t an accessory or the iPod Shuffle.

So why is it mediocre?

Well, because most people aren’t entirely sold on the whole-home Apple experience, so we don’t have Time Vaults, iMacs, AirPorts, etc as our entire home environment. While some people might like the ability to just enter their iTunes account information and get going, most of us don’t care if we get content from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, or whatever else there is out there. There are many devices already available on the market that offer the same features for less money, and soon we’ll have some with even more features at comparable costs. Also, most new HDTVs include all of these features without requiring a separate box.

Roku has had their Roku HD player on the market for over a year, and it now sells for $69 (SD version is $59). It provides Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix, Facebook, and many other features. Unless you care about buying through iTunes, or streaming from an iPhone, the Apple TV doesn’t quite compare.

Most new Blu-ray Disc players and many new audio/video receivers include these features standard.

Soon there will be products with Boxee or Google TV which also include all of these features, plus other features (like Hulu, and searching live TV).

The fact that most new HDTVs come with these features is also another reason why a separate box will have to offer something even more compelling. TVs from Vizio, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and many more all include Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and much more.

Even more, many of these new products are controllable from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

This version of the Apple TV just seems like playing catch up for Apple. It doesn’t offer anything new (besides AirPlay), and it’s not innovative. I guess this is why Jobs called it “One more thing hobby.” It’s something an Apple fan would like to add to their home, but it’s not where Apple is focusing a lot of attention.

The Boxee box or Google TV?

You should be familiar with both Boxee Box and Google TV by now. If you are not, click both links and inform yourself.

Basically, they both offer a single graphical user interface (GUI) to search the internet for streaming video content. They both have additional features, and some that do not overlap, but that is the driving feature for both. They are both priced under $200.

The Boxee Box is built by D-Link, and comes with the Boxee freeware installed. It was supposed to be available now, but the release has been moved back to November. Boxee is unique as it also integrates social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Buzz.




Google TV doesn’t have a whole lot of information available yet, but there will be both set-top boxes and integrated TVs. Logitech will have the first Google TV box, and they will announce its availability this fall. It is built on an Android platform, so it also includes Android apps – though I wouldn’t necessarily blame certain manufacturers from disabling this feature. The killer feature Google TV provides is the ability to connect a cable or satellite DVR so the GUI will also index television programs. The first partner is Dish Network; this would connect to the DVR and allow Google searches for live programs, and programs stored on the DVR.




There are, of course, competing boxes on the market – and one could also convert any PC into a Boxee Box at will – but these two seem to be the most promising solutions coming down the pipe.

It seems at $200, the Boxee could conceivably replace your existing cable DVR, and you would be saving money on cable service in under 2 months. On the other hand, there is still live programming and certain television serials unavailable on the internet still, so the Google TV would be a great compliment to Dish Network.

My question for you is, which box would you like in your home entertainment system?

How to use THX Optimizer video tests

Without a doubt, the first thing you want to do when you bring your new HDTV home from the store is setup the picture for optimal viewing. But the majority of people do not ever adjust the picture, and many don’t even know you can.

Fact: The default picture setting on HDTVs are set by the TV manufacturers to draw the consumer’s eye on the showroom floor. This means the picture is incredibly bright, and tinted blue. The reason they do this is because showrooms have bright overhead florescent lighting. But when you get the TV home, this setting is just too bright, and the colors are too blown out.



Fortunately, this is correctable through careful adjustments. Some manufacturers are now offering picture settings which are incredibly close to accurate. These are usually called something like “cinema,” “movie,” or “THX.” Start with one of these settings, and then use THX Optimizer to make picture adjustments.

For a list of movies which include the THX Optimizer, click this link. To view a video demonstration of THX video optimization, view the embedded video below.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is confused about 480p & HD

Hot on the heels of our post on Apple iTunes Movie Trailers claim 480p is “HD”, we’ve found another infractor in the collection of companies who aren’t labeling resolutions properly.

This time, the company-that-should-know-better is Microsoft. A friend of ours sent in a screenshot from the Xbox 360 game console, where 480p resolution is labeled as “HD”. Screenshots below.

