January 1st, 2009
Ace Computers to release $999 CableCard-equipped home theater PCs
One of the major impediments to the growth of the home theater PC (HTPC) market has been the lack of digital cable TV support. Yes, Clear QAM tuners can handle unencrypted digital channels, but only now that cable companies have started getting behind the CableCard standard can consumers use their PCs to view and record encrypted cable channels. While HTPC makers have been selling CableCard-ready systems for $1,500 and up, Ace Computers is planning to show off a couple of $999 models at CES next week.
Covering its processor bases, the company is going to offer the LMS 250 with either an AMD Phenom X3 triple-core CPU or an Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 CPU. The Phenom config is based around AMD’s Maui entertainment platform, while the Core 2 Duo version may be the last computer to use Intel’s unsuccessful Viiv media-friendly technology. (Or at least the last to advertise it.) Either LMS 250 comes with 2GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, and internal ATI Digital Cable Tuner, which houses the CableCard you get from your cable provider. The AMD version comes with a whopping 12 USB ports, while the Intel config sports 8 USB ports.
Both come with the latest version of Windows Vista Home Premium, which ships with Windows Media Center built in. That latest version is an OEM-only upgrade that finally brings CableCard support to Windows Media Center. You can spend an extra $100 on a Blu-ray drive, and the acoustically dampened case also supports an additional ATI Digital Cable Tuner for recording even more programming. (That version of the LMS 250 costs $1,249.) Ace is definitely making a statement by lowering the price of a CableCard-compatible HTPC under $1,000. But will that be enough to broaden the HTPC market as more companies try to bring elements of the PC into the home theater through other devices?
December 22nd, 2008
Netflix Player by Roku adds streaming HD content
For $99, the Netflix Player by Roku was already a pretty good deal for getting on-demand content from Netflix’s Watch Now service streamed to your TV. Now Roku has upgraded the device to support HD streaming from Netflix, which should help it answer one of the chief criticisms leveled at the player: video quality that’s lackluster on a high-def set.
However, another limitation of the Roku player is that the number of titles available for streaming (about 12,000) are just a fraction of Netflix’s library for DVD rentals, and the number of streaming HD titles is only in the hundreds. Roku says other HD content providers are expected to join Netflix early next year. It also promises that HD streaming can begin instantly over an average broadband connection, but this will need to be confirmed out in the real world—along with the streaming quality throughout the course of an HD movie.
Still, owners of the device can’t complain too much, since the update is free.
December 20th, 2008
Intel to showcase Widget Channel Internet TV platform at CES
Another tech heavyweight is jumping into the battle over bringing the Internet to the living room. Intel will be showing off its new Widget Channel platform, which combines the new Media Processor CE 3100 with a software framework for displaying widgets of information on your TV, at next month’s CES event.
Intel is targeting its solution at device makers, rather than producing any set-top boxes itself. The new chips include high-definition video processing functions as well as enough horsepower to display multiple widgets on your set at the same time you’re watching TV (as shown in the image above). Intel and Yahoo have worked on a widget platform that will allow viewers to stream weather reports, sports scores, Flickr galleries, and the like, along with anything third parties can develop using the Widget Channel API.
The new platform was displayed a few months ago at the Intel Developers Forum, where it was shown off with the help of Gigabyte’s Media Processor CE 3100 box. Since then, Intel has been mum on any other device makers or TV manufacturers that plan to offer Widget Channel products in the future. That will change next month in Vegas, where the company says it will unveil prototype Widget Channel devices. I’ll submit a full report after I take a first-hand look at CES.
December 16th, 2008
Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Soundbar speaker systems
Some enthusiasts want the accuracy of a full surround-sound speaker setup handling their home theater audio output, but judging from the number of soundbar solutions that have been hitting the marketplace, many people are willing to trade fidelity for a single speaker (and often a subwoofer) that doesn’t require you strewing cables all around your living room. They provide a sleek look and adequate audio for those you don’t mind their virtual surround sound technology. If that sounds like a good gift to give yourself or someone with a new HDTV, here are five different soundbars that can provide the perfect fit for a home theater setup.
December 13th, 2008
Wireless HD standards battle for supremacy
It’s pretty clear that the future for sending high-definition content to HDTVs is wireless, since it eliminates all those cables that everyone is trying to hide behind walls, in home theater cabinetry, or however else they can. But as is often the case with nascent technologies, the best approach for transmitting wireless HD is up for grabs.
The upcoming CES spectacular next month in Vegas will present a showcase for new products championing one standard or another. In fact, market research firm Parks Associates is planning a panel where four proponents of those methods&—WirelessHD, WHDI, wireless HDMI, and 802.11n#151;will duke it out. Of course, the marketplace is where the real fight will take place, and it’s still too early to declare a winner, since virtually no wireless HD products are available in the U.S. The Belkin FlyWire (pictured above) looked very promising when it was first unveiled last summer, but its release date has now been pushed back to the second half of next year, and it costs $1,500. Another (and available) product of note in this space has been Sony’s Bravia DMX-WL1, a wireless module that costs $800. It uses Amimo’s WHDI chipset; other WHDI supporters include Hitachi, Motorola, Sharp, and Samsung.
