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Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB)


CNET Editors' Review

  • Good : Superior selection of games, including several console-exclusive titles; all games in high-definition; easy-to-use Dashboard interface; excellent online gaming and communications via Xbox Live; plays hundreds of (but not all) original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media Center extender; online Marketplace allows for easy purchases of downloadable full-scale games, mini-games, movies, and TV shows; latest version offers HDMI output with 1080p support.
  • Bad : Early versions of the console prone to "red ring of death" system crash; noisy exhaust fan and DVD drive; gigantic oversize power supply; no built-in wireless networking or flash media reader; DVD playback has substandard video quality; support for next-gen HD DVD movies requires a bulky external accessory; 20GB hard drive fills up very quickly; online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live.
  • Bottom line : With its extensive digital media features, a superior online service, and an excellent game library, the Xbox 360 remains the game console to beat.

    © 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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Posts Filed under: Home Video

Even With $199 Players, Blu-ray Sales Are Struggling

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 7:25AM

Back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, Blu-ray and HD-DVD coexisted in a competitive market that frustrated consumers with a lack of high-def disc formats. The result was no one really upgrading to either format due to fears of one or the other going obsolete. Then HD-DVD officially gave up, and Blu-ray was declared the winner. Happily ever after, right? Not quite.

According to a study by ABI Research, only 8% of consumers were considering upgrading to Blu-ray players this holiday season due to the cost involved. Not just the cost of the players (which have dropped dramatically over months, all the way down to $199), but the cost of an HDTV, a Blu-ray player, and the more expensive movies combined. Especially when you can now download HD content over the Internet and watch it on your TV with your PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Netflix box, or Vudu player. Given that many people don't care that much for high-def content (yet), or simply don't see much difference between SD and HD content, paying twice as much for a television, player, and movie seems like a waste.

So is Blu-ray out for the count? Maybe not. Let's not forget we're in a struggling economy that will one day get better. Additionally, PlayStation 3 sales have been skyrocketing, automatically giving millions of people a Blu-ray player in their house. Add onto that some DVD-like prices for Blu-ray movies on Amazon, and there's hope for the format yet. Regardless, we still buy physical media every now and then, mostly because digital options (like downloads) have yet to include all the special features included on discs. [From: Boing Boing]

Six Geek Movies for Your Nerdy Loved Ones

by Evan Shamoon, posted Dec 1st 2008 at 6:12PM



It's not like geeks really need another reason to stay home and watch movies in their pajamas while surfing the Web on their laptop and eating snickerdoodles on the sofa, but here are six more anyway.

The folks at Download Squad have compiled a list of six DVDs to make your favorite tech nerd happy this holiday season, ranging from the story of a robot who finds love in 'WALL-E,' to a computer hacker that finds love in 'WarGames,' to yet another young computer hacker that finds love (and Angelina Jolie) in the cult-classic 'Hackers.' They all somehow manage to save the world in the process. And they are all apparently the same movie, come to think of it.

Still, good flicks all. [From: Download Squad]
Engadget

Digital Music Sales Surpass CD Sales at Atlantic

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 26th 2008 at 9:51AMBreaking News



Yep, it finally happened. One label has come forward and admitted that, for the first time, digital sales of its music have surpassed CDs. While many pundits asserted that loosing tunes via tiny downloadable files would instantaneously cause the deep-pocketed record labels to crumble as piracy ran rampant, the numbers tell a different story. In fact, music sales overall have declined from $14.6 billion in 1999 to $10.1 billion this year, and it's expected to shrink further.

But for Atlantic, moving tracks on the information superhighway has proven quite successful; last quarter, digital sales accounted for 51% of its revenue, while CD sales still make up over two-thirds of all music sales industry-wide. There's no real indication as to why Atlantic seems to have that digital charm while everyone else is still clinging tight to old world business models, but it's sure nice to see this side of the equation thriving.

Now, about those DRM-free downloads across the board...

[Image courtesy of Dexondaz]

Five Things to Consider Before Buying an HDTV

by Tom Samiljan, posted Nov 25th 2008 at 11:37PMFeatured Story



So you want to buy an HDTV? Well, if you're lucky enough to have the cash, then we have some good news. Faced with a glut of unsold televisions, manufacturers and retailers are slashing prices of TVs to previously unheard of levels. This means you can get a perfectly decent flat-panel -- that's right, the sexy thin kind -- for less than $1,000. Of course, more money will still get you thinner, bigger, and better models, but for the first time ever, flat-panel HDTVs are within reach of most folks. The best part is, no matter how much you pay for your new HDTV, you can rest assured that it will be compatible with the digital TV signals that are going to be the norm once the FCC-mandated analog-to-digital switchover takes place early next year. Nevertheless, you'll need to consider a few things before you shell out any cash for a new TV, so take a look at our Five Things to Consider Before Buying an HDTV, which starts by clicking Next below.

