October 11, 2006, 1:44 PM PDT
First dual-layer Blu-ray movie clicks
Posted by: David Carnoy

We just received the Blu-ray version of the Adam Sandler, Sony Pictures movie Click, which is the first Blu-ray movie to actually take advantage of the full storage capacity of the format. Yes, this is the first movie to be released on a dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray disc, also known as the BD-50. So what's the verdict?

Well, using our Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray review unit, we watched the first 15 minutes of the film on a couple of different 1080p-capable LCD TVs, and the long and short of it is Click looks better than most Blu-ray movies currently on the market. Twice as good, no, but it's a welcome improvement, and it's good to finally see that the extra featurettes were actually shot in high-def video. (The movie itself was also shot in high-def video and this is a MPEG-2 transfer for those interested in video-compression formats.)

High-def Digest has posted a full review of the disc, but suffice it to say, before you start loading up on Blu-ray discs (come on, you know you're champing at the bit), it's probably a good idea to hold out for some BD-50 action.

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August 22, 2006, 4:14 PM PDT
Bose's new faux-surround PC speakers
Posted by: David Carnoy

Four hundred dollars is a lot to spend on PC speakers, and after sitting down with Bose's Companion 5 speaker system at a demo in a suite at New York Peninsula Hotel, it's still a lot to spend. That said, this three-piece speaker system is one of the more distinct-looking and attractively designed PC speaker packages we've seen--and it sounds pretty good, too.

The Companion 5 system includes Bose's proprietary TruSpace surround processing circuitry, which delivers a fairly convincing faux surround-sound experience from only three speakers (you get two satellites, which sit on your desk, and one "hideway" Acoustimass module--a.k.a. subwoofer--that sits on the floor and is the about the size of most similar PC speaker subs). Bose expects the system to appeal to those who watch movies and play games in a home-office environment or perhaps a dorm room, but don't want to set up surround speakers.

Bose prides the Companion 5 on its easy setup--it requires you to only plug the USB connector into your computer and match up the color-coded speaker wire. There's also a small pod control (a little smaller than a hockey puck) that sits on your desk and has a headphone jack and an input for your iPod or other MP3 player. The $399 system is due out on September 7 and is designed for use with both PC and Macs, though for best performance, Bose recommends Windows XP or later for PC users and OS X 10.4.6 or later for Mac users. Previous Bose PC speakers--the Companion 2 and Companion 3--will remain in the lineup, but get a makeover that more closely matches the forthcoming flagship model.

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August 22, 2006, 3:54 PM PDT
Bose bows Acoustic Wave Music System II
Posted by: David Carnoy

When it comes to product demonstrations, Bose has a flare for the dramatic. It's also a rather secretive company--think Apple, but ratcheted down just a couple of notches--and doesn't like the idea of preconceptions. So when it demoed its next-generation Acoustic Wave Music System in a suite at New York's Peninsula Hotel, it kept the one-piece music system behind a black curtain while that system boldly belted out a little jazz ditty.

After the first tune, the well-spoken presenter pulled back the curtain to reveal--poof!--the new Acoustic Wave System. It doesn't look too different from the old model, but the key is that Bose is using digital signal processing rather than analog processing. The result, according to Bose, is this system sounds significantly better than the original. Oh, and Acoustic Wave System plays MP3 CDs--the original only played audio CDs--and pairs with an optional Bose-specific iPod dock ($129). The Bose rep, emphasizing its plug-and-play capabilities, also showed how it can easily be picked up and carried from room to room.

Like its predecessor, the system is designed for buyers who crave that elusive combination of a stereo system that mixes an elegant, compact design with ease of use and excellent performance. At first look and listen, the Acoustic Wave System II appears to succeed in that mission, but that success comes at a cost--namely $1,079, the same cost as the earlier model. It will be available in either of two colors--Platinum White and Graphite Gray--as of September 5.

While I admire Bose for sticking to its focused vision, I do wish the company would've added a few more features. A digital input to go along with the single analog input would have been nice, and HD Radio support seems like a natural choice for a new high-end tabletop CD player/radio--it has only standard AM and FM. But I guess we'll have to wait for Acoustic Wave System III for that.

