HP reminds me of my children. They don’t always know what they want, and even if they get it, they want more.

HP wanted iHD and mandatory managed copy to be part of the Blu-ray spec. The Blu-ray organization said no to iHD and now HP decides that it wants to support HD DVD as well. Sounds like sour grapes to me. iHD isn’t that big of a deal that you have to go switching sides, in my mind.

“We’re encouraged that the Blu-ray Disc Association is adopting Mandatory Managed Copy. Because HP wants to deliver the most user-friendly and cost-effective solution to our customers, we have decided to support both formats,” said Maureen Weber, general manager, Personal Storage Business, HP. “By joining the HD-DVD Promotions Group and continuing work with the Blu-ray Disc Association, HP will be in a better position to assess true development costs and, ultimately, provide the best and most affordable solution for consumers.”

eCoustics - HP to support both HD DVD and Blu-ray

Hitachi is throwing its hat into the crowded 1280 x 720 3LCD ring with its Ultravision HDPJ52 offering. It is 1200 ANSI lumens bright and has a 7000:1 contrast ratio. Its zoom lens doesn’t have the flexibility of the AE900U, for example, but is still decent at 1.6:1. And on the back panel you’ll find that HDMI connector everyone needs to search for these days.

Not only that the lens shift can shift the image 25% horizontally and 75% vertically, a boon for placing the projector in your room. Gamma settings are adjustable, as is the colour temperature. There is also an interesting “lens mask” feature for masking out parts of the image, which can come in quite handy. Replacement lamps cost only $250, which you might have to pay for a little more often as its life is rated at 2000 hours.

On the minus side, the menus are hard to navigate and black level could be better.

Projector Central - Review: Hitachi Ultravision HDPJ52

Are you interested in using your Xbox 360 to watch HDTV streamed via Wi-Fi? Well, it’s doable, but there are obstacles to overcome.

First of all, you can’t use 802.11b. Just not enough bandwidth. This leaves 802.11a or 802.11g. But there are advantages to 802.11a:

First off, if you can use an 802.11a router, you’re less likely to have interference from other radio signals. The 802.11a routers run at 5 Ghz, while the 802.11b & g routers run on the 2.4 Ghz spectrum, making them more succeptable to interferance. You can also try different radio channels on your router to see if that helps.

One day I’ll have wi-fi…

HDBeat - HDTV over WiFi: tips and tricks

If you’re a Natalie Portman fan, this movie might just be for you.

In the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, a man cloaked in mystery ignites a revolution and finds an unlikely ally in a seemingly mild-mannered young woman.

Apple - V for Vendetta

Not really my kind of movie, but in case it’s yours:

It was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime in the Australian Outback - full of fun, sun and adventure. But what happened to a trio of twentysomething backpackers took a wrenching detour into the depths of unrelenting terror - a mounting white-knuckle nightmare so real it was destined to become horror legend.

Apple - Wolf Creek

Maybe it’s time I bought an HD camcorder. With HD editing software becoming more affordable every day, I just need to find an affordable HD camcorder.

With the cost of high-definition camcorders and HDTVs quickly coming down, consumers are becoming more and more creative in how they use their video cameras. Companies like Ulead Systems Inc. and Pinnacle Systems Inc. are bringing HD editing to the masses with low-cost HD editing solutions like Pinnacle Studio 10 HD and Video Studio 9, which includes an HD plug-in. Both solutions give consumers the capability to edit in native HD for less than $100.

Both Ulead Video Studio 9 and Pinnacle Studio 10 offer more than just the option to edit in HD. Both system give users new to editing a “foot in the door” approach, with clean user interfaces, the ability to burn complex and professional-level DVDs, create special effects with green screen and multi-track overlays.

United Press International - High-def editing for the masses

The Panasonic PT-AE900U has been receiving a lot of attention lately. And the last people to lavish their attention on it are the folks over at eCoustics.

Of course they mention all the good points, like an HDMI input, lens shift, 2:1 zoom, lack of visible pixel structure, 5500:1 contrast ratio, and ease of setup. Interestingly, it acceps 24p signals, like that used in some new HD video cameras.

They complained about the lack of adjustable gamma, which I’m not sure I’ve seen before.

