Posts in Home AV
Blu-ray sales nearly double from a year ago
David Carnoy | Apr 20, 2009
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is one of the big Blu-ray releases slated for later this year.
According to Adams Media Research, about 9 million Blu-ray discs sold in the US from January through March--up from 4.8 million units sold in the first quarter of last year.
As Bill Hunt over at The Digital Bits says, those numbers are particularly good considering the ongoing recession and the relatively weak title slate early in the year. He adds that the overall rollout for the format is slightly behind DVD "due to the recession," but ahead of VHS.
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Google bringing pay-per-view to YouTube
Stephen Shankland | Apr 20, 2009
So far, YouTube has been a free, advertising-supported service, but Google plans to build payment mechanisms into its video-sharing site.
"With respect to how it'll get monetized, our first priority is on the advertising side. We do expect over time to see micropayments and other forms of subscription models coming as well," said Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt after the company reported first-quarter profits Thursday. "We'll be announcing additional things in that area literally very, very soon."
The change in tactics will mark a new era for Google's attempt to make money from YouTube. The service is tremendously popular, but also tremendously expensive to operate, and Google has been working hard for months to come up with a more successful financial formula for sharing video.
Schmidt's words came at the same time Google is signing a partnership to show Sony Pictures' full-length movies and build a section of YouTube devoted to professionally made content.
Google has had fractious relations with companies that produce video, but that's changing now, Schmidt said. "We are making very good progress now with small, medium, and even large-scale studios," he said.
Via CNET
New Sharp HDTVs deliver enhanced colors and contrast
Philip Wong | Apr 17, 2009
Sharp Aquos A77-series.
(Credit: Sharp)
The recently launched Sharp Aquos A66- and A77-series have two notable enhancements that caught our attention. For the color critics, both models have a high-end 10-bit LCD panel that can produce richer hues out-of-the-box. Furthermore, these new entries offer a five-fold increase in dynamic contrast over their 2008 counterparts. This brings the company's new 2009 offerings up to speed with the competition given their more enticing 50,000:1 contrast performance.
Other common features include full-HD resolution, three HDMI inputs, optical digital audio output and a 20W digital sound amplifier. To differentiate the higher-end A77-series from the A66s models, the former has 100Hz refresh rate designed to smoothen out motion reproduction. Prices for the Sharp Aquos A66 and A77 in Singapore starts from S$1,599 (US$1,136.06) and S$3,599 (US$2,557.02), respectively. There're no further information on pricing and availability for other Asia markets.
Sony upsizes its OLED TV
Philip Wong | Apr 16, 2009
(Credit: Newlaunches.com)
If the Sony XEL-1's petite 11-inch screen is not large enough to your liking, the company might have an upsized version available soon. It is showing off a 21-inch OLED panel at the three-day Japan Display 2009 expo that ends April 17. Besides the size upgrade, this model also has a higher 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution compared with the XEL-1's humble 960 x 540 screen.
The tradeoff, however, is a bulkier form factor which doesn't even come close to the XEL-1's sleek 3mm-skinny panel. That said, this is not a fair comparison since the XEL-1 is built on a sizeable base unit unlike the all-in-one 21-incher. There's currently no information on pricing and availability.
Via Newlaunches.com
Warner Archive DVDs: A hands-on evaluation
John P. Falcone | Apr 15, 2009
The front and back covers of the Warner Archive DVDs are obviously based on a template, but they are customized with photos, blurbs, cast lists--they have a budget feel, but the packing is a step-up from some of the truly no-frills custom DVDs we've seen in the past.
(Photo credit: John Falcone/CNET)
Recently, Warner announced its new DVD-on-demand program. Dubbed "Warner Archive," it's a Web site that allows the company to market more obscure titles from its back catalog. Consumers choose the specific titles they want, and Warner manufactures them as needed and mails them directly to the consumer in under a week.
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