CEDIA gets the Blus: New Blu-ray models debut from major brands

Reflecting the market's inexorable move to high-definition content, a number of manufacturers introduced Blu-ray players at CEDIA. Several are so-called Profile 2.0 models with a feature called BD-Live, which enables you to download Internet content such as movie trailers. If you want Internet connectivity, look specifically for a player that has BD-Live (or can be upgraded to include it), as earlier designs lack this capability.

Here's a rundown of what we've seen at the show so far:

LG launches Netflix-enabled player

LG Electronics surprised audiences when it revealed the price for the previously announced BD300 player: $400, which is $100 less than expected. The BD300 (click on image above for a closer look) is a BD-Live model with the unique ability to stream movies and TV episodes from a Netflix online library of about 12,000 titles (a Netflix subscription is required). The player offers internal decoding of the new Dolby TrueHD high-resolution audio format, and will presumably pass DTS-HD Master audio as bitstream (the specs are a bit unclear). The BD300, which has a USB port for playing back digital music, photos, and videos stored on a flash drive, will be available next month.

MacBook Air, super-thin notebook, introduced

What may be the most talked about of Apple's four major product releases Steve Jobs introduced today is a new addition to the MacBook line called the MacBook Air. With a teardrop profile only 0.76 inches at its thickest point, it's the thinnest notebook computer ever. (You can get closer looks at the new MacBook Air by clicking on each of the embedded images.)

Apple didn't compromise much on features. There's a full-size, backlit keyboard, 13.3-inch screen, iSight webcam, large trackpad with multi-touch gesture support (similar to the iPhone's, which lets you use your fingers in more ways than the traditional tapping and sliding), plus a new magnetic latch.

There are only three ports on the right side: USB2, MicroDVI, and a headphone jack. (There's no Ethernet port for wired networking, but that's not really an issue with a notebook designed for extreme portability.) Apple says that the 1.6-GHz Core 2 Duo processor is 60 percent smaller than chips made for other models. The standard MacBook Air comes with an 80GB hard drive—or a 64GB solid-state drive for an additional $999. The standard memory configuration is 2-GB and Apple claims 5 hours of battery life. The built-in wireless capability supports 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

There's no internal CD/DVD burner; to use discs you need the $99 external MacBook Air SuperDrive which connects to the USB port. Also, a new custom application in Leopard called "Remote Disk" lets you wirelessly "borrow" other users' CD/DVD drives.

In keeping with Apple's environmental initiatives, MacBook Air notebooks have a fully recyclable aluminum case, displays that are mercury and arsenic free, and logic boards that are BFR and PVC free. In addition, the packaging has 56 percent less volume, to save trees.

The base model, which starts at $1,799, pairs a 1.6-GHz processor with an 80-GB Parallel ATA hard drive. A second model that features a 1.8-GHz processor and 64-GB solid-state drive starts at $3,098. Both ship in two to three weeks, but can be pre-ordered starting today.

Compared with Windows-based 13-inch slim-and-light notebooks we've rated (Consumer Reports' Ratings are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only), the MacBook Air is pricier and its hard drive is a bit slower and has a smaller capacity, but weighs more than a pound less. When compared with notebooks in the 3-pound range, such as the Sony TZ series 11-inch or Toshiba Portege R500 12-inch, its pricing is very competitive.

CES 2008: New HD entertainment service coming soon

XStream Looks to the Sky for New HD Service

Look out DirecTV and Dish: A start-up company called XStream HD said yesterday at CES that it will launch a new satellite-based high-def entertainment service by the end of this year. The service, called XStreamHD, will deliver movies, TV, music, games, and other forms of entertainment in high-definition—including some content in Full HD 1080p resolution—and 7.1-channel surround sound.

The system consists of a small outdoor satellite antenna, an in-home media server, and an XStream media receiver. Already-orbiting satellites deliver multiple streams of Full HD content to the antenna. Signals are then routed to a wall-mountable, in-home media server, where they're stored in what the company calls a Virtual Personal Library. The library can gradually learn your preferences and  anticipate and store movies or programs matching your profile. When you want  to view a movie or show, the content is then delivered to the media receiver, which connects to a TV via an HDMI connection. When a title arrives, you have the option of renting or purchasing it.

