Vizio has quietly updated the product page for its flagship TV of the year, the CinemaWide, to give it a price. The middle tier 58-inch set should cost $3,499. Smaller 50- and high-end 71-inch sets are still coming, but didn't immediately get prices.
At a pre-CES event, RCA showed off a new sound bar that connects to the web to let subscribers access their Netflix, Pandoara, Vudu and other services. The 37-inch RCA Wi-Fi Home Theater Sound Bar (model RTS739WS) is paired with two satellite speakers a subwoofer to deliver surround sound. There is an HDMI output and an optical audio input for adding audio from a TV or other source such as a set-top or receiver.
New estimates compiled by Hollywood.com point to the movie industry facing a rare decline. Assuming the last week of the year reflects trends, movie theaters will have made $10.1 billion in 2011, or 4.5 percent less than in 2010. AllThingsD didn't glean explanations from the research.
Boxee marked a swansong for its desktop app with the launch of 1.5. The app has a newly refreshed interface with quicker access to the browser and the menu appearing as an overlay with quicker search. Movie and TV sections have been given their own updates, such as easier navigation by genres and sources, more details, and a better way to check for unwatched video episodes.
Microsoft has announced that it has added eight new channels to the Xbox Live TV service in North America and several European countries. Notable additions include Walmart's VUDU streaming video service, along with Ultimate Fighting Championship content for users in the US and Canada.
Western Digital has updated its WD TV Remote app for WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub users. The company will soon be adding Android support to the app as well as iOS devices (free, App Store). WD also announced it will be adding new streaming services for WD TV users, including VUDU and several sports networks.
Microsoft is about to launch its Xbox 360 fall Dashboard update, and we've had the opportunity to use it early on our own system ahead of when it goes live December 6. The update is Microsoft's second major revamp in the Xbox 360's history and is geared around turning the Xbox 360 into a media hub. Read on for hands-on time and why it may be the definitive answer to the Apple TV.
In sync with the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update, Microsoft has provided a listing of TV providers that will be ready to go this week. Along with existing access to ESPN, Hulu, and Netflix, the December 6 update will also bring EPIX authenticated video in the US, Lovefilm in the UK, MediaSet's Premium Play in Italy, Sky Go in Austria and Germany, Telefonica Espaņa's Movistar Imagenio, and MSNBC's Today in the US.
Microsoft on Tuesday narrowed down a firm date for its fall 2011 Xbox 360 Dashboard. The Windows Phone-derived revamp should go live on December 6, about three weeks after beta testing began. The update is expected to go live worldwide, although not every feature will follow suit due to the need for local deals.
Vudu broke out of its streaming-first mode on Thursday with Vudu-To-Go. The service now lets those who have bought a movie or a TV show download it to a Mac or Windows PC to watch without needing an Internet connection. The videos run through an Adobe AIR app that keeps the videos protected.
Microsoft on Thursday started giving beta users its promised fall 2011 Xbox 360 Dashboard update. The upgrade introduces the tiled, Windows Phone 7-like interface we first saw at E3 and organizes sections that would normally need hierarchical sections into groups. The interface is more optimized for the Kinect and lets users search for content across the whole Xbox and Xbox Live using voice, although a gamepad fallback is available.
Microsoft at the Nokia World 2011 show demonstrated its Xbox Companion remote app for Windows Phone 7. During the video demo, the screen of the handset showed off an orange tile with the Vudu Movies label. This functionality hasn't been detailed before, and Vudu is currently exclusive to Sony's PS3.
Sharp's has just revealed the 80-inch LC-80LE632U, which it claims is the largest LED-lit LCD TV commercially available. It sports a 1080p resolution and is labeled as a Smart TV with both Wi-Fi as well as access to apps such as Netflix, CinemaNow and Vudu. Sharp is quick to point out the TV has more than double the screen area of a 55-inch TV.
Walmart is in negotiations to carry the UltraViolet cloud-video platform, CNET learned from sources. UV is a number of standards and specifications that will allow movies and TV shows to play on many devices. Customers would purchase a UV movie, for example, and have access to it from servers and view them on multiple UV-licensed devices.
