There has been a debate going around about the quality of discount and “premium” HDMI cables. And I’m here to set the record straight. On hand i have two HDMI cables ,

• 1 $12.99  cable from Optimization-world.com Specs Below

Cable Type: HDMI Male to HDMI Male Cable
Length: 6 Foot
Most Current HDMI Version: 1.3b1
Gauge: 28 AWG (American Wire Gauge)
Bandwidth: 340 Mhz 10.2 Gbps / 120 Hz Refresh Rate
Connector Finish: Gold
Shielding level: 3x Triple
Shielding type: EMI (Electromagnetic Interference)
Certified HDMI: Yes
HDCP Compliant: Yes
CEC Compliant: Yes
ROHS Compliant: Yes
Backwards Compatible with HDMI Version 1.2: Yes
Supports Blu Ray & HD DVD 1080p: Yes
Supports 480p, 720p 1080i, 1080p, 1440p: Yes
Supports Lossless DTS 8 Channel Audio: Yes
Supports TrueHD & DTS-HD: Yes

• And 1 $ 69.99  Monster Cable – THX 700 4′ HDMI A/V Cable from  bestbuy

The Budget cable is certified by the same by the same facility as monster cables. Which should make them of same quality.

I have checked out both cables hooked up to my computer and to a HD LCD screen , and my opinion is that i didn’t see a change in quality between the two. They both , Both put  off HD Outputs.  Also, I connected the cables up to my Blu-Ray DVD player and didn’t see a change in the quality neither .

So take it from TheGadget411 :   ” You don’t Need a $70 buck cable to get HD”

Popularity: 4% [?]

Press Release:

VUDU, Inc.’s industry-leading on-demand high definition (HD) movie service is now available on the BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc player from LG Electronics, giving consumers a whole new way to access the largest on-demand HD library of Hollywood movies in their living rooms, the company announced today.

VUDU continues to work with top consumer electronics manufacturers to become more accessible to customers who want to rent or buy major Hollywood movies in high definition.  The VUDU service, already available on flat-panel HDTVs, uniquely delivers the largest available HD movie library of instantly-viewable movies in 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and provides customers with VUDU’s superior user experience for finding and watching movies in high definition.

“Our goal as a company is to offer the best possible HD movie service to the broadest possible audience,” said Alain Rossmann, CEO of VUDU.  “By adding the top-rated LG BD390 Blu-ray player to the lineup of VUDU-enabled products, we’ve made it easier than ever for customers to enjoy the VUDU experience.”

Some of VUDU’s key features include:

• Instant viewing experience:  unlike typical Internet and on-demand video streaming, VUDU movies start immediately, and viewers can fast forward, rewind and browse chapters without the delays or the frustration associated with buffering
• Highest quality video:  VUDU’s unique HDX format delivers true 1080p resolution and TruFilm encoding enhancements, now available for the first time on an instant-start basis
• Immersive sound:  VUDU is the only on-demand service to deliver Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound at all video quality levels
• No monthly fees: customers can instantly buy or rent from VUDU’s extensive library of standard and high definition movie and TV titles without any monthly service charges
• Largest HD library anywhere: over 2,200 titles are available in HD or HDX format
• New releases: Newly-released titles from all major studios are available the same day as DVD release, typically months before they are available on subscription-based service.

LG’s BD390 networked Blu-ray player transforms and personalizes the home theater experience by offering a stellar array of entertainment options.  In addition to its broadband capabilities, the BD390 offers exceptional “Full HD” 1080p video performance and exceptional image quality from standard DVDs with 1080p up-scaling via HDMI output. The BD390 is also equipped for easy connection to the home network and has one gigabyte (GB) of built-in memory for BD Live functionality.

Model BD390 with LG’s “NetCast Entertainment Access” feature is available now at nationwide retailers at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399. VUDU connectivity will be available at the end of the month via a free upgrade.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Wireless music system vendor Sonos is announcing today that it has integrated Twitter into its multiroom boom boxes so that you can Tweet about the songs you’re listening to.

The company is beta testing its new Sonos System Software 3.1, which includes the Twitter integration, and expects it to be available to all Sonos users later in the fall at no charge. If users really feel the need to Tweet what they’re listening to at any given moment, then a bunch of consumer electronics companies are going to have to give their product lines a makeover. More likely, this is going to appeal only to the Twitterati for now.

Twitter integration is coming to the Sonos Controller 200, Sonos Controller for the iPhone and Sonos Controller for the Mac and PC. With one click, users can post the name and artists of the track they’re listening to on their Twitter feed. They can also edit the contents and add any personal message to the Tweet.

