Amazon Unbox Video on TiVo set to rock your living room

Seems like the latest fad is streaming digital content to TV, and in the process plunging the digital downloads wars straight into the living room. Amazon.com Inc and TiVo Inc, have now teamed up to unveil the “Amazon Unbox on TiVo” service which enables users purchase and download full-length movies & TV shows to their TiVo DVR. The product is currently undergoing testing with an unspecified number of TiVo subscribers who have their DVR on a broadband home network. Company officials have declined to give an official release date for the full service.

The service is expected to offer a vast collection of media content from leading networks, namely Universal Studios, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, CBS, and Fox Entertainment among others.

Amazon Unbox Video download service, which was launched late last year already offers thousands of movies, TV Shows and other media content ready for download to PC and WMV compatible devices. The new feature greatly improves the earlier downloadable service by integrating broadband video with regular TV programming. To access the service, TiVo subscribers on broadband service will simply log onto the Amazon website and establish a connection to the Unbox section using a TiVo Series2 or Series3 box. The price of TV episodes will be $1.99 and movie prices between $9.99 and $14.99.

Unbox Video on TiVo joins a growing list of online download services. The recently launched Apple TV as well as Wal-Mart Inc online download store, MovieLink and CinemaNow are probable competitors. However, at the moment, Unbox Video on TiVo appears to have distinct advantage for the following reasons:
• No additional equipment is needed if you are a TiVo subscriber with a broadband home network connection. Rather than spend $300 for an Apple TV box, the only additional cost will be movie or TV show prices.
• Unlike most online download services, Unbox Video on TiVo delivers high-quality movies and TV shows directly to your TiVo for viewing on television, and not to PC.
• Integration of digital broadband video content and TV programs, giving the consumer plenty of navigation and playback options.
• Collection of downloadable digital content set to increase with a number of major studios and networks (Sony and Disney) expected to join the bandwagon upon its rollout.
• Video downloads can also be sent to portable devices.
• Unbox video downloads can always be downloaded again after purchase, and will therefore not need to be stored permanently.

The entertainment industry is flooded with countless online download services, but few are expected to rival this revolutionary feature. TiVo have decided to take the Amazon route and ditch their earlier deal with NetFlix. With this outstanding deal, Amazon.com and TiVo are bent on grabbing a significant share of the lucrative online download industry estimated at roughly $ 4 billion. The onus is now on you Apple TV, Wal-Mart Inc stores and co.

Brace yourself for the ultimate viewing experience with 3DTV

It was bound to happen soon, though nobody can say for sure when it will get into our living rooms. There is no doubt that the addition of third dimension TV i.e, 3DTV is only a few years away. The technology is there and most of the technical elements needed to turn this into reality are already in place.

The development of 3DTV technology is been carried out by a leading 3DTV consortium funded by the European Commission and consisting of hundreds of researchers. Their primary goal is to achieve fully-fledged and functional 3D video capabilities that can be integrated with various media forms. The core functions of the Three-Dimensional TV consortium can be summarized as follows:
• Capture and representation of entire 3-dimensional scene information.
• Complete definition of digital 3-D signal, storage and transmission.
• Display and reproduction of a 3-dimensional scene.
Besides these three functions, the consortium also intends to investigate possible areas of use as well as the social influence of 3DTV. Eye-polarizing glasses have been used in the initial design stages. However, plans are underway to develop a display system without the use of filters which will significantly delay the release of 3DTV to the general public. Moreover, according to a co-coordinator of the consortium, the concept of holographic 3DTV is feasible but could take another decade or so before it becomes commercially available. However, there are a few fast emerging technologies like Stereoscopic 3-D display which is expected to be commonplace at homes and cinemas in a few years. Stereoscopic 3-D is a revolutionary technology that displays images with depth. It enables viewers see images, without glasses and at the same time using motion parallax. Applications that make use of true stereoscopic display include 3-D home TV, 3-D video arcade games, 3-D video phones, avionic cockpit displays as well as some scientific and medical displays.

With the technical deficiencies notwithstanding, there are a few prominent reasons that could accelerate the introduction of 3-dimensional TV to home viewers:
• The rapid evolution of holographic systems that capture and record detailed, high-density 3-D scene information as well as carry out complex 3-D scene representation and motion.
• Advancement of efficient and complex media compression formats such as MPEG-4 which easily integrate digital TV, DVD and HDTV format, in addition to 3DTV in existing transmission media.
• The development of highly-efficient display techniques which rid the technical deficiencies of polarizing filters.
• Modern television displays have an increased rate of frames display, (over 1080p) which can provide high-def images motion with very little flicker rate.
• The capability of 3DTV signal to be broadcast by television stations over air waves or cable. The images be displayed live or even recorded and replayed in three-dimension.
• Stereoscopic 3-D devices can be used on computer displays with a single video board, for video arcade games, CAD workstations, air traffic control systems, scientific and medical visualizations systems.
• Three-dimension TV images can be projected on most screen sizes, direct view LCDs in full color and with no flicker.
Indeed, 3DTV is compatible with most contemporary display systems. Avid viewers will at the moment not enjoy the real deal, like watching their favorite sports footage with seemingly small-scale sportspeople running in the background. To be certain, as time goes by, we expect significant advances in development of 3DTV holographic systems. We do hope that in the not so distant future, HDTV systems with three-dimensional capabilities will not only be widely available, but also reasonably priced.

