The Xbox 360 Elite console is no longer the only Xbox 360 console with an HDMI connector. Microsoft has confirmed that newly manufactured Xbox 360 Premium systems will also have the HDMI connector built right in. This means that the primary differences between the Elite console and the Premium console will be the 120GB hard drive vs. the 20GB hard drive and the Elite’s black chassis vs. the Premium’s white chassis. There are still plenty of older Xbox 360 Premium consoles out there so make sure to look at the box before you purchase a new Premium system. Premium consoles with HDMI will have an HDMI logo right on the box.

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Technorati Tags: Xbox 360 Premium, HDMI

Warner Home Video announced that “300″ was the fastest and highest selling high definition title in the market. Since July 31st, more than 250,000 copies of “300″ have been sold in either HD DVD or Blu-ray format. WHV now has six of the top 10 selling HD titles which include “300″, “The Departed”, “Superman Returns”, “Planet Earth - The Complete Collection”, “Batman Begins”, and “Happy Feet”.

Ron Sanders, President of Warner Home Video, is quoted as saying “‘300′ is an amazing film, and the high definition sales we are seeing underscores the positive business benefits of supporting both HD DVD and Blu-ray”. He goes on to say “This phenomenal response to ‘300′ is the latest proof that our approach makes the most sense in today’s market and has enabled Warner Home Video to continue to lead the market in high definition sales.”

Hopefully, more Hollywood studios will follow the steps taken by Warner Home Video (although this is highly unlikely at this time) in releasing content in both formats. There’s certainly plenty of room for both formats to succeed in this market.

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Technorati Tags: 300

Are you thrilled with the TiVo HD DVR box but you’re not exactly jumping for joy with the 160GB HDD inside? Well the folks at WeaKnees.com has some options for you to consider. They are selling TiVo HD DVR boxes with upgraded hard drive configurations to meet whatever recording needs you might have, You can purchase the standard TiVo HD DVR box with the 160GB HDD inside for the regular price of $299. You can then choose from a variety of larger hard drives - upwards to a whopping 1 terabyte hard drive inside for $1049.

[Check it out via PVRBlog]

Technorati Tags: TiVo HD DVR, WeaKnees

As expected, Toshiba officially announced their third generation lineup of standalone HD DVD players yesterday with the introduction of three new units all priced under $500 dollars. Enhancements found in the third generation include 1080p/24 frames per second (24p) support and CE Link connectivity which allows the player to communicate and control another consumer electronics device via HDMI. The three new players are the entry level HD-A3, the mid-range HD-A30, and the new top of the line HD-A35.

All the new systems feature new cosmetic changes including rounded edges, slim chassis designs (only 59.5 mm tall), and high gloss, black acrylic face plates.

Features of the HD-A3 include:

• 1080i output
• MSRP of $299.99 and due October 2007

Features of the HD-A30 include:

• 1080p output
• 1080p/24p support
• CE-Link allowing two way control between HD DVD player and a TV via HDMI
• MSRP of $399.99 and due September 2007

Features of the HD-A35 include:

• 1080p output
• 1080p/24p support
• CE-Link allowing two way control between HD DVD player and a TV via HDMI
• Deep Color via HDMI
• 5.1 channel analog output
• High Bit Rate Audio (up to 7.1 channel) via HDMI - bypasses the player’s internal audio processor and sends the signal to a 7.1 capable receiver
• MSRP of $499.99 and due October 2007

[Check it out via PC Magazine]

Technorati Tags: Toshiba, HD DVD players, HD-A3, HD-A30, HD-A35

Sharp Electronics has filed a lawsuit here in the U.S. against Samsung Electronics accusing the company of infringing upon its LCD patents. Sharp claims that Samsung is infringing on five of its LCD patents including one related to enhancing display quality. The infringing products range from Samsung televisions to monitors to mobile phones that include Samsung LCD modules. There’s no word as to how much monetary compensation Sharp is looking for from Samsung. According to News.com, Sharp is the third largest LCD TV manufacturer behind Samsung and Sony.