Via [venture beat]

Popularity: 2% [?]

We told you so. For a long time we’ve been talking about Android’s eventual implementation in devices well beyond phones and computers. We’ve joked about an Android Car but agree with the main concept and in actuality, its already in the works. We’ve talked about household information centers running Android and those are in the works too, with what we called Android Hub. But its all much closer than you think… as in 2009 close.

An article published on Forbes.com by Elizabeth Woyke discusses how Android is set to invade homes and it outlines the exact concepts we’ve been discussing and dreaming about since Phandroid’s inception. Only now it isn’t just a concept or idea… its products in motion that will launch later this year.

On “Remote Controls” for home devices/appliances:

The home control devices are designed to talk to major household systems, such as lights, locks, security and heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC).

On home entertainment centers:

The media devices play a similar unifying role in the entertainment realm, allowing users to program their digital video recorders (DVRs), remotely control their stereo systems, and view TV listings directly on the gadget’s screen.

On Android Hub:

Touch Revolution is calling the third category of products, “smart phones for the home.” These cordless phones, meant for indoors use only, will communicate via radio waves like typical home phones or through voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) on wi-fi.

Notice the company name “Touch Revolution”? These folks were talking about their NIMble Android Desk Phone way back in January and THIS is the company who is behind the latest wave of news as well. A quote from Touch Revolution founder Mark Hamblin way back from that January 2009 article foreshadows it all:

“The types of touch interfaces that started with mobile phones will become the standard for electronics devices of all sorts – in the home, at the office, in the car – virtually anywhere people directly interact with technology.  These devices will have a variety of capabilities, features, and form factors – WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, accelerometers, haptic feedback, small screens, large screens, integrated, stand-alone, portable, … the list goes on.”

We went on to make our own list of possible household, automotive and other appliances/gadgets/tech where Android could be used and it looks like it will actually get done! The Forbes article claims all devices have touch-screens ranging in size from 4.3 to 10 inches and come with charging cradles.

 

So when and where can we expect these products?

Expect to see most of the products before the end of the year, in the U.S. and elsewhere. Brown says Touch Revolution is working with “companies with major brands” on upcoming launches. Touch Revolution provides the touch screens and Android features, encapsulated in a module. Its partners then customize the hardware and software, if they choose, and bring the product to market.

Major manufacturers… if you are listening… please jump on board with this because you’ll make me happy and yourself rich in the process. I kid you not. TouchRevolution haven’t updated their blog since that originally inspiring post but with this latest spike of interest I’m hoping they’ll be convinced to follow up with some updates.

I’m amazingly glad to see that this is still in the works and am incredibly excited to see the results of all Touch Revolution’s hard work! I hope at least one of the main mobile carriers in the US pick up the Android Hub desk phone… that would be SICK

Source: Android Phone FAN

Popularity: 20% [?]

Get ready for more Google in your life. A slew of household gadgets based on the company’s Android operating system will debut within the next five months, a new report says, including several high-tech remote controls for your home.

The news comes by way of touchscreen-driven device-maker Touch Revolution — the same folks who introduced the Android-based NIMble Concept Desk Phone at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The NIMble phone, featuring a 7-inch touch-sensitive screen, attempts to put the power of a smartphone into tabletop form, allowing you to access contacts, calendars, and e-mail through a user-friendly interface.

The new devices, as described to Forbes , will follow the same basic model: bringing the functionality of your mobile phone into your (presumably non-mobile) home. A Touch Revolution marketing exec tells Forbes several “well-known companies” will be using its touch technology to create the gadgets, and they’ll all be hitting store shelves before the end of the year.

Here’s what’s said to be on tap:

• Home Control Gadgets

The home control gadgets — or super-sweet remotes, in non-geek speak — will serve as powerful command centers for your entire house. According to Forbes, the devices will be able to handle everything from switching on lights to locking doors and adjusting the A/C. They’ll have screens anywhere from 4.3 to 10 inches and will be Web-connected through your home wireless network.

• Media Control Devices

The old remote will feel as outdated as a 5.25-inch floppy compared with the media control devices on the way. The gadgets will enable you to control all your media devices from one tablet, letting you adjust the sound, program the DVR, or even browse through TV listings right from the built-in screen. And, no surprise, you’ll be able to surf the Web from these clickers, too. Unfortunately, all the impressive additions won’t make the remotes any less likely to disappear between the couch cushions.