Conclusion:

The Panasonic PT-AE900U is a terrific little projector. It has a good image quality, reasonable brightness and contrast, and all the preferred features, including Dynamic Iris and lens shift.

At the $2,000 price point, this Pannie is one of the projectors to beat.

eCoustics - Review: Panasonic PT-AE900U

I was just one generation away from getting CableCARD. I just had to wait one more year and my HDTV would have had a CableCARD slot, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. Ach, who am I kidding? It wouldn’t have done me any good anyway. Rogers doesn’t support CableCARD anyway, so it would have been worthless to me. (Rogers is my cable provider.)

But for some people, CableCARD might even be useful. What is it? It’s basically a technology to allow you to view protected digital content. You get a PCMIA card from your cable company, bring it home, plug it into your DTV, and you’re set. The problem is that it’s one way. No video on demand. No pay-per-view. So what’s a consumer to do? Wait for CableCARD 2.0.

A CableCARD version 2.0 standard is currently in the works to address many of the issues. The new CableCARD 2.0 standard should support high definition digital cable, two way features such as Pay-Per-View, Video On Demand, and advanced electronic programming guide information and allow for up to 5 channels to be tuned in at once, however the standard is not currently finalized and equipment with CableCARD 2.0 support is not available. CableCARD version 2.0 will not be compatible with existing CableCARD enabled products.

DHC - What is CableCard?

Wow, a second industry organization! I have never reported on one before, and today I get two! What are the chances…

What’s the Plasma Display Coalition (PDC) do? That’s easy - dispel myths. So we can finally find out if buttered toast always falls butter-side-down. Okay, so my attempt at humour may have failed, but the organization does have a mandate:

“Although sales of plasma televisions really turned the corner this Fall, our members felt it was time to set the record straight on the benefits and advantages that plasma displays offer,” Palumbo said. “The mission of the group will be to get the plasma message out to the public in a clear and distinct way.”

He said the organization’s promotional efforts will target the grass roots of America, as well as the national media and consumer press.

Who’d a thunk it?

TWICE - Plasma Coalition To Dispel Myths

Most industry organizations are pretty transparent to end consumers. But without them, the world would collapse into a singularity, so it’s good that we have them. And the more the merrier, so I was very pleased to hear that a “group of hardware makers, technology companies and content owners has formed a new alliance charged with developing technical standards for the secure networking of high-definition programming throughout the home.” The group is called High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance, or HANA.

And actually, the first thing they’re tasked with doing sounds like a worthwhile endeavour, my snide comments aside.

Among the group’s first projects will be to work with the Advanced Access Content System consortium, which provided the basic copy-protection system used in both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, to develop technical standards for moving AACS-encrypted content between devices.

Both high-def disc formats are expected to offer consumers the ability to rip content from the discs to a computer hard drive for use in a home network or for transferring to a portable device. Details of how those transfers are to occur and how the content will be protected remain to be worked out, however.

Video Business Online - New high-def org formed

I’m tired of things not working.

Like the link below. I clicked on the 720p option, QuickTime comes up, and it crashes. Fun wow. Okay, I guess I’ll have to settle for the 480p trailer. Nope, no go. What’s up with that?

I think my computer doesn’t like Da Vinci.

Apple - The Da Vinci Code

The new Denon AVR-4306 receiver has 130W x 7 of power. That’s good. XM radio. All right I guess. iPod connectivity. Sure, that’s good too - I have an iPod. Networking connectivity. That’s cool. HDMI video conversion with 1080i upscaling. Hey, now we’re getting somewhere! Future proof 1080p HDMI-output (HDCP) switching & repeater functions. Now we’re cooking with gas! Why don’t more receivers have stuff like that?

Hey, I want one! A friend of mine will be building a home theater soon. I wonder if I can get him to buy one of these for me to try…

[via HTDude]

engadget - Denon AVR-4306 Receiver

Note: ad link is a different receiver.

TDK is sampling 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs in both BD-R (write once) and BD-RE (re-writable) formats. They all use TDK’s Durabis material, which provides better scratch- and dirt-protection. No cartridges required.

The interesting thing to me is that these discs are all rated at 2x recording speed. It’s great to see that Blu-ray technology is at 2x speed even before players and recorders hit the market!

The Register - TDK samples ‘cartridge-free’ Blu-ray Disc