blu-ray

While my iPad has become a second screen in many ways--as an e-reader, social-networking pane, video viewer, and more--a new series of apps from Disney is ready to take that into a whole new direction. Disney's Second Screen is a series of apps that take over your iPad and offer up a second screen of information during movie viewings, acting as a disembodied set of bonus features.

Second Screen is a feature that's currently offered on Disney's "Tron" and "Bambi" Blu-ray discs. Each movie has its own app in Apple's App Store. These apps are free, and hefty, too--the "Tron: Legacy" app clocked in at over 800MB, the "Bambi" app comes in at 498MB. However, you can't do anything with the app without activating a "Magic Code" found inside the Blu-ray disc's box. I made the mistake of downloading the app and leaving the Blu-ray box in the office, taking home the disc in a plastic sleeve. Unfortunately, the disc itself can't unlock the app, so I had to wait till the next day to Second Screen my home "Tron: Legacy"-viewing experience. Bottom line: don't lose that code.

The cleverest part of the whole Second Screen idea isn't its content: it's the app's ability to synchronize with the movie and play its related content alongside a time code of sorts that counts down in the upper part of the screen.… Read more

Blu-ray players have come way down in price in the last couple of years, so the main question most buyers will have about the Samsung BD-D6700 is: why should I spend $270 (current street price) on a Blu-ray player? Samsung's answer is dual HDMI outputs, which are necessary only if you have a non-3D-compatible receiver and demand to hear the real Dolby Digital True HD or DTS Master soundtrack. Less demanding listeners can hook up the optical digital audio jack instead of the second HDMI output and get basically the same sound quality.

There's plenty to like about the BD-D6700 overall, including built-in Wi-Fi, tons of streaming video services and smartphone control, but all of those features are available on the step-down BD-D6500, too, which is almost $100 cheaper. Buyers who don't need dual HDMI will get more bang for their buck by spending a little more for the Sony PlayStation 3 Slim or by going with a cheaper alternative, whether that's Samsung's BD-D6500 or a competing Wi-Fi Blu-ray player.

Read the full review of the Samsung BD-D6700.

… Read more

They may be called Blu-ray players, but in 2011 they're as much about streaming media services as they are about high-definition discs. With every manufacturer having a different collection of streaming media services, it can be tough to choose a player, which is why we're taking an in-depth look at each major manufacturer's 2011 content portal.

We're starting with Samsung's Smart Hub, the company's renamed content portal (formerly called Internet@TV), which features streaming media services like Netflix and MLB.TV, (supposedly) cross-platform search, and the Samsung App store.

Smart Hub is the same … Read more

If you own a Blu-ray player and a set of eyeballs, you absolutely, positively must add "Planet Earth" to your library. I insist.

This four-disc BBC documentary series has a list price of $99.99, but Best Buy has "Planet Earth" on Blu-ray for $24.99, plus sales tax in most states and $2.49 for shipping. (You can save on shipping by heading to your local Best Buy brick-and-mortar, though I'm not positive the price is the same in-store.)

Another option: Amazon also has it for $24.99, with no sales tax, but you'… Read more

Those who are counting down the days to get their hands on "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray will be happy to hear they'll get it sooner than they thought.

Lucasfilm said today that the set will be available on September 16, 11 days earlier than its original launch date.

For months now, "Star Wars" fans have been anxiously awaiting the nine-disc Blu-ray set, which includes all six of the "Star Wars" films in addition to three discs featuring over 30 hours of special features. Lucasfilm first announced the box set in August … Read more

If you plan on buying a Blu-ray player in 2011, don't be surprised if the back panel is lacking a component video output. A surprising number of mainstream 2011 Blu-ray players, (such as the Panasonic DMP-BDT210, Samsung BD-D5700, LG BD670, to name a few) are omitting the red, green, and blue video jacks, which means buyers will have to rely on HDMI for high-def Blu-ray video signals.

It's all about AACS We can't blame manufacturers for omitting the component out of new players. For one, it's not a huge loss, as the vast majority of buyers … Read more

Samsung home theater products have been showing up at online retailers for the last week or so, but today the company officially announced pricing and availability on its 2011 home theater and Blu-ray products. We're currently at a Samsung press event in New York, but here's a quick look at the early information we received:

We'll be updating this post with more information later in the day.

Ever have one of those days when you just couldn't make up your mind? You know: chocolate or vanilla? "Megamind" or "Despicable Me"? iPad 2 from Verizon or iPad 2 from AT&T? (Don't tell Mrs. Cheapskate about that last one.)

This morning, I couldn't make up my mind which deal to post--so I'm posting the three top candidates. (Also, like you, I hate it when stuff sells out right away, so this affords a little insurance.)

First up, Best Buy has the Dell Inspiron IN5030-2450B3D 15.6-inch laptop for $399.99 shipped (… Read more

I'm breaking two of my own rules today: posting a today-only deal on a Friday (meaning it'll be on the site all weekend, even though it's expired), and posting a deal that's likely to sell out before I finish typing this paragraph.

Eh, rules are made to be broken, right?

Today only, Cowboom has the refurbished Sony BDP-BX37 Blu-ray player for $69.99 shipped. This is an Internet-friendly player, able to stream content from Netflix, Pandora, Slacker, YouTube, and other services.

Update: Oh, now I remember why I have those rules: it's already sold out! (… Read more