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Nessie video: Now we have a positive ID

Experts may take years to examine and analyze the latest purported video of the Loch Ness Monster, henceforth known as "Nessie." But our crack analytic team, to wit CNET editor Lori Grunin, has identified the camcorder used to take that footage.

Lori took a look at the Scottish TV video of the cameraman and his sighting. After examining the video of the camcorder, she tells us it's an antique Sony DCR-TRV130E (an old Digital 8 model). At any rate, the camcorder is far more modern than the legends of Nessie, which go back more than 2,500 … Read more

Quiz: 'Star Wars' name, ballplayer, or Thai food?

Star Wars just turned 30, and with it, a whole slew of silly names just turned 30, too.

Greedo? Oola? Pablo-Jill? Isn't anyone in space just named Steve?

There are enough silly names in the Star Wars universe to inspire an equally silly game, so I've gone ahead and done that.

Of the words below, all you have to do is figure out whether each one is a Star Wars character, a baseball player from the days of yore, or a Thai food dish. You'll be amazed at how hard it can be.

Good luck! The answers … Read more

Blast away bad TV

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective.

Case in point is the Sharp Shootin' Remote Control.

It's shaped like an old-school pistol. It changes channels. It emits a "bang" noise. End of story.

You also get a sheriff's badge with the price of admission.

The $15 remote is programmable with only one function from your existing remote, so it won't consolidate or replace the huge assortment of remotes cluttering your coffee table...but that's not really the point, is it?

Now, if it's functionality and consolidation you crave out of your remote … Read more

Arrgh...Movie pirates nabbed with night-vision goggles

You'd think catching movie pirates would be as easy as preventing anyone with a camcorder from entering a movie theater. Or throwing a net over Johnny Depp's house.

Instead, Malaysian theater workers are employing a high-tech strategy. According to a Reuters report, the Motion Picture Association is training Malaysian theater workers to strap on night-vision goggles to catch pirates in the act of filming.

And it's working. In the past two months, 17 illegal movie-tapers have been caught by begoggled Malaysian ushers.

Could New York City be the next test bed for the night-vision goggle probe? According … Read more

PS3 DVD upscaling: A big improvement

Before yesterday's firmware update, the PlayStation 3 couldn't upscale standard-definition DVDs to high-def resolutions--a once high-end feature that's now built-in to nearly all DVD players with HDMI outputs. But what's the real benefit of upscaling (or upconverting, as it's also known)? Despite some of the marketing hype claiming that upscaling will make your DVDs appear in true high-def quality, the increase in picture quality will never come close to matching that of native HD material (HDTV broadcasts, HD DVD, and Blu-ray). Moreover, the video quality improvement is completely dependent on how good the upscaling and … Read more

PS3 1.80 firmware upgrade adds media streaming, DVD upscaling

Slowly but surely, Sony's beginning to unlock more and more of that multimedia horsepower under the hood of the PlayStation 3. The 1.80 firmware upgrade--available as an automatic download to PS3s everywhere--adds a variety of features to the console, most of which bolster the system's AV prowess. The main upgrades are as follows:

upscaling of games and DVDs: DVD movies, PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games can now be upscaled to HD resolutions up to 1080p (games can upscale via component or HDMI, while DVDs are only upconverted via HDMI). streaming of digital media to PS3 via … Read more

Sony DAV-IS10 Micro Home Theater: the littlest HTIB ever

For every person who loves the idea of 6-foot tower speakers at each corner of the room, there are 20 others who prefer their home theater to be heard but not seen. It's for that latter group that the Sony DAV-IS10 Micro Home Theater System was designed. The system crams an entire 5.1 home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) down to Mini-Me proportions: the 2-way 100-watt subwoofer barely outsizes a couple of phone books, the DVD/CD player head unit is a bit larger than a Mac Mini, and the five satellite speakers are--as Sony's press kit helpfully points out--"about the size of a golf ball." Despite the minuscule size, the DAV-IS10 will include the much of the same impressive features found on Sony's trio of Bravia HTIBs: DVD upscaling to 720p and 1080i via the HDMI output, automated speaker setup (which Sony calls "Digital Cinema Auto Calibration," or DCAC), and HDMI-CEC capability (the ability to control compatible TVs via the IS10's remote when connected via HDMI--"Bravia Theater Sync," in Sony speak). The system also features a Digital Media Port, so it can interface with Sony's quartet of proprietary digital audio accessories--though that's less of an enticement, now that we've been underwhelmed by the first two we've reviewed, the TDM-IP1 iPod dock and the TDM-BT1 Bluetooth interface. … Read more

'Nano-projector' promised for next year

We're still waiting built-in projectors to become standard fare for mobile phones but, until then, maybe something like this item will make projectors truly portable. The "Oio," described as "the first truly mobile and fully operational nano-projector," is made by Israeli company Explay.

MobileWhack didn't include specs but said the tiny device was displayed at an annual conference of the Society of Information Display in Long Beach, Calif. It's also scheduled for release next year, unless we all end up getting video glasses that turn us into Borgs first.

Deal of the day: Toshiba HD DVD player for $299

Down from its debut price of $500, this mid-high-end HD DVD player is offered at a $200 discount at several sellers right now. We did the research for you: read on for a great deal with free shipping. We like this one because Circuit City also posts a rebate for 5 free DVDs to go with your new equipment. Check CNET Reviews (link below) for plenty of details & consumer feedback.

What: Toshiba HD DVD Player (HDA2) How much: $299 Shipping: Free Where: Circuit City (via Dealhack) When: Through unknown date Click here for product review.

Denon's next-gen AV receiver GUI

Back in February we blogged some possible leaked specs of Denon's upcoming 2008 AV receiver line, including the fact that Denon was including a new graphical user interface (GUI) on two high-end models, the AVR-3808CI and AVR-4308CI. Thanks to a thread on AVS Forum, we were able to turn up what look to be pictures of the new Denon GUI from Area DVD's coverage of the High End 2007 show in Munich, Germany. While Denon's 2008 AV receivers are still officially unannounced, the images of the AVR-4308 and the new GUI from the High End 2007 show … Read more