Warner Bros. turns old DVDs Blu

First it was exchanging old HD DVD discs for Blu-ray versions. Now Warner’s at it again with a “DVD2Blu” program that let’s you swap old DVDs for new Blu-ray versions of the same movie—for a price.

Just go to Warner Bros.' DVD2Blu website and select the movies you want to trade in. You can only get a Blu-ray version of the same movie you own on DVD, and there's a limit of 25 titles per household that can be exchanged. Once you’ve selected the titles, click on “checkout” and pay a fee, typically $7.95 or $9.95 per disc, plus $4.95 shipping. (You get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

You can then print out a prepaid label, which includes a barcode for delivery tracking, and mail the old DVDs, without their cases, to a processing center, where the titles are compared to those listed on your order. Once the discs are received you’ll receive an email letting you know when the Blu-ray discs are shipping along with tracking info. It takes about four to five weeks for the whole transaction, and the Blu-ray package you'll receive is the same as the ones sold in stores, with all the accompanying materials.

The exchange program is limited to the DVDs listed on the DVD2Blu.com website, and you can only exchange one copy of each movie. If you’d like more info, visit this DVD2Blu FAQ, or visit the Warner Bros. Shop for more details about the movies.

Shopping online? Be wary of Web seals and user reviews

If you, like many Americans, plan to do a chunk of your Black Friday and holiday shopping online this year, here are two points to consider (and two new videos to illustrate them).

Don’t trust Web seals. You might think that the Web seal on a retail site is a sign of the merchant’s integrity. Not necessarily. The only “qualification” some seal issuers require—such as the “Online Business Bureau,” not to be confused with the Better Business Bureau—is that an online merchant pay a fee to display it. And more seals don’t equal better service. We found one seal-laden e-commerce site that received an F from the Better Business Bureau. (See our video, “Decoding Web Seals,” and our story, "Can you trust that Web seal?".)

Be skeptical of user reviews. Putting too much stock in user reviews can be dangerous. Some sites (like Yelp) will raise a positive review to the top of the stack if the manufacturer or company pays them a fee. Other companies have employees post paeans of their products in user-review sections, highlighting only the positive attributes. And you never know who’s trashing a product—could it be someone with a vested interest? (See our video, “Can You Trust User Reviews.”)

U2 concert to stream live on YouTube

I recently attended a U2 show at Giants Stadium, and was excited to learn that this Sunday, October 25th, U2 plans to stream their final tour stop, live on YouTube for free. With 96,000 tickets sold to the Pasadena Rose Bowl show in California, this is expected to be largest concert ever streamed online.

This will be another first for U2 who produced the first concert performance to be shot in 3D for a theatrically released film.

Paul McGuinness, U2's manager tells of U2's desire to share their music across the Internet:

'The band has wanted to do something like this for a long time. As we're filming the LA show, it's the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium. Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2—this time U2 can go to them, globally.'

The show starts at 8:30 Pacific time and can be found at: http://youtube/u2official

So fire up your computers, Internet connected televisions or Apple TVs and enjoy the free show. —Dirk Klingner

2 new Best Buy Insignia Blu-ray players get Netflix streaming

The ability to stream instant movies from a Blu-ray player, once relegated to higher-end models, is moving to the masses with two new Insignia-brand Netflix enabled Blu-ray players from Best Buy.

The two models with Netflix access are the Insignia NS-WBRDVD player, sale priced at $200, and the $180 NS-BRDVD3. Both are currently available at stores and on BestBuy.com. The key differentiating feature is that the higher-priced model has built-in Wi-Fi, so you can wirelessly access a home network to connect to the Internet.

In addition, the step-up model can decode both Dolby TrueHD [PDF] and DTS-HD Master Audio internally; the entry-level model only decodes Dolby TrueHD internally, though each can output both formats as bitstream if you have an A/V receiver that can decode them. —James K. Willcox

LG's BD390 Blu-ray player: Now with Vudu, Rotten Tomatoes

LG’s BD390 Blu-ray player, now equipped with Vudu’s streaming movie service and Rotten Tomatoes ratings.(Click to enlarge.)
[PHOTO: Courtesy of Vudu]

Vudu, the movie-streaming service whose high-def HDX video format we recently evaluated on an LG plasma TV, is now available on the company’s BD390 Blu-ray player, one of the top-rated players in our latest Blu-ray player Ratings (available to subscribers).

But don’t be alarmed if you boot up the player and see shiny red vegetables, er, fruit, all over the screen—Vudu is now incorporating ratings from the Rotten Tomatoes website in its list of movies available for sale or rent.You can sort selections in your Vudu movie lists by the ratings score (which includes the site's beloved Tomatometer and fresh/rotten tomato icons), and see summary reviews from some of the top movie critics from around the country. And Vudu has redesigned its movie page to deliver the extra content more interactively.