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July 27, 2006, 9:04 AM PDT
LG just says no to combo Blu-ray/HD-DVD player in 2006
Posted by: David Carnoy

Tonight, we're heading to LG's line show event at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Times Square, where we expect to see a handful of products that weren't announced at CES in January. However, one product we won't be seeing is LG's rumored Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo player. Word is that the somewhat anticipated product is on hold, according to a report from TWICE--and LG, which is a strong supporter of Blu-ray, hasn't said whether it will bother to produce one in 2007. Since neither HD-DVD nor Blu-ray is off to a rip-roaring start, this revelation doesn't come as any great surprise, but it's nice to put the rumors to rest--for now anyway.

In more LG news, HD Beat is reporting that the company will release two additional 1080p LCD TVs with built-in HD digital video recorders. The new models are allegedly a 42-incher and 37-incher, both with 250-gig hard drives, though it's unclear when they'll hit stores in the United States. We'll have more details after the event tonight.

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July 25, 2006, 8:05 AM PDT
Panasonic's upcoming HD digital slide projector
Posted by: David Carnoy

For the past few years, several of Panasonic's plasma TVs included memory card slots so that you could view photos stored on SD/MMC cards. Now the company's gone the external route, announcing the HDTV Photo Player DMW-SDP1, which allows you to view your photos "in 1080i high-definition quality." The little box will retail for $129.95 this fall and comes with a remote to navigate through your images and take control of your slide shows.

The HDTV Photo Player DMW-SDP1 connects to your HDTV via an included component video cable and Panasonic says that it "differs from other photo viewers by utilizing the Venus Engine III image processing LSI, the same system found in Panasonic's acclaimed line of LUMIX cameras." The company adds, "The Venus Engine III affords users a quick response time by dramatically reducing start-up time and further reduces the image-to-image interval to as short as 1 second."

As you might expect from a digital slide projector, you get some transition effects to spice up your slide shows, and the DMW-SDP1 also supports motion JPEG playback. Besides the standard VGA (640x480), wide aspect VGA (848x480) motion images, Panasonic says, "the SDP1 offers dynamic motion image playback which especially benefits viewing on wide-aspect HDTVs." Additionally, the player will offer high-definition motion image (1,280x720, at 15fps) that's recordable with the company's LUMIX DMC-LX2, and you'll be able to connect the DMW-SDP1 to PictBridge-enabled printers via USB.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the player accepts only Panasonic-backed memory card formats (SD, SDHC, and MMC). You'd think a company would want to broaden its market for a product like this and add slots for more formats. But what do I know, I'm just a lowly tech editor.

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June 14, 2006, 9:27 AM PDT
Philips announces new Portable Media Center
Posted by: David Carnoy

One of the more intriguing items that Philips was showing off at its annual Holidays in June event in New York City was its upcoming Portable Media Center, the PMC7230, which features a sharp, 3.5-inch display and a 30GB built-in hard drive, plus the ability to dub TV shows from a VCR, a DVR, or recordable DVDs.

The PMC7230 is competing with several new portable media players that have been trickling onto the market as Apple's iPod with video has taken off. The obvious advantage to the Philips player is its ability to record directly from any video source, such as a cable or satellite box or a DVR, but the drawback is that you're recording in real time--if a show is 30 minutes long, for example, it'll take 30 minutes to record. The PMC7230 also seems to be the near-ideal form factor--while it's compact, the screen isn't so tiny that you have to squint to see it.

Like most portable media players, the PMC7230 plays music and displays JPEG photos along with videos ripped in the MPEG-4 format. Philips says you'll get as much as 5 hours of battery life when playing videos and up to 18 hours when playing music. This model is also PlaysForSure compatible, which means that it works not only with PlaysForSure audio services such as Musicmatch and Napster but with PlaysForSure video services such as Vongo and Movielink. The glossy black Portable Media Center is due this September and will carry a list price of $349.99.

