rays

Google TV to jump across the pond to Europe

Despite being plagued with high prices, low sales, and difficulty with program distribution in the U.S., Google TV is expanding to Europe. Come September, Sony will sell Google TV-based products in Europe, according to GigaOM via a translation of a Les Echos article.

Slated to go on sale in France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K. are two devices: a set-top box costing 200 Euros ($266) and an integrated Blu-ray player for 300 euros ($399), according to GigaOM.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt announced Google TV's rollout to Europe last August and Sony confirmed that two Google TV-compatible set-top … Read more

Get a Toshiba 3D Blu-ray player for $62.99

Not long ago I asked if DVDs still had a place in the world. The response was incredible, with plenty of readers professing their love for the convenience and quality afforded by disc media.

And let's not forget 3D (which I did in that initial post). If you like your movies up-close and personal, you'll need a 3D-savvy Blu-ray player. Like, say, this one: TigerDirect has the Toshiba BDX4150 3D Blu-ray player for $62.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code OMH57403 at checkout.

The BDX4150 is new, not refurbished. That's a rarity for a name-brand … Read more

'The Adventures of Tintin' Blu-ray delivers stellar video

A few weeks ago Paramount released the Blu-ray for "Hugo," which has a nearly flawless video transfer and offers incredibly sharp video and great sound. The studio returns today with the Blu-ray release of Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin," which famously combines performance capture with digital computer animation to create a unique hybrid look.

Whether you love that look or not (some people find it funky), the Blu-ray delivers stunning video that's both vivid and impressively detailed. The DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack is also highly detailed and will give your home … Read more

Former Microsoft exec Ozzie: 'Of course we're in a post-PC world'

SEATTLE--Microsoft fights the notion that the world has entered the "post-PC era," opting instead for the more Windows-friendly "PC-plus" phrasing.

But Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's former chief software architect, has little doubt that the world has moved on.

"Why are we arguing? Of course we're in a post-PC world," Ozzie said during a question-and-answer session at the GeekWire Summit here.

To Ozzie, though, the discussion is somewhat about semantics. Because, in the end, the market for devices that do general computation is going to continue to expand. And there's plenty of opportunity … Read more

Panasonic prices its 2012 Blu-ray players

Not to be outdone by Samsung, Panasonic has also announced full pricing and availability for its 2012 line of Blu-ray players. Panasonic's quoted prices are "suggested retail pricing," so expect these players to be a little cheaper when they hit the streets.

Panasonic's 2012 Blu-ray line Panasonic DMP-BD77: $90 Panasonic DMP-BD87: $120 Panasonic DMP-BDT220: $150 Panasonic DMP-BDT320: $200 Panasonic DMP-BBT01: $270 Panasonic DMP-BDT500: $350

All of Panasonic Blu-ray players are available now, except the higher-end DMP-BDT500 and DMP-BBT01, which will be released in May.

Panasonic released most of the information about these players back at CES … Read more

Twenty thousand reasons to go to SXSW

More than 20,000 people will roll into Austin, Texas, this week for the annual South by Southwest Interactive festival. The question is, besides copious amounts of free beer and barbecue, why are all those people--a broad mix of marketers, entrepreneurs, journalists, and social media junkies--showing up?

Over the years, SXSW has gotten bigger and has morphed from being an insular technology conference with a tight community of regular attendees to a mainstream event that appeals to everyone from those SXSW veterans to thousands of first-timers who want to get in on the action.

With that many people on hand … Read more

Samsung's home theater line gets pricing, available now

Samsung showed most of its home theater line at CES 2012, but the company finally got official with pricing at a media event in New York this morning.

While the products weren't new, they're now officially available, with pricing (estimated selling price) breaking down as follows:… Read more

Does it still make sense to buy DVDs?

I'm on vacation for the next couple days, so I'll see you back here on Thursday. In the meantime, I have a nice, meaty topic to tide you over.

A few weeks ago I asked if it still made sense to buy CDs, what with so many download and streaming options.

Today, let's turn our attention to those other silvery platters of goodness: DVDs (and, by proxy, Blu-rays). Do they still have a place in the world?

Despite the physical similarities of the media, music and movies aren't quite the same thing. I think people tend … Read more

Witness the birth of a Lego Millennium Falcon

Released over the last decade, the Lego Star Wars ultimate collector series contains many elaborate sets, including "the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs." This "hunk of junk," officially known as set #10179, sold for $500 when it launched in 2007.

Over the course of three years, Francisco Prieto created a 3D stop-motion video of the Lego-ized Falcon being born. … Read more