Olive Media Inc. has unveiled its first HD Hi-Fi music server for home theater systems, creating a totally new category with the HD category. The Olive 4HD offers listeners hardcore audio thanks to its 24-bit sound and 192 kHz sample rate which is pegged to be 250 times more than the average resolution of CDs. It comes with a control center that makes it easy for you access any digital music library and also two terabyte hard drives which can store up to 6,000 CDs or 20,000 hi-res 24-bit tracks. Music can easily be copied to the Olive 4HD via the built-in CD mechanism, or from a PC or Mac through its wireless or wired network connection.
The Olive 4HD Hi-Fi music server is now available from Olive for $1,999. It includes 12 of Chesky Records’ best HD tracks for free.
Here is another potent portable media player that has its share of controversies. For one, confirmation has not been given and we have yet to see one in the flesh. This is with reference to the Ainol V9000HDX Megatron portable media player which is the latest PMP to come out with lots of great looking improvements.
This latest Ainol PMP version has a 4.8” 800×480 touch screen display and is capable of rendering 1080p video out, and the usual ports for display connections into something bigger like an HDTV. It also boasts of 16GB of storage, a FM tuner and a 2450mAh battery. No word on pricing and availability and this is what perhaps makes it a device in the hot seat (meaning if it is real or not).
Home entertainment gets another boost as PrimeDTV unravels their PHD-HM5 HD home-networked media player. This portable HD media player has been named among the hottest electronic products in Amazon, delivering exceptional videos which can practically play all video file formats up to 1080p. Aside from video entertainment, the PHD-HM5 can also be a handy digital music player and HD display contraption. It is quite easy to set up and can show stored photos and videos on a digital camcorder or camera for widescreen viewing. It comes with 2 USB ports and Ethernet input ports as well to broaden multimedia capabilities for this portable player you just have to get in the market today.
Viewsonic unveils its own mini mobile entertainment solution with the release of the VPD400 Moviebook. This latest device supports majority of the media formats in use today and comes with an 8GB memory. Just in case that isn’t enough, there is a microSD card expansion slot for more files to showcase. It boasts of a 4.3” display and allows you to set optional subtitles as well. The Viewsonic VPD400 Moviebook retails for $130.00.
Netflix, wow…even they’re starting to feel threatened by the Redbox video kiosks. And frankly, I don’t know why, not for the life of me.
See, apparently, Netflix believes that the one dollar rental “devalues the content ecosystem”, which is a fancy way of saying “makes people think they can pay less for stuff which in turn drives them to actually DO pay less for stuff and break it off in our collective tukhus.” Which is an absolute JOKE as illustrated by the equation I’m about to show you:
Netflix charges about twenty four bucks ($23.99) for its four at a time unlimited plan. Now, let’s assume a thirty day month that has no annoying postal holidays in it (Columbus Day my ENTIRE ass. NOBODY gets that day off.) and start it up. Also assume the first day of this hypothetical month is a Monday, and there are six mailing days in a week. Assume further that I keep up that constant flow of watch and return (I work nights, or from home, or I’m unemployed.) every day.
I get my first four movies on the first, watch two of them that afternoon and get them back in the mailbox before the end of the day, and then watch the second two later that night, to put them in the mail the next day. I don’t get any movies on that Tuesday, but I get a set of two on Wednesday, and a set of two on Thursday, and so on. Now, what that means is that I basically get two movies a day, every day, for twenty four days in the month, a total of forty eight movies, for which I paid twenty four bucks for the month to rent them.
Getting the picture? Now, I’m no mathematician…but it sure looks like my total per-title Netflix cost is FIFTY CENTS A MOVIE. If I stream any titles in the month the cost picture buckles even further. Even if you cut that figure in HALF, and I only get a cycle going of ONE movie per day–not hard with a four-max–then suddenly Netflix MATCHES Redbox!
And they’re whining about Redbox devaluing the content ecosystem?
We all know how the home theater generally beats the movie theater, so far only losing out in terms of available first run content and the amorphous “theater experience”, but where things are likely to get interesting is the recent migration of the music concert to home theater.
