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Category: HDTV News

Amazon Adds MGM Movies

June 18, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Amazon Instant Video is the quiet third-place contender behind Netflix and Hulu, but the service keeps adding content to its catalog. Many of the titles are available for free streaming -- some in high-definition -- for customers who pay for an Amazon Prime membership at $79 per year. In addition to benefits such as free two-day shipping on most orders and free "borrowing" of Kindle books, members also get to...

Net Neutrality: Justice Department Investigates Cable

June 15, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into cable television company practices, especially as they relate to streaming online video from sources such as Netflix and Hulu. One focus of the agency's concerns is the fact that some cable companies are imposing data caps on subscriber usage of broadband network connections. In particular, the Justice Department is probing Comcast's preferential treatment of its...

Comcast, TiVo, and… PayPal?

June 14, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Attention: QVC Shoppers! Open up those home equity credit lines because shopping online is about to get faster and easier! On Tuesday, Scott Dunlap, vice president of emerging opportunities with PayPal, announced a new partnership with Comcast and TiVo. What could a cable giant, a DVR maker, and an online payment processor possibly do together? Let you buy stuff directly from your television, that's what! This means that you'll be able...

Alfred Poor on Video about HDTV

June 13, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of discussing HDTV and related topics with David Gewirtz of ZDNet, which he captured on video. We covered a wide range of topics, including OLED HDTVs, 3DTV, screen sizes, Smart TVs, and "direct LED" TVs. The video runs almost a full hour and was made during a Skype video call. (David has invested a lot of time and effort to develop a pretty sophisticated "Skype...

Redbox and Netflix Go Around Disney for “John Carter”

June 12, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

In yet another attempt to put a genie back in the bottle, Disney has decided not to give Redbox or Netflix access to "John Carter" on DVD when the movie becomes available for retail customers, according to a story in the LA Times. Instead, the disc rental companies will have to wait at least 28 days before it can buy at a discount from Disney. So two disc rental giants went...

OLED HDTVs Are Really Coming… Maybe

June 11, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

[Revised 6/12/12 after feedback from Ray Soneira] Okay, I have to start by waving the white flag of surrender. As many of you may have noticed, I went "dark" for an extended period last fall while I was working on some major projects. For the past month or so, I've been behind but I was struggling to catch up by back-dating my entries. Well, I was in Boston all last...

Comcast Partners with Skype

May 21, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

In a joint announcement last week, Comcast and Skype unveiled plans to provide video chat service to Xfinity customers. By adding an adapter box to their set-top box and a "high-quality" video camera, subscribers will be able to send or receive instant messages or video calls to any Skype user worldwide, including smart phones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as other Comcast subscribers who are equipped for Skype calls. The...

Turn a Projector into 3D with SmartCrystal Pro

May 17, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

My good friend, colleague, and sometimes co-author M. David Stone alerted me to a product that he recently reviewed for PC Magazine: the SmartCrystal Pro from Volfoni. This is a device that can turn any 3D-capable front projector into one that uses passive glasses for $1,500 (street price). Inexpensive 3D projectors require you to use bulky shutter glasses, but the SmartCrystal Pro lets you wear the same inexpensive passive glasses that you...

Cable Loses; Telco Wins; SatTV Draws

May 16, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

The Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) recently reported on the pay television service subscriber counts for 2011. The numbers have not really changed much compared with 2010. The big losers continue to be the cable companies; the top 10 U.S. cable services lost more than 1.6 million subscribers in 2011. The telco services (Verizon's FiOS and AT&T's U-verse) picked up the lion's share of the gains, splitting 1.5 million new video...

Mobile DTV Stuck in the Mud?

May 15, 2012 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

I've gone on the record with my pessimism about Mobile DTV, and recent events have done nothing to change my view of the situation. TV Technology recently published an article about a discussion of Mobile TV at the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) in Washington that confirms my suspicions. Jay Adrick is Vice President for Broadcast Technology at Harris Broadcast, and he was involved in the development of the standard. According...