After two days of playing with the SIXAXIS, have we reversed our previous thoughts of how good it is? Yes, I think we have.

Previously, we thought the trigger buttons were too slippery and the controller too light. Now that we’ve gotten a lot more play-time with it, the SIXAXIS feels just like a DUALSHOCK. The R2 and L2 shoulder buttons are pretty squishy (that’s good), and as long as you press it down in the middle of the pad, there’s fairly little chance of slippage. The weight issue is negligible, and the lack of rumble was hardly missed. Since rumble was never a uniform thing throughout games, not having it doesn’t really affect gameplay at all.

In the two games we tried, Genji and Resistance, the controls were tight and we didn’t have any problems. – Jason Chen

Walmart has started promoting Zunes in their online store. Why is this so disturbing to us? Walmart has already defiled iPods and all sorts of other PMPs. Is it that we wanted something better for our new baby? Is it that Walmart and Microsoft together is the scariest wetdream ever to even the Gordoniest of Gekkos? Does this sit poorly in anyone else’s tummy out there? – Mark Wilson
Thanks Ben!

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

So the worst-kept secret in the consumer electronics industry right now is that TiVo is on the verge of releasing the CableCARD-sportin’, HD-recordin’ Series 3 box — but no one seems to know exactly when you’ll be able to buy one. We heard from Todd the Best Buy employee that the new machines will be in stock on the 17th of this month, and now our friend Dave over at ZatzNotFunny has spotted the highly-anticipated DMR (remember, they’re not DVRs anymore, and TiVo won’t sell you one if you use that terminology) on Circuit City’s website showing an October availability. Now does that mean October 1st? The 15th? The 31st? Well if we knew, we’d tell ya, but at least now we seem to have an actual release window: the Series 3 will (probably) be available sometime between September 17th and October 31st. As usual, we’ll keep you posted as more information comes to light, but if that’s not good enough, you’re always welcome to switch over to satellite and pick up on of DirecTV’s new HR20-700 HD DVRs — thanks to HDBeat, we know that Best Buy will ship you one of those post haste.

Read- Series 3 [Via ZatzNotFunny]
Read- HR20-700 [Via HDBeat]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Breaking with the tradition of beginning nearly all of its product names with the letter “S” (see the recently released Stiletto, Starmates, Sportsters, Stratus and old school S50 for reference), Sirius has announced a new in-home satellite radio tuner known as the Conductor. Instead of lugging your Sirius boombox all over the house, you’ll now be able to hook the tuner directly into your rack-mounted receiver (though you’ll still need to snake that antenna outside) and operate it from almost anywhere in your pad thanks to the handy RF- and IR-equipped remote. The LCD-sporting universal remote can also control up to five other members of your home theater family, and if you’re willing to shell out for an extra Sirius subscription, it has the ability to rock two separate audio zones with a compatible SiriusConnect tuner. (Howard in one room and Martha in the other — does life get any better than that?) Scheduled for a November release, the Conductor system will set you back $150, but if you’ve already got yourself a lifetime sub, this would seem like a must-have item (well, as long as you don’t mind eating the transfer fee).

[Via Orbitcast]

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Oh the rich, they’re so funny! It’s not often we get to link to a Gawker.com Source, but Page Six reports that Mark Cuban, founder of HDNet, and this little sports team called the “Mavericks”, wants to be the first to own a 103-inch Panasonic Plasma. He doesn’t care that he might have to knock down a bedroom wall in his mansion to fit the set. He wants it. He doesn’t care that they’re trying to raffle off the first (of 5000) for charity. He wants it. Cuban was last seen crying and hyperventilating himself into a major league hissy, because he may not get exactly what he want. I hear when the rich don’t get what they want, they Hulk out.

Oh, the 103-incher got named, too: TH-103PZ600U. The “TH” and the “PZ” actually stand for the noises the sales people will make at people who ask how much the $51,000 set costs. If you have to ask, you’re obviously not Mark Cuban, and you can’t afford it.

The Post notes the 103-inch TV is the size of a queen sized mattress, weighs a quarter of a ton, and has over 40-square feet of screen. Really puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? Question: What native resolution is that screen?– Brian Lam
Panasonic 103-inch Plasma [Panasonic]

Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

For Microsoft to demo their forthcoming Xbox 360 HD DVD isn’t that surprising; to see them show off some UI mockups, ok, maybe a teensy bit surprising; to hear them give a price? Pretty shocking — but they didn’t, they gave a price range, and a nebulous one at that. HD Beat has it that during Microsoft’s presentation at the North America DVD Forum Conference, the 360′s HD DVD drive was said to “be the cheapest HD DVD player on the market for consumers who already own an Xbox 360 console.” In other words, means it’ll cost you less than a half a grand — which is even less encouraging than what we heard before. Gee, thanks; playing this one close to the chest, are you Microsoft? Don’t make us consult inside sources, because you know what happens when we do.

