dvd

First impressions: Apple's new Mac Mini

Whither the optical drive? Apple has introduced the high-speed Thunderbolt port and a welcome CPU update to its latest iteration of the Mac Mini desktop, but the absent DVD burner in the newest model may stall purchases from those who like the Mac Mini chiefly as a home theater PC. While most software, and many movies are available for direct download, this move effectively out-modes the DVD collection of anyone interested in using the new Mac Mini in the living room.

For those who want to use the Mac Mini as a more traditional computer, the new software and hardware features will have more appeal. Buyers should welcome the update to Apple's new, well-reviewed OS X Lion operating system. The new, second-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 CPU updates should also help the Mac Mini stay competitive in terms of performance.

The benefits of the Mac Mini's new Thunderbolt port will be less obvious to consumers. Apple's new Thunderbolt Display can of course take advantage of the new port, but other Thunderbolt devices are either more specialized, like the $2,000 2TB Pegasus RAID array, or have yet to materialize. The updated $999 server edition of the Mac Mini fits logically with products like the Pegasus array. Buyers of the standard Mac Minis may have a harder time putting Thunderbolt to immediate use, but they can at least be thankful that Apple didn't add Thunderbolt at the expense of the HDMI port.… Read more

Five ways Netflix still needs to improve itself

While everyone's been in an uproar about Netflix pricing, few are discussing Netflix itself--and what's still broken about it. Netflix needs its pricing model problems fixed, but Netflix also could use some improvements to how its service works, too--particularly on mobile devices.

As a service, Netflix is at a crossroads. Is it streaming? Is it a DVD delivery service? Is it best as both? For myself, even though I subscribe to the DVD/streaming combo plan, I find myself rarely playing the DVDs I order. They sit on a shelf and collect dust. That's because I'm not a big living-room TV watcher: I cut the cable cord over a year and a half ago, and prefer to use my iPad, iPhone, or laptop to easily stream video. So, to me, Netflix is a streaming-video service.

Therefore, let me address Netflix's faults on those terms: as a streaming-video entertainment service. While we're venting our frustrations over paying more for what Netflix offers, there's no better time to cast an eye on what still doesn't work well on Netflix to begin with. Fix what's broken with Netflix, and maybe, if the service improves, it just might be worth a higher subscription price after all.… Read more

Netflix hikes prices, adds DVD-only plan

Netflix today started offering a bare-bones DVD plan as it increased the prices of its DVD-and-streaming plans.

The company's new $7.99-per-month plan, offered at a new page on the Netflix site, allows users to have one DVD out a time on an unlimited basis. According to a Netflix salesperson who spoke to CNET today, those who want to include Blu-ray discs in the new plan will need to pay $9.99 per month. Internet streaming of video content is not included. If customers want two DVDs out at a time, they will need to pay $11.99 per … Read more

Apple releases iLife updates

Apple has released a few updates for its iLife suite of media creation and management applications, which have been made available through the Mac App Store as well as by conventional means. Because of the way Mac App Store applications are coded, the version of iLife distributed through it will require updates issued through the store instead of via Software Update. Therefore, if you have installed iLife via the Mac App Store, you will need to use the Store to update your applications, and if you have iLife installed by conventional means then you can download updates either via Software … Read more

Addressing CDs and DVDs automatically ejecting in OS X

Apple included an optical drive in most Mac models, and even for those who do not have an internal drive there are options for using external USB or Firewire drives. While optical drives should accept formatted and blank optical media, there are times when people find that discs automatically eject from the drive when inserted.

This happens because the drive cannot recognize the formatting of the disc and also does not recognize it as a burnable medium. Usually the drive will recognize a disc and attempt to communicate its file-system structure to the computer, but if it cannot read the … Read more

Bring your photos and videos to life

UPDATE July 6, 2011: This offer has now ended.

Just in time for your 4th of July weekend, we bring you a special offer to turn those unforgettable memories into something you can easily share with friends and family. Starting now until 11:59pm PDT on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, Wondershare DVD Slideshow Builder Deluxe is yours for just $14.95. That's a savings of 75% off the regular price of $59.95 and is available exclusively on CNET.

I know that everyone's family is different, but in my family, we take a lot of photos and videos … Read more

Get WonderFox DVD Ripper 2.5 (Win) for free

Let's continue Unofficial Free-Stuff Week here at the Cheapskate, shall we? (Freebie Tuesday was a big hit, and I hope some of you were able to nab the free iPhone games I posted on Monday.)

From now until July 3, you can get WonderFox DVD Ripper free of charge, no strings attached. Regular price: $39.95.

Just enter your name and e-mail address, then click Send Email. Developer WonderFox Soft promises you'll receive your registration code within 24 hours. (If yours doesn't arrive, be sure to check your spam filter.)

To clarify: when you initially download the program, … Read more

Why did SACD, DVD-A, and Blu-ray fail as music surround formats?

Quadraphonic was the first music surround format, and the first to bite the dust. That was in the 1970s. The SACD and DVD-A formats debuted at the dawn of the century, promising vastly improved sound quality over the CD, and both formats flopped. Their futures looked bright, so why did they fail?

Of course the record labels knew selling a new format on the basis of sound quality was a risky business, so they tacked on 5.1 surround sound. There were millions of households in the early 2000s with multichannel home theaters, so selling new music surround formats looked … Read more

Ejecting external optical drives in OS X

When an optical disc is mounted in OS X, it cannot be ejected by pressing the button on the optical drive, as is the case with Windows PCs. In fact, even though some of Apple's OEM drives contain the standard eject button, it is hidden by the system's chassis. When mounted, the disc is locked by the system so to eject it you will have to do one of three things:

Drag to the trash Dragging a removable disc to the trash has been in the Mac OS since early on. It is how floppy disks were ejected … Read more

What is upconverting?

Your HDTV, HD cable box, Blu-ray player, and even most DVD players and receivers will "upconvert," or scale, a standard-definition image to fill the screen of an HDTV.

Despite the marketing hype, this doesn't make SD look like HD, but it can make it look better than regular SD. The better the source, the better your TV will look. So how well a piece of gear can make standard definition appear is one of the major performance differences between two products. Recent TVs and Blu-ray players have gotten quite good at this.

The irony is, as good as scalers or upconverters have gotten, they're becoming obsolete.… Read more