Hasta La Gadget!

Philips makes colorful Hue light bulbs, and it (indirectly) makes colorful Ambilight TVs. Wouldn’t it make sense if the two devices talked to each other? They do now: a new Ambilight+Hue app for Android and iOS coordinates Hue bulbs with compatible TVs, spreading Ambilight effects across the entire room. To mark the occasion, Philips and TPVision are launching the 60-inch Elevation TV (not pictured here). The 3D-capable, 1080p LCD introduces a four-sided Ambilight system that produces a fuller lighting effect when the set is wall-mounted. It’s also the thinnest Philips TV to date, at 0.54 inches thick, and it includes the requisite smart TV features like Netflix, web browsing and Miracast media sharing. Ambilight+Hue should be available now, although Europeans will have to wait until later in the summer to buy the Elevation for about £2,800 ($4,168).

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, HD

Comments

Source: Philips

In June Paramount and Regal Theaters tried out a $50 “Mega Ticket” promotion for World War Z, and this month Warner Bros. is testing out a similar package in Canada for Pacific Rim. Available at Cineplex theaters, it lets moviegoers pre-buy a digital Ultraviolet copy of the movie for $19.99 ($24.99 in HD) that’s promised to arrive before anyone else can get it, plus 725 points for its loyalty program and some exclusive extra content, all viewable on the CineplexStore website. Unlike the WWZ promo this doesn’t include an early screenings before the movie’s July 12th release, but it does mean any ticket can be upgraded to the “Super Ticket” package. That the flick was shot in Toronto probably has a lot to do with the location for the offer, although it’s hard to say what’s needed to convince viewers to check out an action movie already getting glowing reviews from Hideo Kojima and Kanye West. Of course we’ll miss the MegaTicket’s included small popcorn ($75 value!), but this could be getting closer to a decent proposition — what price would convince you to combine your movie ticket / home video copy in one purchase?

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Via: Company Town, THR

Source: Cineplex

Oh Wii Vitality Sensor, we hardly knew ye… in that we didn’t know you at all. Nintendo introduced the pulse-sensing Wii peripheral at its E3 2009 stage show, and said we’d hear more in “the future.” That future never came, despite occasional assurances that the device still existed. During a recent Q&A with Nintendo head Satoru Iwata, an analyst brought up the device once more, and Iwata said it encountered too many issues in quality assurance testing to bring to market.

“We have not been able to launch it as a commercial product because we could not get it to work as we expected and it was of narrower application than we had originally thought,” he told investors. According to Iwata’s estimates, approximately 90 out of 100 people were able to use the Vitality Sensor without a hitch, though he (thankfully) requires that it work with “1,000 of 1,000 people.” However, he admitted “but [since we use the living body signal with individual differences] it is a little bit of a stretch to make it applicable to every single person.” He’d still love to make the Vitality Sensor a reality “if technology enhancements” allow, but thus far, testing renders it “insufficient as a commercial product.”

In other Nintendo news, Iwata assured investors that he will continue to monitor employee cafeteria quality-related concerns. Seriously though, that was a question.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD, Nintendo

Comments

Via: VG24/7

Source: Nintendo

Sure, the PlayStation 3 is going to be making way for the new generation soon, but something tells us folks won’t complain about having access to more entertainment on Sony’s aging console. To wit, Now TV’s just announced that its video services have reached yet another audience, allowing those in the United Kingdom to watch Sky Movies and Sky Sports via the PS3. While subscribers can currently stream a good amount of live sporting events and some relatively new movies, Now TV has promised that additional content from Sky is “due to be added this year” — such as programs from Sky 1, Sky Arts, Sky Living and US shows.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: Now TV

To use UltraViolet these days, you have to live in one of a few English-speaking countries. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will change that soon: the company just teased its plans for the digital locker service in mainland Europe. According to the firm’s David Bishop, Germans will get cloud access to Sony movies in late September — possibly September 30th, as DECE hinted in April — while the French will have their turn sometime in the fall. Neither Sony nor other studios have provided additional launch dates, although we know that neighboring countries like Belgium and the Netherlands should be next on the list.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: Handelsblatt (translated)