At the heart of the system is proprietary compression technology that allows massive amounts of data to be delivered to the home. This allows for high-quality picture and sound—full 1080p video and up to 7.1 channels of lossless audio. The media server has three digital ATSC tuners plus DVR functionality, so you can record up to three HDTV broadcasts—in 720p  and 1080i—while watching a fourth program stored on the server. You can watch up to four Full HD streams simultaneously throughout the home using gigabit Ethernet. The base system, with 500MB GB of storage, is expected to be offered at an introductory price of $399.

[JAN. 18, 2007 UPDATE: The XStreamHD media server will have 500-gigabytes of storage, not, 500-megabytes as previously stated. We regret the confusion.—Ed.]

Several questions remain unanswered. It appears that cable programming won't be available via the service, so it won't be a true all-encompassing media hub. Also, pricing for the service itself wasn't  announced, nor were any of the movie studios that will be supporting the service. And at least initially, the system will be sold direct to consumers—no retail stores will carry the system—so installation will have to be handled by third-party installers.

At a press event featuring actor Michael Douglas, an investor in the company, XStream announced that launch partners would include DTS and Seagate Technology. The system will support DTS-HD Master Audio and features Seagate slide-out hard drives with up to 1 terabyte (TB) of storage.

—James K. Willcox

CES 2008: Bill Gates's Last Days at Work

William Gates III, founder of the world's largest software company, is quitting. Well, at least he's stepping out of his role as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect. That was news over a year ago, as Gates looked forward to devoting more of his time to philanthropy.

Bill chose to make light of his impending "last day of work" at his final keynote presentation on Sunday, "press day" here at the CES. He showed a video of himself approaching a series of celebrities—from the music, cinema, TV and political world—pretending to be looking for work.

(Click on the image above to see Bill Gates with rock guitarist, Slash, during his CES speech. You can also watch Bill Gates' complete keynote speech at Microsoft's CES-related Web site, www.microsoft.com/ces. But you'll need "Silverlight," Microsoft's free Web-browser "plug-in" to access the online video. You'll find more information and the free Silverlight download at: www.microsoft.com/silverlight.)

In fact, Gates will continue to advise Microsoft on a number of projects started during the past few years, and his main message is that these projects represent the directions he believes consumer computing technology is heading.

Gates declared the "first digital decade" a success, and said there was nothing holding back the second digital decade. He outlined three technology trends that will drive the next ten years:

1. The ubiquity of the "high-definition experience": Gates sees sharp, bright video displays everywhere, not just on PCs and big-screen TV sets. Along with this will be improved ease of connection between devices, and 3-D presentation.


2. Hardware devices of all types will be "service-connected"—an obvious tie-in to Microsoft's "Live" online services. Gates described photographs moving from the digital camera onto the Internet seamlessly without the user having to deal with cables, or memory cards. Users will be able to easily share their own content with others, and organize their memories easily and effectively, accessing them from anywhere in the world. Devices will be smart—aware of the context—to optimize the way they work.


3. Powerful, "natural" user-interfaces will become common. The obvious tie-in here is Microsoft's "Surface," a table-like display with a touch-sensitive surface that can also recognize objects like cell phones. "Gestures"—like the two-finger zoom function on the iPhone's screen—will become familiar.

The remainder of Gates's dog-and-pony show showcased existing and new Microsoft technologies. One surprise was an agreement with NBC TV to produce online Olympic Games content for MSN through Microsoft’s "Silverlight" video-authoring platform.

There was also a demonstration of Ford Sync, an integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system that will roll out on nearly all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles later this year. It will include a "911 Assist" feature to help quickly connect vehicle occupants to a 911 emergency operator following an air bag deployment.

As always, Microsoft continues to establish partnerships—with media companies to provide content for its products, and with hardware companies to extend the various Windows platforms. Whether any of these partnerships produces a "must have" product or service remains for you, the consumer, to decide.

—Dean Gallea, Senior Program Leader

Game On: Microsoft, Sony Ready Game Console Updates

In an effort to better accommodate the growing amount of high-definition content that's available, both Microsoft and Sony are readying updated game consoles that boast larger-capacity hard disc drives.

Last week, Microsoft confirmed rumors of a new, HD-friendly console with the announcement that the Xbox 360 “Elite” system will be introduced at the end of April. Price at $480, this black console will include an HDMI output (lacking on current Xbox models), HD cables, a removable 120GB hard drive, and a wireless controller. Like the rest of the Xbox line, the Elite doesn’t include an internal HD DVD drive. You’ll still have to buy the $200 external HD DVD drive Microsoft is selling if you want to play HD DVD movies.