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Samsung always seems to bring the goods whenever they roll out the goods, be it a new TV, cellphone or cellphone with TV. And by “goods”, we mean hot product models. Here are the top 10, in an order that we felt like putting them in.

10. These models above are notable just for their Korean to non-Korean ratio. It’s not often that Samsung finds off-peninsula models to demo their goods—and for good reason. Look at the way the middle one’s angling that cellphone! The glare just blinded my whole family.

Click through to see the rest.

9. This model clearly has the four cellphone fan-display down pat. The camera captures her friendly smile while showing off Samsung’s new sliders, but what it doesn’t capture is that she has 13 fingers to hold up those phones with.

8. Blu-ray enabled PC. Very nice. No points off for this one, save for our general tepidness towards anything Blu-ray.

7. We couldn’t decide what to focus our attention on when we first saw this one—the huge Samsung screen or the model’s gorgeous gams. After 20 minutes of our eyes darting back and forth, we decided to take a nap. That was a good day.

6. Like a reader noticed when we first posted about Samsung’s digital photo frames, either those photos were taken the same day, or that lady should probably change clothes once in a while. Nice frames though.

5. Pow! Pow! If you liked the legs on #7, you’ll love the double action for Samsung’s Anycall slider phones. Sophisticated, yet kind of slutty at the same time. We heard that young woman in the red is actually the daughter of LG’s CEO. He was furious.

4. This one’s notable for being one of the only male product models Samsung’s used. What? Oh.

3. ARE YOU AS EXCITED ABOUT THIS SAMSUNG PORTABLE DVD PLAYER AS I AM?! HUH!? MY FACE IS CONTORTED BUT THE CAR’S NOT EVEN MOVING!

2. Does the model on the right have a lazy eye, or is her thousand-yard-stare a result of Samsung’s lackluster whatever-that-is that she’s holding. Enthusiasm, kid. That’s the ticket! Try and be more like #3.

1. And our number one Samsung product model shot is of…some PCs or something. The one on the right is a looker, while the one on the left brazenly insults my manhood. Thanks lady, but the wife , my secretary, the kids, some lady at a bus stop, my mechanic, and grandma can handle that find on their own. – Jason Chen

How can the Sharp SD-SP10 single speaker (plus sub) system get surround sound? By using Dolby’s Virtual Speaker Technology and Audistry surround processing, that’s how. Steve Guttenberg took this for a test and found it actually sounding like a surround sound system.

Dynamic range and visceral impact were the equal of most entry-level home-theater-in-a-box systems. Dialog was clear and fairly natural. And for the most part, the SD-SP10 didn’t fall prey to the artifacts–an irritating hollow or echoey quality–we experienced with other virtual-surround speaker systems.

All was fine as long as you were sitting directly in front of the speaker. If you moved left or right, the effect disappears and you only hear sound coming from the one direction. All in all good for a 1.1 system, but at close to $400, we’d recommend a standard surround sound system unless you’re really tight on space. – Jason Chen

Sharp SD-SP10 [CNET]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Remember how TiVo recently sent that letter to the FCC and cable operators telling them to be prepared for the Series 3 rollout, partly because of reports that some providers were refusing to hook up beta testers with the necessary CableCARDS? Well now it looks like the company's concerns may be completely legitimate, as a complaint on the website ConsumerFury contends that Time Warner Cable's Raleigh division responded to a recent customer inquiry on the matter by stating that "Time Warner Cable of Raleigh does not provide support for or allow TiVo devices on our cable network...CableCARDS will only be installed on cable-ready, CableCARD-slot-available television sets." Pretty harsh, especially considering the fact that Time Warner's policy may not even be legal: federal regulations concerning CableCARDS seem to indicate that providers must support them for any unidirectional TV, set-top-box, or recording device connected to a digital cable system. We certainly understand that cable companies see TiVo as a direct competitor to their own DVR offerings, but we're not sure that alienating customers with such a hard-line stance is the best move; after all, isn't a customer who brings his/her own DVR to the table better than no customer at all?

[Via TiVoBlog]

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Matt Burns over at HDBeat tells us how it is, and how it’s gonna be, when it comes to the two high line-count HD formats:

How can you tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p? You probably can’t.

