Videos

Foreign DVD recorders on sale to meet 'hidden' demand?

Last fall, we noticed that old DVD recorders with hard drives were selling for $1,900 on the Internet, because manufacturers basically stopped making them (with some exceptions) and people still want them. The continued demand for DVD recorders with hard drives isn't surprising--many people want a simple DVR they can own, without a monthly free, that can easy burn their favorite shows to DVDs. It's a killer product, but unless you're willing to set up a home theater PC, you can't have it.

We have noticed, however, that some electronics retailers have been offering foreign DVD recorders with hard drives in the U.S., potentially to meet this hidden demand.… Read more

'Daily Show,' 'Colbert Report,' and more for your Zune

Early this month, Microsoft announced the availability of TV shows in the Zune Marketplace. The initial launch included more the 800 episodes from networks such as MTV and NBC. Now, the Zune catalog is set to increase by 50 percent, with Microsoft adding more than 400 episodes from 19 shows over the next week and a half. In addition to the programs listed below, new shows from Bravo will be added in the near future.

Zune Marketplace video store update schedule:

Wednesday, May 28: Comedy Central

The Colbert Report The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Friday, May 30: NBC Universal … Read more

Video glasses put high end in focus

With so many video glasses coming on the market, it's getting increasingly difficult for manufacturers to distinguish their wares. One of them is even offering a fashion line, which seems a bit of a stretch, to say the least.

eMagin, for its part, is taking what sometimes seems to be a novel approach these days: It's focusing on the technology. The company showed its latest offering at a conference in Los Angeles, a pair of 3D glasses that create the equivalent of a 105-inch screen viewed 12 feet away. Other models have made similar claims, but its "… Read more

Can Tru2way succeed where CableCard failed?

If the industry press is to be believed, Tuesday's announcement that Sony would be producing TVs with Tru2way compatibility was a watershed event--the electronics world equivalent of the Magna Carta or the Treaty of Versailles. But let's step back a bit and examine what this really means.

Tru2way is a digital cable technology developed by CableLabs that's designed to be built directly into TVs, eliminating the need for an outboard set-top box. In theory, you'd be able to buy a Tru2way-compatible TV, bring it home, connect it to your coaxial cable, and instantly be able to … Read more

Study: Web-video viewers to top 1 billion by 2013

A new study says that the number of people who watch online video will top 1 billion in the next five years.

As my boss, Jim Kerstetter, points out, it's unwise to put too much faith in predictions like this, but this isn't too much of a stretch.

The rapid rate at which broadband is being adopted around the world will lead the number of Web video viewers to quadruple by 2013, according to a report issued Tuesday by technology research group ABI Research.

The study also points out that Web video sites are increasingly finding more efficient … Read more

Politics 2.0: Barack Obama's videographer

The National Journal writes that when Arun Chaudhary was a teenager, his father asked him why he didn't want to get into politics. "I can't, Dad," he recalled saying. "I have a funny name." Now Arun Chaudhary, the son of an immigrant Indian father and a Jewish mother, is as close to politics as one can be: He took leave from his day job -- professor at the NYU film school -- to become Barack Obama's videographer (or, so the official title, director of field production).

After 10 months on the campaign trail, … Read more

Social gaming coming into its own

SAN FRANCISCO--When you're one of the earliest adopters of a new technology, or one of the first companies into a new space, you tend to be very bullish on its future.

That energy was very much in evidence Thursday at InterPlay, the first-ever conference solely devoted to social gaming.

If you're not familiar with the concept of social gaming--small, casual game applications designed to be played on social networks like Facebook--you soon will be. That's because there is a lot of interest--and a growing amount of venture capital--being focused on the young space.

Examples of the early … Read more

LG HT762TZ: DVD upscaler, 5.1 surround and boozy speakers

Some time ago we reviewed an LG home cinema system, which wowed us with its low cost and high performance. So when LG offered to send us its new HT762TZ 5.1 system, with a built-in DVD player and the added bonus of some stylish Champagne-flute speakers, we were understandably excited.

As we've said many times, in countless reviews, flat-panel TVs often let themselves down with poor-quality sound, so adding a surround-sound system--or at least a 2.1 system--is a very good idea, especially if you're a movie fan. One of the things we loved about LG's … Read more

Where you don't mess with the Yu-Tang Clan

YU-TANG CLAN AIN'T NOTHING TO BUCK WITH! Founding members the Yza, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah (aka Tony Starks) keep it cutty and explore tech's first format war; skyrocketing Wii Fit prices; losing water on film; and our culture's lousy obsession with movie remakes. McLovin and Sr. Sean Connery also stop in to discuss Mr. BAKalar's questionable fashion choices. EPISODE 104 Download today's podcast

CBS Audience Network adds more retro programming

Looks like offering old episodes of Star Trek and MacGyver proved successful: CBS Interactive announced this week that it has added a selection of new "classic TV" content to its CBS Audience Network of online video partners.

Full episodes and clips of select seasons from Twin Peaks, Beverly Hills: 90210, The Love Boat, Family Ties, and Perry Mason are now available on CBS' 300-plus partner sites, which include downloadable video service Joost, AOL and its newly acquired social network Bebo, video-sharing site Veoh, and a few hardware partners like Slingbox. CBS has also added more seasons of MacGyver, … Read more