DVD and Blu-ray

Portable Video for the Car

Dale — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:26:01 -0500

A reader recently asked for our suggestion regarding portable video for the car. Are you going to be traveling in a car for the holidays? What's the best solution to keep your family sane and keep the number of times you hear, "Are we there yet?" to a minimum? Read on.

Portable DVD Players

If you'd like something the entire family (except the driver!) can watch, pick up a portable DVD player. Powered by the accessory port, they include a headphone jack. You can use headphones or run a cord into your car's stereo system via cassette adapter or auxiliary in port. This way, even the driver can at least listen to the movie, and if it's a movie he's seen a few times (entirely likely), he can pretty much visualize the events in his head. That said, don't get too caught up in what's going on in your head lest you lose focus on the road.

For not much more, you can get a portable DVD player with 2 screens, which comes in handy for a couple reasons:

You don't have to turn it just right so kids on both sides of the minivan can see it.
If you have kids in the minivan's "way back," you can have a screen for each seat.

Most portable DVD players also have auxiliary in and out ports, allowing you to run the A/V from your iPod or other portable media player through it or maybe even feed it into the TV in your hotel room or at Grandma's house.

The portable DVD player does have some disadvantages, though:

The kids have to agree on which movie to watch. If you have more than 1 DVD, good luck with that.
If your car only has 1 auxiliary power port which you're already using to power your GPS, you'll need a splitter. They're affordable enough, but it's one more hassle.
Unless you have one built into the roof of your minivan (in which case you're not reading this), they're a hassle to set up. You have to rig the straps, run the cords...eventually, you'll get tired of it and stop using it.
If the adults in the car want to listen to podcasts or music while driving, you need to run headphones to everyone, which means more cords running through the car. Eventually, it starts to look like the back of your entertainment center, but your kids are wrapped up in it.

You can also get a portable DVD player for each kid, but keep in mind that these things eat power like crazy because of the big moving spindle, so they either need to plug in or have a 10 lb. battery attached. We had one, and the battery died in a few months.

Handheld Video

Your other option is to get each person in the car a personal video device like an iPod or the like. These give each kid the advantage of making personal video choices contrary to a sibling's preference. Get tired of something? Easily switch to something else. Batteries last several hours without having to recharge, and no setup necessary.

What are the disadvantages of this option?

Expensive. You can get a portable DVD player with 2 screens for about $150-200. Even a used iPod with video will set you back that much, and you need one for each kid, so if you have 3 kids like us, that gets pricey fast.

The family is isolated from each other. Is it really a family trip when each member of the family is in a separate personal world? You have to decide this for yourself.

Small screen. You can fit about 4 ipod screens onto a typical DVD player screen.

If you have a lot of movies on DVD, you have to use (technically illegal) ripping software to transfer them.

That said, our family opted for the separate iPod option. They can listen to music, watch movies, or set it easily aside to play games on a Nintendo DS or Leapfrog Didj.

Each family is different, so I can't honestly make that choice for your family, but I hope these considerations will help you make the decision that's best for your family. If you have other pros/cons you'd like to add, feel free to post below.

What does your family do for long car rides? Have you found a solution that makes the kids say, "We're there already?!" Post a comment below.

Blockbuster(R) Rolls Out Blu-ray Format Across U.S. & Canada

Dale — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:43:45 -0400

Company Committed to Being Customers' Blu-ray And Standard DVD Headquarters

Company Installing Blu-ray Kiosks In Almost 5,000 Stores

DALLAS, April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beginning this week, in addition to the standard DVDs lining its shelves, Blockbuster Inc. will be offering customers something extra -- Blu-ray movies, for rent and sale in all of its corporate stores in the U.S., as well as in Canada, and select domestic franchise locations. Blockbuster made news last July with its announcement that the company was making Blu-ray available in 1,700 of its stores. Now, less than a year later, the company is positioning itself to become the customer's Blu-ray headquarters for rental and retail product with this national launch.

To highlight the availability of Blu-ray in its stores, Blockbuster is installing Blu-ray kiosks in the center of its stores. Featuring a 42-inch high-definition TV with movies playing via a PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) console, the Blu-ray kiosks will enable customers to experience the movie-viewing advantages of high-definition technology while also driving home the point that PS3 consoles double as Blu-ray players.