He goes on to explain that most flat TVs today will deinterlace a signal anyhow. Matt’s reasoning is solid, if you’re into logic and stuff.
Matt, you may be right, but you’re seriously underestimating how much we gadget geeks like to flex our specs.– Brian Lam

How Can I Tell the Difference Between 1080i and 1080p [ Via HDbeat ]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless

Audiophiles, listen up. (Oh, how we do love saying that.) Slim Devices has got something you’ll want to check out if you’ve been on the hunt for a Sonos alternative: meet the Transporter (and we ain’t talking about Jason Statham). Slim’s new wireless audio distribution system moves your music (in WAV, AIFF, MP3, WMA, and FLAC up to 96KHz sample rates) via 802.11g or Ethernet, and outputs in XLR, with optical, S/PDIF, and coax ins and outs. But thats not all, you’ve also got RS-232, infrared, even a clock input port to make sure using and controlling the audio chugging through its Super Regulator-driven 120dB SNR AKM-built AK4396 DAC is a pleasurable experience. They’re not going to let you off easily though, this piece will set you back two grand when it debuts September 18th. Slim Devices will, however, throw you a bone for your hard earned thousands; pre-order the Transporter before it’s released and they’ll toss in a free Squeezebox to say thanks for skipping out on rent (yet again).

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

It's not really clear why the old CableCARD hasn't taken off as expected -- consumers blame their cable providers, who blame the card manufacturers, who blame device makers -- but nonetheless, the technology is far from dead, and now it looks like those long-awaited multi-stream CARDS could be available before the end of the year. CableLabs recently announced that Motorola's "M-Card" has joined Scientific Atlanta's offering in finally earning the organization's coveted "qualified" status, paving the way for such great functionality as picture-in-picture on compatible TVs and multi-channel recording for properly-equipped DVRs. Although the M-Card does improve upon current-gen CableCARDs by delivering access to more than one channel at a time, it is still classified as a version 1.0 device, and therefore won't allow the bi-directional communication necessary for on-demand or pay-per-view goodness. Still, this development is good news for consumers, as it should lead to increased demand for the cards, which will hopefully serve as a kick in the pants for the weak link in the CableCARD chain, whoever it is.

[Via HDBeat]

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Aimed at kids too old for "plug & play" games, but not yet ready for mature content and expense of high-end video game consoles", the HyperScan system merges console gaming with a collectable card game. These kids, probably around age 5-10, can scan cards into the system to modify their characters depending on the traits of the cards.

During video game CD-ROM play, kids can pause and scan their collectible game cards to upgrade, modify and enhance their characters. Cards will be available in game packs where players won't know what cards they're getting.

The base set will come with an X-Men game and six X-men cards will retail for $69.99. Game packs with other games, such as "Ben 10" and "Interstellar Wrestling League", will retail for $19.99. Booster card packs by themselves will be $9.99.

Grab one for your kids this October so they can grow up to combine the facial-twitching nervousness of a console player and the social awkwardness of a collectible card gamer. Win-Win. – Jason Chen

Mattel to make hybrid video gaming system [LA Biz Journal]

Remember the new Xbox 360 bundle with PGR3 we thought was coming? Well, a tipster says:

Just saw the sku pop up in our POS screen.

“Xbox 360 PGR Bndl

Price 499.99 Cdn.”

Also the company is offering Employees a 360 Plat for $50 off. Looks like with the new sku and price drop, making room for the new Platium system bundle.

He also says there may be some bundle coming up with the HD DVD drive, but nobody’s sure of that yet. – Jason Chen

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Prepare yourselves for a slew of new LCD sets from Syntax-Brillian that will be released in the coming months, as the newly-merged company has announced three new series of TVs under the Olevia brand that each consist of numerous different models. Out of the 3-series, 5-series, and 7-series lineups, the most is known about the fives, as these four units -- the 27-inch 527V, 32-inch 532H, 37-inch 537H, and 42-inch 542i -- are shipping immediately. Like the as-yet-unannounced members of the 3-series, these models all sport a 1,366 x 768 resolution, and also feature 8-millisecond response times, 1600:1 contrast ratios, built-in digital ATSC tuners, and HDMI, VGA, and HD component inputs. All that's known about the 7-series, on the other hand, is the fact that its constituent models will all offer full 1,080p resolution and RS232C control capability, along with what's being touted as "Hollywood Quality Video," which either means that picture quality is very good or stifled by DRM restrictions. No pricing or release details are available for any of the 3- or 7-series models -- they're scheduled "to be introduced to the market incrementally through September" is all we can say for sure -- and out of all the 5-series models that are supposedly shipping right now, we could only find a price for the 527V, which you can pick up for $800 or less.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Just days after MovieLink announced that it has licensed technology for burning flicks to DVD, rival download service CinemaNow has stepped up to the plate and begun actually offering consumers this very option. Starting today, about 100 titles are available for download through the “Burn to DVD” beta service, complete with all the interactive menus and bonus features you’d find on a store-bought DVD. Burnable titles start at $8.99, though if you’re looking for the latest releases, you won’t find them here — Disney, Sony, Universal, and friends have only provided older films for the initial roll-out. While MovieLink partnered with Sonic Solutions for its presumed entrant into this space, CinemaNow decided to go with technology based on fluxDVD from Germany’s ACE GmbH. Even though there may not be a lot of demand for the current crop of titles, assuming that the encryption scheme is able to ward off pirates and at least a few folks show some interest in “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and “About a Boy,” among others, it’s likely that newer and more popular films will be added to the library in the near future.

