DVD

This is the second open source application review that I've done, but it really should have been the first. I could probably live without talking to other people (Adium), but I'm not sure I could survive long flights without the occasional movie. Handbrake covers this fundamental human need.

If you're not currently using the open-source Handbrake application, your life is woefully incomplete. Handbrake is one of the applications that you will continue to use when you die. Angels are using it, even as I type, to rip their DVDs to their hard-drives so that they can save battery life on long trips (to Redmond, most likely :-).

Enough gushing. What is Handbrake? … Read more

They haven't put out a press release about it or anything, but the signs are pointing to a decisive victory of Blu-ray over archrival HD DVD when it comes to the Japanese smut industry. A PC World article writes that Sony, manufacturer of the Blu-ray Disc, has been offering more technical support to Japan's adult film companies. At the Adult Treasure Expo 2007 in Chibo, Japan, filmmakers attested to this and said that it's no longer as difficult for them to find mass production outlets.

In the U.S., HD DVD has an edge in the porn … Read more

Maybe it took extra long, 'cause it was so hard to get these giant things on the truck. In any event, the 20-inch HP HDX--a massive multimedia laptop we previewed extensively back in May--comes with some cool new hardware tweaks and is finally ready to hit dorm rooms and CEO offices around the country.

One of the first systems to be announced with Intel's revamped Centrino Duo platform, the HDX won us over with its huge 20-inch display (which moves back and forth on a giant hinged arm), touch-sensitive media control buttons, pop-out remote control, and gamer-worthy specs. … Read more

Though it's only July, Samsung decked out the Clift Hotel in downtown San Francisco this week with its holiday lineup of gadget gifts.

Pictured here, for example, is a camera that's compact but also packs a nice punch. Not only does it have touch-screen controls and a nice swivel handle, which allows easy, lower shooting angles, but it shoots video in 720p. Samsung says it went with progressive (the "p" in 720p) instead of interlaced (720i) for its first high-definition camcorder to allow better slow-motion replay of home movies. The camera also has 8GB of flash … Read more

The expected next-generation DVD format war isn't quite the deadlock many expected.

Target's announcement Thursday that it would sell a Sony Blu-ray player in its stores alongside Blu-ray discs in a special feature promotion is important because the second-largest retailer in the U.S. doesn't sell HD DVD players in its stores, outside of the external HD DVD drive made for Microsoft's Xbox 360. It does sell a Toshiba HD DVD player on its Web site, however.

When the battle between the competing optical disc formats--HD DVD and Blu-ray--began brewing last year, analysts predicted protracted trench warfare, … Read more

First Blockbuster, now Target's going Blu-only. Or at least that's what it appears from an AP report that was filed late yesterday. According to the story, "Target Corp., the nation's second-largest retailer, will start selling a Sony Blu-ray high-definition DVD player during the critical holiday shopping period and feature the player along with Blu-ray discs in store displays, dealing a potential blow to the rival HD DVD format."

The story goes on to say that the move will formally be announced Thursday and is designed to help cut through the confusion that's kept consumers … Read more

Ah, the prices for HD DVD players just keep falling. This time it's not one of Toshiba's standalone players, but the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360. Starting August 1, the player will shed $20, dropping to $179. If that isn't enough to entice you, the press release notes that "buyers can choose five HD DVD titles for free from a selection of 15 popular titles via a mail-in offer."

All that said, in terms of pure hardware costs for a game console/next-gen DVD player, the 60GB PS3 (with built-in Blu-ray player) remains … Read more

Samsung announced final official details on two expensive Blu-ray players today, including the HD DVD-playin' BD-UP5000 we wrote about before, and a new home theater-in-a-box (HTiB) that incorporates a Blu-ray player, the HT-BD2. We're now told the BD-UP5000 will retail for $1,049, and the HT-BD2 will sell for $1,499. Both will ship sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, and will round out the company's five-model series of 2007 Blu-ray players.

After the LG BH-100, the Samsung BD-UP5000 will be the second player to handle both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. It's the first … Read more

I'm not sure how you people can watch movies and TV shows on those little screens, but you sure are doing it! Every time I turn around on the bus or in the airport, somebody is watching video on her iPod. (If she's supercool, she's watching it on her new iPhone.)

It's easy to buy videos designed to view on those little screens, of course, but if you want to get your own DVDs and Web movies onto your iPod or iPhone, you'll have to dive into the wide world of video converters.… Read more