As for Blockbuster's by-mail service, in addition to the wide selection of Blu-ray titles it carries online, this week Blockbuster began offering online subscribers a Blu-ray preference setting so they can automatically indicate that they want to receive all available movies in the high-definition format.

"Blockbuster was the first national retailer to accurately recognize and react to consumers' preference for this format when we added Blu-ray discs to a large percentage of our stores last summer," said David Podeschi, Blockbuster Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Distribution and Logistics. "Now, with this national rollout, we believe Blockbuster is perfectly positioned to drive consumer adoption of this next generation DVD format and to become the customer's headquarters when it comes to renting or buying Blu-ray movies, whether in-store or online."

Podeschi continued, "Our mission at Blockbuster is to provide consumers with convenient access to media entertainment -- whether that's with Blu-ray or standard DVDs, retail or rental, through our stores, by mail and through new technologies."

Best Buy Stands Behind Customers By Awarding $50 Gift Cards to HD-DVD Purchasers

Dale — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:01:31 -0400

MINNEAPOLIS --(Business Wire)-- Mar. 19, 2008 With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.

"The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven't seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago," said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. "At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers' frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs."

Most Best Buy customers won't have to do anything to receive their gift card. As a demonstration of its commitment to its customers, Best Buy will proactively mail cards to all customers that the company can identify as having purchased an HD-DVD player. Members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase on BestBuy.com should look for their gift cards in the mail by May 1. Other customers who may not be easily identified can call (888) BEST BUY to receive their gift cards with proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.

"The beauty of this offer is that it doesn't require our customers to give up their HD-DVD player," said Barry Judge, chief marketing officer for Best Buy. "We know that many people who purchased these players have HD-DVD movies that they would like to continue to watch. We're telling our customers they can keep their players to play these movies as well as their older DVDs and use the $50 to treat themselves to anything else in our stores."

HD-DVD players can actually deliver greatly enhanced video performance with standard DVDs by upconverting the video resolution.

Beginning on March 21, customers who do want to get rid of their HD-DVD players can visit Best Buy's Online Trade-In Center atÂ http://www.bestbuytradein.com. Visitors to the site will receive instant estimates of the value of their HD-DVD players and movies. Those who agree with the estimates can then ship their goods to the Trade-In Center free of charge by downloading a prepaid shipping label and will receive an additional gift card as payment for their trade-in. This service is open to HD-DVD owners regardless of where they bought their player.

For more information visitÂ http://www.bestbuy.com/hddvd.

Corel Launches WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray, Delivering a Superior DVD and Blu-ray Disc Viewing Experience

Dale — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:52:11 -0400

Newest Release Offers Consumers Enhanced Viewing Options with a New, More Intuitive User Interface, New State-of-the-Art Upscaling Capability, Enhanced Blu-ray Disc Playback and the latest High-Definition Surround Sound Technology

OTTAWA --(Business Wire)-- Mar. 18, 2008 Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced the latest release of Corel(R) WinDVD(R), the world's number one DVD and video playback software on PCs. Corel(R) WinDVD(R) 9 Plus Blu-ray features a new, more intuitive user interface, new video technologies including advanced upscaling that enables users to create near-high-definition viewing with standard-definition DVDs, enhanced Blu-ray Disc playback, as well as the latest in high-definition surround sound for the ultimate viewing experience. With more than 200 million units shipped worldwide, WinDVD remains the industry standard for DVD, video and Blu-ray Disc playback.

"WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray is designed for the movie buff, frequent flyer and those who want a superior video and audio playback experience in one easy-to-use solution," said Jeff Hastings, President and General Manager, Digital Media at Corel. "More and more people are adopting the latest high-definition technologies such as Blu-ray Disc and AVCHD. With WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray, users will have access to the latest Blu-ray Disc playback capabilities including BonusView as well as revolutionary upscaling technology that enables users to create near-high-definition viewing with standard-definition DVDs."

New User Interface

The new user interface in WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray makes viewing and navigation easier providing a more pleasant viewing experience.

-Graphite Interface - The sophisticated graphite design blends seamlessly with a Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP or Windows Vista(R) desktop.