[Thanks, Michael]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

So it looks like TiVo is finally getting ready to roll out the long-awaited Series 3 DVR Digital Media Recorder, and just in the nick of time, it would seem; from what we can tell, consumers are chomping at the bit to start capturing the growing variety of high definition broadcasts available to them, making HTPCs a more attractive alternative as the days, weeks, and months pass with no HD TiVo. Zatz Not Funny is reporting that the DVR giant recently sent letters to both the FCC and major cable operators stating that Series 3 boxes are already being beta tested around the country and will be available "soon," though no actual release date is given. According to the letters, the CableLabs-certified device will sport two separate UDCP CableCARD slots, and TiVo is concerned about reports that certain cable installers have been refusing to provide beta testers with the necessary support -- no big surprise, as the industry has never shown much love for CableCARDs in the first place. Now, of course, we all want to know how TiVo defines the word "soon" -- previous speculation has centered around a September or early October release -- but we've been covering this beat long enough to know that hazarding a guess is pretty much useless, and that we won't find out any more info until the company is good and ready to reveal its launch plans. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless, Networking

There are about a million ways to stream music from your PC to other locations in the house, and now Sony has added yet another solution to this lengthy list: the 2.1 channel CPF-IX001 wireless streaming music system. The compact device uses your existing 802.11b/g setup to pull tunes from iTunes, Windows Media Player, Sony Connect, or other applications, and creates a unique IP address so multiple units can operate simultaneously over the same network. To cut down on wire clutter, Sony employed a so-called power line transmission technology that allows the main component to send both juice and audio signals to its subwoofer over a single cable -- pretty handy, especially if you'll be moving the system from room to room.. Expect to see these in stores sometime next month -- although we don't actually know what to look for, because Sony is being a little stingy with the product pics -- for about $300.

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Now we hear from our beloved basement-dwelling brothers at Kotaku that Microsoft spokespeople are saying that Blu-ray discs are apparently “hard to make.” There’s an extra layer of copy protection on Blu-ray discs, called BD+, and that makes the manufacturing of those disks a whole lot more complicated.

In a recent podcast, a couple of Microsofties decried the difficulty of manufacturing Blu-ray discs, saying that the recording surface of the discs is very close to the top layer, and because it’s protected by just a thin coating it requires a much more precise duplication process. On the other hand, HD DVD manufacturing is more akin to garden-variety DVDs, where its data is protected between two layers of protective plastic.

Keep in mind, though, that those two Microsoft podcasters have a vested interest in HD DVD, which is the format of choice for the company’s Xbox 360. Even so, the ease of manufacturing HD DVDs, plus the simplicity of converting an existing DVD plant to HD DVD also translates into lower-cost duplication facilities. This can’t be good for Blu-ray. – Charlie White

Blu-ray a Ballbreaker [Kotaku]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless

Home theaters in a box are not for everyone -- most people we know prefer to assemble their entertainment systems piecemeal -- but if you're in the market for such a product, then Philips is offering a fairly stylish new HDMI-equipped system with convenient wireless rear speakers that may be right up your alley. The Cineos HTS9800W is a 6.1-channel package (three 125-watt fronts, three rears, and a 150-watt subwoofer) with a slimline, upscaling DVD player that supports DVD+/-R discs, DivX-encoded video, and MP3 CDs, along with all those Super Audio CDs that we're sure you've been collecting over the years. Not a bad setup, especially for your bedroom or guest house, and it's available now for around $650.

[Via Shiny Shiny]

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A Microsoft employee ponders on what Microsoft would do if they were actually to implement an HDMI port on the Xbox 360 (there isn’t one now). We talked about the possible leaked pic of a development board having HDMI a few days ago, and the employee thinks if this is true, Microsoft would offer an upgrade plan for current Xbox 360 owners.

