The end of the VHS era

I've never been very good at giving up on old technology. I held on to my audio cassettes well into the compact disc era; my old Handspring Visor is still sitting in my desk drawer; and I admit that I still have an old Sony VCR taking up space underneath my TiVo.

And so I had a slightly nostalgic moment when I read this report from the Los Angeles Times that the last major supplier of VHS tapes has shipped its final truckload of the format. I know the VHS tape has been considered dead for years now, but now it is officially the end of an era. Ryan Kugler, the owner of the warehouse, said that he'll end up just giving away the rest of the unused tapes or dumping them into the trash.

The LA Times article goes on to tell a pretty interesting history of the VHS tape, including what it meant for the home entertainment industry and how it was eventually taken over by DVD some time in the mid-2000s. It's a particularly interesting story now, as it appears even DVDs might go the way of the dodo, what with Blu-ray and online downloads gaining in popularity.
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Job posting reveals Zune-Xbox integration

Zune speculation is an armchair sport here in the tech sector of the Pacific Northwest (especially when we're all housebound because of a few inches of snow), and today Todd Bishop at TechFlash posted some interesting excerpts from the Zune team's job listings. Based on his post, it looks like the Zune Marketplace will begin to use the back-end from Musiwave, the European provider of music for mobile phones that Microsoft acquired a little more than a year ago--and if that doesn't point to a Zune service for mobile phones, nothing does--and will continue to feature DRM (couched in ever-so-reassuring phrases like "to let consumers enjoy music in new and interesting ways").
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Philips Prestigo SRT9320 universal remote mixes touch screen with hard keys

The Philips universal remote line has a new top dog. The Prestigo SRT9320 combines a 2.8-inch color touch screen on the top half with hard buttons on the lower portion. The screen handles both channel favorites (replete with familiar icon logos) and customized commands. The SRT9320 can control up to 20 devices, and it's completely programmable as-is--including learning modes and multidevice macros--without the need to connect it to a PC. (A USB port is included only for future software updates--presumably things like additional channel icons.)

While the Prestigo SRT9320 has a premium US$249 price tag, it's missing such high-end niceties as RF control and a charging cradle. And while Philips touts the fact that you don't need a PC to program the SRT9320, we've found that to be a big advantage when dealing with sophisticated multidevice macros (something the task-based Logitech Harmony models handle with aplomb). By comparison, the Logitech Harmony One also has a touch-screen/keypad design (and a rechargeable battery), and it can be found for less than US$200.

The SRT9320 will be available in the first quarter of 2009. In the meantime, a trio of more affordable Philips Prestigo models are currently available, all of which include a color LCD screen: the SRU8008 (controls 8 devices, priced below US$100); the SRU8112 (12 devices, scrollwheel, also sub-US$100); and the SRU8015 (15 devices, scrollwheel, wider form factor, under US$180).

Via CNET Crave

Viewsonic's 1080p TV for your kitchen

This certainly isn't the first time we've seen a monitor with identity issues, but Viewsonic at least gets current HDTV marketing strategies correct by making the VT2430 24-inch LCD monitor HDTV full-HD with a 1080p resolution.

Along with the VT2430's 1,920 x 1,080 resolution you get a 1,000:1 contrast ratio (10,000:1 dynamic) and 5ms response time as well as of course an integrated ATSC/QAM digital TV tuner and connectivity options including a single HDMI 1.3 input with high-definition content protection (HDCP), component, S-video, composite, and analog PC inputs.

There are 3.5mm mini and RCA stereo audio inputs and an earphone out in case the two, 5W built-in speakers don't pump out enough sound for you.

With an MSRP of US$399 (it can already be found for less) it's definitely priced right, but I guess the key questions are, do you need 1080p in an HDTV this small, and how much are you paying for the privilege of that resolution?

Via CNET Crave | Photo credit: ViewSonic

PlayStation 'Home' open beta launches

If all goes according to plan, PlayStation Home will be opening its doors to the public later Thursday. The PlayStation 3-exclusive allows gamers to interact with one another using avatars in a virtual environment via text or voice chat (think Second Life, but on the PS3). The free service is still in beta, but should be available to PS3 users worldwide by the end of the day.

Nintendo's Wii launched with support for player avatars that can be used in many of its games, and the Xbox 360 added avatar and enhanced community features with its November 2008 New Xbox Experience makeover. But PlayStation Home looks to be the most sophisticated virtual world to date available on a game console, with realistic graphical renderings of people and environments. The Home world features minigames, in-world music options, trophy rooms, and--of course--advertiser-supported destinations and stores.

What do you think: Is Home a game changer for the PS3? Or is it yet another environment to sell you "virtual junk" you don't need? Share your comments below.

Via CNET Crave

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