Netgear made inroads to home networking Wednesday headlined by a self-proclaimed high-speed router. The N900, also known as the WNDR4500, is part of a still-rare group that can run Wi-Fi up to 450Mbps concurrently on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Wireless sharing is atypically faster as well: the USB controller is more powerful than on most rivals and estimated to be 30 percent faster for sharing an external hard drive or a printer.
iTunes movie sales have managed a turnaround in US marketshare, according to research firm IHS. During the first half of 2011, Apple's portion of electronic sellthrough and video-on-demand spending grew to 65.8 percent, versus 64.9 percent in the first half of 2010. In an equivalent gap between 2009 and 2010, Apple dropped by 11.9 percent. IHS remarks that Apple's last rise in share was during 2009.
Vudu on Wednesday began offering its streaming movie service on the iPad over the web. The strategy uses HTTP Live Streaming to push the movie while adapting the bitrate to match the connection. Video is limited to standard definition when seen on the iPad, but only due to "restrictions by content providers," Vudu said.
Sony late Tuesday put out a new PS3 update catering to its online and 3D users. The 3.70 upgrade makes cloud saves automatic for those who have the PlayStation Plus accounts needed for the service. Gamers can flag individual games for automatic uploads and guarantee that certain games' saves are always available.
Boxee swung out a pair of major additions to its mix, including its first real tablet app. Boxee for iPad (free, App Store) lets users stream video both from some content channels as well as from computers on the local network. The app isn't locked into supporting the iPad's native formats and transcodes video from the computer on the spot.
Sharp took advantage of its rights to Pioneer's Elite name by launching its own range of Elite TVs. Now using LCDs, the 60-inch Pro-60X5FD and 70-inch Pro-70X5FD both have a unique scanning backlight effect that goes beyond 240Hz; the company claims an equivalent to about 720Hz. Both have an Intelligent Variable Contrast system that purportedly goes beyond usual dynamic contrast to tune the brightness and the backlight for maximum effect.
Vudu has announced that it has established a presence on Walmart's website. The portal serves as a direct link to Vudu's range of on-demand rental content. The site includes featured categories, including top new releases, a $0.99 "movie of the day," $2 rentals that are good for two days, and lists of titles that will soon be available to rent.
Vudu has launched a new digital movie card service through its parent Walmart. Customers can purchase the card for a desired movie in-store, and then use the provided code at home to stream it and watch it on their computer or other Vudu-enabled electronic device, including an HDTV, Blu-ray player, or a PlayStation 3. The first movie to be offered is Sony's Battle: Los Angeles.
Vudu chose Tuesday to throw itself into more direct competition with iTunes and Netflix by carrying TV shows. The deal gives it access to shows from ABC, AMC, Fox, HDNet, Palm, Showtime, Sony, Starz, and The CW, such as Weeds and The Walking Dead. As a paid service, its episodes will show a day after the air date rather than weeks or months like on Netflix.
Spotify, the web-based music service, is nearly ready to launch a movie-streaming service, according to TechCrunch. Deals have been negotiated with a number of major movie studios, said a source, with Universal likely among them. The best guess the source of this news has for a launch date for the service is this fall.
Sharp this week has showed off the largest LCD HDTV on the market with the 70-inch LC-70LE732U. The company was quick to point out the set is 62 percent larger than 55-inch TVs, and it offers the company's signature Quattron four-color pixels with yellow to improve some scenes. It centers on a 120Hz, LED-backlit panel with a native 1080p output.
Vudu filled an important gap on Tuesday by starting up web-based browsing. Viewers can now either buy or rent a movie for viewing on the web in the same formats that previously needed Vudu-capable hardware. The support extends from standard definition up through to HDX-encoded 1080p, including with Dolby 5.1 surround if supported.