-Navigation Controls - The de-cluttered user interface displays a clean, sleek look where navigation controls can be hidden instantly. Users will find advanced audio and video controls to easily personalize the playback experience.

New State-of-the-Art Video Technologies

WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray maximizes the viewing experience with state-of-the-art video upscaling technologies including:

-Unique Trimension(TM) All2HD Upscaling - Converts standard-definition DVDs and videos to crisp near-high-definition video without the added expense of high-definition drives and media.

-Digital Natural Motion - Removes the judder effect from fast-motion scenes for the smoothest possible playback creating a better-than-original look.

-De-snow Filter - Removes digital noise from MPEG, H.264 and VC-1 low-resolution video to provide a clearer viewing experience.

-De-block Filter - Removes blocky digital artifacts from MPEG, H.264 and VC-1 compressed video.

Enhanced Blu-ray Disc Playback

With WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray, users can enjoy 1080p high-definition Hollywood blockbusters or Blu-ray Disc home movies.

-Advanced Interactive Content Support - Next-generation interactivity provides access to pop-up menus or picture-in-picture features with full BD-J support, all without interrupting the movie.

-Latest Surround Sound Technologies - Dolby(R) Digital Plus, Dolby(R) TrueHD and DTS-HD surround sound support are included in WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray for the ultimate audio experience.

-Next-Generation Hardware Acceleration - Experience superb playback of the most demanding titles with support for NVIDIA(R) PureVideo(R) HD and ATI Avivo(TM) HD hardware acceleration providing increased user support of high-definition playback.

-Fully Compliant with Content Protection Systems - Supports HDCP, AACS and BD+ to ensure worry-free playback now and into the future.

-AVCHD - Supports playback of video from AVCHD camcorders copied from the camcorder hard drive, on AVCHD disc or memory card.

Laptop Features

WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray optimizes the on-the-go movie viewing experience with the latest laptop features including:

-Battery Optimization - Extends the life of the laptop's battery providing extended playback time.

-TimeStretch - Increases video and audio playback speed so users never miss the ending of their favorite movie while traveling.

-Smart Stretch - Provides standard or widescreen viewing allowing flexibility for varying movie and laptop types.

-Virtual Surround Sound - Supports virtual surround sound technologies even when listening on headphones and stereo speakers.

Pricing and Availability

WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray is priced at $99.99 SRP (US and Canada), and is available starting today throughÂ http://www.corel.comÂ and over the coming weeks from Corel's global channel partners. WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray also includes HD DVD playback with Advanced Navigation, and all of the features and technologies in WinDVD 9 Plus and WinDVD 9.

WinDVD 9 Plus is priced at $79.99 SRP (US and Canada), and is available starting today throughÂ http://www.corel.comÂ and over the coming weeks from Corel's global channel partners. WinDVD 9 Plus includes play back of standard-definition DVD and video with advanced Trimension(TM)All2HD upscaling for a near-HD viewing experience, as well as AVCHD video playback. Audio playback technologies include Dolby(R) Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic(R) IIx and DTS Digital Surround. WinDVD 9 Plus includes all of the features and technologies in WinDVD 9.

WinDVD 9 is priced at $49.99 SRP (US and Canada), and is available starting today throughÂ http://www.corel.comÂ and over the coming weeks from Corel's global channel partners. WinDVD 9 is for users who want straight-forward playback of standard-definition videos and DVDs as well as DivX and QuickTime movies. WinDVD 9 includes Dolby(R) Digital, DTS 2.0 Channel, SRS TruSurround XT audio technologies.

Upgrades from WinDVD 6, 7 and 8 to WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray are priced at $59.99 SRP (US and Canada), and are available starting today throughÂ http://www.corel.com.

