September 09, 2005, 2:47 PM PDT
Dolby touts new TrueHD, Digital Plus formats
Posted by: David Katzmaier

It's still unclear whether Blu-ray or HD-DVD has the upper hand in the battle to dominate next-generation high-def media, but the folks at Dolby are making sure the venerable audio standard wins in either event. Look for the company's two newest audio formats--TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus--to be incorporated into all Blu-eay and HD-DVD discs and players when they finally hit the market in 2006. According to Dolby's press release, TrueHD is a follow-up to the MLP Lossless technology that's already used in DVD-Audio discs, so it should enable bit-for-bit full-resolution audio that better matches studio masters. Details on TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus are still somewhat sketchy--while Plus is said to support more than eight channels of discrete audio, for instance, Blu-ray and HD-DVD specs cap the number of audio streams at "just" 7.1 channels. Our take? Anyone buying an A/V receiver or a home-theater system that can handle the current top surround formats from Dolby and DTS won't be missing out on anything significant--at least for the next couple of years.

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September 09, 2005, 2:36 PM PDT
Clash of the flat-panel titans
Posted by: David Katzmaier

It appears that competition in the ultra-high-end, supergigantic flat-panel television arena is reaching a fever pitch. Possibly in an attempt to solidify its self-affixed reputation as the "next elite brand," Samsung will ship its hand-built, 80-inch plasma, announced at CES, in early October. It will see "very limited" distribution and cost "no less than $100,000," according to the company's flat-panel rep. He mentioned that (formerly P.) Diddy and (formerly VP) Al Gore are on a waiting list to preorder sets for themselves.

Not to be outdone, LG said that it's also shipping its hand-built plasma from CES in November, this one measuring 71 inches diagonally and costing $75,000. Of course, at 9 diagonal inches smaller and $25 grand less than Samsung's offering, LG's high-end TV has probably been outdone in any case. The company didn't even leak a list of celebrity pre-buyers.

Moving down the line, Sharp confirmed that it will ship a $21,000, 65-inch flat-panel LCD TV in November, another CES announcement and to date the world's largest flat-panel LCD to hit stores. For those keeping score at home, that's still 10 times more expensive than most of us can afford, though still less than the difference in cost between Samsung and LG's hulking behemoths.

Samsung showed sympathy for the plebeians who can afford televisions in only the five-digit price range by confirming the availability (again, before year's end) of two big-screen flat-panel LCDs announced at CES. The 57-inch LNR579D should retail for a measly $20,000, while the LNR460D, a 46-inch model that uses LED backlighting, will sell for $15,000. Samsung decided to scrap its third-backlight technology, known as flat fluorescent lamp (FFL) and mentioned at CES in the LNR4909D; instead, that set uses standard backlighting.

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September 09, 2005, 2:33 PM PDT
Windows Vista needs high-end hardware
Posted by: Rich Brown

We saw this on Slashdot, but it originally appeared as a transcript on Australian computer mag APC's Web site. Reporting from the Microsoft Australian Tech.Ed 2005 conference, APC sends back word that the hardware requirements to get Microsoft's new Vista operating system running smoothly will be much higher than most people have in their current systems.

According to Microsoft strategist Nigel Page, running 64-bit Vista will require 2GB of system memory to run optimally. And 32-bit Vista users will need at least 512MB of RAM, but ideally 1GB. More shocking, however, is the amount of graphics memory required. Due to the forthcoming operating system's shift to more demanding vector graphics (as opposed to Windows' current bitmapped images), Vista will gobble up video memory. "If you've only got 64 [MB of graphics memory], don't worry," said Page. But apparently, Vista will really hum only with PCI Express graphics cards that have 256MB of memory or more.

The increased system memory requirement is manageable, as RAM by itself is not that expensive. But with such graphics throughput demands, integrated video chips that share system memory could become a thing of the past. It also makes us wonder whether we'll start seeing budget graphics cards with 256MB and 512MB of memory. Either way, it sounds like by the time Vista comes out, near the holiday season of 2006, you're going to need to upgrade or make a new desktop purchase if you want to get onboard with the new OS.