Vudu chief Ed Lichty in a talk on Friday expressed hope that his movie streaming service might come to Apple devices. As part of an anticipation to expand into "tablets and other new gizmos," according to Forbes, Lichty thought devices like the iPad and iPhone might follow suit. He didn't give an indication of how close these were or whether there would have to be any changes.
Sharp has added a new range to its Aquos Quattron HDTVs with the LE830. It includes 60-, 52-, 46- and 40-inch models, each with integrated Wi-Fi and access to CinemaNow, Netflix and Vudu services. All are also DLNA certified for streaming content from home networks.
HD movie streaming company Vudu on Tuesday said its service was going live for all of Sony's 2011 Blu-ray Disc players with an Internet connection. The Sony models with the functionality include the BDP-S280, BDP-S380, BDP-S480, BDP-S580, BDP-S780, BDV-E280, BDV-E580 and BDV-E780W, some of which were unveiled at this year's CES show. Vudu offers streaming at up to 1080p and with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound as well as 3D when supported.
Sharp this week announced the upcoming release of three new 3D Blu-ray players. They include the BD-HP75U, BD-HP35U and BD-HP25U, all of which can play back 1080p 3D content at 24FPS and support for Dolby True HD and DTS HD audio formats. More importantly, however, will be support for Netflix, Vudu, Pandora and YouTube streaming.
Boxee's media ambitions got a significant help on Tuesday with a $16.5 million cash infusion from a round of partners that included Japanese carrier Softbank. The Boxee Box creator hoped both to improve the content and quality of the Boxee UI but also promised an ambitious hardware expansion. It planned more partners than just Iomega and ViewSonic and eventually hoped to be a complete TV replacement.
Boxee delayed its Netflix update for its hardware a second time today over technical issues. The streaming movie service was already running on the app and the Boxee Box but hadn't yet met Netflix's "security requirements" for copy protection, the company's Andrew Kippen said. He didn't have definitive scheduling for the launch other than "soon."
Vudu started the weekend by rolling out its 2.0 interface on most all devices. Following the PS3 and Boxee Box updates, Blu-ray players and Internet-linked TVs now get the same simplified interface and optimizations for HD and newer controllers when they appear. It now recommends movies based on the viewing history and theoretically gives faster access to movies.
Slightly later than planned, Boxee on Wednesday rolled out Vudu access on the Boxee Box. The firmware upgrade gives the media hub its first access to top-tier, commercial movies in the US, with many purchases and rentals coming the same day as they do on DVD. The Boxee's Atom chip is fast enough to decode Vudu's signature HDX format at its full 1080p and 5.1-channel Dolby Digital Plus surround.
Vudu has followed up on its announcement at CES on its blog on Monday that the promised 3D content streaming for PS3 owners is now live. Those with the Vudu app on their PS3s and the required 3D TV and glasses can stream 3D content from Vudu. The app will get continual updates over its lifespan.
Among other debuts, Sharp brought a production-ready 70-inch Quattron-series LED TV to CES this year. It uses Sharp's own Quad Pixel technology that adds yellow to the red, green and blue color gamut. The LC-70LE732U is the largest in the series thus far, outdoing the previous 60-inch flagship.
VUDU has used CES as the platform to announce that it will be the first online movie rental service to offer streaming 3D movies starting next week. Connected 3D HDTVs, 3D Blu-ray players and entertainment systems from LG, Mitsubishi, Philips, Playstation 3, Samsung, Funai, Toshiba, Vizio and those that support Boxee media software will all be compatible with the new service. When streaming to a connected entertainment system, users will also require a 3D capable TV in order to be able to view the content.
Boxee just before New Year's apologized for the delayed additions of Netflix and Vudu to its Mac and Windows desktop apps and the Boxee Box while giving new timetables. The Vudu update will be the first and should arrive next week to provide per-title movie purchases and rentals. Netflix is now due to reach Boxee before the end of January.
LG continued a series of pre-CES unveilings today by releasing its first attempt at a purely digital media hub. The Smart TV Upgrader ST600 gives any TV, including those from LG's competitors, the same access to LG's Internet TV functions and TV app store as one of its own TV sets. In the US, that should bring Netflix and Vudu movies as well as a full web browser and DLNA media sharing.
