Fri Archive

  • A year after the digital transition

    A year after the digital transition

    Posted on June 18, 2010 | No Comments
    Retrevo survey graphs
    We were all digital transition, all the time around here for a while last Summer and have been talking about it in one way or another since the birth of the site. But in the last year we haven't said much and we think that's a good thing. The electronic shopping site Retrevo has been thinking about it though, and has put a survey out to its users and compiled the results of over 200 respondents. Now you know how much we love consumer surveys about electronics, but in this case the numbers look to be in line with our expectations. Overall people think the transition was a good thing, but that number is exactly 1 percent lower than those who say they were unaffected -- figures. 19 percent of respondents bought a new TV and 13 percent just got cable or satellite instead. Seems likely enough. But our favorite is the 9 percent who bought a converter box but then never bothered to even hook it up; real nice use of tax payer funds. Personally we go under the unaffected column since honestly we started watching over-the-air HD years ago and have never looked back.

    A year after the digital transition originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HDTV Listings for June 18, 2010

    HDTV Listings for June 18, 2010

    Posted on June 18, 2010 | No Comments

    What we're watching tonight:
    • NBC (1080i) has Friday Night Lights at 8 p.m.
    • CBS (1080i) has Flashpoint at 9 p.m. and Miami Medical at 10 p.m.
    • MyNetworkTV (720p) has WWE Smackdown at 8 p.m.
    • TLC (1080i) has Say Yes to the Dress at 9 & 9:30 p.m. and the series premiere of Battle of the Wedding Designers at 10 p.m.
    • Discovery (1080i) has Discovery Saved My Life at 9 p.m. and Dual Survival at 10 p.m.
    • Syfy (1080i) has Merlin at 10 p.m.
    • Starz (1080i) has Party Down at 10 p.m. and Gravity at 10:30 p.m.
    • History (720p) has Gangland at 10 p.m.
    • ESPN2 (720p) has World Cup Primetime at 7:30 p.m.

    HDTV Listings for June 18, 2010 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Comcast to roll out more MPEG-4 starting with 3D

    Comcast to roll out more MPEG-4 starting with 3D

    Posted on June 18, 2010 | No Comments
    Motorola MPEG4 set-top box
    And you 3D haters thought that nothing good could come of 3D technology, then we find out that Comcast is finally putting its 10 million MPEG-4 compatible set-top boxes to use -- although ESPN is only sending out ESPN 3D as MPEG-4, the Comcast's Media Center is sending out two streams -- the original and the transcoded MPEG-2 variety -- to its facilities around the country. The local Comcast office picks which to send out your way for now (which caused lots of issues on launch day since most didn't realize their MPEG-2 only box wasn't compatible) but that changes in August when all 3D signals will be sent via MPEG-4 and those with older boxes will just have to upgrade to enjoy their new 3DTV -- so much for the benefits of frame compatible 3D. MPEG-4 is a win win for consumers and the cable provider, as it takes less bandwidth on the providers network and uses less space on those pitiful 160GB cable DVRs.

    Comcast to roll out more MPEG-4 starting with 3D originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Why there’s no such thing as universal 3D glasses

    Why there’s no such thing as universal 3D glasses

    Posted on June 18, 2010 | No Comments
    XpanD X103
    Some consumers hate everything about 3D and probably spend ridiculous amounts of time collecting facts to enforce their argument that 3D is a gimmick and will end up a passing fad. One of the more recent observations of evidence was the fact that a pair of 3D glasses from one 3DTV aren't compatible with other 3DTVs. We agree that this is less than ideal, but then again we've always thought the same thing about the remotes that come with all our home theater components. XpanD intends to release its X103 universal shutter glasses, but do they really work as good as the ones that ship with your 3DTV? Evidently just being compatible with the IR sync signal isn't enough, and in fact 3D glasses are often tinted to optimize the picture quality -- like including an amber tint to correct the colors on a 3DTV. In addition, the glasses do block light and one pair of glasses for a 3D LCD might block too much light to be used with a plasma -- since it can't get bright enough to let you skip the tanning bed. This seems like a valid concern, but it also seems like a problem that could be overcome with appropriate calibration techniques. But then again, everyone would still have to have the same pair of glasses, so it kind of defeats the purpose.

    Why there's no such thing as universal 3D glasses originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • DVBLink turns any ATSC or clear QAM tuner into a networked tuner

    DVBLink turns any ATSC or clear QAM tuner into a networked tuner

    Posted on June 18, 2010 | No Comments
    DVBLogic
    A craze that was started by Silicon Dust years ago is very popular for a very good reason -- network tuners are incredibly flexible -- and it just came to any ATSC or clear QAM tuner. The company DVBLogic has made it possible to turn any DVB tuner into a network tuner for some time, but since we don't DVB in the US, it hasn't been very useful on this side of the Atlantic. The latest release of DVBLink includes said ability which might be just the way for you to watch live HD on your laptop using the existing tuner in your HTPC. It isn't free software, but we're betting if you have the need the ~40 Euro price won't keep you from it -- assuming the free 30 day trial works as advertised.

    DVBLink turns any ATSC or clear QAM tuner into a networked tuner originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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