Again, we’ll point out that 480p resolution does not qualify as high definition. 480p is the resolution utilized by DVD’s and is classified as “enhanced definition”, while anything 720p and up can be labeled as HD.

To give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they are only referring to the component cables as an HD capable transport method, but either way, their resolution selection screens could definitely be labeled a bit better, as they’ve caused some users to question whether 480p is indeed high definition, or not.

Have you seen 480p incorrectly labeled as HD or high definition? If so, we’d love to hear about it, so please let us know.

Thanks to Oliver for sending this in.

I Have a Defective Sony TV

Many people own Sony rear-projection HDTVs (RPTV) and remain blissfully unaware that their television is defective. Maybe they think discoloration is a normal part of TV wear – their old tube TV probably changed shades, and may have even introduced green and purple ghosts. But there is something they need to know: Every Sony high-definition RPTV ever made is defective! This includes LCoS (SXRD), LCD, and 3LCD technologies manufactured between 2002 and 2007.

There seems to be a variety of issues, but the main problem is the optical block. Symptoms of a defective TV include blue blobs or haze, green blobs or haze, yellow stains, purple dots, lines similar to an Etch-A-Sketch, and other various problems. Some TVs have even partially melted. Needless to say, if your TV is not bright, crisp, and natural-looking, you probably need to consider looking for a repair, or satisfaction of some sort.



For many of us, the original warranty for the TVs have expired. Sony did extend the warranty due to the pending optical block class action lawsuits, however as of this article, most of the models’ extended warranties have also expired.

I have a Sony RPTV from 2006, and it has developed yellow staining at the top portion of the picture. I can’t share the details of anything Sony offers me, but I will write a follow up detailing my experience with Sony.

What do I do about my defective Sony TV?

First, visit the unofficial Sony LCD Rear Projection TV Problems website, which has in depth information on Sony, the projection technologies, the problems, remedies, and legal actions being taken. This is an indispensable source of information.

If you are experiencing any problems, you can join the I Have a Defective Sony TV Facebook page. Sony monitors this page, and can provide you with information (and even send you a customer identification number).

Finally, call Sony at 800-554-6908 to discuss your situation. They are available Monday through Friday 9:00am to 8:00pm EST. I recommend talking with Scott Fuentes; he is incredibly helpful, and can let you know your options.

Sony PS3 lock-up with DTS:HD Blu-ray Disc

Over the past several months, I have noticed a problem with my PlayStation 3 (PS3). It began when I got Shaun of the Dead on Blu-ray Disc as a gift: The movie would freeze just as the main feature began.

The only way to escape the screen was to power off the system. After panicing for a few minutes, I tried another BD I had recently watched. It worked fine. I tried several movies, and they all worked well. After a few tests, I diagnosed the problem: titles with DTS:HD audio would cause the system to freeze. Dolby TrueHD, and other audio formats worked still.

Check out the video below for evidence of the issue.

The strange thing is, even if I change all of the settings on the PS3 to only output basic DTS audio, I get the same effect. DTS:HD embeds a standard DTS codec inside the file for systems incompatible with the next generation format, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I have the original 60GB PS3, I’m using HDMI cables to a Pioneer VSX-918-K receiver, and into a Sony KDF-50E2000 HDTV.

Steer clear of “universal” 3D glasses

With a wave of 3D products coming to the market, it’s difficult to know what is compatible with the new specs. While Blu-ray Disc players from one brand are compatible with televisions from another brand, the same is definitely not true for the required 3D shutter glasses.

XpanD has been a leader in third-party 3D glasses. They claim they work with any manufacturer’s IR sync signal, the problem lies with the color tinting associated with television manufacturer glasses.

Each brand has a unique shade on their lens, and the television (while in 3D mode) corrects for this shading. HD Guru tried out the XpanD glasses and found they will give different experiences based on different television brands.

Mitsubishi and Samsung lenses add a green tint, and Panasonic and Sony have an amber tint. With the universal glasses, people would look like either purplish or bluish respectively.

It may be possible to set up a custom color setting on your TV to make up for this tinting effect, but you will have to have a TV which can save multiple custom settings.

In related 3D glasses news, Toshiba is now manufacturing liquid crystal panels for 3D glasses.