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In SOPA's shadow, Megaupload strikes back against Universal

While Congress debates the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a real-world copyright dispute has been unraveling with a major music conglomerate flexing its muscle against an online content hosting company based in Hong Kong.

Megaupload posted a promo video for its online hosting and file transfer service on YouTube on Friday, and Universal Music Group quickly had it removed for alleged copyright violation. The video features Kanye West, Puff Daddy, Snoop Dogg, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, and others voicing, and even singing, their praise for the service. UMG claimed some of the artists had not consented to appearing … Read more

Another round with the PlayStation Vita

With the PlayStation Vita going on sale this Saturday in Japan, we're now nearing the home stretch as the powerful Sony portable gets set to follow up Stateside on February 22, 2012.

Sony brought the Vita to New York last week for a final tour before the new year. We're hearing it will make an appearance at CES as well, but we were excited to get some more hands-on time with the machine before next month's massive show.

Can the Vita succeed in 2012? First, let's recap what we already know:… Read more

Quick Take: Samsung LN32D403

Although CNET didn't review the Samsung LN32D403, we did review two similar Samsung LCD TVs, the LN32C350 from 2010 and this year's LND550 series.

Comparing between the three on Samsung's web site, the LN32D403 has the worst specs. It offers a worse dynamic contrast ratio than the C350 and especially the D550. We suspect its overall picture quality to be the same or very slightly worse than the C350.

The other major specs difference is the D403's 720p resolution compared to 1080p for the the D550, but unless you're using it to display computer signals, … Read more

Quick Take: Samsung LN32D450

Although CNET didn't review the Samsung LN32D450, we did review two similar Samsung LCD TVs, the LN32C350 from 2010 and this year's LND550 series.

Comparing between the three on Samsung's Web site, the LN32D450 sits about in the middle specs-wise. It offers a better dynamic contrast ratio than the C350 but one that's not as good as the D550, and we suspect its overall picture quality will be closer to that of the C350.

The other major specs difference is the D450's 720p resolution compared with 1080p for the the D550, but unless you're … Read more

Quick Take: Sharp LC-60LE6300U

Although CNET did not review the Sharp LC-60LE6300U, we did review the LC-832U series.

Comparing the two on Sharp's Web site, the main picture-related differences include a better contrast ratio and the presence of a 10-bit panel on the more-expensive LC-823U series. The contrast ratio difference may result in slightly better black-level performance, while the 10-bit panel could slightly reduce some artifacts that might show up on the 6300U. For those reasons, we expect that the 6300U will have the similar or slightly worse picture quality than the 832U, but we can't say more than that.

The 832U … Read more

Quick Take: Samsung UN55D6003

Although CNET did not review the Samsung UN55D6003, we did review the UND6400.

Comparing the two on Samsung's Web site, the main differences include 3D compatibility and styling. The less-expensive UN55D6003 is 2D-only and can't display 3D images (more info) and also has a thicker bezel around the edge of the screen. Comparing the two televisions' dimensions implies that the UN55D6003's bezel is 0.5 inch thicker than that of the UND6400.

The UN55D6003 also has a "clear motion rate" of 240, as opposed to 480 for UND6400. These numbers are derived from the TVs' … Read more

Quick Take: Samsung UND6050 series

Although CNET did not review the Samsung UND6050 series, we did review the UND6400.

Comparing the two on Samsung's Web site, the main differences include 3D compatibility and styling. The less-expensive UND6050 is 2D-only and can't display 3D images (more info) and also has a thicker bezel around the edge of the screen. Comparing the two televisions' dimensions implies that the UN6050's bezel is 0.6 inch thicker than that of the UND6400.

The UND6050 also has a "clear motion rate" of 240, as opposed to 480 for UND6400. These numbers are derived from the … Read more

Quick Take: Samsung UN40D5003

Although CNET did not review the Samsung UN40D5003, we can provide some basic information about it.

According to Samsung's Web site, this is a 40-inch LED-based LCD TV that measures 2 inches thick. The site mentions a "Clear Motion Rate of 120," which is Samsung's term for a 120Hz refresh rate (although Best Buy's Web site lists the refresh rate as 60Hz, which appears to be an error). In our experience there's no picture quality benefit to either feature.

That said, at $500 as of press time, the UN40D5003 has a very aggressive price … Read more

First Grand Theft Auto V trailer debuts

Last week, Rockstar Games released a teaser site and logo for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V, which led to widespread speculation as to where the next game in the open-world chaos simulator would take place.

This morning we finally have an answer, as the first-ever trailer for GTA V has been released. The game will take place in a fictional Los Angeles-inspired town.

We're sure there will be much more about GTA V in the coming months, but what are your thoughts based on this trailer?

It just takes one click

Have you ever felt the need to capture what's on your computer screen? There are plenty of free apps out there for a simple task like this, but what if you wanted to do more? What if you wanted to show your parents how to download and install iTunes, so they can start using their brand-new iPhones? Instead of trying to explain this over the phone, you can use FileStream Take-1 Recorder to record your voice and your computer screen and send them a how-to video directly. That way, your parents can open up the video and follow along … Read more