NFL to Broadcast Game Live in 3-D

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 25th 2008 at 11:42AM




Next Thursday's game between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders will, thanks to the NFL, be the first pro football game to show via live, 3-D broadcast, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Being shown in three movie theaters -- in Los Angeles, New York and Boston -- the special, private broadcast will show to rows of business types in the broadcasting and electronics fields.

Howard Katz, the NFL's senior vice president of broadcasting and media operations, hopes that these private screenings will introduce the technology's capabilities to a broader audience. "We want to demonstrate this and let people get excited about it and see what the future holds," he told the Wall Street Journal.

The future should hopefully hold the standardization of the 3-D format. At present, while 3-D home TVs are publicly available, the particular models now in production could encounter compatibility problems, or obsolescence, in the coming years as the technology develops.

For our part, we hope broadcasters and the like hurry up and put those 3-D standards in place. Because we can't wait to don our 3-D glasses and lay our eyes on this thing. [From: Wall Street Journal]
Engadget

Tivo and Domino's Offering Pizza Via Your Remote Control

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 1:02PMBreaking News


Clearly catering towards the wants, nay, needs of the average American couch potato is TiVo and Domino's Pizza, which have collaborated in order to bring on-sofa pizza ordering to broadband-connected TiVo subscribers. If you'll recall, this service was actually announced for Australia earlier this month, but users in the US of A get the first chance to indulge. 'Course, this is far from the first unorthodox method of ordering pizza, and the lack of a scheduled delivery option is certainly a weak point, but this widget does reveal that all sorts of differentiating applications could eventually find their way to a TiVo box near you. Feel free to give it a spin tonight, but don't blame us if that backlit remote gets dimmed from grease seeping into the crevices.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]
Engadget HD

'Mamma Mia!' Blu-ray Disc to Offer Shareable Video Commentary

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 30th 2008 at 11:37AM



We're still a little perplexed about this, but The HD Room has it on authority that the Blu-ray rendition of 'Mamma Mia!' will boast a Blu-ray first: Shareable video commentary. Trust us, we had the same reaction that you just did.

According to the specs, the "My Mamma Mia! Commentary" will allow users to "record their own video commentary while watching the movie and share it with friends," though we suspect you'll have to own a BD-Live-enabled player in order to do so.

Additionally, the film will be presented in 1080p widescreen with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, and it'll offer up on-screen lyrics for 22 songs, the 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!' music video and a number of less enthralling extras. Expect the BD to ship day-and-date with the DVD on December 16th for $39.98 (MSRP).
Engadget

JVC Stops Making Standalone VCRs

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 28th 2008 at 9:35AM


We were fully prepared to start harshing on VHS as a dead-end technology that never went anywhere during its time in retail (as a joke, of course), and out of nowhere, a bona fide tear slowly ran down our left cheek. Today, friends, is a day worth remembering. Today truly marks the end of an era, and as far as we can tell, JVC really was the only company still producing standalone VCRs. Of course, the outfit will continue to serve customers with a need to play back VHS tapes by offering up DVD / VHS combo units, but those looking for a shiny new slice of retro in 2008 will be out of luck after remaining inventories dry up.

All told, over 900 million VCRs were produced worldwide, with 50 million of those boasting a JVC label. The iconic VCR has been around for over 30 years now -- here's hoping the videocassette lives on in your domicile in one form or another, even if it's just the resident dust collector. [Via Impress]
Engadget HD

MSNBC Going HD This Spring

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Oct 27th 2008 at 10:46AMBreaking News

MSNBC LogoEvidently as much as MSNBC wanted to go HD in time for the big election push, it just didn't get done. We'd like to think that the fact that MSNBC isn't presented in HD is the reasons why it's behind both CNN and Fox News in ratings -- which have both been HD for some time -- but it's probably the content. Either way though, in the spring MSNBC will finally make the big upgrade.

But what's more interesting is how important MSNBC's president, Phil Griffin, thinks HD is. In fact he said that "you better be in HD in the next year or so, because you have to be in that tier." Obviously we've been saying this for some time now, but it's refreshing to know that even network big wigs are on board with the rest of us HD snobs now.
Engadget

Samsung Brings Netflix to Blu-ray Players, and It's a Free Update

by Thomas Ricker, posted Oct 23rd 2008 at 4:16PMBreaking News


And so the Netflix partnerships roll on. Netflix just reached a deal to stream Internet movies and TV over a pair of Samsung Blu-ray players. The first Sammy players to go Netflix are the $400 BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 with "a range of home entertainment products" expected to follow suit. Good news for those of you who already own these players as the Netflix update is a free download through Samsung support (link below).

Videos added to Netflix members' instant queues from a PC are automatically displayed on Samsung's players and available to watch instantly -- the players' remote control allows you to fast-forward and rewind video and browse and rate movies directly from the TV... exactly like LG's Netflix-enabled BD300. Come now, you didn't think Samsung would let hometown rival, LG, have all the fun did you?

Read -- Samsung netflix update
Read -- Press Release

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