Xbox 360 to shred with new board controller

Microsoft may be working on its own version of the Wiimote but, until it surfaces (so to speak), another wireless controller is heading for the Xbox 360. The only difference is you use your feet, not your hands.

Qmotions has cut a deal to develop versions of its skateboard controller for Microsoft's game console, according to I4U News. The company, which also makes controllers for golf, baseball, and other games, plans to release its "Big Air" full-size board for the Xbox in the second half of this year, possibly following up with other Microsoft-endorsed products.

As for us, we're still waiting for an adult-size version of the virtual jet skis.

Via CNET Crave

Blu-ray player sales down despite format victory

Looks like it wasn't the HD-DVD/Blu-ray battle that was keeping potential customers away from HD video players after all.

The NPD Group released some of its retail sales tracking data Wednesday that showed sales of Blu-ray standalone players (not a PlayStation 3, combo player, or PC with Blu-ray drive) had mostly decreased since the beginning of the year.

Standalone Blu-ray player unit sales in the US decreased 40 percent from January to February and saw a very slight increase (2 percent) between February and March, according to NPD.

HD-DVD players fared even worse--player unit sales dropped 13 percent from January to February, and 65 percent from February to March--which was expected. Toshiba stopped production of HD-DVD units in February, and the format's promotional group disbanded in March.

So what does this mean for Blu-ray player vendors? Why haven't sales experienced any sort of substantial uptick without a competitor? Prices offer one clue. Blu-ray player prices were at their peak for the year in mid-March, around US$400. During the holiday shopping season the average price had been closer to US$300.

But more likely is what NPD's high-def video analysts have been harping on for a while: that DVD is "good enough" for most consumers. And that the picture offered by a Blu-ray Disc and accompanying player doesn't appear so overwhelmingly better than a standard DVD and an upconverting player that many consumers can't justify the dramatically increased cost.

To that point, sales of significantly less expensive upconverting DVD players have actually increased 5 percent over the first quarter of 2008, compared with the same quarter a year ago. Standard DVD player sales dropped 39 percent over the same period.

Blu-ray player prices are going to have to drop dramatically, to around US$200 probably, to make themselves more attractive to consumers outside of the early adopter/home theater enthusiast crowd. Sony, one of the largest producers of Blu-ray players, says US$200 players aren't likely until next year at the earliest.

If this TV's looks don't kill, its price will

Being an Italian designer means you have a lot to live up to, but Brionvega has never shied from the task. This is the company, for instance, that has taken its chances on such designs as a TV that looks like a solid cube of black glass. So it is of little surprise that its latest offering breaks yet another mold.

In fact, this 19-inch Alpha LCD TV with built-in DVD player looks so unusual that we weren't sure what it was at first. Accompanied by the slogan "TV With Love" (it is Italian, after all) this combo has a display with 1,280 x 1,024 resolution and 160-degree viewing angles, according to Engadget, but it does not have a built-in digital tuner--an omission that makes its US$3,000+ price tag even more absurd than it already is. Then again, no one ever quibbles with the latest Karl Lagerfeld line on a runway in Milan.

Via CNET Crave

Ultrathin Aquos offers wireless A/V

Sharp has entered a partnership with Amimon Inc. to equipped its X-series Aquos LCD TVs with the latter's WHDI chipset. This technology allows a wireless audio-visual interlink between the Aquo's ultrathin panel and external tuner box without relying on traditional cabling. According to Amimon's press release, the system also has a 30m effective range and can penetrate multiple walls without the penalty of transmission lag.

The semiconductor manufacturer has added that WHDI is capable of supporting uncompressed 1080p video feeds with quality equivalent to wired HDMI interface. This sure sounds very promising on paper, but until we can sample a working product in our Lab, this could well be simply hot air and the usual sales speak. No further Asia launch details on the X-series Aquos were available at press time.

Via Engadget | Photo credit: Engadget

Buying Korean dramas, the right way

It never rain but pours. Having been cut off from human contact with a combination of chicken pox, throat infection, gastric and tooth nerve pain, I can categorically say that pain is now my best friend. It lets me know that death is not as frightening as intense suffering, but I digress.

There is only so much one can surf, and free-to-air channels gets boring after the, oh, first day. Fortunately, before my illness, I had bought a trio of Korean drama DVDs for my girlfriend which turned out to be my only solace during this recuperative period. From this experience, I found that buying drama DVDs is not as easy as choosing your favorite titles and putting down cash. A single title may have multiple box sets coming in from Taiwan, China, etc., and the quality of the image and dubbing differs greatly. Here are some tips on buying quality Korean DVDs (though it may also be applicable to other foreign language shows).

Tip 1: In general, some of the Mandarin terms used in China dubs will be unfamiliar with those used to simplified Mandarin. The Taiwanese translation tends to be easier to understand.

Tip 2: If you prefer to read English subtitles while listening to the native track, make sure you sit through at least half an episode to ensure that the subtitles actually make sense. Some versions have translations which are so obviously wrong, it's actually painfully funny.

Tip 3: Check the number of episodes per disc. One of the shows, Couple in Trouble, has about six episodes per DVD and gives acceptable picture quality. The other, My Lovely Sam Soon, throws in eight per disc and there are very obvious artifacts in the image. This is just a rough gauge and you should, if possible, check the quality before you buy.

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