The new system fits with Microsoft’s strategy to promote its Xbox Live online service, which enables users to download games, movies, and TV programs rather than buy them on DVD. Supporters for the service include A&E Network, National Geographic, ADV Films (anime), and TotalVid.com (extreme sports programming). Also, both Warner Bros. and Paramount recently announced they would begin selling downloadable high-def movies though Xbox Live. The sizable hard drive will be better able to accommodate the storage requirements of HD content. The Xbox Elite model also comes with an Xbox Live headset for online game play.

Sony’s plans for a PS3 update aren’t as clear. As part of an FCC filing related to Bluetooth changes in a planned new PS3 model, Sony said the new console would have an 80GB hard drive. Considering that the filing was made prior to Microsoft’s Elite announcement, it’s possible that Sony may increase the size of the hard drive in the new system by the time it ships. The current $500 base PS3 has a 20GB hard drive, while the $600 step-up system comes with a 60GB hard drive. It’s not yet known whether both those models will remain in the line when the new console is introduced. Sony hasn’t said when the new console will be available.

—James K. Willcox

Apple TV: Is it a “must-see” show?

The challenge of moving entertainment content (as in anything beyond computer data) around a home today resembles that of digitizing music in the pre-iPod era. Too many steps with too many components equal a high chance of frustration or downright failure.

Apple’s new Apple TV device, which began shipping this week, aspires to do for home networking what its iPod did for digital music. Using two proven and ubiquitous platforms — iTunes and WiFi — the $299 book-sized unit promises to seamlessly pull content from computers and ferry it to your HDTV and sound system. The device works with up to five computers, either Macs or PCs.

Given the level of opposing viewpoints found within our offices alone, it’s unlikely that Apple TV will enjoy the slam-dunk success of the iPod — but, then, there were many iPod skeptics at the start.

Here’s some of our point-counterpoint discussion since Apple unveiled the device yesterday:

Networking music and podcasts

It’s great that … Apple TV allows you to stream songs and podcasts right out of your iTunes library — the most-used digital-music platform by far — and even have the iTunes interface displayed on your TV screen as it does so.

But … it won’t allow streaming of any content from the Internet, even iTunes’ radio stations (though a fix is promised soon). And unless your iTunes library far exceeds the capacity of your iPod , there’s a much simpler way to play digital music through your sound system: Use a docking station or cord to connect your iPod to the audio receiver and press play.

Displaying photos

It’s great that … Apple TV can wirelessly display photos on your HDTV.

But … the photos have to be transferred to the device’s 40GB hard drive (which accommodates about 33GB of actual content), so you can’t, say, display the latest shots uploaded to your library without adding an extra step. Also, many cameras let you run a slide show directly to your HDTV, or you can insert a digital camera or digital camcorder memory card into the memory-card slots found in some newer HDTVs.

Playing videos from your computers

It’s great that … Apple TV says that videos stored in iTunes can be easily played on your HDTV. And that videos you subscribe to on iTunes are automatically transferred to the TV for viewing.

But … image quality is a question mark. Apple claims DVD quality, but those images our product analyst viewed on a Sony HDTV in a brief demonstration by Apple more closely resembled standard-def TV, to her eyes. And there seems to be limited allure to viewing (and paying for, at $1.99 apiece) standard-def versions of, say, weekly “24” episodes on your HDTV when, for less money you could rent a hard-drive DVR from the cable or satellite company and view those shows in high-definition.

Internet browsing

It’s great that…The TV allows you to surf the Net from your couch.

But … you really can only surf, using the TV’s remote — which resembles the first-generation iPod shuffle, with the typical iPod navigation wheel. There’s no typing or even clicking — to buy via Amazon’s one-click feature, for example. Our analyst found the remote to be very small for her hand, though she acknowledged that it might just take some getting used to.

[Mar. 29, 2007 Update: As one of our blog readers pointed out -- and further hands-on testing of a commercially-available Apple TV unit proves -- we made a mistake on this. Apple TV does not allow users to surf the Net -- other than to Apple's online iTunes store. Our First Look report on ConsumerReports.org has further details, including digital video so you can see Apple TV in action. -- Ed.]

