dvd

Eighty percent of the world's DVD players come from China, so what happens when that country decides DVD is a dumb format? We're about to find out.

On Wednesday some 20 Chinese companies unveiled their "EVD" players, which aim to replace DVD with a format they say offers better picture & sound -- though not high def, more capacity and stronger copy protection (that's ironic). The firms behind EVD predict they will cease making DVD players for their home market by 2008 and start exporting EVD players around the world even sooner, in 2007.

If … Read more

Two Franklins might seem like a lot for an ordinary optical drive, but when that drive is a blue diode-using, next-generation disc reader, then a $200 price tag is a bargain. Most HD-DVD drives currently cost at least $400, but the enterprising nerds at tech site UNEASYsilence figured out how to get the $200 Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive to work with a PC. It was originally intended just to work with the Xbox 360, but a hacked device driver means the USB drive can read HD-DVDs for any PC. Granted, there isn't much HD-DVD material out on the shelves … Read more

It's not often that the sight of a product photo forces us to turn away. But it was necessary to avoid getting flashbacks to our "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" days.

The last thing you'd expect to trigger psychedelic memories would be a piece of office equipment, but this is no ordinary machine. And we're not just talking about the crazy magenta daisy motif, either. Konica Minolta is working on a prototype that combines the usual functions (copying, printing, scanning, faxing) with a slew of other features, including a DVD player, LCD screen, speakers and even … Read more

A lot of portable DVD players look like they were made for kids--probably because they were. With DVD drives standard in so many laptops these days, adults have fewer reasons than ever to lug around a separate player.

But for those special occasions when you actually want to leave your computer at home (gasp) and don't plan on watching Spongebob or Dora, this player from Amadana may be just the ticket. It reminds us of a gutted and renovated San Francisco Victorian: Inside its beautiful bamboo exterior all the modern amenities you need. It has a 10-inch LCD, flat-touch … Read more

While the general public has taken kindly to the Xbox 360's dashboard, nothing inspires change more than last-minute panic. Perhaps sensing big things on the way from the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft has an pretty hefty UI update (85 new features) ready to deploy today.

The biggest new feature on the way is the addition of the ability to output 1080p--we'll have to fish out our VGA adaptor to test this when it hits, as most HDTVs can't output 1080p via component. Besides providing a higher output for games, the Xbox 360 will … Read more

With the influx of new high-def movie players this holiday season, particularly ones masquerading as gaming systems and accessories, Toshiba is hoping to catch the attention of high-def adopters with a mail-in offer valid with the purchase of any of the company's HD-DVD players starting November 1 (that's next Wednesday, so make sure to laugh at anyone who picks one up this weekend).

The PDF mail-in form allows buyers to pick one free one movie each from three of the format's biggest backers; Universal, Warner Brothers, and Paramount each have five titles to choose from. With next-gen … Read more

This VGA device is designed to make your life simpler--that is, if your definition of simplicity involves playing console games, using your computer, and watching TV or DVDs all at the same time. The Logic 3 Super VGA Box allows you to do all of the above on your computer screen, complete with a remote control, without changing any plugs. We assume that the manufacturer takes no responsibility for any afflictions resulting from prolonged use of the device.

(Photo: SpectraVideo)

The folks over at Home Theater Blog report that Samsung has finally released a firmware update to its $1,000 Blu-ray player, the BD-P1000, which Samsung acknowledged had a problem with overzealous noise reduction that softened the picture. As CNET and others have reported, this wasn't the only issue with the player, and the BD-P1000 has taken its share of hits in the early going. That's the price you pay for being first to market with a new technology. (Toshiba, too, has had to update the firmware on its first-generation HD-DVD player, but it managed to put something … Read more

This CD and DVD burner works as advertised, but the bundled toolbar it installs reduces its appeal. Burn4Free CD & DVD lets you burn audio discs or write data to CDs and DVDs by dropping audio or data files into the main window.

The button-heavy main window has a somewhat awkward look, but it's easy enough to understand. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the multitude of controls, you can switch to the more streamlined Easy mode. Be aware that the app attempts to install the NavExcel toolbar, which changes the way IE behaves when you mistype a URL … Read more