If you own, or are about to buy, a BD390 Blu-ray player, it should receive a free Vudu-enabling firmware update automatically the next time it connects to LG’s NetCast online service. The player can connect to the Internet either using a wired Ethernet connection, or wirelessly via the player’s built-in Wi-Fi connection). Vudu is also available on 42- and 47-inch LH50 LCD TVs and 50- and 60-inch PS80 plasma models. —James K. Willcox

Movie streaming: Vudu can do HD

A comparison of HDX (left) and SD (right) streaming video quality, provided by Vudu, for the movie "Chronicles of Riddick." One might argue the quality of the picture exceeds the quality of the film. (Click to enlarge.)
[ PHOTO: Courtesy of Vudu ]

We recently had a chance to try out some of the newer streaming movies services that are available to owners of newer Internet-enabled TVs (as well as some Blu-ray players). What we've found, as we did several month ago when we tested a number of standalone streaming players supporting services such as Blockbuster OnDemand, Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand, is that all of the services are capable of sending decent-looking, DVD-quality video streams. However, none lived up their their HD billing.

The sole exception was Vudu's HDX-format video. When we tested it previously, it did look like real HD but was available only as a download, which could take several hours to process before it was stored on the playback device's internal hard drive. More recently, however, HDX video has become available as a stream on TVs from LG and Mitsubishi, as well as on LG's BD390 Blu-ray player. So naturally we were curious to see if the streaming version of HDX could match the picture quality we saw as a download.

Much to our—well, at least my—surprise, our preliminary tests showed the Vudu HDX movie streams continue to be head-and-shoulders above the other streaming offerings in terms of picture quality. They also include the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtracks that were available on the downloads. During our preliminary testing of streaming HDX, performed on LG's 60-inch 60PS80 plasma TV, the HDX version of "Lord of War" started up quickly, and image quality was impressive. We were able to pause, rewind, and fast-forward with no buffering delays, just as you do on a disc player or DVR, and return to the movie at the point we left off.

Dedicated GPS units vs. smart phone apps: Which is right for you?

Consumer Reports has tested numerous standalone GPS units as well as a number of navigation applications for phones. The options are many, and you may be torn between which to spend your money on: a downloadable app integrated into your iPhone or other smart phone, or a device dedicated solely to getting you to your destination.

Our new video comparing the two may help steer you in the right direction. The bottom line: If you’re a heavy GPS user, opt for a standalone unit. For context, check out the video at right. —Nick K. Mandle

Internet TVs get more streaming movie options

Panasonic’s Viera Cast screen was easy to navigate, but had less content than some other models. (Click to enlarge.)

One of the more interesting features now available on some TVs is the ability to access online content directly from the TV. Almost all the major brands offer some degree of online interactivity—typically in step-up models—which can range from simple RSS news feeds to the ability to stream full-length movies.

We recently tested online services on TVs from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony. (Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Vizio, include this feature on some sets.) Of the models we tested, all except Panasonic use a version of the widget-based platform developed by Yahoo, with a row of icons that appears on the screen, typically across the bottom.

With these widgets, you can directly access Web-based applications, such as weather, stock updates, financial news, Flickr photos, YouTube videos, eBay auctions, and other content in real time on the TV. New content providers are constantly being added, and some TVs will either automatically add these new widgets or prompt you to check for updates. Among the offerings are streaming entertainment services, such as movies from Amazon (Amazon Video On Demand), Netflix, Blockbuster (Blockbuuster OnDemand), and Vudu, or Internet radio stations such as Pandora or Slacker.

At the time of our tests, LG’s NetCast service had the most movie options, with access to both Netflix and Vudu. Sony’s Bravia Internet Video service had the most overall content (much of it targeting niche interests), including the ability to stream movies from Amazon Video On Demand and music from Slacker. (Netflix is slated to be added this fall.) Panasonic’s Viera Cast also offers Amazon’s streaming movie service. At the time of our testing, Samsung’s Medi@2.0 service lacked a movie service, though Blockbuster OnDemand is slated to be available on some sets this fall.

Vudu is available on some Mitsubishi models, and Vizio claims its VIA online platform, available on some VXT-series sets that will be ready in late November or early December, will include Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix and Vudu, plus Rhapsody’s music service. Sharp won’t offer a video service via its AquosNet online service until next year.