[Check  it out]

Technorati Tags: Sharp sues Samsung, LCD Televisions

So you’re thinking about getting that new Hitachi Blu-ray Camcorder right? You’re going to need some media for it then since it uses 8cm Blu-ray discs. Well Verbatim is right there with you with a new line of Mini Blu-ray Recordable/Rewriteable (BD-R/RE) media. (NOTE - the picture to the right is of the 12 cm discs). These 8 cm discs provide up to one hour of 1080i video on a single side and two hours of video with resolutions of 1440 x 1080i.  The Mini Blu-ray discs will provide the same read/write performance characteristics as their 12cm cousins.

These new discs will be made available in the same order as the Hitachi camcorders which means you’ll see them first in Japan followed by rollouts in the rest of the world - in the order that the Hitachi camcorders come out to the marketplace.

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Technorati Tags: Verbatim, 8cm Blu-ray discs

Pioneer Japan announced on Thursday that it would be launching its first full high definition plasma television sets this coming October. The company is playing catch-up with other rivals including Matsushita Electric Industrial which has already released their own full HD plasma display lineup.

Pioneer will be releasing a new 50 inch and 60 inch 1080p displays capable of reproducing deeper blacks than ever before. The new 50 inch 1080p plasma display is expected to sell for 720,000 yen or $6,060 dollars while the 60 inch 1080p plasma is expected to go for 990,000 yen or $8,340 dollars.

[Check it out]

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Toshiba is set to release their third generation HD DVD standalone players on October 1st. You can expect three new models to come from Toshiba - the HD-A3, the HD-A30, and the high end flagship model, the HD-A35. Not much on details as of now but the HD-A3 is expected to sell for $299, the HD-A30 for $399 and the HD-A35 for $499. More models and lower prices to help put the pressure on the Blu-ray camp.

[Check it out via Ubergizmo]

Technorati Tags: Toshiba HD DVD players, HD-A3, HD-A30, HD-A35

OK - so tell me that you wouldn’t want one of these new Sharp Internet Aquos systems (i-aquos)? The company has announced 16 new versions of the Internet Aquos system spanning a G series and a D series. The new G series is broken up into the GX line which features:

LC-52GX3W, LC-46GX3W, LC-42GX3W and LC-37GX3W

LC-52GX4W, LC-46GX4W, LC-42GX4W and LC-37GX4W

LC-52GX35, LC-46GX35, LC-52GX45 and LC-46GX45

and the GH line which features:

LC-32GH3 and LC-26GH3

LC-32GH4 and LC-26GH4

The G series feature full HD displays (1920 x 1080) and are designed to be slim and compact.

Three other new models makes up the D series which include:

LC-32D10, LC-26D10 and LC-20D10

These new displays work in conjunction with three PCTV systems - the PC-AX120S, PC-AX80S, and PC-AX60S - all of which come with a remote control and Windows Vista Home Basic. Curious though why the OS doesn’t come with Home Premium or Ultimate - considering you’ll need that to get Windows Media Center going.\

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Technorati Tags: Sharp, Internet Aquos

Akihabara News has some new information on an upcoming Blu-ray player from Pioneer called the BDP-LX80. This player supports fairly standard HD features such as 1080p support, 24p playback for cinema-like feel, and Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD. What makes the unit particularly interesting to homes with home networking is its support for the DLNA specification which allows it to connect and stream content from other DLNA capable appliances. As an example, you’ll be able to stream digital content from a PC to the BDP-LX80 thanks to DLNA. Now there’s some added-value for ya!

Other specs include:

• Supports BD-ROM, DVD-R/DL
• Supports MPEG1, MPEG2, WMV9, 9HD,
• Supports MP3, WAV music formats
• Supports JPG, PNG, and GIF image formats

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Pioneer, BDP-LX80