NEW YORK, 1:40 PM, THU JUL 24 | 77 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@gizmodo.com | RSS
UK | FR | NL | IT | DE | ES | JP | AU
Posts Tagged “

Home Entertainment

”
giz explains

Giz Explains: Dolby, DTS and Home Theater Audio Codec Confusion

You actually know what some of the crazy doodles on the side of an HDTV means when it comes to video—720p, 1080i, 1080p. Congrats, you're ahead of most people, like my mother. But do you understand the alphabet soup of audio, the confounding constellation of logos on your Blu-ray player's box? While there are basically two rival home-theater audio encoders—Dolby and DTS—they each have several different quality levels and options for different scenarios. Yeah, it's a lot to keep up with, and it annoys us too. So we asked Dolby and DTS to put down their guns for a sec and help us sort it out. More »

Feature

2:00 PM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By matt buchanan
14,080 views, 39 comments

Latest by n/a: @andyo: I'll take any blind ABX test. But I'll never say I will have every answer right but I hear differences in stereo image depth, quality of the sounds with a large noise component, and transients (sharp attacks of eg more »

tvs

Samsung 8 Series 850 and 860 Slim LCDs: 1.9 Inches Thick, with Ethernet and a "Touch of Color"

Going for thin and pretty, Samsung launched its Series 8 LCDs—the 850 and 860 models—with new bodies that are just 1.9-inches thick at the middle, and thinner on the ends. The 120Hz sets also come with a "Touch of Color" thanks to injection molding—rose for the 850 and deep blue for the 860. A USB 2.0 jack lets you decode images and videos (including XviD and MPEG4) stored on hard drives or cameras. Connect the TV to your LAN via Ethernet or optional $35 wireless adapter, and you get access to DLNA content plus Samsung's new InfoLink RSS service, with news, stocks and weather info from USA Today, in "adjustable overlays". No word on when Giz would appear. Also, we're still waiting for the next gen LED backlit LCDs. Jump for more pics, plus specifications and pricing, which range from $2,700 to $3,500. More »

10:32 AM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By Wilson Rothman
2,513 views, 8 comments

Latest by Wilson Rothman: @llryuujinll: You know what? I was thinking the same thing. I'll let you know when we find out. But I think, yeah, that's it. more »

vizio

Vizio's VP505XVT 50-Inch 1080p Plasma TV Will Cost $1,600, Use Panasonic Panel

Part of Vizio's new XVT premium line, the 50-inch VP505XVT plasma known in a past life as the VP504F, actually uses Panasonic panels, meaning it'll have something in common with future versions of Pioneer's top-of-the-line Kuro sets. Yes, the plasma universe is collapsing upon itself as we speak, though for not that might not be a bad thing. And yeah, the 1080p set has Silicon Optix's HQV Reon processor. Here's what all you're getting for $1599 when this finally hits in mid-September: More »

9:05 AM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By matt buchanan
3,542 views, 10 comments

Latest by n/a: The 505 was supposed to ship in July. more »

vizio

Vizio Black Tie XVT 120Hz LCDs Out Soon; Wal-Mart Getting 120Hz By Next Year

Vizio's 120Hz LCD TVs from CES are not vapor, instead coalescing into very real products. The 47- and 42-inch sets—rebranded "Black Tie" as part of the company's new performance XVT line—will be available in just a couple weeks for $1,500 and $1,200 MSRP, at street prices of around 1,400 and $1,100 respectively. I checked them out—and they weren't bad. More »

9:00 AM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By matt buchanan
2,790 views, 15 comments

sony

Sony HQ Shows Off 3D Fish Footage on 200-inch Mystery Display

Apparently, the new attraction at Sony's Tokyo headquarters is a gigantic 200-inch display showing HD underwater footage in 3D. The footage was shot by divers in the Okanawa aquarium with a couple of high-end Sony cameras, but what we're really interested in is that display. What is it? More »