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June 07, 2006, 4:49 PM PDT
Bose announces new QuietComfort 3 noise-canceling headphones
Posted by: David Carnoy

Bose is proving that smaller doesn't necessarily mean less expensive. The company has announced the QuietComfort 3, a new pair of noise-canceling headphones that are significantly smaller than its popular QuietComfort 2 headphones ($299) and feature an on-ear (supra-aural) rather than an over-the-ear (circumaural) design. Bose says that in developing the new, more compact product, it hasn't compromised the sound quality or the effectiveness of the noise reduction. However, you'll have to pay $349 for this engineering feat when it goes on sale in mid-June.

I tried the new headphones at a demo in New York City and was impressed. The earpieces employ a cushy, memory foam that conforms to your ears nicely, and they do a better job than you'd think of passively shutting out noise (on-ear models tend to let in--and leak out--a fair amount of sound). The headphones seem very comfortable, at least in my brief listening test.

The QuietComfort 3s feature the same fold-flat design of the QuietComfort 2s and come with a protective carrying case that's just a little smaller than the one that ships with the larger preceding models. Aside from the more compact earpieces, one of the big differences between the two headphones is the inclusion of a proprietary lithium-ion battery with the new model. That's a nice plus--the battery slips out of the headphones and into a compact travel charger that fits right into a wall socket, obviating the need for annoying wires or cables. Bose says you'll get about 20 hours of battery life before you need to juice up. (Extra batteries will be available for $50 a pop.) The charger also fits snugly in the headphones' carrying case, and you'll be able to purchase additional chargers compatible with international voltage requirements.

Companies such as Sennheiser make noise-canceling headphones that are smaller and cost much less than Bose models. Apparently, the feedback Bose has gotten from consumers is that some people prefer these smaller designs, especially for everyday on-the-go use rather than just airplane travel. In other words, the company hopes to get more people walking around the streets with these headphones. To that end, the company also showed a $40 adapter that lets you use the QC 3s as a stereo headset for multimedia cellphones, such as the Nokia N91 or Palm Treo models.

The older, larger QuietComfort 2s remain available for those who want an over-the-ear design, while the QuietComfort 3s are available to consumers looking for something a little more discreet. Eventually, however, I think the company will have to drop the price on the QuietComfort 3s and QuietComfort 2s to $299 and $249 respectively. Three hundred and fifty bucks just seems like a lot to pay for headphones, even if they do come with a rechargeable battery.

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May 23, 2006, 11:02 AM PDT
Samsung shows upcoming HDTVs, delays LED-powered DLP
Posted by: David Carnoy

Senior Editor David Katzmaier and I spent the morning in the penthouse suite at New York City's boutique Hudson Hotel, perusing some of Samsung's new TV offerings. The company had set up the rooms in the suite with various TV technologies, including plasma, LCD, DLP, and direct-view CRT. Samsung currently has some best sellers in these categories, including the LN-S3251D 32-inch LCD and the TX-S3082WH 30-inch Slimfit CRT.

However, if there was any real juicy news, it was that Samsung will be putting off the release of its LED-equipped 56-inch DLP TV, the HL-S5679W, until September. The set was originally scheduled to ship this month. Samsung's spokesman claimed the delay was due to the fact that the company's standard 1080p HDTVs were so popular that there weren't enough 1080p chips to release the set in wide enough distribution right now. He also said Samsung was still tweaking the LED light engine. The LEDs promise to eliminate the rainbow effect, last significantly longer than bulbs, and improve color reproduction. The HL-S5679W will be the only LED-equipped model Samsung releases this year, but the technology will filter its way into more models next year.

While Samsung had plasma well represented at the showcase, it continues its heavy push into the LCD market with 30 new models in a variety of sizes. The company's gone with a sleek black finish in nearly all of its models and kitchen-friendly white in a few. There are some small design and feature variations as you step between entry-level, midrange, and high-end models, so we expect consumers to be confused with all the choices (We'll do our best to clarify all the lines as the TVs hit the market.) We've already reviewed the midrange 40-inch LN-S4051D, and in addition to that top-selling entry-level 32-inch model I mentioned before, we're eager to get our hands on the top-of-the-line 40-inch LN-S4096D, which offers 1080p resolution and looked really good in our initial viewing. That model won't be available for a couple of months, but we hope to have a review up around the time it launches.