Roxio Launches Toast 9 Titanium

Dale — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:54:43 -0400

Blu-ray Disc Authoring and Remote Video Streaming to iPhone Arrive for Mac Consumers

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Roxio(R), a division of Sonic Solutions(R) (NASDAQ:SNIC) , the leader in digital media software, redefines Mac burning yet again with the introduction of Toast(R) 9 Titanium. Toast 9 allows consumers to record high-definition content from high-definition (HD) camcorders and favorite HD programming from TiVo(R) DVRs and Elgato's EyeTV devices to Blu-ray Disc (BD). Users also have the option to burn HD video and slide shows on standard DVDs. For on-the-go entertainment, Toast 9 introduces Roxio Streamer(TM). Streamer allows users to stream video content stored on their home Mac(R) to a Wi-Fi connected iPhone(R) or iPod(R) Touch or any Internet connected Mac or PC. Already the first choice for music fans wishing to create great sounding CDs and DVDs, Toast 9 offers the ability to capture streaming audio for recording Internet radio. Another Toast innovation allows captured music tracks to be automatically tagged with song titles, artist or other related information. Toast 9 Titanium is available direct from Roxio atÂ www.roxio.comÂ for $99.99. The High Definition/Blu-ray Disc (HD/BD) plug-in, which is needed to author BD video is sold separately for $19.99 and is available free for those who purchase Toast 9 online at roxio.com through April 13, 2008.

"With the growing adoption of high-definition devices, comes the need for consumer applications that allow users to enhance and enjoy their favorite movies, photos and music on HDTVs or on-the-go," said Vito Salvaggio, vice president of consumer products, Sonic Solutions. "With high-definition video authoring, remote streaming of personal and commercial content, as well as exciting audio innovations, Toast 9 continues its long history of breakthrough features that empower Mac users to make the most of their digital media."

Toast 9 is packed with new features and enhancements that set the standard for burning, watching, listening and sharing digital content on the Mac and beyond.

Toast 9 Highlights:Burn* Blu-ray Disc Support - Store as many as 12,500 music tracks, 50,000photos, and hours of high-definition video on a single 50 GB Blu-rayDisc.* Mac & PC Data Spanning - Span large files across multiple discs,including Blu-ray Discs, for easy retrieval on any Mac or PC.Watch* Life in High-Def - Enabled by a HD/BD plug-in, consumers can burn HDvideo content to Blu-ray Disc and watch it on their HDTV using anyBD set top player. For consumers who do not own a BD burner ormedia, the plug-in allows burning high-definition content tostandard DVDs. Users can also create HD video projects using footagefrom AVCHD camcorders or recorded TV shows or movies.* Video Editing - Easy removal of unwanted video segments from TiVo,Elgato's EyeTV, and QuickTime(R) video files before burning thefinal project to disc or exporting it to a portable player.* Time Savers - Toast 9 includes a variety of innovative featuresdesigned to simplify and accelerate the otherwise time consuming andCPU intensive video conversion process. These include Batch DVD-Video conversion to enable consumers to queue multiple video filesfor use with Roxio's Fit-to-DVD(TM) compression technology. TheFit-to-DVD compression technology enables consumers to compresslarge files to fit on a single layer 4.7 GB disc. Pause and Resumebuttons enable users to suspend and later resume a video conversionproject, and a Video Quality Preview enables users to review asnippet of converted video to verify video quality prior toinitiating a complete file conversion.Listen* Library Extension - Build an extensive audio library by capturingany audio playing through the Mac, including Internet audio.* Audio Fingerprinting - Automatically identify untagged music filesand add song titles, artists and genres, eliminating the mystery of"Track_01".* Perfect Mixes - Create perfect mixes with DJ-style crossfades andtransitions, output level adjustments, and enhancement filters.Share* On-the-go Entertainment - A new application called Roxio Streamerenables on-the-go consumers to access video recordings stored on ahome Mac and stream it to a Wi-Fi connected iPhone or iPod Touch orany internet connected Mac or PC.* High Quality Photo Discs - Toast Photo Discs store thousands offull-resolution photos as well as automatically-generated slideshowsviewable on Mac and PC.* iLife and Aperture - Access iLife(R) 08 and Aperture(TM) librariesdirectly from Toast 9's Media Browser.* Personalized Disc Artwork - Personalize discs with labels, coverart, and inserts. Includes drawing and text editing tools, as wellas over 600 clip art images and built-in Google image search.Supports LightScribe and Labelflash(TM) drives and media to allowusers to burn artwork and labels directly to discs.Pricing and Availability:

Toast 9 Titanium is available now for purchase direct from Roxio atÂ www.roxio.com, and will be widely available from e-tailers and retail outlets this month for $99.99. Owners of previous versions may be eligible for upgrade offers. The HD/BD plug-in will be sold as a downloadable component from roxio.com for $19.99. Roxio will offer the HD/BD plug-in for free for customers who purchase from roxio.com through April 13, 2008.

