bluray

"It Might Get Loud" is definitely one of the best rock documentaries I've seen in a while. Thankfully, it doesn't have a narrator spouting somber lines about the importance of it all. You don't have to suffer through inserted clips of celebrities and other musicians babbling about how great Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White are.

The filmmakers cover the three guitar greats individually doing their things, but the film is at its best when the musicians get together on a film sound stage to talk shop and jam.

There's a great little … Read more

For those of you with older receivers lacking HDMI connectivity, or perhaps for audiophiles with stereo home theater systems, the Oppo BD-83 Special Edition player is for you.

You see, the new Oppo player handles the digital-to-analog conversion at a higher standard than the original--and still available--BD-83 player. So rather than use its HDMI connectivity you hookup the Special Edition's eight analog (7.1) outputs to the multichannel inputs on older receivers or sound processors. Don't worry if your receiver is limited to 5.1, the Special Edition will work perfectly well with those systems. The Special Edition … Read more

In this week's preholiday edition of the Digital City Podcast, we all get ready for our one long break of the year, accompanied by special guest smartphone guru (and new CNET East Coaster) Bonnie Cha.

Scott and Joe have seen James Cameron's "Avatar"; Bonnie and Julie haven't. We also discuss Intel's new Atom Netbooks, 3D Blu-ray on the PS3, holiday smartphones, and upcoming laptops and phones at CES 2010. Best of all, Scott gets a chance to show off his one and only Batjew T-shirt. Watch it on video or you'll miss it. … Read more

Well, it's the Sunday before Christmas and we are entering the home stretch. Got someone on your list who is hard to ship for but still hasn't made the jump to a Blu-ray disc player? We'll, we have a couple of deals to help you out.

Like the Ghost of Christmas Past, Wal-Mart is once again offering the Magnavox MB500MG1F Blu-ray disc player for $78. Shipping adds 97 cents, but the store's Web site guarantees it will get the player to you in time for Christmas if you order by Sunday.

This no-frills player features your … Read more

Google is in talks to buy Yelp and it may finally be pushing the line over what's too big. Sure, a lot of you thought it was too big already, but now it's just getting ridiculous--although, I didn't like that it lost its court case in France over indexing books. We also touch on the Twitter hijacking and new 3D Blu-ray standards.

Twitter hijacked by ‘Iranian Cyber Army’ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10418140-93.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10418270-36.html… Read more

Besides a $300 million budget and James Cameron's reputation, the movie "Avatar" is also heaving under the weight of the future of 3D entertainment.

When the uber-hyped 3D film opens on Friday, Hollywood studios will, of course, be closely watching the box office receipts. They won't be alone: the consumer electronics and cable television industries are also hoping for a blockbuster. If "Avatar" is a hit, it could be what pushes 3D from the movie theater to the living room.

Chock full of big-budget fodder like computer-generated creatures from another world, as well as … Read more

The Blu-ray Disc Association released its finalized 3D specifications this morning, outlining what to expect out of 3D Blu-ray in 2010. The specification includes full 1080p resolution, backward compatibility for both 3D Blu-ray players and the 3D Blu-ray Discs (meaning that both will play or be able to be played in 2D), and the use of a new MVC codec, an extension of the existing AVC. 3D playback will be "display agnostic," meaning that, according to the Blu-ray Disc Association, the format will be compatible across "any compatible 3D display." What exactly a "compatible 3D … Read more

Marantz currently offers a full line of stereo and home theater components, but in the 1950s, the company was one of America's most prestigious hi-fi brands. Early Marantz products were designed and built by Saul B. Marantz in his home in Kew Gardens, New York. Those hand-built components now fetch huge dollars on the used market.

So naturally, I was interested in what Home Entertainment magazine's Richard Ames had to say about the Marantz UD9004 "universal" player. The $6,000 machine spins Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio, and CDs.

It certainly looks the part: the Marantz UD9004's … Read more

Proof positive that camping out all night to score Black Friday deals is a waste of time, Wal-Mart is offering the same $78 Magnavox MB500MG1F Blu-ray player on its Web site that was previously an in-store-only, fight-the-crowds-to-get-it deal.

Its shipping will run you a measly 97 cents, though you'll probably have to add sales tax as well.

As you might expect, the MB500MG1F is about as no-frills as Blu-ray players come. There's no front-panel LED display, and it definitely won't do BD-Live, Netflix, or anything like that.

Actually, there is one frill: an SDHC slot, meaning you … Read more