Coming soon to your living room: Apple HDTV

When it comes to the fickle world of technology, very few companies have the intrinsic power to enthrall us with their novelty. In the past few decades, Apple has set itself as one of the major forces in spearheading technological advancement.
Having already conquered digital music industry with the iPod and shown serious intent on doing the same in mobile telephony, what could be next for this Tech behemoth? Probably the lure of TV and more specifically, the ever-growing rave of high-def TV.
Though not ground-breaking, Apple unveiled Apple TV, a fun and easy-to-use product that will seamlessly integrate all your favorite content iTunes content from Mac or PC into a wide-screen TV. This is not the first time anyone has attempted to do this, but there are a few aspects of this new spectacle that caught our attention. You can expect nothing short of a stunning, sleek user interface; which is undoubtedly an Apple trademark. Apple TV comes packed with a 40GB hard-disk that can not only store over 50 hours of video, thousands of songs, audiobooks, TV shows podcasts, and tens of dozens of photos, but also deliver a high-definition 720p output. Apple TV is fairly easy to use and is portable with most modern wide-screen televisions. Making use of a standard HDMI, a video, analog and audio port, Apple TV easily connects to wide-screen televisions and home theater systems. Furthermore, Apple TV comes with a high speed AirPort wireless networking facility capable of streaming media component from several PCs to a television.
Finally comes the Apple Remote, which lets users effortlessly browse through a vast media collection of full-length movies, TV shows, podcasts, music videos, audiobooks and photo albums on widescreen TV. This is not an entirely new concept to rant and rave about, but is certainly worth checking out. The product will be available at Apple stores and Authorized Resellers this February.
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO describes Apple TV as a “DVD player for the 21st century”. Only time will tell if this product can make a mark in the already crowded and aggressive home entertainment industry. But coming from a company which stirred up the PC revolution, portable music players like iPod, and is famed for those highly-esteemed notebooks and Mac OS, few will dare scoff at Apple’s latest creation. Keep watching this space. We think that Apple HDTV is certainly in the offing.

High-Definition TV: An Introduction

It’s been over 80 years since John L. Baird and Charles F. Jenkins bequeathed to mankind one of life’s most treasured innovations: the Television. We have all come to adore the tiny tube that keeps us all entertained and brings everyone together.

You may have heard of the words HDTV, plasma, flat-panel TV or high-definition TV which seem to be very confusing and inexplicable. Many people think of these new technologies as ludicrously expensive, gaudy and even unnecessary. Moreover, the numerous technical terms, jargon and marketing hype makes it incomprehensible. But we all agree on one thing: the picture quality of these new sleek TV sets is undeniably first-rate. You will be surprised at the simplicity behind the HDTV concept.

Are you unhappy with your current television? Don’t you just wish you could get yourself one of those big, high-tech TV sets? Like the ones we see when those flashy celebrities flaunt on MTV Cribs. You are probably on a tight budget and need to save as much bucks as you can. You can either choose to purchase a standard television and wait for a few more years when prices hit rock-bottom or simply get yourself a fairly modest HDTV set for a couple of hundred dollars.

In recent years, the prices of HDTV sets have come tumbling down. More and more people are now going high-definition. You can acquire a 32-inch flat panel LCD TV for under $US 1,000 or even a 50-inch Plasma TV for about $2,000.

Before getting yourself overwhelmed by this excitement of high-def TV and start rushing to the nearest dealer, it is important to get yourself acquainted with the basics of HDTV. So what is HDTV anyway? High Definition Television (HDTV) is a television broadcasting system which produces a higher resolution than traditional television standards. Unlike normal television systems which are analog, HDTV transmits in digital form. In the past, a standard TV screen had a resolution of 525 lines (US) or 625 lines (Europe). HDTV has a much higher resolution starting at 720 lines on the television screen. Furthermore, HDTV uses a wide-screen format and is capable of scaling higher or lower to fit onto a TV screen. The resulting effect in HDTV is a sharper, clearer picture and sound with little imperfections. To relish the ultimate experience of High-definition TV, you not only need a television set with this capabilities, but also receive transmissions in High-definition format. Major broadcasting companies such as ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS offer a myriad of television shows in high-definition format, including commercials and sports coverage. Regular TV programs don’t look good in HDTV because the relative “inferior” quality of standard-def transmission is highlighted. It is important that in addition to acquiring a HDTV set, you will also require an appropriate HDTV source and channel.

If you really want to jump into the HDTV bandwagon, you need to understand the different kind of television sets available. They come in different shapes, sizes and makes but they generally fall into four broad categories:
• Direct-view CRT – This is the more familiar variety and the one you most probably own. Most of them are not High-definition TVs. They are fairly-priced and most appropriate for those on tight-budgets. The CRT is rather bulky and will soon be replaced by the slimmer LCD TVs whose prices are constantly falling.
• LCD Flat Panel TV – The most popular and least expensive high-def TVs. Liquid crystals and color filters are used to create colors. Popular sets are the 32 inch varieties which go for US $ 800. They are a popular choice for those making their first switch from traditional CRT to HDTV.
• Plasma TV – A much bigger HDTV with typical sizes ranging from 37-65 inches. A typical plasma television is an emissive flat display panel that contains tiny cells lined with phosphor. Plasma TVs use gas and phosphors to create colors. If you really crave for a massive and flat TV, Plasma is the way to go. There has been a raging debate over which is better between Plasma TV and LCD. Plasma TVs are generally relatively cheaper compared to LCD TVs of the same size.
• Rear Projection TVs: If you are thinking big and have designs for a perfect home-theatre, then RPTV is your thing. These range from 42 inches to the enormous 73 inches. Earlier models used the CRT, but this is fast fading out, making way for the favorable lighter and innovative micro displays. Newer technologies include DLP (Digital Light Processing) and LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). RPTVs provide superior picture quality, and are constantly getting cheaper and popular everyday.
The concept of HDTV may appear perplexing at the beginning. With the fast-changing tech scene and the rapidly falling prices, millions of people are now ditching the old CRT sets and opting for the very best in high-definition home entertainment.