We’ll report more about the performance and capabilities of Apple TV when we complete our tests of the device later this month. At first blush, Apple TV appears to have the most potential appeal for those who want to surf the Net on their HDTV, or who want to use a proven, easy-to-use interface to play a huge and diverse iTunes library through a home-entertainment system. (With video content, you’ll also need a willingness to view shows in less-than-HD quality.)

— Paul Reynolds

CES: Microsoft's serving platter for content

As I mentioned earlier, Microsoft introduced a new product at Bill Gates' keynote event on Sunday. It's Windows Home Server, a platform for a network-connected box containing a huge amount of hard-drive storage. The idea is that the box will store all the content — music, pictures, video — a household wants to share among its PCs and media players, as well as a managed backup of all users' documents and data files.

Since then, more details have been disclosed, both through official Microsoft channels, and via blog postings from some of the WHS developers.

The HP Media Smart Server (pictured) will be the first WHS product to market, scheduled for release in the second half of this year. The best guess I could get on its price was "about $500," so we're talking about much more than a backup drive. This is a product for a multi-computer household.

The Windows Home Server operating system, which is still in beta, is slated for release June 22. Unlike all other versions of Windows, it's not meant to be accessed through the usual keyboard, mouse and monitor; in fact, there isn't even a way to connect them. If needed, the user configures the server through a web interface, called the Windows Home Server Console, similar to the way routers and some backup drives are configured.

iPhone: The world in the palm of your hand

I mentioned in my introductory post that if Apple was going to break into the smartphone/PDA market, it would have to be with a technology that is both transformative and disruptive. The new Apple iPhone, set to ship this coming June, is poised to be that rule breaker. 

The one key thing that sets Apple products apart from the pack is their fundamental simplicity, a hallmark of the company's products from the first graphical user interface of the original Mac in 1984 to the click-wheel of 2001's iPod.  Apple now intends to grab some of the smartphone market, again, by keeping it simple. 

Only 11.6 mm thick, the device sports a single large screen, 3 1/2 inches diagonally across, and a single "home" button at the bottom. Press it, and the bright 160 ppi screen comes to life, as seen in the image above. From there, virtually anything you want to do, from a simple phone call, to listening to your music collection, to watching a film you just downloaded from the iTunes Music Store, is only a few finger-taps away. 

Over the last two and one-half years, the iPhone team has been developing a completely new user interface allowing for better interplay of hardware and software. But at its core is something Apple fans are already very familiar with: Mac OS X. Yes, thanks to OS X under the hood, this device is capable of desktop-class applications and networking. 

CES: More ways to get video from PC to TV

There’s a lot more video content on the Web these days, from YouTube clips to reruns of "Lost," but it isn’t easy to watch online video on your big HDTV. And while Apple may have grabbed the spotlight with today's Apple TV announcement, it's not the only company working to bridge the gap between your home office and living room. A number of devices and services announced at this year’s CES cover some of the same ground (without the splashy rollout).

Sony’s new Internet module will allow most of its new televisions to access free Internet video content, including some in high-def, from providers including AOL and Yahoo!, as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG Music. Known as the BRAVIA Internet Video Link, it will connect to your TV and your Internet service. It should be available in mid-2007; no pricing information yet.

Sony’s offering limits your viewing to the so-far limited fare of its content partners; the movie content is mostly trailers, for example. Other solutions allow you to view almost any Web content. Sling Media, whose Slingboxes allow you to send TV content to your PC, has announced the SlingCatcher to do the opposite: the device will allow anything that can be viewed or played on your PC to be viewed on a TV. No pricing or introduction details yet.

Netgear says its new Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000), a box similar in size to a standard DVD player and listing at $349, will automatically catalog and play movies (including HD), TV shows, music files, and personal photos from a home network, across multiple PCs. It will also allow users to stream unprotected Web content. If your PC has an optional TV tuner installed, the device can be used to schedule and make recordings and pause or rewind live broadcasts. You may need a new router to use the Digital Entertainer, since it works only with some 802.11n-compliant routers.

Among other announcements, Microsoft also announced at CES plans to make Internet TV from select providers — including standard- and high-definition live television channels, video-on-demand, and digital video recording — available via its Xbox 360 gaming console by the 2007 holiday season. 

