Tag: BLU-RAY

Like Cinderella's magnificent chariot turning back into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight, the wondrous luster of CES quickly transformed into a big, rotten vegetable as we entered Day Two. Maybe it was the fact that the whole Switched crew came down with violent food poisoning (we're looking at you, CES-provided media luncheon), or maybe it was the fact that, despite its metastasizing breadth, ...

Here's the news: The entire 'Star Wars' saga is being released on Blu-Ray, and you can buy the entire thing for $139.99, or just the prequels/sequels for $69.99 each. It comes out in September and includes over 30 hours of unreleased footage, yadda yadda. But why would you care? You don't, because this is the version where Greedo shoots first and the "Lion King" soundtrack replaces the beloved ...

Other than the frenzied anticipation for the coming breed of tablet PCs, the one topic that dominates the mindspace of the technorati these days is the world of e-readers. More specifically, a great debate is brewing; each of the e-readers and their associated online book stores favor differing standards and file formats, and we may have another good ole fashioned format war on our hands. ...

On Tuesday, a so-called "master key" crack required to unlock the high-definition, copy-protection (HDCP) codes encrypted on Blu-ray discs began worming its way around the Internet. While many initially doubted the legitimacy of the key, Intel has now confirmed that it is indeed real, effectively declaring open season on Blu-ray copying. "We have tested this published material that was on the ...

In celebration of 'A New Hope,' whose 35th birthday is next year, the always anniversary-conscious George Lucas will unveil all six of his beloved 'Star Wars' films on Blu-ray. Lucas, who personally announced the 2011 release plans at the recent Celebration V event, promised that the new editions would be formatted with the "highest picture and audio quality," along with extended special features. ...

We're sure you're familiar with Redbox's kiosks, which offer DVD rentals for $1, and can often be found on your way out the door of your local mega-mart. Now the company is updating its services to offer high-def Blu-ray rentals. Of course, the HD discs will set you back slightly more than the $1 DVDs, but, at $1.50, the price bump is hardly a deal breaker. Roughly half of the company's 26,000 ...

Last month, Sony released the first 3-D games for its Playstation 3 console. Now, according to Joystiq, a firmware update to be released in September will allow the PS3 to play 3-D Blu-ray movies. It should be stated, though, that for now the only 3-D Blu-ray title on the market is the kids' film 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,' and gamers probably won't be snatching those up. But, as more ...

We're still wavering on whether or not to invest in the 3-D TV revolution. But according to some recently released data from market research group NPD, many consumers aren't taking a wait-and-see approach. From an NPD press release, Engadget reports that U.S. consumers spent $55 million on 3-D TVs and Blu-ray players during the first three months the technology hit shelves. That may sound like a ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... Ashton Kutcher's recent cerebral endeavors have apparently bored Twitosphere simpletons. Britney Spears has actually usurped Kutcher as Twitter's reigning despot, as her followers now represent the largest horde on the site. In response, Kutcher (who just earned himself a slow, dramatic clap) tweeted the perfectly succinct, "I don't ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... Journalistic shield laws apparently don't apply to writers and publishers in San Mateo, California. In the intensely escalating missing-iPhone brouhaha, police reportedly raided Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's home in an attempt to glean information about the iPhone prototype incident. [From: Engadget] 'Avatar' is continuing its ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... 3-D TVs definitely sound appealing, but consumers have to wonder if replacing their still relatively new flat screens is truly worthwhile, or, for that matter, monetarily feasible. James Cameron has supplied some incentive for those wary, potential 3-D TV shoppers with his recent announcement that a 3-D Blu-ray version of 'Avatar' ...

Since long before Switched was even a twinkle in the Internet's eye, we've been making the annual January pilgrimage to Sin City to pay homage to the tech gods. And every year -- sometimes days, sometimes weeks, or sometimes months after the fact -- we realize that we done got played. We inevitably find that, at some point, amid the hustle and bustle, the lights and music and product pitches, ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines... 'Toy Story 3' promises to be one of 2010's big-time summer blockbusters, and ABC has a first look. While some CGI films appear video-gamey and blocky, this latest installment in the franchise that launched Pixar looks animatedly awesome. [From: IGN] It may just sound like some tech mumbo-jumbo, but thanks to the Maximum Likelihood ...

If you ended up on the losing side of the great HD media wars, then you may have a few obsolete HD-DVD titles sitting on your shelf as a depressing reminder of the perils of being an early adopter. If some of those happen to be Warner Bros. titles, though, you are in luck. For $4.95 per title (up to 25 for a $6.95 shipping fee), you can rip out the cover art of your HD-DVD and turn it in for a ...

Big week for Pixar fans as the latest animated feature, 'Up,' is released, along with the Pixar classic 'Monster, Inc.' Warner continues to release catalogs, but with the size of its catalog, it could probably release four a week every week and still never finish. For the most part this is a good week for Blu-ray but we know you are with us when we say that next week is what we're really waiting ...