-
Another Hit on Blu-ray: Toshiba Backs Movies on Memory Cards
Tweet Share on Facebook December 31, 2008 Comment (19)Next week should see the launch of a new media delivery system, this one using kiosks that download music and flicks to memory cards. The kiosks will start with single music tracks and then DVD-quality movies, but will eventually dump HD-quality films onto SD cards that can be plugged into set-top players or even TVs.
It seems no coincidence that Toshiba is a major backer of the kiosks. Its HD-DVD lost the format war with Sony's Blu-ray over the replacement for DVDs. Toshiba now seems to be doing what it can to undermine Blu-ray's success.
Toshiba has already rolled out an upscaling DVD player that does the best job yet of turning standard DVDs into near-HD fare. At the time, Toshiba pleaded that it shouldn't be seen as trying to compete with Blu-ray.
-
Clogged Servers Delay Videos From Popular Flips
Tweet Share on Facebook December 31, 2008 CommentPopularity has its price. Servers for sharing videos from the fast-selling Flip camcorders choked on Christmas clips, delaying the delivery of some for several days.
I know because I hit "send" repeatedly on Christmas morning, and nothing arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I finally resorted to an upload to YouTube. It wasn't until Sunday that a flood of the original links arrived, one for each of the fruitless launches three days earlier.
A spokeswoman for the Flip's maker, Pure Digital, acknowledged today the company's servers "were strained for a short period." She added that the problem is resolved. "I guess there was a surge in video sharing over the holidays."
Maybe just a burp, but still a disappointing one for the Flip, whose whole pitch is simplicity in sharing videos.
-
Another Take on LG's Embrace of Streaming
Tweet Share on Facebook December 31, 2008 CommentOn LG's rush to add Internet video to its Blu-ray players, this from Paul Sweeting in the Media Wonk blog:
LG seems to be trying to graft an entirely new functionality onto its BD players, tuning them into Web-enabled set-top boxes as much as disc players. You probably wouldn't do that if you believed the original functionality, by itself, was sufficiently compelling.
-
LG Adds CinemaNow, YouTube to Blu-ray Players
Tweet Share on Facebook December 30, 2008 Comment (1)LG says it will add free videos from YouTube and pay-per-views from CinemaNow to its line of Blu-ray players, which already get streams from Netflix. Expect others to follow suit. Samsung already offers Netflix on some Blu-ray players.
Isn't there is irony in tacking on streaming to help sell Blu-ray? Internet video is one of the threats to Blu-ray, which is fighting for a foothold in living rooms. Maybe it's as simple as join 'em if you can't fight 'em. Or maybe the Blu-ray backers want to prove the superiority of their disks with easy, head-to-head comparisons.
-
New iPhone Might be a BlackBerry Killer
Tweet Share on Facebook December 30, 2008 Comment (10)This could be the best of all worlds: an iPhone with a BlackBerry-like keyboard. That's the prediction of a leading Apple watcher, who says the do-all handset could appear early next year.
Not only that, it might be the elusive, Bigfoot-like cheaper iPhone that is claimed to be lurking in the woods. This according to Gene Munster, an equities analyst at Piper Jaffray:
Specifically, we believe Apple could introduce a lower-end model that is slightly thicker due to the inclusion of a slider keyboard for students (texting) and business use (email) between $99 and $149.
-
Apple May Compete With HP Home Server
Tweet Share on Facebook December 30, 2008 Comment (2)HP says it will add Mac-centric features to its MediaSmart Home Servers, the PCs loaded with special Windows software to be a central digital closet.
More hopeful are reports that Apple might release a competitor.
The PC versions haven't caught on since launched more than a year ago. Everyday Joes don't know they want a central computer at home. The best that Microsoft could do for marketing was to spoof the deadly "home server" name.
-
Portable Digital TVs Arriving
Tweet Share on Facebook December 30, 2008 Comment (5)Often overlooked in the upcoming switch to digital TV are the millions of portable TVs that will be worthless. Surprisingly few models are available with digital tuners like those now found commonly in large, flat-panel TVs.
A company called Eviant will introduce a range of portable models at next week's Consumer Electronics Show. The company hasn't disclosed prices, but a competitor already available at Radio Shack is pricey at $200.
-
Readers: BlackBerry Storm a Worthy Competitor to Apple iPhone
Tweet Share on Facebook December 29, 2008 Comment (25)Readers have responded with a raft of thoughtful comments on a recent report critical of the BlackBerry Storm's initial launch, at least compared to Apple's iPhone.
A number noted that a recent software update appears to have eased problems with the Storm. Still, says Prasad from Calif.:
[Overall] the timing was not right in the first place - releasing with bugs and app store not in place - bad timing - wake up RIM managers.
-
Digital TV Will Strand Some Viewers
Tweet Share on Facebook December 29, 2008 Comment (4)About one in five TV stations won't reach all their current viewers after they turn off analog signals in February, regulators say. Those stations will go dark for at least two percent of their broadcast viewers, the FCC says.
But most stations will reach more viewers because of the stronger reach of digital broadcast, according to the agency.
-
Notebook PCs Overtake Desktops Worldwide
Tweet Share on Facebook December 24, 2008 Comment (4)Notebook computers outsold desktops for the first time in the third quarter, iSuppli reports. Manufacturers shipped 40 percent more notebooks in the quarter compared to 2007, while desktops slipped slightly.
"The notebook PC is no longer a tool only for the business market, or a computer for the well-off consumer; it’s now a computer for everyman,” says iSuppli analyst Matthew Wilkins.
advertisement
Follow U.S. News Money
Like Us On Facebook
advertisement
Subscribe
U.S. News Weekly
An insider's guide to politics and policy, available on the iPad or as a PDF download.