Sharp and Samsung also support WirelessHD, which counts as Intel, LG Electronics, Panasonic, and Toshiba as other backers. Westinghouse has partnered with Pulse~Link to create HDTVs using CWave Wireless-for-HDMI technology, while British company ProVision Communications is set to announce products based on the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, which is certainly the most familiar technology, if one that has yet been promoted by any TV maker. One additional alternative is Sigma Designs’ WirelessHDAV, which Monster Cable is using for its Monster Wireless Digital Express HD system. Announced in the fall, it’s now slated for the “near future” and will cost $1,000.
There should be plenty to report from CES on the topic when I hit Vegas next month. But you can be sure, any new wireless HD products will be expensive and have plenty of kinks to work out.
December 9th, 2008
Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Three Ultimate HDTVs
Though putting together a high-end home theater for a few thousand dollars might seem like an awful lot of money in this economy, there are a lucky few who can afford to spend the same amount just on their TV. (Of course, many also choose to go the projector route when creating an ultimate home theater costing many, many thousands of dollars.) If you have the cash to burn, and a burning desire to get the highest of high-end HDTV, here are three sets—one plasma, one LCD, and one rear-projection—that will bring the “wow” factor to your home theater setup.
December 3rd, 2008
Holiday Gift Guide 2008: High-end home theater setups
Economy be damned, you want to upgrade your home theater—and do it right—for the holidays (and/or in anticipation of the Super Bowl). If you have the means to spend more than two grand on a set and the hundreds and hundreds more to round out your setup with primo components, you won’t lack for superb options.
High-End HDTVs
Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U
Believe it or not, you can get Panasonic’s fantastic 50-inch 1080p plasma for around $2,000, showing how even top-of-the-line sets are free falling in price. As with the best plasmas, the TH-50PZ800U produces deep black levels that most LCDs can’t hold a candle to. But what really sets this HDTV apart is its inclusion of THX Display Certification; the THX mode automatically calibrates the picture according to the content being displayed, so you don’t need to endlessly tweak picture controls manually for the best image quality.
November 30th, 2008
Surveys show consumers love HDTVs, but show some confusion about HD programming
Two recent research studies have found that the demand from U.S. consumers for HDTVs hasn’t slackened despite the tough economy, but confusion remains about what you do with the TV once the set is purchased.
You would presume that people are seeking out HDTVs in order to step up to the superior image quality of high-definition programming, and yet the Leichtman Research Group found that an astonishing 18 percent of HDTV owners mistakenly think they’re watching HD programs when they are watching standard-definition broadcasts. That confusion isn’t helped by the fact that 42 percent of those surveyed weren’t educated on how to obtain high-definition programming when they were buying their sets. As a result, many people buy a flat screen, take it home, plug it into their set-top box, and just think they have HD.
With their prices plummeting, people are also buying more and more 1080p HDTVs, which means they have the 1,920×1,080 resolution necessary to show Blu-ray discs in their full glory. But even though Blu-ray is now the sole high-def disc format in the marketplace, and prices for players have dropped to $200 or less, only 8 percent of consumers are planning to purchase Blu-ray players this holiday season, according to a survey by ABI Research. Perhaps people aren’t aware that they can take advantage of their 1080p sets with Blu-ray, or perhaps they’re satisfied with the video quality from upconverting standard definition DVD players. Either way, it appears that Blu-ray players will need to be even cheaper to really catch on with mainstream buyers—maybe $100 or under.
Whether or not consumers are aware enough to make the best use of their new sets, they still are looking to purchase HDTVs. ABI Research found that 18 percent of people were going to buy a new HDTV over the holidays, while Leicthman’s survey showed that a quarter of respondents were planning to buy one in the next year.
November 25th, 2008
Blockbuster joins movie-streaming race with 2Wire MediaPoint digital media player
With Netflix pushing hard into the living room with the Netflix Player by Roku, Vudu offering an improved device (the BX100) with HD streaming, and, of course, Apple TV still hanging around, Blockbuster was bound to want to join the streaming movie club, even if the company is on the ropes. Finally, the movie rental (once) giant has hit this niche of the home theater market, teaming up with 2Wire to introduce the MediaPoint player, which costs $99 in the form of paying for 25 movie rentals in advance. (So, free, but not.)
Subsequent rentals from Blockbuster OnDemand will cost $1.99 and up; downloads for your PC currently run $3.99 for newer releases. Movies can play immediately or can be stored on the MediaPoint unit, though neither company announced how much storage is on the player. Content can be transmitted wirelessly through the player’s built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi or wired through its Ethernet port. Video outputs include HDMI, component video, and composite video, while audio can be sent via a digital optical Toslink connection. You can currently order the MediaPoint device at Blockbuster’s Web site; presumably it will be available at the company’s bricks-and-mortar locations.
Loading …November 23rd, 2008
2008 Holiday Buying Guide: Midrange home theater setups
Last week, I gave some recommendations for budget home theater setups. This time, I’m looking at home theater products for a slightly larger budget: TVs that cost between $1,000 and $2,000, plus slightly more expensive components. Even with the additional outlay, it doesn’t add up to a ridiculous sum, and you’ll be getting an incredible experience in your living room, especially if this is your first upgrade to HD.
Midrange HDTVs
Sony KDL-46W4100
If you want a solid Sony at a respectable price, this 46-inch 1080p model fits the bill. Its main strengths are its 120Hz refresh rate and dejudder video processing and excellent black-level performance for an LCD.
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Recent Entries
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- Intel to showcase Widget Channel Internet TV platform at CES
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