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September 09, 2005, 2:27 PM PDT
Firefox fixes its IDN flaw
Posted by: Robert Vamosi

The Mozilla Organization, makers of the Firefox browser, today released a workaround for the IDN buffer overflow vulnerability, first reported by security researcher Tom Ferris. The flaw relates to how Firefox handles really long URLs that contain dashes--it is theoretically possible for a bit of code to crash or possibly run malicious code on a vulnerable system. A malicious exploit for this flaw has not been distributed on the Internet, and therefore its overall threat to Firefox users is debatable. Nonetheless, users should be aware of it and should update their browsers when a patch becomes available.

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September 09, 2005, 2:08 PM PDT
LG and Toshiba work the Net with DVD/HDD combos
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Network access is finally making the migration to TVs and now, thanks to competing units from LG and Toshiba, to set-top combination DVD/hard disk recorders. The Toshiba RD-XS54 will be available within the month for $699, and it adds an Ethernet port to the 250GB hard drive/DVD recorder combo. It can interface with your home network to perform a variety of tasks, including streaming live or recorded content to a PC (copy protection permitting), uploading custom menu backgrounds for DVD recordings, and remotely scheduling recordings via e-mail. Owners who invest in two units can share programming between them. The unit also includes a FireWire input and uses TV Guide's free EPG for scheduling programming.

LG, meanwhile, was providing more details on a product that the company first announced at January's Consumer Electronics Show. The LRM-519, available in October for $499 after a $100 rebate, has the same basic configuration (Ethernet , DVD, 160GB hard disk) but employs a Windows Media Center-like interface to offer a very different selection of features. First off, it uses Media Center's EPG, which costs $9.99 per month, $99 per year, or $250 for a lifetime subscription (interestingly, the same EPG is provided for free with a Media Center Edition PC). Unlike TV Guide, the Media Center EPG doesn't rely on flaky cable connections and is compatible with satellite boxes. The LRM-519 can also send nonncopyrighted content to a PC, as well as access photos and music stored on a PC. In addition, it has a pair of USB ports that can take thumbdrives to read or record music and photos and, even better, connect to external USB 2.0 hard drives to increase the recorder's storage capacity. When I asked LG's rep about the limits of this feature--I imagined connecting a USB eight-port hub and 500GB hard disks to every port--he grew a little wary and mentioned that they hadn't tested that capability yet.

The LG looks like the more versatile unit, and the two cost about the same after you factor in the cost of LG's lifetime subscription, but interestingly, it can't edit out commercials--much like TiVo-based units such as the Humax DRT-800. Unlike TiVo recorders, the LG doesn't have remote programming capabilities, although there's no reason LG/Microsoft couldn't add it via a firmware upgrade.

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September 09, 2005, 1:15 PM PDT
HP (net) works over its 2006 televisions
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Details are still vague, but yesterday I sat down with the people at HP for a demo of their new home-networking-infused televisions, which rely on (surprise!) an incarnation of Microsoft's Windows Media Center Edition. The prototype 32-inch LCD I saw was connected via Ethernet to a PC in the next room. The company alluded to wireless compatibility, saying that a, b, and g standards may be onboard when the product(s) launch in "mid-2006," along with another mystery wireless solution (at that point they claimed they'd "said too much" and moved on to the demo).

The set I saw employed a slick all-new interface that was able to browse to video, audio, and still picture files stored on the PC and play them back on the TV. Any PC on the network can deliver content to the television and even stream Windows Media 9.0 high-def files. The company stipulated support for just about every file format except for secure AAC (that is, songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store). The system will also have the MCE-like ability to get "push" media center content and to download content over the Web.