10:41 AM on Tue Jul 22 2008
By Adam Frucci
8,891 views, 21 comments

Latest by Intro24: That would probably make a good screen saver. more »

netflix

Video of Netflix on the Xbox 360 in Action

Curious as to just how the Netflix functionality is going to work on the Xbox 360 when it's added this fall? Major Nelson just posted a video of him going through it, showing off just how it's going to work. Essentially, it looks exactly like the interface on the Roku Netflix box. More »

7:00 PM on Mon Jul 21 2008
By Adam Frucci
4,385 views, 29 comments

Latest by michaelleung: The XBOX Experience is the stupidest name ever. And since I'm in Hong Kong, I couldn't care less about Netflix. more »

retromodo

Horn Subwoofer Takes Up Crazy Man's Entire Basement

While you might think you have a pretty sizable subwoofer, when it's compared to this crazy Italian man's subwoofer, it's downright pathetic. That's because he essentially converted his entire basement into one ridiculously large subwoofer.Update: OK, so this is a few years old (circa 2000), but I'd never seen it and it seems like many of you haven't either. So I'm leaving it up, but if you are offended by things that were made a few years ago you've been warned. More »

1:25 PM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Adam Frucci
28,380 views, 64 comments

Latest by tenthirtyone: Did anyone else immediately think of the super collider at CERN? Both are extreme, both European and both potentially world ending... more »

caption contest

Woz Knows When the Price is Right

Apparently, Woz is a Price is Right fan. Unfortunately, he was just sitting in the front row and was never called down to play Plinko or spin the big wheel, because I bet that he really knows the prices of household products and could use a new Lincoln Towncar or whatever it was they gave away that episode. Oh, Woz. Hit the jump for another screenshot of Woz enjoying himself some game show goodness, then let's hear your best captions in the comments section. Thanks, Brett! More »

12:47 PM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Adam Frucci
21,623 views, 93 comments

Latest by Torley: I like these Woz sightings! more »

satellite

New Dish Network Satellite Launched, More HD Channels On the Way

In order to offer more HD channels, satellite providers need more satellites. So happy day for Dish Network subscribers, their EchoStar XI satellite was successfully launched this morning after a satellite propelled into space last March didn't reach the right orbit. This'll let Dish add 17 new HD channels shortly, bringing them up to 100. DirecTV says they'll have over 150 by the end of the year, though Dish's upcoming all-HD TurboHD package could wind up being a better deal if history is any guide. [Reuters]

11:30 AM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By matt buchanan
3,172 views, 23 comments

Latest by n/a: Usama, Tree's grow every year and most likely now are blocking the dish network signal. But still allow you to get a DirecTV signal due to the difference of positions of the sats. more »

wii

Nintendo Announces Wii Music: Look Out, Beamz!

Nintendo just announced Wii Music, a new music game that lets you use the Wiimote, Nunchuk and Balance Board to create music. Unlike Rock Band or Guitar Hero, this one isn't based on precise timing. Rather, it lets you basically hit buttons and swing the remote around to create original tunes. The Wii interprets your motions and button presses to make music for you. Essentially, this is like Beamz but instead of lasers, you use the Wiimote and Balance Board. Awesome? More »

1:04 PM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Adam Frucci
6,551 views, 18 comments

Latest by MagnoliaBoy: Awsome? Yeees! more »

wii

Logitech Announces Wireless Keyboard for the Wii

If you use your Wii to surf the web because you really miss your WebTV and want to relive the frustrations of using the internet on your television, this new Logitech Cordless Keyboard for Wii was designed with you in mind. It broadcasts using 2.4 GHz wireless technology and works from up to 30 feet away. Designed with the Wii in mind, it comes with dedicated buttons for Zoom In/Out, Forward/Back, Quit and OK. If it was really designed with the Wii in mind, you'd be able to move forward and back by swinging the entire keyboard around, but alas, that feature isn't included. No word on a release date, but it'll set you back $50 when it drops. [Product Page via CrunchGear]

9:32 AM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Adam Frucci
2,774 views, 13 comments

Latest by n/a: I have a Logitech diNovo Mini ([www.logitech.com]). I use it with my Wii, my PS3, and any of my other computers which have Bluetooth capability. The diNovo comes with a USB dongle which I leave in my Wii (100ft Bluetooth) more »