Most of us have been to at least one concert in our lives, where it’s often crowded, smoky, dangerous and expensive, not necessarily in that order. So imagine the idea of seeing your favorite musician or group live, in concert, in your own home.
It’s already started, somewhat, but apparently Sony’s got a serious putsch on to get more concerts migrated toward people’s home theaters. Which is a pretty smart idea, really; you can go with a pay per view concept–the system’s already in place for that–or you can stream the video online, or you can go with DVD copies for sale or rent. Or you can do like Sony’s doing and get it to movie theaters proper–they’ll be showing a Creed concert November 19.
I love the thought of being able to do more stuff from home–there’s no place like it, you know.
A few enhancements came with the O!Play Air HDP-PR3 to perhaps add more options in soliciting media for this boxes media player. The new perks were the addition of a WiFi capability and a card reader, broadening the storage and sources of which media files to play back via this device. The O!Play Air HDP PR3 features an HDMI 1.3 socket and supports majority of the media formats in use today. The O!Play Air HDP PR3 is expected to retail for about $133 (90 EUROS).
Are you planning to turn your PC into a home theater system? Well don’t go through the trouble. Myka has a boxed solution where all you have to do is plug it in. The Myka ION is a hybrid HD media player based on Ubuntu. It comes with a custom media dashboard and can be hooked on to a PC that supports Hulu, Boxee and other devices. The box itself is composed of a NVIDIA ION (9400M) graphic chipset along with an Intel Atom N330 processor. This device can handle 1080p HD videos. This Myka ION HD hybrid media player starts with a base price of $379.00.
Viewsonic is the latest company to join the media player bandwagon, revealing their VMP870 which can reportedly deliver 1080p displays over HDMI. It will render content from your USB-compatible devices which also feature composite cables and S/PDIF ports. It recognizes most media file formats like DivX and H.264 and will retail for $129.99. If you order in advance, a special holiday price of $98.99 is being offered for the early bird buyers.
As expected, the Sonos ZonePlayer S5 has officially hit stores in the US today. This is a wireless receiver armed with amplified 5-driver speakers. This music system accommodates Ethernet and WiFi connectivity and allows you to access 25,000 free Internet radio stations. It also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a line-in jack. It supports most media formats like MP3 and WMA to deliver quality audio which you can place in any part of your home like the kitchen or bedroom. The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 retails for $399 and is scheduled to hit Europe soon as well for 350 EUROS.
If you are a sucker for handy portable media players in the market, here is one from Thanko once again! This time, Thanko offers a portable media player in the AV Bank. This is a multi-functional device that can be used as a music player, photo frame, video player and voice recorder. It features a 4.3” screen with a 480×272 resolution, built-in mini speakers and a retractable stand. It supports most media formats and is relatively cheap for $78. Apparently this thing is only available in Japan but with the help of other sites, this may soon be made available internationally.
Okay, so we’re really stretching the definition of “home theater” on this one, but it actually DOES apply if you use the term “theater” in its original sense of stage acting. And even if it didn’t apply, it would still be entirely too cool to pass up.
Today we’re talking about the Halloween Park Haunted House, in honor of the holiday we just left behind. I know a good portion of you are probably still sleeping off your nougat coma from two nights ago, so settle in with a cup of tea and check out this spectacular array of theatrical wonderment that’ll blow you away.
This may be the first ever interactive haunted house on the face of the earth. Sure, we’ve all gone through spook houses and scream parks and whatnot in which you walk around and people in costume jump out of corners and the like, but Halloween Park, thanks to a series of contacts, motion sensors, and a computer system involving eight hundred lines of code, is a wholly different animal. When you make contact with objects or areas in Halloween Park, there’s a tangible response. Step somewhere and something jumps out. Move a book and a hidden door opens.
It’s a positively amazing process that yields a really spooky show, and shows us all exactly the kind of thing we could be doing with OUR home theater setups if we wanted to take that kind of time.