Vudu has begun rolling out its new version 2.0 User Interface for its online streaming movie rental service. The first device to receive the update is the Sony PlayStation 3, which only a month ago began offering the Vudu service to its users. Also added to the update for PS3 users is the ability to now use the Move controller in addition to the DualShock 3 controller as a remote.
Blockbuster on Friday said that its Express kiosks would have to wait 28 days before getting new movies from Warner Bros. to rent. Despite having trialed same-day launches as recently as the past few weeks, such as Fox's Knight and Day, the company has agreed to stall the $1 DVDs in return for closer contact with Warner Bros. as well as a lower distribution cost and healthier supply. It already had similar deals with Fox and Universal.
In a last-minute unveiling, Vizio today said it was shipping its largest ever 3D-capable TV, the XVT3D650SV. The 65-inch set quietly previewed earlier aims to reach a relative bargain by using passive 3D glasses instead of active shutters. Although not as advanced, they don't produce the same flicker-based eyestrain, don't use batteries, and are cheap enough that Vizio can pack four pairs in the box.
Vizio has quietly slipped out a new flagship shortly after the debut of its its first 3D LCD TVs. The 65-inch XVT3D650SV is 10 inches larger than the previous biggest 3D model but may have traded refresh rates, going down to 120Hz where the smaller sizes hit 480Hz. Viewers also get polarized 3D glasses in place of the active shutters that cost more but are more common elsewhere.
Vudu has announced that its streaming movie content will now be accessible from Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles. Beginning next week, users with PlayStation Network accounts can download the Vudu application from the media category in the PlayStation Store. The PS3 utility provides a similar interface to the Vudu app already available for supported TVs and set-top boxes.
Comcast's proposed merger with NBC could require the combined entity to offer video to others online, according to sources speaking out Monday. The FCC's proposed rules for the telecom giant would prevent it from withholding content from any competitor, including Apple's iTunes, Netflix, Vudu or other digital services. Agency officials might also require a net neutrality rule that prevents it from interfering with traffic from these or any other legal service, the WSJ's insiders said.
Streaming HD service Vudu has launched a partnership with corporate parent Walmart to provide Toy Story 3 in streaming HD to anyone that buys Disney Pixar's Exclusive Special Edition 3 Disc Set on DVD or Blu-Ray at Walmart stores. The deal would allow purchasers to watch the movie in HD anywhere they have access to high-speed internet connection and a Vudu-compatible device such as the upcoming Boxee Box set-top device without a physical copy of the disc. Vudu will also stream the movie in standard definition to any PC or Mac running the free Boxee player software.
Vudu today landed a coup for its presence in digital media hubs and said its streaming movie service would reach Boxee devices. Both the imminent Boxee Box and the clients for Linux, Macs and Windows PCs will have access to the full catalog. Only the Boxee Box will have full support for 720p and HDX-based 1080p, as the desktop apps will so far be limited to standard definition.
Vudu tonight launched an aggressive campaign [link active soon] to corner the movie rental space by slashing the prices down well below average. The company's Movies On Sale section is charging just $2 for about 4,000 "top films" and is giving 48 hours to finish watching after playback starts. The deal lasts until the end of the year.
Vudu just announced it has updated its set-top boxes with software that will bring newfound features. The boxes will now have the same full streaming capabilities that HDTVs and Blu-ray players of partners do. This includes HDX movie streams, without having to wait any for them to download, as in the past. Users need to have a minimum broadband speed of 4.5Mbps, however.
Toshiba expanded its LED-backlit TVs a second time in as many days on Thursday, this time by focusing on mainstream buyers. The UL605 series replaces the UX600 with a thinner shape despite using its edge-lit LED backlights and a 120Hz panel. Full details of the changes aren't available, but it still has a bundled USB Wi-Fi adapter for access to Vudu movies, Flickr and Picasa photos, DLNA media sharing and Facebook or Twitter social networking.