Blu-ray Wins. Time to buy?

Dale — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:41:02 -0500

Well, this weekend, Toshiba all-but threw in the towel on HD-DVD, and it's all a matter of time. While I was personally hoping the battle would last much longer, Warner Bros tipped the scale, and it was all downhill like a good Line Rider track from there.

So what does this mean for consumers?

First off, when Best Buy starts selling HD-DVD players for pennies, don't buy one. All those HD-DVD-only discs will eventually be available in Blu-ray format, and the last thing you need is one more box on your TV stand. My condolences to all those who bought one already, but you should've known better.

At this point, you want to watch the sales. A good price for a cheap Blu-ray player is between $300-400, and they can be found in the $300 range. If you wait, I'd wager that, when the final nail goes into the HD-DVD coffin, every electronics store on the planet will be offering a Blu-ray sale, and you'll probably be able to get one for $300 with a few movies thrown in. When the "stimulus checks" start arriving this summer, you can also expect some decent sales not only on Blu-ray players, but also on HDTV's, so you may get a cheap package deal if you watch closely. I doubt you'll get anything worthwhile for much less than $300 for the next month or so, but if you want to wait until November, I expect to see $200 Blu-ray players on Black Friday--it all depends how long you want to wait.Â

Toy Fair 2008: Scene It? Reels in the Stars with 2008 Game Lineup

Dale — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:44:33 -0500

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Screenlife, LLC, the innovative creator of Scene It? The DVD Game, and Mattel today announced a star-studded lineup of games for 2008 including Scene It? Deluxe Seinfeld Edition, Scene It? Deluxe Disney Channel Edition, and Scene It? Disney and Music Editions To Go!. All Scene It? DVD games are socially interactive with familiar entertainment and pop culture themes, and appeal to players of all ages. The games are being shown during the New York Toy Fair at the Javits Convention Center and Mattelâ€™s Toy Fair Showroom.

Scene It?Â®Â Deluxe Seinfeld Edition

Beginning this fall, fans can relive their favorite Seinfeld moments. Whether itâ€™sÂ â€œMan Hands,â€Â â€œManssieres,â€Â orÂ â€œYada Yada Yada,â€Â fans will enjoy on-screen puzzlers as they race around the Flextime game board and answer questions. The game includes classic clips from all nine seasons and enough trivia forÂ â€œdouble dipping!â€

Scene It?Â®Â Deluxe Disney Channel Edition

Disney fans can jump in with Izzy Daniels and rock out with Hannah Montana in Scene It? Disney Channel Edition. Clips from favorite Disney Channel TV shows and movies, includingÂ â€œThatâ€™s So Raven,â€Â â€œCory in the House,â€Â â€œWendy Wu,â€Â andÂ â€œKim Possible.â€Â The game features hundreds of trivia questions that quizzes players on all things Disney Channel.

Scene It?Â®Â Disney Edition To Go! and Music Edition To Go!

Play Scene It? anytime, anywhere with the new Scene It? Disney and Music Editions To Go! The game features compact travel tins which fold out into a game board and hold game pieces, as well as a DVD filled with real clips, trivia questions, and on-screen challenges. Disney edition features classic characters, unforgettable songs, and scenes fromÂ Cinderella,Â Aladdin,Â Toy Story, and more. Music edition takes players on a journey spanning four decades of music and pop culture, including artists like Johnny Cash, Madonna and, Avril Lavigne.

NEW GAMES FOR 2008	Â	Age Range	Â	Price	Â	Availability
Scene It? Deluxe Seinfeld Edition^*	Â	13 - Adult	Â	$39.99	Â	Fall 2008
Scene It? Deluxe Disney Channel Edition^*	Â	6 - Adult	Â	$39.99	Â	Fall 2008
Scene It? Disney Edition To Go!	Â	6 - Adult	Â	$19.99	Â	Fall 2008
Scene It? Music Edition To Go!	Â	13 - Adult	Â	$19.99	Â	Fall 2008
Â	Â	Â	Â	Â	Â	Â
^*Â Deluxe game edition with bonus trivia cards and tin case

HP and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Announce Manufactured-on-Demand Content Licensing Agreement

Dale — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:42:45 -0500

HP and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) today announced that SPHE will license select catalog titles from its vast home video library for production and distribution via HPâ€™s DVD manufactured-on-demand service.