Breaking

Netflix Streaming On Xbox 360

Coming in the fall Xbox 360 update: Netflix! Yes, Xbox 360 owners who are also Netflix subscribers will be able to stream movies available for online streaming now straight to their consoles. You can also share your Netflix movies with friends via your Xbox Live party so you can watch stuff together, although you'll need a Gold account. Here's hoping you Xbox owners didn't shell out for a Roku box, as it's about to become useless. Oops! But still, awesome. [Gizmodo's E3 Microsoft Liveblog]

2:28 PM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Adam Frucci
11,731 views, 56 comments

Latest by n/a: About time there was some official support for this. I've been using the plug-in but sometimes it can get a bit flaky. more »

blu-ray

Warner Bros. Cutting Blu-ray Movie Prices This Fall

Is this is it? The beginning of decent Blu-ray movie prices? Warner Bros. is going cut prices on a smorgasbord of Blu-ray movies for retailers in September (some as low as $11), meaning you should see the them slide at least a couple of bucks. More »

1:20 PM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By matt buchanan
5,460 views, 18 comments

Breaking

Wii MotionPlus Brings More Accurate Motion-Sensing to the Wii

Nintendo just announced the Wii MotionPlus, a small peripheral that plugs on to the bottom of the Wiimote to give greatly improved motion sensing, allowing for games to truly use your motion on screen for, say, a lightsaber game. More »

11:59 AM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Adam Frucci
13,727 views, 44 comments

belkin flywire

Belkin FlyWire Wireless HDMI Box Beams 1080p Anywhere in Your House, Looks Fantastic

We first saw Belkin's slick-looking wireless HDMI kit at CES, when it was due in September for about $600. Now dubbed FlyWire (nice and catchy!), they've got two initial entries: FlyWire will shoot full 1080p goodness using the 5GHz band to anywhere in your house, walls be damned, for $999. Plus, it has an IR backchannel for controlling hidden AV devices. Or FlyWire R1 gets you in-room wireless for $699.99. More »

3:00 AM on Thu Jul 10 2008
By matt buchanan
7,270 views, 30 comments

Latest by sdsdv10: This isn't a traditional video streaming device. It is more like a "Sonos" for HD video (not exactly the same but similar). Put you BluRay disk player, HTPC, HD Sat. box, etc anywhere in your house connected to the transmiter, more »

giz explains

Giz Explains: CableCARD and the Future of Cable TV

The big bad cable industry is under assault. The internet is stealing viewers who can check out their favorite shows on Hulu while fiber and IPTV deliver speed and features they can't quite match. Yet. A new cable internet standard rolling out this year will let them catch up speedwise. To battle the dizzying array of possibilities IPTV offers, the cable industry has its own white knight: Tru2way, a new kind of CableCARD that will deliver real interactive features to cable subscribers, and kill the loathed cable box in the process. More »

Feature

7:00 PM on Wed Jul 9 2008
By matt buchanan
7,780 views, 35 comments

Latest by Somadis: This is clever marketing more »

review

Lightning Review: i2i Stream Wireless Music Sharing Device

The Gadget: Aerielle's i2i Stream allows users to share audio from any source between two or more i2i devices using a wireless 2.4 GHz frequency. Just plug in a set of headphones and listen to the music your friends are broadcasting on their i2i Streams (up to 7 audio sources). More »

3:40 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Sean Fallon
1,674 views, 3 comments

Latest by n/a: @jeepingeek: You're tellin' me -- my GF's vibrator operates in 2.4 GHz, so every time she gets off, the cordless phone rings. more »

video gaming

Ear Force X4 Headphones: Surround Sound Cussing on Xbox 360

While we enjoyed gaming with the wireless surround sound headphones we tested in our Battlemodo, the major inherent flaw with the systems were their lack of voice-chat capabilities. Now Turtle Beach has announced the Ear Force X4 wireless headphones that combine Dolby 5.1 decoding and voice chat in a package that's compatible with the Xbox 360.

More »

11:30 AM on Mon Jul 7 2008
By Mark Wilson
4,466 views, 27 comments

next »