blu

This is an updated version of a deal I posted a couple months back.

Need an inexpensive set-top box that can sling Netflix movies and TV shows? The refurbished Sharp Aquos BD-HP24U will hook you up for just $42.99. That's after redeeming a $20 mail-in rebate (PDF). Shipping adds $9.48, bringing your grand total to around $53.

Oh, by the way, it's also a Blu-ray player.

Funny how priorities change, right? Think about it: if I showed you, say, an Apple TV for $43, you'd probably snap it up. Admittedly, the BD-HP24U doesn't have … Read more

What are all those Netflix and Hulu viewers watching, and how are they accessing that content? A new study out yesterday from Nielsen offers some answers.

Among Netflix subscribers, 53 percent watch movies, 11 percent tune into TV shows, and 36 percent catch a mixture of both. But among Hulu viewers, only 9 percent are streaming movies, 73 percent are watching TV episodes, and 18 percent grab both equally.

Those results aren't surprising since Hulu isn't exactly known for its vast movie library, focusing instead on providing current and past seasons of popular TV series. In contrast, Netflix … Read more

The latest MacBook Air laptops are here, and as was widely expected, they include not only Intel's current second-generation Core i-series processors, but also the same Thunderbolt port found on the latest MacBook Pro and iMac systems.

Even better, both the new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air laptops have backlit keyboards, the No. 2 most-requested new feature in a recent CNET poll.

Up to 3.5 million 3D Blu-ray movie discs have been sold in the U.S. since mid 2010, according to a new report from research firm IHS Screen Digest.

Half of these discs were picked up through retailers, while the rest were bundled with 3D TVs, says the study, titled "Life in 3D: BD3D's first year of sales." Furthermore, 507,293 out of 1.75 million retail copies flew off the shelves in 2010 alone, compared with the 363,000 2D editions sold in 2006, the first year the format debuted. (Do note that the Sony-led Blu-ray standard was competing against the HD-DVD camp back then, whereas 3D Blu-ray has cornered the entire 3D movie disc market for home consumers.)

"Once [consumers] have 3D in the home, they love it and are hungry for content, snapping up BD3D movies as soon as they become available," said Jan Saxton, film entertainment senior analyst for IHS. "Sales reached this high level despite the fact that the number of BD3D titles on the market was relatively small compared to non-3D Blu-ray."

The growth could accelerate in the second half of this year, the report says, with the number of 3D Blu-ray titles available expected to reach 93 by the end of 2011.

(Source: Crave Asia)… Read more

Although CNET hasn't reviewed the Samsung BD-D5700, we have reviewed the step up Samsung BD-D6700.

The BD-D5700 lacks a few features compared with the BD-D6700, most notably 3D Blu-ray compatibility, dual-HDMI outputs, and onboard storage. Also note that the BD-D5700 does not have onboard decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS-HD High Resolution, although you can still take advantage of those soundtrack formats if you have a receiver with the proper decoders.

Without performing a hands-on review, we don't know how the BD-D5700 will perform in terms of disc-loading speeds and image quality, although we'd note that … Read more

Onkyo has announced a new flagship 3D Blu-ray player, the BD-SP809, to be released in August for $600. In addition to Blu-ray, the BD-SP809 offers several streaming-media services, including Netflix, Vudu, Blockbuster, and Film Fresh. There's also a USB on the back panel, with the BD-SP809 capable of playing back several digital file formats, including DivX HD, MP3, and WMA.

The BD-SP809 is also THX-certified and (more importantly to us) includes Marvell's Qdeo processing, which we've found to deliver excellent image quality on Blu-ray movies and DVDs in the past. There are two HDMI outputs, which is helpful for those with an older receiver that has non-3D compatible HDMI inputs. Alternatively, dual-HDMI outputs can be used to connect to both a TV and projector simultaneously.… Read more

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook unveils video chat features

Amazon offers unlimited cloud music storage

Spotify makes official U.S. launch

Civ World comes to Facebook

Mac Blu-ray a possibility now

Motorola Droid 3 launch date

The ability to play Blu-ray movies in OS X has been a bit of a sore spot for Mac users. When Blu-ray was being developed, Apple's presence as a supporter of the technology spurred much speculation and rumor that Mac users would be seeing native Blu-ray support in OS X. Unfortunately, to this date this has not happened, and Apple has progressively shied away from Blu-ray in support of alternative options like the iTunes store.

While Apple has claimed that the complex licensing for Blu-ray playback has been partly to blame for the lack of Blu-ray support, oddly the … Read more

Editors' note: The rules have changed slightly for this week's giveaway. Facebook component now included.

First off, two congratulations are in order. One goes to Nick C. of Chalfont, Pa., who won a Joby GorillaMobile Yogi and GorillaMobile Ori for iPad 2 in last week's Crave giveaway. The other goes to Josh B. of Metairie, La., who scored a $300 gift certificate to DIY site ShirtsMyWay the week before last.

And now, onto this week's giveaway!

Or should I say giveaways? One lucky winner will score a 24-inch 1080p Toshiba SL415U LED HDTV and a Toshiba BDX2200 Blu-ray player.

Normally this combo would cost you $478.99, but we're giving it away gratis. So, how do you try to win? Well, if you've participated in this contest before, the rules have changed a bit, so please read them carefully. … Read more