Hasta La Gadget!

Gamescom is once more upon us, and a quartet of Engadget’s finest are here in Cologne, Germany to cover all the major game happenings live from the (enormous) show floor at the Koelnmesse. We’ll be at Sony’s big event tomorrow afternoon bringing you liveblog coverage, and from Microsoft’s “showcase” event — Nintendo isn’t holding anything formal, though we’d love to see a surprise Wii U price drop this week. Also, Valve and Epic are notoriously absent from 2013’s proceedings.

This year’s show promises the first big European news assault on Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen game boxes, not to mention a more specific date for PlayStation 4’s launch. Our friends at Oculus Rift are also milling about, and we’re always hoping to hear more about their upcoming consumer-grade Oculus headset. First up this week we’ve got the Euro version of the Game Developers Conference — should you wish to follow along with our intrepid team as the week progresses, we’ve put together a convenient Twitter list right here. Willkommen!

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo

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Satellite TV in Ultra HD quality is no longer just a dream: following a successful test broadcast this week, KT Skylife has unveiled a roadmap for offering 4K TV to its subscribers. The Korean provider plans to trial one channel of UHD content in the efficient H.265 (HEVC) video format next year, with a full commercial launch due in 2015. Widespread availability will depend on KT Skylife’s ability to clear regulatory hurdles, CEO Jae-chul Moon says. The real challenge, however, may be finding customers with Ultra HD TVs. While prices are falling quickly, there’s no guarantee that 4K sets will be commonplace in two years’ time.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: The Korea Times

Ceton vowed that it would release a PCI Express equivalent of its InfiniTV 6 ETH box, and it’s delivering on that promise (if belatedly) by shipping the InfiniTV 6 PCIe. The adapter still lets Windows Media Center users watch or record up to six HD cable TV channels through one CableCARD, but in a form factor that slots neatly into a dedicated home theater PC. The board is in stock at Amazon and Newegg today at its expected $299 price. While that cost puts the InfiniTV PCIe at the high end of the TV tuner spectrum, it may be worthwhile for viewers who just can’t afford to miss a show.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD

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Source: Ceton, Amazon, Newegg

We haven’t checked on the HDBaseT Alliance in a few years, but now its 5-in-1 Ethernet cable spec is getting a second revision. HDBaseT already crams virtually any HD source and signal — and power! — into one connection, and 2.0’s biggest addition to the mix is USB 2.0 support. Manufacturers can now remove the multiple interfaces and conversion components the previous spec required, driving down prices and requirements for hardware like Pioneer’s $3,000 A/V receiver. Beyond that, this new version brings control point-capability and networking into its single cable-party. Until now, this tech has been aimed primarily at professional installers and dedicated enthusiasts, but the new spec’s focus on user friendliness and lower cost could bring more of us to the whole-house media bandwagon. Finally, surround sound for the bathroom delivered by a single network cable is within our reach.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking, HD

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Via: Missing Remote

Source: HDBaseT (1)

Everyone at the August 17th NFL preseason game in Houston’s Reliant Stadium will be treated to humongous images of sweaty athletes, thanks to the venue’s monstrous scoreboard. According to Reliant’s officials, the new HD monitor isn’t just any enormous display, but the widest one in professional sports. We’re talking about several connected boards measuring 277.17 x 52.49 feet as a whole, with each display covering 14,549 square feet and boasting a 5.28 million pixel resolution. That’s more than 100 feet wider than Dallas Cowboy’s LED setup, enough for Reliant to usurp its throne as the widest screen in football, and largest in Texas. Due to the scoreboard’s gigantesque real estate, it can show not only side-by-side live feeds and replays, but also statistics and advertisements during a game. Unfortunately for the folks at Houston, the stadium can only hold the record for a year. Jacksonville’s Everbank Field will debut an even longer 301 x 55 feet scoreboard in 2014, and Charlotte Motor Speedway still holds the overall sports record with its 200 x 80 foot screen.

[Image credit: Houston Texans, Twitter]

Filed under: Displays, HD

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Via: Houston Texans

Source: Houston Chronicle