The Wizard of Oz turns 70, gets high-def makeover and free Netflix streaming

On October 3rd, Netflix will offer free instant streaming of The Wizard of Oz.
[PHOTO: Courtesy of Netflix]

For many of us, watching The Wizard of Oz was a childhood rite of passage (and for me, the beginning of months of nightmares starring flying monkeys). As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the release of L. Frank Baum’s rainbow-jumping children’s tale, which debuted at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater in August 1939, there are several of promotional events that should be of interest to fans of this classic film.

For example, tonight the digitally re-mastered Wizard of Oz is being shown in about 400 theaters across the country, and on Sept. 26th the movie will be shown in New York City at the Alice Tully Hall as part of the New York Film Festival.

On Sept. 29th, Warner Bros. kicks things off with the release of new, special digitally re-mastered DVD and Blu-ray “collector’s editions” of the movie. Later that night, New York metro-area residents are invited to a Netflix-hosted live event in New York City’s Central Park to see a concert featuring Jennifer Hudson, that starts at 7:30, followed by a showing of the movie, which will be projected onto a giant inflatable screen.

On October 3, Netflix is offering free instant streaming of the movie for a 24-hour period starting at 9:00 a.m. EST. However, while anyone can watch the movie on their computers by visiting the Netflix website, Netflix subscribers on any unlimited plan (starting at $8.99 per month) can stream the movie in HD on any Netflix enabled device, including some LG TVs, select Blu-ray players from LG and Samsung, Microsoft Xbox 360 videogame consoles, and Roku and TiVo video players/recorder.

For home-video fans, Warner Bros. is releasing re-mastered versions of the movie on DVD and Blu-ray, plus digital downloads and on-demand offerings. There will be special limited and numbered "The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition" box sets for both DVD ($70) and Blu-ray ($85) that contain 16 hours of bonus features (including some previously unreleased materials) and other goodies. The Blu-ray version was completely re-mastered from the original Technicolor film negatives at a very high resolution—six times that of a standard DVD—accompanied by a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.

I, for one, will be checking out both the Netflix streaming and Blu-ray versions of the movie in my home theater's 110-inch screen, and reporting on the experiences. I'd love to hear what others think about the newer versions, especially since there have been several previous reissues. But I'm also considering seeing it at a movie theater. If, like me, you've only seen the film on TV, viewing it on a giant screen in a real theater could be an eye-opener. —James K. Willcox

New iPod Nano: Video, radio, and features galore

Here's a First Look at Apple’s new, fifth-generation iPod Nano, the first iPod with an FM radio and the ability to take videos. It’s the same size and weight as the old Nano, though the display has been enlarged slightly, to 2.2 inches. Claimed playback time is five hours for video, 24 hours for music. The 8GB Nano costs only $149; the 16GB version costs $179.

"Smile, you're on Nanocam." Taking videos on the Nano is fun and fairly easy, as the video first look (at right) shows. The wide-angle lens gets in lots of background, convenient if you're in a tight space with lots of people. After synching with iTunes on your computer, you can easily e-mail your videos to friends, post them on Facebook and Youtube, or edit them in iPhoto.

You don't need to have iTunes running to see your videos. The Nano shows up as an additional drive on your computer, so you can just drag them off the Nano. However you manage content, you’ll need to ensure you leave sufficient capacity for shooting video after loading music and other content; as with other iPods, when you’re away from the computer, you can’t delete songs from the Nano to free up space for more video recordings.

In terms of quality, we found the Nano cam comparable to standard-definition pocket camcorders such as the Flip Ultra. That is, they’re fine for casual viewing and posting online but fall short of the quality you’ll get from a full-sized standard-def camcorder. Also like pocket camcorders, the Nano records only in mono. At normal sound levels, such as conversations, the sound quality was decent. But as our subject got louder, as in laughing and screaming, the audio became noticeably distorted.

Smart radio. The Nano is a latecomer to FM on MP3 players, but its Live Pause feature, also shown in the video, records the station you're listening to slightly ahead of the live broadcast, so when you hit the pause button, the program pauses. Hit play and it picks up from where you left off, or you can rewind up to 15 minutes, or fast-forward to catch up to the live broadcast. Another plus—you can see the name of the current song and artist on the display. On the downside, when in Live Pause mode, it’s nearly impossible to switch to another channel.

Tag, you're it. Another convenient feature is iTunes tagging, which allows you to tag a song that’s playing on the radio so you can order it later from iTunes. Great idea, but the station has to support iTunes tagging for the feature to work. And in our tests, we were only able to find one station that did—a local "lite FM” station.

Not-so-smart DJ. Music player updates include Genius Mixes, which scours your collection according to genre and makes up play lists that . Nice idea, but some mixes we ordered up weren’t that smart, as we also cover in the video. —Mike Gikas