This agreement makes Sony the first major Hollywood studio to present its home video titles using HPâ€™s service.

â€œHPâ€™s manufactured-on-demand service provides us with a viable means of delivering a broader range of niche and library product to consumers,â€ said David Bishop, president, SPHE. â€œWe know there is strong consumer demand for these titles, and by working with HP we can monetize our deep product library and help give retailers the means to bring a wider offering of Sony Pictures product to consumers without a significant investment in inventory.â€

The list and availability of SPHE titles to be licensed through this agreement has yet to be finalized.

HP DVD Manufactured-on-Demand Service

HPâ€™s manufactured-on-demand service is used to produce a DVD of any movie, TV show or other video content, regardless of niche or obscurity. Content currently being targeted for release includes:

Classic and older TV shows never before released on DVD
Foreign movies
Productions for specialty genres such as religion, education, lifestyle, health, food and sports
Specialty cable TV programming
Independent movies
Recently broadcast TV shows and sporting events with high relevancy in specific geographic markets or within specific consumer segments.

For studios and video merchants, the HP service can eliminate the challenges of matching supply and demand on catalog and specialty titles and also reduce inventory, packaging and return costs.

The service is a component ofÂ HP Digital Content Services, which helps retailers fulfill the requests of customers wanting video content in various forms, including digital downloads, traditional packaged DVDs and emerging video formats such as HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.

â€œHPâ€™s agreement with Sony signals a significant move in the entertainment industry,â€ said Willem de Zoete, vice president and general manager, Digital Content Services, HP. â€œTogether, weâ€™re offering customers a greater selection of content, bridging the gap between the amount of content that is created and that which actually is published and available for consumption.â€

CES 2008: $200 Blu-ray Player

Teresa — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:55:41 -0500

Sony will be coming out with a Blu-ray player for under $200. The only catch is that you must watch it on your desktop PC. However, if you have an older computer it probably won't have the necessary processor to run it well. In addition to the Blu-ray Disc playback, it will also have DVD and CD playback. It will work with Windows Vista or XP.

This is definitely a step in the right direction. The price is considerably cheaper than most players. Now they just need to be able to produce a cheaper stand-alone unit, as watching on a desktop PC screen may not be practical for a family. Also, this drive will not burn DVDs. There is a PC drive that is also a burner, but it is $400 more than this one. If burning isn't important to you, then this $200 player may be just your thing.

CES 2008: HP Drives Digital Entertainment Industry with Connected PCs, TVs and Services

Dale — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:28:31 -0500

Fueling the emerging connected entertainment industry, HP today introduced a broad lineup of products, services and relationships that make it easier than ever for consumers to adopt a high-definition, digital lifestyle.

Unveiled at the opening of CES 2008, the world's largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology, the new lineup includes dazzling entertainment PCs, an expanded portfolio of HPÂ MediaSmartÂ connected entertainment products, digital content services such as Upline, which allows people to store and share digital content over any Internet connection, and a range of partners involved in the creation and distribution of digital content.

"HP has made a focused effort around breakthrough solutions in digital entertainment, high-tech design and home computing technologies - and it has made us the world's leading consumer technology company," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "We're continuing that momentum today with an expanded portfolio of stylish, easy-to-use digital technologies that will help to make the hi-def lifestyle a reality for more people every day."

Stylish, easy-to-use products

One of the standout products in HP's updated portfolio of consumer PCs is the HP Pavilion tx2000 Series Entertainment Notebook PC.

The tx2000 offers an unmatched touch and pen experience with a new, resistive touch-screen technology and built-in digitizer that recognizes the rechargeable pen as it nears the screen and disables the touch feature to ensure easy transition between touch and handwriting.