He made a comparison between this and the Intel Pentium floating point bug in the mid-90s. Although this bug didn’t affect very many people, the fact that it was there unnerved customers enough that they kept complaining to Intel. Intel’s Andy Grove at first didn’t see the need for an upgrade or a recall, because few people actually did encounter the bug. But after enough cajoling, they eventually did offer a plan to issue fixed Pentiums to whoever complained.

The employee thinks Microsoft should take a similar route with the 360s. If someone wants an upgraded 360 with HDMI port, sure, here you go. But he thinks not enough people will want this to make a huge dent on Microsoft’s bottom line. The positive feelings from the community would offset the cost of replacing a few 360s. – Jason Chen

Rumor: HDMI port coming to 360? [via Xbox Scene]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Lately it's been the Blu-ray camp cruelly torturing us with product delays, but in a refreshing change of pace, today it's rival format HD DVD's main proponent Toshiba announcing that a next-gen optical disc device won't be shipping as scheduled. Unlike Sony's procrastination in releasing the PS3 and BDP-S1, though, Toshiba claims that it only needs two more weeks to get its RD-A1 HD DVD recorder out the door, citing inadequate inventory stemming from component shortages as the reason for putting off tomorrow's scheduled launch. Since this model, with its 1TB storage capacity and OTA digital tuner, is only headed for Japan anyway, the delay probably doesn't concern the vast majority of our American readers -- nor most Japanese, for that matter, as the $3,500 pricetag will likely dissuade all but the most fervent early-adopters.

[Via HDBeat]

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In plain English, this means the PS3 Cell processor is so big and complicated, they’re having a hard time making enough to satisfy the demand. An IBM Semiconductor VP says they’re “lucky to get 10 or 20 percent” out of a chip like the Cell. The other 80-90 percent aren’t fit to be used in PS3s, meaning they either get used in another application or thrown away if they can’t be.

What this means to you is that the PS3 is probably going to be available in very limited quantities, at least until they can get the yields up. Also, Sony’s going to be bleeding money on these chips, since they need to make so many (5 to 1 ratio?) to get one good enough to use in a PS3. Better get your pre-orders in now. – Jason Chen

Electronic News [via The Inquirer]

Image courtesy Digital Lifestyle Mag

Panasonic will be adding two models to its Viera line of HDTV LCDs in the coming weeks with BS/110 CS digital tuners. Both the 26-inch TH-26LX65 and the 32-inch TH-32LX65 are high definition LCDs with 1,366 x 768 (720p native) resolution. They also come with all the right inputs to make your HDTV watching experience a pleasurable one, including the new kid on the block, HDMI. (There’s also a D4 input, which is found mainly in Japanese TVs, as well as S-Video and composite, among others.) The built-in speakers supposedly deliver fine-sounding stereo sound, but you’d have to be a dope to purchase an HDTV and not opt for a proper audio setup. Panasonic even threw in an SD card slot, presumably to display your slideshows shown on the big screen. Won’t Grandma be happy.

The 26-inch TH-26LX65 will retail for about $1,820 and the 32-inch TH-32LX65 for about $2,170. Both are due this September in Japan. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Specs (in Japanese) [Panasonic via Fareastgizmos.com]

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Media PCs

Having been burned oh so many times by the notorious Phantom from Infinium Labs — perhaps the most infamous piece of vaporware this side of Duke Nukem Forever — we’re more than a little skeptical of any company that comes out of nowhere to offer a “media entertainment console” targeted at gamers. And we’re even more skeptical when that company — in this case, Alabama-based Envizions Inc. — claims to have been showing off their console at a major trade show that we attended — in this case, E3 — but somehow managed to keep it under our radar. We’re still going to give the so-called EVO: Phase One the benefit of the doubt, though, as Envizions has just announced October 20th as a solid North American release date for what seems to be little more than a souped-up media center PC out of the box — although the unit comes with one wireless controller, it will only “have console-like features upon future upgrade applications and hardware assistance.” Not a good sign. For $680 you’re supposedly getting a machine with an unspecified processor and RAM configuration (also a bad sign) along with a 500MHz Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro graphics card sporting 128MB of 800MHz DDR3 RAM, a liquid cooling system, and oddly enough, a built-in fingerprint scanner (to protect all of your valuable saved game-states, perhaps?). Again, we’ll wait until October to pass final judgment here, but lets just say that we’re not going to be the ones throwing down $25 to place a pre-order. Keep reading to check out some of the company’s over-the-top marketing, direct from CEO Derrick Samuels’ MySpace page…

[Via IGN]

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