HP also mentioned the possibility of a built-in DVR, as well as the option to connect additional storage (USB or network-attached hard drives), but wasn't clear on details. I'm guessing that if HP goes DVR, it will use the subscription-based EPG found on Media Center PCs and devices such as LG's new LG LRM-519 recorder. Although HP only talked about networked LCD TVs in its demo, its press release left open the possibility of seeing the system in other types of TVs, including its new DLP-based microdisplays and plasmas. More-specific timing and pricing for HP's networked TV's was left unspecified.

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September 09, 2005, 1:12 PM PDT
Firefox does its best IE impersonation
Posted by: Molly Wood

Security researcher Tom Ferris found a buffer overflow flaw that may turn Firefox into an evil code conduit. Ferris first reported the bug only to Mozilla, but went public after a "run-in" with Mozilla's staff. Great. Next time, settle things with a dance-off instead of endangering Firefox users.

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September 09, 2005, 9:49 AM PDT
FEMA requires Internet Explorer 6
Posted by: Robert Vamosi

Trying to register online for disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina? If you're one of the millions not using Internet Explorer 6, or even if you're running an older version of Internet Explorer, you'll likely see the following message: "In order to use this site, you must have JavaScript Enabled and Internet Explorer version 6. Download it from Microsoft or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) to register." Unfortunately, we found this phone number to be unresponsive despite numerous attempts. Given the current crises, FEMA is unlikely to extend its online service to other browsers anytime soon. So if you do decide to use Internet Explorer 6 to apply for assistance online, be sure to visit Windows Update and apply the latest security patches first. In particular, be sure to download MS05-038, a patch Microsoft considers critical to all Internet Explorer users.

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September 09, 2005, 9:39 AM PDT
No recall on HP iPaq hw6500 series
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

Some fans of the HP iPaq hw6500 series may have had a bit of a panic attack yesterday when rumors started to surface that HP would be recalling these much-anticipated smart phones. However, today they can let out a sigh of relief, as the rumors are false. We talked to an HP representative yesterday, and she said the hw6500 series is alive and kicking. The hw6510/hw6515 delivers a feature-filled Windows Mobile-based smart phone in a slick package (thankfully, much sexier and slimmer than the HP iPaq h6315's). It's a quad-band GSM phone with support for EDGE speeds, an integrated QWERTY keyboard, and Bluetooth. Oh, and did we mention GPS functionality? It'll give RIM BlackBerrys good competition and perhaps Treo owners reason to pause. Check back soon for our full review.

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September 09, 2005, 9:13 AM PDT
Sony Slings that way
Posted by: David Katzmaier

Amid the showmanship promoting Blu-ray, the reannouncement of the less-expensive SXRD sets, and the introduction of a new SXRD-based projector (model VPL-VW100), Sony's CEDIA press conference also highlighted a new Location-Free TV. Available in late September for $1,500, the LF-X111 package includes a 12-inch touch-screen LCD and a base station that interfaces with and controls A/V gear, from cable boxes to DVRs to DVD players. At home, you can watch your gear anywhere via a wireless connection to the LCD, and Sony claims to have enhanced the wireless performance over the previous LFTV's, the LF-X1. That model was apparently a customer-support nightmare for Sony, so the company also announced a new dedicated toll-free number, 866/925-7669 (SONY), specifically for LFTV support. Away from home, the TV can interface with any wireless Internet connection to deliver your home A/V system experience. Sony says the new version incorporates an improved MPEG-4 compression scheme and a streamlined setup to make remote viewing go more smoothly.

All of this may seem familiar to users of the Slingbox, and Sony has responded to that device by offering a TV-free LFTV solution: the $350 LF-PK1. While it lists for $100 more than the Slingbox, it appears to do pretty much the same thing. The same base station as the LF-X111 interfaces with your PC and sends your A/V content over the Internet to your PC. The LF-PK1 includes an extra video input over the Slingbox, but otherwise, it may have a hard time justifying its higher price.

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