JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

JVC intros 55inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

Every TV maker trying to avoid total commoditization has a special trick to keep its designs unique and worth a higher price. For JVC, that trick is sound. It’s launching the BlackSapphire line of LCD-based 3D TVs with the 55-inch, edge LED-lit JLE55SP4400, whose signature is an unusually powerful built-in audio system: the 45W system and 3D processing supposedly produces surround sound without having to line the living room with extra speakers. Odds are that the set won’t provide much competition for dedicated speakers, although JVC is promising more integration beyond this with rare built-in SlingPlayer TV streaming, just in case there’s a Slingbox in another part of the home. The all-in strategy could make the inaugural BlackSapphire more of a bargain than it looks: that $1,300 you’ll pay when the screen ships this month might be all you need to start watching.

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JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix Watch Instantly is live in Finland, completes Nordic sweep with Norway, Denmark and Sweden

Netflix Watch Instantly is live in Finland, completes Nordic sweep with Norway, Denmark and Sweden

Thanks to a rapid pace of one country per day Netflix has made light work of its Nordic roll out. The internet movie service is launching its final Scandinavian flag today in Finland after starting Monday in Sweden, then notching Denmark and Norway (pictured above) in between. As with the others there’s extensive device and app support from the start, and although the content selection may vary Netflix is the exclusive streaming home of Iron Sky, for all your Nazis-on-the-moon viewing needs. Not enough? Hey, there’s always HBO Nordic, and you don’t even need cable or satellite to get it.

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Netflix Watch Instantly is live in Finland, completes Nordic sweep with Norway, Denmark and Sweden originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lovefilm to start letting users log in with their Amazon info, Kindle owners are up first

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Amazon purchased UK movie streaming site Lovefilm nearly two years ago and only now are the two showing some sign of integration. In order to make the app work on Kindle Fire and Kindle HD devices users have to link their Amazon and Lovefilm accounts, and from then on they can sign in with their Amazon credentials on the web or other devices. According to the FAQ posted to announce the switch, anyone that isn’t rocking a Kindle but wants to login with their Amazon info anyway will be able to eventually, just not yet. Of course, this is all just a bit premature since the Amazon tablets are still a few days away from launching in Blighty, but if you’re carrying around a US import you should see Lovefilm’s service pop up in the next week. What this means for Lovefilm as a standalone brand in the future — as the streaming wars continue to heat up — remains to be seen, but one less password to remember is a a movement we can easily get behind.

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Lovefilm to start letting users log in with their Amazon info, Kindle owners are up first originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content

Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce

If you’ve spent all of this effort launching an All-3D channel, it’s probably wise to ensure you’ve got enough content to keep your schedules full. That’s why 3net founders Sony, Discovery and IMAX are teaming up to launch 3net Studios, with facilities opening in California and Maryland. The new business will be used to bring together the best and brightest minds in stereoscopic media to produce footage for the channel. It’ll begin announcing the first projects in the next few weeks, but unless there’s space for a 3D version of Dan Harmon’s Community, we won’t be listening.

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Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget HD Podcast 320 – 10.16.2012

Engadget HD Podcast 320 - 10.16.2012While we’ve still got plenty of iPad second screen and streaming video tech to talk about this week, we’re leading off with some old classics: FCC rulings, DVRs and Windows Media Center. While the FCC may be helping cable companies kill ClearQAM, is the sacrifice actually worth it? We’ve also got a look at the final Ceton Echo, and even TiVo is finally opening up its SDK. We reviewed the new Slingboxes this week, and will go over what they got right — and what they didn’t — before we dig into what’s new to watch this week.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

00:10:43 – FCC to allow encryption of basic cable, with a few strings that Boxee approves of
00:27:57 – Boxee TV streaming / OTA set-top box and DVR pics leak out
00:30:22 – XBMC celebrates 10 years, latest build works in mainline PVR and Raspberry Pi support
00:31:20 – Ceton’s $179 Echo Windows Media Center Extender is ready to go on sale ‘around Thanksgiving’
00:37:30 – Netflix app for Windows 8 now available for download
00:41:00 – Netflix streaming launches in Sweden, lets you get your Bron on+
00:41:54 – Netflix to bring closed captioning to all video content by 2014
00:43:55 – TiVo opens up Developer Channel, lets third parties create apps for your DVR
00:46:27 – Comcast quietly updates DVRs with ability to list stored programs from the web, mobile apps
00:49:20 – NextGuide iPad app continues its fight against boring grids, adds Amazon, gestures and more
00:50:15 – BuddyTV Guide app adds Hulu Plus integration
00:51:15 – Google TV v3 demo video teases better search, mini-guide overlay and tablet control
00:54:26 – Slingbox 350 and 500 review: Sling Media finally upgrades its line of media streamers
01:05:38 – New Starz Play website and apps stream only to Cox customers, but you might not need them
01:07:37 – Must See HDTV (October 15th – 21st)

