How would you like to read a comparative review which ends in no conclusion whatsoever? If you like that kind of thing, then this article by High-Def Digest will be your cup of tea. It first discusses the HD DVD Xbox 360 addon, and its use. Then it discusses the PS3’s BD capabilities. You’d expect at the end of the article for some kind of conclusion to be draw. Like “If you’re looking for A, then get this. But if B is more important to you, get that.” At least, that’s how the writers that don’t want to offend their advertisers would do it. Writers that throw caution to the wind would just say something like “Product A is better, no doubt. Get A.” Sometimes they might add a “But in the tiny circumstance XYZ, B might be a better option.” Well, none of that in this article by High-Def Digest.

They take a look at the HD DVD addon and say that it’s a mighty good addition to the Xbox 360. Except, well for that whole lack of HDMI output. Which means you don’t get TrueHD or DTS HD Master sound. Or a digital link to your TV.

Then they discuss the PS3, and complain about the fact that if the PS3 is on when you put in a BD movie, you have to select it to play it. And that for those sets that don’t accept a 720p signal, the PS3 downconverts 720p to 480p. Which is a big deal, but only to those people who don’t have 720p-accepting HDTV’s. Which is actually a small number these days. Picture quality is great, blah blah blah.

Well, if you’ve been reading this space for any length of time, you’d know that I’m a BD fan and therefore I’d recommend the PS3. But really, these are both excellent players, and your choice, if you just had to choose a console based on movie playing, would have to come down to the format war, and who you’d think would win. But if you ignore that issue, I personally think the PS3 is a better machine, because you get to benefit from all of what the HD disc has to offer - video and sound. That’s just not true of the Xbox 360.

In the Spotlight: PlayStation 3 vs. Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-On

When I go shopping for video games, the first thing I do is check out the used section. That’s because video games are so expensive, I need to find a cheaper way of getting my video game fix. Movies, on the other hand, aren’t as expensive as video games so it’s not quite so important to get them used. But used is used - and it’s still cheaper. Now some HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc movies are being sold at retailers used.

The formats are less than 1 year old, but several retailers are already selling used HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles in stores.

Hastings Entertainment, Newbury Comics and Trans World brands F.Y.E. and Suncoast are among the outlets that have been accepting consumers’ used HD DVD and Blu-ray titles since the formats launched in the spring. In turn, the chains are stocking the high-definition titles, which have included copies of Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Serenity and Doom on HD DVD, for sale within their used DVD sections.

Cool, huh? More if you follow the link below.

Stores start market for used high-def discs (free subscription req’d)

If you’ve been waiting for a really good deal, today’s the day to get an HDTV! Swanni’s got the scoop on some really good HDTV deals, and here’s just a small sampling of the deals. (These are at Circuit City.)

Vizio 50-inch Plasma HDTV — $1,499
Normal price: $1,799

Olevia 32-inch LCD HDTV — $499
Normal price: $854

Panasonic 52-inch LCD Projection — $999
Normal price: $1,699

Polaroid 40-inch LCD HDTV — $999
Normal price: $1,599

Go to Swanni’s website for more.

Black Friday HDTV Deals — Revealed!

ZDNet has a good article on adding that antenna to your HD setup.

Just recently I added a rotator to mine from radio shack. Best investment I’ve made in a long time.

Now to buy one of those new free Directv HD DVR’s at Best buy on Friday (after rebate of course).

» Dump your Cable or Satellite bill with free HDTV | George Ou | ZDNet.com

Apple some a bunch of new HD QuickTime trailers up, and here’s a selection of the most recent:

Newly elected to Congress, Evan leaves Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life gets turned upside-down when God (Morgan Freeman) appears and mysteriously commands him to build an ark. But his befuddled family just can’t decide whether he’s on to something or not.

Evan Almighty

In these interlocking tales of high stakes and low lifes, Mob boss Primo Sparazza has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy “Aces” Israel (Piven) - a sleazy magician who has agreed to turn state’s evidence against the Vegas mob. The FBI, sensing a chance to use this small-time con to bring down big-target Sparazza, places Aces into protective custody.

Smokin’ Aces

From the creative mind of talented filmmaker Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element), comes a larger-than-life, family adventure about a boy who, after his grandfather disappears, sets out to save his family home from emerging real estate developers.

Arthur and the Invisibles

Digitimes thinks that sales will be great this season, and I agree, but they are predicting with all the slashing of prices that revenues will flatten out next year.

As usual, I tend to disagree. Yes, there will be cheaper sets out next year, and with cheaper prices you need to sell more stock to create the same amount of revenue. I think we are just coming over the hill where the prices are now low enough and people are seeing benefits and more programming that I think that next year will see another banner year for revenue in the HDTV space. Remember, I said revenue, not profit.

Anyway, you read and decide.

Holiday HDTV sales will soar in US, but revenues go flat, Pacific Media predicts

In honour of Thanksgiving, Swanni has put out a list of 10 HDTV Turkeys for the year.

1. CBS
   For only displaying 3 HD football games each week.
2. U.S. Congress
   For generally screwing up on the digital transition.
3. EDTV Makers
   For confusing consumers.
4. 1080p HDTV Makers
   For making you think that anything else isn’t HD.
5. Sony & Toshiba
   For the format war.
6. Cox
   Just for being another cable operator. Which means they do really annoying things.
7. DIRECTV
   For blacking out an HD channel every Sunday to give bandwidth to NFL Sunday Ticket.
8. Sony
   For releasing a BD player that’s way too expensive and for the low PS3 shipment quantities. (Yeah, like they wanted to come up short!)
9. TiVo
   For releasing an HD PVR that’s way too expensive.
10. Retailers
    For promoting the most expensive HDTV’s they sell.

What do ya think?

The 10 Turkeys of High-Definition TV!

Yesterday I mentioned a couple 1080p projectors by Sony and Optoma. Today I’m going to look at another contender, this time from Panasonic. And when I say “I” in that last sentence, I really mean the folks over at Projector Central. I’ll just regurgitate!

This projector is highly anticipated, but it doesn’t put out the same light as it’s 720 brother, the AE100U. 1100 ANSI lumens for this 1080p projector. This projector does have a variable iris, though. Which gives it a contrast ratio of 11,000:1. It uses three 1920 x 1080 LCD panels and a UHP lamp. It has two HDMI inputs, a 2.0:1 zoom lens, and both horizontal and vertical lens shift.

On SD material, this projector is astoundingly good. On HD material, this projector is “just” good. Projector Central mentions a slight softness to the image. Other than that, though, the image quality is very good. So you have a small trade-off there to deal with.

For more, read the full review, link below.

Review: Panasonic PT-AE1000U 1080p Home Theater Projector

There are several 1080p projectors priced around the $5k mark coming out this fall. Isn’t technology amazing? Projector Central takes a look at the Optoma HD81 1080p DLP projector.

It has a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, and puts out 1400 ANSI lumens of brightness. It uses a single DLP 1920 x 1080 chip with a 7-segment, 6x speed colour wheel. It has 3 HDMI inputs, but only a 1.2 zoom lens, and no lens shift. Also, fan noise is higher than average.

On the plus side, it is very bright, produces a sharp image, has good deinterlacing, and gives a solid black level.

For more, read the full review.

Review: Optoma HD81 1080p Home Theater Projector