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May 18, 2006, 9:18 AM PDT
Apple's new Big Apple store goes 24/7
Posted by: David Carnoy

Just got back from the Apple store opening on Fifth Avenue, and while it's certainly an impressive architectural feat (the store is underground, beneath a 32-foot sleek glass cube), many of the reporters milling around were hoping Apple would announce some sort of new product as part of the opening. Alas, nothing new turned up, not even a higher-capacity iPod Nano, and we were left to marvel at the genius of Apple opening a 10,000-foot retail space in what's arguably Manhattan's perfect shopping location: near the east corner of Central Park South, across from what used to be the Plaza Hotel. Those attending the brief press conference also got confirmation that this would be the first Apple store to be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and be staffed by 300 employees (allegedly, Apple received 1,000 applicants for the jobs).

For those of you who want to visit the new Manhattan store, it officially opens at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, May 19). As is their tradition, a few Apple fanatics had already started to line up outside the store--36 hours before it was going to open. The line will build on Friday as Apple says it will give away one new MacBook an hour after 6 p.m. We're pretty sure you'll only get the $1,099 base configuration, though.

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May 17, 2006, 9:21 AM PDT
Is Toshiba's HD-DVD demo false advertising?
Posted by: David Carnoy

Yesterday was a tough day here at CNET New York for the home-theater team. With a sense of regret, we carefully packed up our Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player review sample, and I headed to Best Buy to return the product a day before the store's 30-day no-questions-asked return policy expired (yes, we do occasionally end up buying certain key products ourselves when we can't get them quickly enough from manufacturers). Earlier in the week, Senior Editor David Katzmaier's bid to expense the $500 deck and keep it as a reference piece for HD content was summarily shot down after we decided our money would be better spent on a next-generation model. While the HD-A1 has its share of kinks--and we haven't been afraid to point them out, even at the expense of being accused by readers of favoring Blu-ray (not true, we just call 'em as we see 'em)--we were sad to see our slightly clunky HD-DVD player go just as more discs were coming out. Training Day looks great, by the way.

"What's wrong with it?" the no-questions-asked customer service rep asked as I plunked the weighty box on the counter.

"It's slow and has HDMI issues," I said.

She nodded, and with a few magic swipes of her bar-code reader, my MasterCard was credited for the correct amount and--thank you, Best Buy--I was free to go. But instead of leaving right away, I headed to the back of the store to check out the HD-DVD display. When I'd bought the player 29 days earlier, a day before the player was to be released officially, no demo was running. But now there was one, and it was looping.

In case you haven't seen it, the demo's divided into two parts. One part has clips that feature various impressive-looking trailers--the King Kong trailer, in particular, looks awesome. But scattered among them is a woman narrator with an English accent talking over a split-screen picture comparing an HD-DVD image to a standard-definition image. The problem is the standard-def image looks truly horrible, blurry, and much worse than just about any DVD that not only I but the Best Buy rep standing next me said he had ever watched. Underneath the standard-definition label is a disclaimer that reads, "simulation."

What Toshiba might say in its defense is that the demo shows a comparison between an HD source and a standard-definition TV signal displayed on an HDTV--which often does look pretty bad but can also look much better than the demo footage. However, the correct comparison is clearly HD-DVD to DVD, movie to movie.

Consumers who have little experience with high-definition content may be swayed by the demo, but I think it's unfortunate that Toshiba has to stoop to this level. The fact is the HD-DVD clips look really good and should be able to stand on their own merit. What do you think?

More CNET resources:

Toshiba HD-A1 review

Blog: Toshiba's HD-A1 has HDMI issues

Column: Ten ways HD-DVD falls short

DVD 2.0: HD-DVD and Blu-ray

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