If you want cheap streaming media entertainment, the money is geared towards Netflix members and Amazon Video on Demand users who are enjoying this privilege through the use of cheap Roku media players. Now Roku broadens the package by offering two new HD streaming media players with the the Roku-HD-XR ($130) and the Roku SD ($80). Both are sure to fit into one’s budget, media players that should satisfy the streaming video entertainment and keep the costs of home entertainment at affordable levels.
Western Digital has officially unveiled the WD TV Live Media player, featuring support for 1080p videos. So now, owners of this WD TV Live media player can transfer video files from their PC or MAC to external hard drives which they can in turn hook up to their TV sets for wider audience viewing. It supports most video formats without any encoding needed. It has a dual USB port hence making it possible to play videos directly from USB drives. For ports, it comes with an HDMI 1.3, composite video and component video outputs along with SPDIF digital sound output for surround sound. The Western Digital WDBAAN0000NBK WD TV retails for $149.99.
Sigo announces the availability of 2 portable media players which offer full HD video playback support and 1080p HMDI output. The two portable media players are the S40 which boasts of a 4.3” LCD display and the S60 which has a 5” screen. Both come with supported codecs like H.264, VC-1 and MPEG2 and support video formats like MKV, TS, MPG, VOB, AVI, and FLV. No word on pricing and availability for now.
Digital media players continue to grow in numbers and the latest is the Creative Zen X-Fi2 media player. The Creative Zen X-Fi2 media player has been officially shipped to the Indian market carrying an ultra-sleek 3” TFT LCD screen which makes it an ideal device to store and display movies of your liking. The X-Fi2 supports DivX and MPEG4 movies and supports MP3, WMA, AAC and FLAC audio formats.
The ZenX-Fi2 also has built-in speakers but why bother if you can hook it up to any TV via the included AV-Out port for a larger display. They are available in three different capacities (pricing):
The O!Play media player was officially posted here some months ago and now the same player is officially available in the U.S. Carrying the same specs that allows users to enjoy 1080p HD media via their HDTV and support for common and popular media files, the O!Play Media Player is now being offered for only $99.99.
The O!Play Media Player also comes with various input (USB, eSata/USB combo port) and output (HDMI, composite A/V) options that makes this device a must-have for your home entertainment needs.
If you have a home theater chances are you heavily rely on a Blu-ray burner on a daily basis, be it backing up movies or taking a less legal route. Whatever the case Blu-ray burners have become a staple in the lives of theater nuts everywhere.
Currently, there are only 8x Blu-ray burners on the market which aren’t incredibly slow but they aren’t lightning fast either. Today, Pioneer has come forth to announce that they are ready to launch the world’s first 12x Blu-ray burner called the BDR-205 this October for $250.
Here’s a little gadget that simply needs some attention. The QNAP NMP-1000 is a networked media player destined to keep you entertained. The player has been announced at CeBIT and now it looks like it’s ready to hit retails although pricing details still remain a mystery. So what will the QNAP NMP-1000 have to offer? Well here’s a quick rundown of specs which will certainly make you want it:
BitTorrent Server
FTP Server
Remote web browser access
Can function as an external USB or eSATA drive to your PC
Automatic categorization of local and remote disk data
Okoro offers consumers a couple of miniature Quantum series media PCs designed to aid users to manage photos, music and videos while also recording HDTV programs. They come in small compact form factors which should be flexible enough for you to find a suitable area to place it. These mini systems can also playback 1080p Blu-ray movies and DVD.
These Quantum Mini Systems also gives the consumer the ability to record two HD programs via an antenna, cable, or satellite TV based on the customer’s software choice. The OMS-QX100 is based on low powered Intel moble technology while the QX200 is based on NVidia ION processing technology.
Olive Media Inc. has unveiled its first HD Hi-Fi music server for home theater systems, creating a totally new category with the HD category. The Olive 4HD offers listeners hardcore audio thanks to its 24-bit sound and 192 kHz sample rate which is pegged to be 250 times more than the average resolution of CDs. It comes with a control center that makes it easy for you access any digital music library and also two terabyte hard drives which can store up to 6,000 CDs or 20,000 hi-res 24-bit tracks. Music can easily be copied to the Olive 4HD via the built-in CD mechanism, or from a PC or Mac through its wireless or wired network connection.