• Home Smartphones

Like the aforementioned NIMble phone — which, by the way, is rumored to become available for about $300 in September — the upcoming Android home smartphones will do far more than just help you communicate. The cordless devices will give you phone access, of course, but they’ll also connect to wireless networks to allow for VoIP connections and online data retrieval. Plus, they’ll be able to run Android applications, so you could use them as photo frames or possibly even game consoles.

(T-Mobile is said to be working on a similar line of Android-based home phones, although details on those devices have thus far remained fairly scarce.)

Android Home Device Details

Touch Revolution tells Forbes the new Android devices will come in a variety of shapes — some with bases for tabletop use, others with flat shapes built more for holding or wall-embedding. Touch Revolution is handling the touchscreen and Android side of the deal, while the other companies are creating the hardware and managing the branding. The gadgets, according to the Forbes interview, will be available in the United States, as well as in other unspecified countries.

On the whole, Android is expected to see enormous growth over the coming months. One research firm goes so far as to predict a 900-percent increase in Android adoption this year — and that’s accounting only for smartphone sales. Add in these new home gizmos and the host of other Android devices currently under development, and the platform certainly appears to be one worth watching.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Looking to help consumers simplify and manage their living room entertainment experience, Sony today announced the  new BDP-CX960 and the “Elevated Standard” (ES) BDP-CX7000ES 400-disc Blu-ray Disc™ MegaChangers.

The company also announced the BDP-S1000ES single disc ES player expanding the Sony’s Blu-ray Disc line to 13 models offering a broad set of performance and features.

The Blu-ray Disc MegaChanger models store and play 400 Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and CDs, allowing consumers to relocate their disc library to a convenient, easy-to-access location.

They also feature the ability to download information from Gracenote’s MusicID® and VideoID™ products to organize movies and music.  When a disc is inserted into the device, Gracenote technology automatically downloads information across an existing Internet broadband service and saves title, director, some cast information, release year, and genre information for most titles, allowing users to easily navigate the library intuitively through the player’s xross media bar™ menu system.

“Think about all those great movie and music discs in your collection,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president for Sony Electronics’ home audio and video business.  “Wouldn’t it be great to instantly play those movies or CDs — definitely gives a new meaning to the notion of a movie marathon!”

BDP-CX7000ES and BDP-CX960

Leading the MegaChanger line up is the BDP-CX7000ES which outputs full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema™.  Designed to integrate with third-party automation control systems, the model features an RS232 connection and IR-in and is built to high-quality ES standards.

It offers exceptional audio quality with 7.1 channel analog output and superior video incorporating Sony’s HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technologies.  The HD Reality Enhancer technology continually analyzes the original source bit by bit, sharpening edges and reproducing detail, while reducing the effects of film grain.  Super Bit Mapping delivers smoother color gradation realizing true 14-bit equivalent color tone from 8-bit sources.

The model also upscales standard definition DVDs to 1080p through Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology when connected to a 1080p display via HDMI.

Precision Cinema HD Upscale uses advanced conversion and processing to detect image changes at the pixel level, rather than the level of whole scan lines.  Additionally, separate algorithms are used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts.

Complementing the BDP-CX7000ES, is the new BDP-CX960.  This 400-disc MegaChanger also delivers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output and Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology.

Both the BDP-CX7000ES and BDP-CX960 feature an Ethernet port for connectivity to a local home broadband network to download metadata from Gracenote, software updates and to access BD-Live™ content.  There is also an external port for local storage so users can add their USB flash storage device to support BD-Live content.

The models support 7.1 channel Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding as well as bit-stream output via HDMI.  It is compatible with an array of video formats, including BD-ROM/R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD-+ Video/R/RW, CD/R/RW, and MP3/JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media and supports x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology.  The BDP-CX7000ES also supports Deep Color via HDMI (v1.3).

The BDP-CX7000ES is available this August for about $1,900, while the BDP-CX960 will be available this fall for about $800. BDP-S1000ES

The single-disc BDP-S1000ES Blu-ray Disc player bolsters the ES line adding built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11N/G/B/A) capability for easy BD-Live access.  The model offers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema™ and upscales standard definition DVDs to 1080p through Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology.

The model can easily connect to the Internet through an existing wireless home network to download and stream BD-Live content from select titles including additional scenes, short subjects, trailers, interactive games, and more.  It also enables easy firmware updates to assist in keeping your player up-to-date with the latest Blu-ray Disc media and features.

While compatible with most wireless routers, the BDP-S1000ES also supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, for a quick and easy connection to enabled wireless routers.  Additionally, the player is Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) ready, allowing it to connect to other DLNA compliant devices to watch digital photos on your TV.

