dvd

Once you get past its nightmare of an installation process, KMPlayer's sheer power and flexibility are impressive. It includes a vast array of video- and audio-capturing options, as well as skins, a plethora of playback controls and tweaks, and broad DVD support.

When installing KMPlayer, be sure to keep your eyes peeled, as the process is less than straightforward. It presents a number of different jargon-filled installation options ("Extender Plus External Codec?"), an offer for a bundled Ask.com toolbar, and inexplicably another offer for a "Clean Water Action Reminder." It's also worth noting … Read more

DVDs or on-demand movies? Some pundits would have you believe it's one or the other, but you can walk the line and enjoy both. All you need is a Blu-ray player that has apps.

Like this one: While supplies last, Quick Ship Electronics has the refurbished Sony BDP-BX58 Blu-ray player for $64.99 shipped. It's without question the most loaded set-top box I've seen at this price.

How loaded? Well, it's a Blu-ray player for starters. It supports regular and 3D discs, the latter kind of fun if you know where to score 3D movies to watch at home.… Read more

At the end of May, Onkyo will start selling Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel music downloads, first in Japan, and by the fall of this year worldwide. That's either a brave or foolhardy move.

Multichannel music formats -- starting with quadraphonic LPs and tapes in the early 1970s, DTS encoded surround CDs in the 1990s, and DVD Audio and SACD in the early 2000s -- have all suffered from a lack of consumer demand. Very, very few surround releases were initially recorded in surround; most rock and jazz titles are remixed from older stereo recordings. The Blu-ray format has now … Read more

As I've mentioned before, the makers of DVD rippers and video converters seem to offer a new giveaway every month or two -- meaning there's little point in actually buying their products. (Don't feel guilty; this obviously works out for them, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing it.)

Digiarty Software, for example, is currently running two separate giveaways on five different programs. Sort of. Stay with me, because this gets a little confusing.

From now until May 20, as part of its Hello Summer promotion, you can get Digiarty's WinX DVD Ripper Platinum (Windows) for free.… Read more

Microsoft has given Windows users yet another reason to complain.

The company revealed yesterday that Media Center will not be built into Windows 8 despite past assurances that it would be part of the new OS. Instead, users of the Windows 8 Professional edition will have to pony up money for a Media Center Pack. Those running the basic version of Windows 8 will have to pay for a Windows 8 Pro Pack just to get Media Center.

The lack of Media Center also means that DVD playback won't natively be available in Windows 8 since that option won'… Read more

Microsoft announced today that it is "making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8." But... this is actually a half truth.

The tech company is taking a number of steps to make sure Windows 8 supports Media Center just like in Windows 7. However, it's changing Media Center's integration into Windows. Rather than shipping it with Windows 8 -- as it has done in the last two versions of Windows -- users now have to buy the Media Center separately as an upgrade.

"Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance … Read more

Any mom will agree: the best Mother's Day gifts (other than jewelry, a spa day, and a Kindle Fire) are the homemade ones. They show that you appreciate her enough to invest your time and effort on something personal, something unique, something special.

For example, you know all those photos in Mom's camera, the ones she's been amassing for years but never bothers to download or print? Why not turn them into a slideshow, one you can burn to a DVD and show during the Mother's Day festivities?

Don't have the right software? Now you … Read more

Not all HD is the same. For that matter, just because you have an HDTV, that doesn't mean you're actually watching high-definition video. A variety of factors could be conspiring to create an image that's not nearly as good as what your TV is capable of.

Make sure you're getting the most from your TV with this guide.… Read more

Are you ready for large-screen ultrabooks? Well, hopefully the answer's "yes," because they're coming to stores whether you like it or not. The differentiating factors on what constituted an ultrabook -- thin, portable, power efficient, SSD, no optical drive, lack of dedicated "high-end" graphics, longer battery life -- have started to go out the window. Witness the 15-inch Samsung Series 9 and HP Envy 14 Spectre, for starters.

As far as the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG is concerned, it may make you question your entire perception of the category. DVD drive? Check. Dedicated high-end Nvidia graphics? Check. Larger hard drive options? Check. Portable? Well, not exactly, compared to 13-inch ultrabooks. The Ultra M3 is 4.4 pounds, but it is .79 inches thick. Of all of these, the biggest novelty of this Timeline is that it's the first ultrabook (as defined by Intel) to feature Nvidia graphics. It won't be the last.… Read more