Home video

At a press conference today at CES 2007, LG introduced the first player capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The words on the drawer of the player read "Super Multi Blue Player," but the model number is simply BH100. The player will be available as early as the first week of February at Best Buy and Circuit City among other outlets, according to the company, and will cost $1,199. At least for now, this announcement appears to be the most significant news at the show.

In case there was any doubt of the unit'… Read more

So you like the idea of watching TV or movies on your MP4 player or cell phone, but the screens are just too small for you to make an accurate call on instant replay, especially if your next paycheck is on the line with the game's outcome. All that could change with new technology from Microvision, which claims to have built the world's smallest projector.

The company's Pico Projector, which is planned for release at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, is designed to be embedded in handheld products to project "photos, videos, movies and TV … Read more

What's the opposite of the Slingbox? The new SlingCatcher.

The SlingCatcher is a set-top box that will let users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.

The device is set to be announced Sunday at CES 2007 by Sling Media, the same people behind the Slingbox, which lets you watch your home TV channels on a laptop or a smart phone. The SlingCatcher retains the Slingbox's familiar trapezoid shape.

With an eye on Apple's upcoming … Read more

It looks as if the Xbox 360 will be getting an HDMI-powered overhaul before it even hits its second birthday. AOL's Engadget sports what looks to be an authentic, leaked, back-panel shot of the next generation of the Xbox 360, which includes an HDMI jack directly below the proprietary A/V port found on existing 360s. According to the story, the new unit--codename "Zephyr"--will also offer a 65nm CPU (said to be less prone to overheating) and a much more spacious 120GB hard drive (perfect for downloading the growing list of HD movies and TV shows … Read more

The New York Times reports that Warner Brothers is going to announce next week that it has developed a "single videodisc that can play films and television programs in both Blu-ray and HD DVD." The disc will be called Total HD.

Warner's making the move after it became apparent that neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD is taking off all that quickly and that neither format seems to be on the verge of gaining the upper hand, even with the release of Sony's PS3, which has a built-in Blu-ray player. In other words, the company expects a … Read more

Last night LG said it would release a combination Blu-ray/HD DVD player in early 2007. The news comes with no other details, but I expect the company to divulge a bit more information, perhaps including a mocked-up image or even a physical box of some kind, at the company's press conference, scheduled for 8 a.m. PT this Sunday at CES. Until then we're in the dark as regarding questions such as "When exactly?" "How much?" and "Is this for real?"

LG has made a similar announcement before, so I'll … Read more

By this time next week, Steve Jobs' Macworld Expo keynote address will be history. While guesses about what will be announced run the gamut from the mundane (OS X upgrades) to the lustful (iPod phone and/or wide-screen video iPod), it's a near certainty that we'll get more details on Apple's so-called iTV product. The iTV--its final name is still pending--is Apple's take on the digital media receiver. It's a small box designed to stream your computer-based iTunes media (movies, TV shows, music, podcasts) to your big-screen TV and home theater system--basically, a networked &… Read more

We've been begging for someone to come up with a wireless home entertainment system for some time, and we're amazed to report that our wishes may actually be fulfilled in our lifetime (maybe). Recently we heard of wireless speakers from Avega and ZON Audio, and now Tech Shout says Neosonik plans to launch what it claims will be "the world's very first fully digital wireless home theater system" next month.

The company makes some pretty bold claims, so we'll be anxious to see if the reality lives up to the hype. Neosonik says signals … Read more

Media sites are watching how we consumers spend our money this holiday season. And it looks like a double victory for the tech world.

First, online sales are up more than 25 percent from last year. Consumers are apparently comfortable now with last minute online buys.

Second, HD flat screens and Nintendo's Wii were both big sellers this season. This week tech gadgets will have to compete with even more heavly discounted general merchandise.

I'm hearing some analysts on CNBC today saying brick and mortar discounters were not even making a profit on the flat screens they sold. … Read more