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Engadget HD Podcast 320 – 10.16.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Must See HDTV (October 15th – 21st)

We’ve pretty much exhausted the high profile fall premieres for now, but there still presidential debates and baseball playoff action to be had. Also, while we have not moved so far in the future that we’ve reached the date Marty McFly went to in Back to the Future Part II (that’s in 2015, perhaps by then people will stop reposting photoshopped images), we have reached the data Avatar is available at retail on Blu-ray 3D. 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.

Avatar (3D)
It’s taken a couple of years, but Avatar is finally widely available on Blu-ray 3D after being tied up as a Panasonic pack-in exclusive. The bad news? It’s not the Extended Collector’s Edition, so if you want 3D and extras your wait may continue. Otherwise, James Cameron’s special effects should be enough to thrill the eyes of anyone that snagged a 3DTV in the last few years and is looking for a good demo disc.
($24.99 on Amazon)

MLB Playoffs
We have reached the league championship series and, assuming both series need some extra games, should be in for excellent baseball all week. The Yankees have lost Derek Jeter for the postseason, but are by no means done… unless their bats stay as cold as they’ve been. In the National League the Giants and the Cardinals are duking it out, we’ll see if the 2-3-2 home field format plays into the outcome for either team, after the Giants took three on the road in the last round.

NBA Preseason
It’s finally time for hoops again, and after some overseas exhibitions you can watch NBA teams work their way back into shape as they take each other on this week. If you’re a basketball fan you probably love TNT’s Thursday night broadcasts, and the first preseason one features the Celtics and the Nets at 8PM.

Continue reading Must See HDTV (October 15th – 21st)

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Must See HDTV (October 15th – 21st) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6:30PM ET

It’s Monday, which means it is time for you to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 6:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, and then participating in the live chat too.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6:30PM ET

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6:30PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Simple.TV finally starts shipping to backers, latecomers can still order for $149 and up

SimpleTV finally starts shipping to backers, latecomers can still order for $149 and up

The Kickstarter success known as Simple.TV had let it be known that units would start showing up at backers’ doorsteps around October 10th-15th, and now those who happily invested on the project will be pleased to know the company’s doing just as it promised. Meanwhile, folks who were late to the Kickstarter shindig can still grab a simplified video streamer for themselves via the outfit’s site, where a Simple.TV Limited, Premier and Lifetime can be found for $149, $199 and $299, respectively. In case you need a quick refresh, the Simple.TV puck will let users watch and record live TV, which can then be easily streamed to a variety of devices — including, as you can see above, an iPad, Mac or PC as well as Roku boxes. You’ll find more info on what bundle is best suited for you at the source link below.

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Simple.TV finally starts shipping to backers, latecomers can still order for $149 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix streaming launches in Sweden, lets you get your Bron on

Netflix streaming launches in Sweden

Sweden is home to some of the world’s better known movie makers and some very high speed data connections, but it has only had so much love from movie streaming services that you’d think would be a natural match. Netflix is making that union a reality today through the launch of its Watch Instantly service in the country. Pay 79 kronor ($12) a month and you’ll get access to a mix of both international and domestic movies and TV shows on any device that can take Netflix in the country, which includes at least computers as well as Android and iOS devices. Other Nordic territories are still promised as coming soon; although that won’t be much help to Danes, Finns or Norwegians, we’re sure Swedes won’t mind having one more excuse to flaunt their cheap fiber internet access.

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Netflix streaming launches in Sweden, lets you get your Bron on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo opens up Developer Channel, lets third parties create apps for your DVR

TiVo opens up Developer Channel, lets third parties create apps for your DVR

Other than what feels like a very slow pace of updates, one of our gripes with TiVo’s Premiere DVR platform has been a relative lack of new apps being released. Hopefully that could change soon, now that the company has opened up its Developer Channel to allow interested parties access to its SDK and tools to build their own apps. Although as our friend Dave Zatz points out, it doesn’t guarantee apps will be released even if certified, anyone ready to get down with TiVo’s Adobe-based environment should take a peek around. The notes do reveal some interesting details like the fact that only one app can run at a time so when an app is launched the TiVo UI is suspended, and that apps are restricted to 720p resolution only, 32MB of system memory, 20MB graphics memory and 1MB hard drive space quota. We don’t know yet what can be constructed with those tools, but go ahead — surprise us.

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TiVo opens up Developer Channel, lets third parties create apps for your DVR originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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