Featuring a sleek, high-gloss "Echo" Imprint finish, this elegantly designed convertible notebook also comes with HP QuickPlay software, which provides access to a variety of entertainment options at the touch of a button. Using the HP Webcam, integrated microphone and instant messaging solution of their choice, people can engage in live video chat with friends and family across the world.⁽¹⁾Â The new HP Pavilion tx2000 is available today starting at an estimated U.S. street price of $1,299.⁽²⁾

An impressive combination of size, performance and value, the HP Pavilion Slimline s3300 offers a dual-format Blu-ray and HD-DVD player,⁽³⁾Â plus a TV tuner⁽⁴⁾Â and NVIDIA GeForce 8500 card with HDMI port. The setup equips families and students with the functionality of a conventional tower PC in a desktop that's one-third the size - and it lists under $1,000.⁽²⁾

Buoyed by its tremendous success in PCs in 2007, HP is now making every TV it sells a connected HP MediaSmart TV, which feature advanced technology to allow consumers to stream movies,⁽⁵⁾Â music and photos from any networked PC in the home to a high-definition⁽⁶⁾Â LCD TV. In addition, with the new HP MediaSmart Receiver, the company is extending the same networking capability to any of the hundreds of thousands of HDTVs already in consumers' homes.

The HP MediaSmart Receiver features a piano-black finish as well as HP's exclusive "Zen" Imprint pattern and ambient blue lighting, making it a stylish addition to any room in the home. The receiver enables seamless aggregation of digital content from multiple PCs around the home so users can access and enjoy their favorite photos, music and movies on any HDTV.

The latest HP MediaSmart LCD HDTVs now feature Media Center Extender technology, new panels for dynamic blacks and enhanced image quality, and aesthetic updates such as a streamlined industrial design and a back-lighted remote control for an enhanced entertainment experience that allows people to enjoy all their digital content on a stunning HDTV.

HP also is making a variety of enhancements to its MediaSmart Server, including the addition of integrated server-side anti-virus software from McAfee⁽⁷⁾Â for added security as well as remote access and the availability of Photo Webshare and iTunes on the HP Media Vault for more robust and secure experiences.

New digital content services

HP makes online trip planning and sharing a snap with the new HP iPAQ Navigate website -www.ipaq.com/navigate. The site helps customers research points of interest and create tailored travel plans that then can be printed for easy reference or loaded onto the new HP iPAQ 300 Series Travel Companion for dynamic trip management.

The site allows users to share their travel plans with family, friends and colleagues online. Travelers also can edit itineraries directly on their device and instantly share new updates when logging back online or even add notes about their travels into their trip plan so others can use the information to create and customize their own trips.(8,9)

Expected to be available in March, the new HP Upline online service atÂ www.upline.comÂ allows customers to readily access, share, manipulate and store digital content over any Internet connection.⁽¹⁾Friends and family near and far can access shared digital files in just a few simple steps.

The new service is a result of HP's recent acquisition of Opelin, a small, privately held San Jose, Calif., company that provides secure, scalable online services including storage, backup and data migration. The new online service complements HP's existing hardware storage offerings by providing consumers and SMB customers the security of knowing their digital world is protected in a secure, offsite location in case their local PC gets lost, damaged or destroyed.

More information on HP's new CES product and services lineup is available in an online press kit atÂ www.hp.com/go/CES2008.

New relationships drive innovation in design and marketing

HP also is for the first time displaying its new Artist Edition notebook at CES. Available later this spring, the limited-edition Artist Edition HP Pavilion notebook features the "Asian Odyssey" personal design of 20-year-old Joao Oliveira of Porto, Portugal, the winner of theÂ "Take Action. Make Art."Â Â global notebook-design competition.

Also on display are the "extreme makeover" notebooks created as part of the HP and PC Magazine "The Computerlicious Design Experience." These one-of-a-kind, fully functional works of art designed by rap superstar Nelly's Apple Bottoms clothing line, handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff and renowned street muralist James de la Vega, among others, will be auctioned off on eBay to benefit tech non-profit the National Cristina Foundation.

During CES, the notebooks will be on display in HP's booth and at PC Magazine's 25th anniversary celebration at TabÃº. View all the designs online and find out more about the charity auction atÂ www.pcmag.com/computerlicious.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers - from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $104.3 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Oct. 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available atÂ http://www.hp.com.

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