Hasta La Gadget!

While the fall TV premiere season may have cooled off (who’s excited for the season premiere of Whitney? No one? Ok.) there’s a slew of videogames and movies arriving for our home viewing pleasure. That includes several blockbuster titles, plus hits from the archives as varied as Lawrence of Arabia and Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II
It’s fall, there’s a new Call of Duty game. Killstreaks, multiplayer, elite, etc. A new tweak this time around is the ability to live stream matches via Youtube and other platforms, but we suspect you’ve already decided whether or not this year’s update is a must-buy for you. Joystiq’s review should be live soon of course, if you need a final go-ahead.
($59.99 on Amazon)

Friends: the Complete Series
Fans of the series can finally get every single episode in high definition (it was recorded on film and has been airing in HD in syndication for a while, so you should have some idea of the quality) this week. The better news is that while Friends: The Complete Series carries a $300 MSRP, the actual price for all 296 episodes is down to $149 if you’re willing to dive in.
($149.99 on Amazon)

Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part 1
While what could be* the final go-round of Matt Smith as the Doctor has not yet concluded, you can get the first half of the season on Blu-ray this week. Companions Amy and Rory are still along for the ride which includes encounters with (of course) the Daleks, and more. At five episodes, it may be worth holding off for the season to finish, but at least it’s pretty cheap. (Update: Despite hinting at plans to leave the role, there is not yet confirmation about Matt Smith’s Who plans past this season.)
($19.99 on Amazon)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (November 12th – 18th)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Must See HDTV (November 12th – 18th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arguably the best science fiction series in some time, Battlestar Galactica aired its last season almost three years ago with a few spinoffs since. The latest spinoff movie is the prequel Blood & Chrome which tell the story of young William Adama and his trials on the Galactica during the first Cylon war. The 97 minute feature film will be initially available online as 10 episodes via Machinima Prime between November 9th and February. Then it will premiere on the Syfy channel and finally become available on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand and digital download on February 19th, 2013. We’ll be interested to see how this unorthodox release window works out for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, in the meantime more details are available in the full release, along with a trailer after the break.

Continue reading Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is coming home any way you want, YouTube’s up first

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is coming home any way you want, YouTube’s up first originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 23:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even if you aren’t a Peter Jackson fan, you might still be interesting in seeing what all the fuss is about regarding the latest theater technology, 48 fps. It shouldn’t be too hard either, because while the high frame version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a limited release, the 450~ locations planned (out of approximately 4000 theaters showing the flick) cover just about every major and mid-sized city in the US. Regal and AMC theaters might be your best bet as they lead the pack in LA, with 19 theaters there ready for the new technology. Advanced ticket sales are already available for the December 14th release, but you’ll want to look for ‘HFR’ or the words High Frame Rate before check out, if you want to see it the way Peter Jackson intended. If things go well, you can expect a much wider release of the 48 fps version of the sequel, which is already set to hit theaters in December 2013.

Continue reading Advanced ticket sales for The Hobbit start, 450 theaters are ready for 48 fps 3D

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Advanced ticket sales for The Hobbit start, 450 theaters are ready for 48 fps 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 23:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The current crop of 4K TVs from LG and Sony are large enough that some of us would need to knock out a wall to get them inside. Enter a surprise early challenger from Hisense: its upcoming XT880 line’s 50-, 58- and 65-inch sizes deliver that 3,840 x 2,160 picture at dimensions built for mere mortal living rooms. We’re also promised a full-fledged, 3D-capable smart TV based around Android 4.0 with WiFi internet access, a remote with voice commands and a removable camera for gesture control or Skype chats. Hisense yet hasn’t committed to launch details for the XT880 line besides a presence on the CES show floor; however, it’s safe to say that the smaller sizes will bring the price of Ultra HD down from the stratosphere.

Continue reading Hisense jumps into 4K TVs with the XT880, promises Android 4.0 and a sane size

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Hisense jumps into 4K TVs with the XT880, promises Android 4.0 and a sane size originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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British TiVo owners with Virgin Media have sometimes had to watch as their American counterparts get first crack at the latest extras, not the least of which have been the mobile apps. The UK has just caught up, and then some, now that Virgin has rolled out a finished TV Anywhere app for iOS, Macs and Windows PCs. While the software has the obligatory DVR queuing and remote controls, the “anywhere” portion comes through a selection of as many as 45 live TV channels accessible from most any broadband internet connection. Reinforcing that connected vibe is fresh multi-room streaming to share recorded shows with that TiVo in the basement. TV Anywhere and multi-room support are both gratis parts of a subscription, so Virgin customers have every excuse to liberate their TV viewing.

[Thanks, Stuart]

Continue reading TiVo TV Anywhere app, multi-room streaming launch for Virgin Media viewers

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD

TiVo TV Anywhere app, multi-room streaming launch for Virgin Media viewers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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