We've reviewed earlier network media receivers, and found most of them to be best suited for people who are comfortable fidgeting with a home network and can tolerate occasional crashes and resets. The next batch promises both more robust features and greater ease of use. Only time (and our test labs) will tell if they live up to those goals.

— Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor

Technorati tags: apple, apple tv, iptv, ces, bravia, netgear, consumer reports

Macworld Expo 2007 preview

The new banner on the Apple web page reads, “The first 30 years were just the beginning. Welcome to 2007.” Thus we begin the annual Macworld Expo at Moscone Center in San Francisco, with perhaps a feeling of just a little extra expectation.

The tone for the Conference and Expo, as always, is set by the Steve Jobs Keynote address, on Tuesday, where Apple’s CEO lays out the course for the company’s product line for the ensuing 12 months. As this year’s keynote has been extended to a full two hours, many have theorized that Apple may be planning to enter new markets, and announce new products or services in that regard. As usual, in ramping up for this event, Mac bloggers and professional digerati alike fall all over themselves trying to best predict what hot new things Apple might astound the world with this year. Fortunately, I read all this material, so you wouldn’t have to, and hopefully mined the best of it. Below is what I feel to be the best collective estimate as to what may be announced at Tuesday’s Keynote:

Sales figures: According to Goldman Sachs, Apple Computer is likely to announce that, during first quarter 2007 (which just ended December 31st), there were sales of 1.8 million Macs - 1.1 million of which were notebooks. If iPod and iTunes Music Store figures follow proportional upward trends, Apple will have had a very profitable holiday season.

iTMS expansion: The ITunes Music Store may expand its available film library with the addition of more movie studios. There may be a direct link via iTV

iTV: A potential challenge to Windows Media Center, this $299 device is a living room appliance that connects your digital media content with your television. We may expect a demo and a ship date, if it’s not actually available the day of the show.

OS X Leopard: The newest version of Apple’s flagship OS was actually previewed to developers last summer, so we should expect at least a ship date, and a demo of all the features introduced earlier (Time Machine, Spaces, Core Animation), plus perhaps some “secret features” they’ve been keeping under wraps.

Video iPod: There is a lot of expectation for a new, full-video iPod, with a larger screen, a new form factor, and perhaps a new touch-screen interface, although there have been doubts expressed as to whether this product will be available during Macworld itself.

New desktop displays: Overdue for an update, they would presumably be larger, brighter, and sport built-in iSight cameras, so desktop users can have the same videoconferencing capability as their MacBook Pro carrying brethren.

8-core Mac Pro: While it is known that there is a new 8-core chip for high-end Mac Pro towers under development, it may not be ready before spring. While this will initially appeal to a relatively small market of high-end digital imaging pros, a demo of the raw horsepower would nevertheless make the Keynote crowd ooooh and aaaaah appreciatively.

 Application upgrades: Figure on an “iLife 2007” update with some feature additions as a near certainty. But the real news will be if an upgrade to Apple's “iWork” suite includes a long-awaited spreadsheet and perhaps a database application. If this included universal translation of the most common document formats, it would put Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit in the hot seat for failing to ship a Mac version of MS Office 2007 when the Windows version ships at the end of this month. Expect as well a demo and a ship date for Adobe’s CS3 suite of products, with lots of new features and a Universal binary for Intel and PowerPC-based Macs.

One More Thing: While an Apple-branded digital Swiss Army Knife, including iPod, iTunes, cell phone, PDA, and probably a corkscrew, has been anticipated and wished for by the Apple faithful for several years, this year seems to be the closest yet to seeing that reality, according to the various oddsmakers. To give it the “must-have wow-factor,” though, it would require something that’s either transformational or very “disruptive” in terms of its functions or its distribution and marketing models.

Although Apple will undoubtedly show a lot of great — and profitable — products on tap, and the company was named “Marketer of the Year” in 2006, not everything has been rosy of late. With a shareholder lawsuit over the recent stock option scandal, a second suit filed last week over the proprietary iPod-iTunes link, and a hacker group promising an “Apple bug a day” throughout January (followed by another coder promising a month of daily bug fixes), Steve Jobs probably feels fortunate that his Keynote programs don’t include a question and answer period.

— Thomas A. Olson 

Technorati tags: apple, macworld, ipod, iphone, ilife, osx, os x, leopard, macbook, imac, itunes, itv, isight