The model also incorporates Sony’s HD Reality Enhancer, Super Bit Mapping, and Precision Drive HD technology.

It supports Deep Color video output and x.v.Color technology.  The player is compatible with an array of video formats, including BD-ROM/R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD-+ Video/R/RW, CD/R/RW, and MP3/JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media.

The model also is compatible with advanced audio codecs including 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS -HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio decoding and bit-stream output, as well as analog 7.1 channel output.

The BDP-S1000ES is available this August for about $700.

The models will be available at Sony Style stores, online at www.sonystyle.com, and at authorized retailers nationwide

Popularity: 9% [?]

Press Release:

Sony today unveiled the VAIO® NW notebook– a new line of PCs that provide a powerful high-definition experience while starting at just $800 for the standard model and $880 equipped with Blu-ray Discâ„¢ technology.

Part of a series, the NW notebook features an optional Blu-ray Disc ROM drive making it ideal for viewing pristine HD content on-the-go. It also has the added convenience of DVD and CD read/write functionalities.

The model features a high-resolution 15.5-inch widescreen display (diagonal), making it easy to view two full web pages– no side-to-side scrolling necessary. Sony’s XBRITE-ECOâ„¢ LCD technology has also been added so movies and photos can be enjoyed in brilliant clarity and razor-sharp detail.

For those who prefer to watch content on a big screen television, the PC has an HDMIâ„¢ output connector so it can be connected to a TV set for a larger viewing experience in high-definition.

“This notebook sets a precedent in the industry merging powerful Blu-ray technology with a portable, head-turning design– all for an unheard of low price,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony.

Gracefully thin, the notebook has a wavy textured finish and is available in three colors: walnut brown, birch white, and rattan silver.

The NW notebook features an isolated keyboard making it comfortable while reducing typing errors. Its translucent, textured touchpad enables you to smoothly control mouse movement.

The model is equipped with a “display off” button so you can turn off its screen while the notebook continues to run in the background. This lets users conserve power while enabling them to quickly resume PC functionality without waiting for it to boot back up. An instant internet button launches directly into the web without having to wait for the Windows® operating system to load.

The series comes with three Sony entertainment software applications. Offerings include VAIO Movie Story software– an easy way to produce your own high-quality home movies, VAIO MusicBox software– a fun and automated way to enjoy music based on one’s mood, and Click to Disc/ Editor software– for easy video editing and creation.

Easily transfer data, such as photos from your digital camera or music from an MP3 player, to and from the PC with a multitude of connectivity options including three USB ports and ExpressCard®, SD card and Memory Stick PROTM slots.

A built-in webcam and microphone lets users video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party internet service provider is required.

The PC incorporates an Intel® Core™2 Duo processor for fast processing speeds and multitasking. An optional dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4570 graphics card makes it perfect for watching movies. It comes pre-installed with Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit.

http://bit.ly/rZQKI

Popularity: 30% [?]

Vizio is now making a move to create other components to fill your living room. They announced at CES that they are stepping into the Blu-ray market with a player packed with all the necessary features.  It appears they are looking take advantage of the foot hold and brand recognition they have created with their affordable flat screen TV’s. They plan to do the same with this as they have with their  TV’s.  Make the high definition experience affordable for just about anyone.   Here is additional information from the official press release.  For more on what Vizio has to offer visit www.vizio.com.

Providing the most superb images and stunning audio performance, Blu-ray discs deliver 1080p perfection. Retailing for $199.99, the release of VIZIO’s VBR100 Blu-ray Player means everyone can afford to bring these exquisite sights and sounds into their home theater.

Outfitted with a 108MHz/11-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the VBR100 delivers phenomenal 1080p video from native Blu-rays discs and offers selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for standard definition DVD discs (HDMI output only).

A 24-bit/192kHz audio Digital to Analog Converter ensures pristine audio playback from all of the latest surround sound formats. The VBR100 provides built-in audio decoding for uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and multi-channel PCM in additional to all other surround codecs (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS).

The super-slim player will fit in any entertainment cabinet, and is not only compatible with Blu-ray discs and BD-Live content, but it plays standard definition DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, audio CD-R and CD-RW, plus MP3 CDs.

Additional VBR100 Features

Video outputs: HDMI (1.3), component, and composite

Audio outputs: 7.1 channel analog audio, coax and optical digital audio, and analog stereo (RCA)

Dimensions: 17 X 11 X 2″

Includes Remote Control

Availability: April 2009

Price: $199.99

Popularity: 6% [?]