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Toshiba Qosmio F755 review: Can glasses-free 3D work on a laptop?

Many of the unique demo units and prototypes seen at the annual CES show don't make it onto store shelves in the near term, if at all. Then there's the Toshiba Qosmio F755, which we saw as a 15-inch glasses-free 3D prototype at CES in January, and which is now officially for sale in a single fixed-configuration model. Like the CES prototype, the final version of the $1,699 Qosmio F755 has a 15.6-inch display that uses special eye-tracking software to track the viewer's head movements via the built-in Webcam and adjusts the stereoscopic image accordingly.

The Toshiba Qosmio F755 is a bit of a one-trick pony, but when it works right, it's a pretty good trick. The 3D display doesn't work for video games or streaming-video content yet, only 3D Blu-ray and 3D video files you're able to download and play in Toshiba's custom media player application, which is a shame, as 3D gaming would be a killer app. … Read more

Reserve Redbox movies from your phone

The Redbox app lets you easily find and reserve Redbox movies right from your mobile device. Just boot it up and scroll through the newest releases or perform a simple search. If you like, you can filter by genre or search only for Blu-ray discs. Tap on a title, then hit Find This Movie to pull up all of the Redbox machines in proximity. From there, you can reserve the movie if you have a Redbox account. If you don't, it's easy enough to register for one.

The Redbox app is easy to use, and perfectly reliable. Our … Read more

Get Digiarty WinX Blu-ray Decrypter for free

Just a quick reminder that I'm posting less than usual this week. (Sorry to newsletter subscribers who were confused by yesterday's duplicate mailing. My bad.) And Monday's Labor Day, so I'll see you back here on Tuesday! Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Free DVD rippers are pretty easy to come by these days (I seem to see a new giveaway or promotion once every month or two), but free Blu-ray rippers? Those are still fairly rare.

From now until Sept. 15, you can download Digiarty WinX Blu-ray Decrypter free of charge. It's not quite … Read more

Lucasfilm changes original Star Wars trilogy again

Obi-Wan Kenobi may have been jolted out of his bed this morning by the millions of voices complaining about rumored changes to the original trilogy in the Star Wars Blu-ray collection, which will be available on September 16.

Entertainment blogger Devin Faraci was first to confirm with several sources that there will be several adjustments to the classic sci-fi movies: one for the original "Star Wars" (Episode IV), and two in "Return of the Jedi" (Episode VI). The New York Times has confirmed with Lucasfilm that changes are happening. To add even more fuel to the fire, there is video. … Read more

Fifteen worthy Blu-ray movies for less than $15

We've been producing a "cheap" Blu-ray movie list for several months and it's time for another update, especially since a number of our earlier picks on the list crept over the $15 mark.

As we like to note, cheap is popular these days and, not surprisingly, a lot of these bargain-price titles end up on the best sellers list on Amazon.com. But when it comes to owning discs, most people have become fairly discerning, and don't just buy anything because it's cheap. With that in mind, we've culled down the list of … Read more

Toshiba BDX5200 review: Less expensive, but slow

Toshiba isn't the first name you think of when it comes to Blu-ray, but the former backer of the now-dead HD-DVD format currently offers a full line of 11 Blu-ray players. The BDX5200 is one of the company's midrange models, offering built-in Wi-Fi, 3D compatibility, and a modest suite of streaming-media services, including Netflix, Pandora, and Vudu. It's also currently available at a bit of a discount compared with other midrange Blu-ray players, with a street price under $140.

That will save you some extra cash compared with our top-rated midrange players like the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 and … Read more

'Big Lebowski' cast reunites for Blu-ray release

Mark it here, dude.

Yes, after a long wait, "The Big Lebowski" has finally coming to Blu-ray, and it looks really good.

To promote and celebrate the launch, cast members reunited last night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where a crowd of over 1,500 fans greeted them for an onstage press conference that featured Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, and Julianne Moore reflecting on the film that was released in 1997 and has since turned into a cult classic (see photos of the event below).

Here's the quick skinny on the Limited Edition release:

Available for a limited time with an all-new 28-page companion book featuring an exclusive interview with Jeff Dowd--the real-life inspiration for The Dude--Jeff Bridges' personal, on-set photography, a film timeline, trivia and much more. In addition to all-new features exclusive to the Blu-ray release, The Big Lebowski Limited Edition Blu-ray also offers a digital copy of the film that can be viewed anywhere at any time on the consumers' choice of devices including laptops, tablets, smartphones as well as Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes.

It's also worth noting that the bonus features include "The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story," which takes an "in-depth look at the popular Lebowski Festival," which co-sponsored the cast reunion along with Universal. Check out our photos (click on image to start slideshow).

LG, Sony come to terms in patent spat, report says

The bitter patent-infringement battle between LG and Sony has come to an end, Reuters is reporting.

Speaking to Reuters today, an LG spokeswoman said that the two companies have dropped their lawsuits and signed a "cross-licensing deal." The terms of that deal were not disclosed.

The dispute between the companies started late last year when Sony filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission, requesting it ban the sale of LG phones in the U.S. Sony alleged that LG violated patents in the company's Lotus Elite, Neon, and Rumor 2 phones, among others.

Related … Read more

Early-access app teases Star Wars Blu-ray set

We're a little more than a month away from the arrival of "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray, and Lucasfilm is continuing the recent Comic-Con buzz by offering the most detailed sneak peak of the set to date with Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access App.

September 16 will bring the nine-disc Blu-ray set to store shelves, and Lucasfilm publicity poobahs have effectively been hyping the set since CES in January. Most recently, they made a buzz at Comic-Con by unveiling a trailer of the restored deleted scenes included in the set.

The free early-access app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch offers an early look at the more than 40 hours of bonus footage and other material included in the Blu-ray collection.… Read more

Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78 review: Big-screen 3D and Blu-ray in a very large laptop

In stark counterpoint to small, fast systems like the MacBook Air, big-screened, heavy, packed-to-the-gills desktop-alternative laptops are still alive and well, although sometimes a little hard to justify. Toshiba's Qosmio line of laptops has been a well-known example of that type of massive machine for years, and 2011's update to the Qosmio largely continues the trend with a new design. The $1,899 Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78 is bulky, heavy (8 pounds), and expensive, but it's also got top-of-the-line features. A quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 graphics, and dual hard drives with a … Read more