We can still remember the days, not too long ago, that HD channels were but a sparse luxury. Now of course they’re a dime a dozen, but you can still look onward to the next large thing, which BSkyB is wagering will be 3D. The satellite broadcast is gearing up to launch a 3D TV station next year to showcase movies, and sports — the latter of which we’re thinking will be the biggest draw. Any customer with a Sky+ HD box can receive the transmission, but you’re also gonna need to look past that ragged old flat-panel HDTV and instead use a 3D-ready set and glasses. We can’t envision a big demand for this anytime in the near future, but if the technology does take off, they’ll be more than ready to capitalize.

Filed under: HDTV

3D Television channel coming to UK next year, 3D-ready set and glasses required originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poor Pirate Bay, all it ever wanted to do was thumb its nose at the music and motion picture industries, enable software piracy for people all over the world, play cat-and-mouse games with the Swedish authorities, and maybe make a tiny money along the way. Now, hot on the heels of a verdict that sees four of its founders headed to prison (that is, if they don’t win their appeals) three of the group have been ordered by a court in the Netherlands to block all traffic between the site and its country. If this doesn’t happen in the next ten days, each of the defendants faces a charge of €30,000 ($42,000) for each day they don’t comply. According to the AP, it’s “not clear how the court expected the site’s operators to block traffic to the site, or whether it can enforce its order if they decline,” but soon it looks like the Dutch just might have to learn to purchase their Rave Or Die! Mix Series CDs at the Record Exchange like the rest of us. Good luck going legit, guys!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Networking

Court gives Pirate Bay ten days to scuttle connection to Netherlands originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By Andrew Liszewski

Well, the huge news this day comes from Nikon with their official announcement of the D300s DSLR. The new model keeps the D300’s DX-format 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor but adds new features like a dual CF/SDHC card slot, 7fps burst mode (or 8 with the optional MB-D10 battery pack) and most notably, a 720P 24fps movie mode.

Now it’s pretty obvious HD video recording is here to stay when it comes to DSLRs, and while 1080P would have been preferred, Nikon has at least included a stereo sound input allowing videographers to capture high-quality audio using an external mic. The D300s also allows you to edit videos in-camera with the ability to select begin and stop end points during playback, but to me that sounds a lot more like ‘trimming’ than ‘editing.’ And if the 3-inch 920,000 pixel LCD display isn’t sufficient for your ‘editing’ needs, the camera also features the new Type C HDMI interface allowing you to review and edit your clips on an HD display. $1,799.95 (body only) available in late August.

[ PR - NIKON D300s REVITALIZES THE STANDARD AND MEASURE OF AGILE, PRO-LEVEL DX-FORMAT D-SLR DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

I think the biggest advantage to flying a tiny RC plane like the Micro Butterfly from Plantraco is that because they’re so light (2.6 grams flying weight) they do little to no damage when they inevitably crash. And when I say tiny, I do mean tiny. The Micro Butterfly has a wingspan of just 3.5 inches and a prop that’s just 32mm in size, and thanks to a ‘body’ made of durobatic foam and carbon fiber the batteries that go in the 4 channel fully proportional remote control are probably heavier. But we all know you always pay more for less, and the Micro Butterfly kit will set you back $149.99 from the Platronic website.

[ Plantraco Micro Butterfly ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve always thought that snowmobiles had a limited appeal if you lived somewhere that didn’t have snow on the ground all year round. But the Platune Sand-X Bike removes some of the limitations imposed by a snowmobile’s skis by replacing them with a set of soft tires. While I still wouldn’t recommend taking this thing out on an asphalt road or even a grassy field, it does appear to be quite at home on sand.

In fact, thanks to its Rotax 800cc, 2-cylinder, 2-stroke engine which puts out 160HP, it can actually accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 2.9 seconds. And it has a top speed of 115mph. Pricing is unknown, but because of the custom modifications needed to make it sand-friendly, you can assume it’s going to be more pricey than a standard snowmobile.

[ Diseno-art.com - Strange vehicles: Platune Sand-X Bike ] VIA [ Luxury Launches ]

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Sure it’s summertime in New York and not January in Las Vegas, but that didn’t stop LG from rolling out a couple new lines of LCD HDTVs today. The new SL80 and SL90 models don’t bring new high water marks on the spec sheets, but feature LG’s take on the “borderless” design trend that’s the rage these days, built from a single edge to edge piece of glass with a slim bezel and Invisible Speaker design. The top of the line SL90 is due later this year for an unspecified price range in 42- and 47-inch sizes with LED backlighting contributing to its 3,000,000:1 claimed contrast ratio and 1.15 inch depth, plus 120Hz TruMotion processing. The SL80 line has 240Hz processing, but older CCFL backlighting means a 300,000:1 measured contrast ratio and 1.8-inch thick design, but the 42-, 47-, and 55-inch models will be available this August for $1,599, $1,899 and $2,799, respectively. Want a closer look at LG’s new global flat panel design platform? The gallery is right here.

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

LG unveils new trim design LCD HDTVs due this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen it in the flesh, and we must say VUDU is doing things right with its move to a device-agnostic service. They haven’t chucked a single feature, and the interface is rather responsive for a TV-based video service (though not quite as flashy as its PS3 and Xbox 360 counterparts). Even with a bit of crummy hotel internet getting in the way, the device managed to buffer streams of 720p and 1080p content at a fairly rapid rate — besting a best-case-scenario Netflix buffer time in most cases. It’s clear that the 5.1 surround, 1080p-equipped HDX format, which can downgrade its bitrate based on available bandwidth, is really going to eat up your pipes, but the 720p looks quite good even in the face of a somewhat limited connection. While LG and Vizio are the jumping off point for this service, it’s VUDU’s stated aim to land on pretty much any home theater device that’ll have them — we can’t imagine Microsoft or Sony taking very kindly to the offer, but it’s hard to argue with this level of HD selection. Video of the service in action is after the break.

Continue reading VUDU’s streaming service demoed live on an LG TV

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

VUDU’s streaming service demoed live on an LG TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, we might all just be getting used to LED-backlit LCD HDTVs, but this train ain’t stopping, Chico — Samsung just got official with the 8500 series, which features the next-generation of local-dimming LED backlights. The 54.6-inch and 45.9-inch 240Hz sets are just 1.6 inches deep and offer a 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a 2ms response time, and an Energy Star 3.0 savings mode that continually adjusts the picture and backlight to optimize both picture quality and power savings. You’re also getting Samsung’s usual suite of connected Television features, like the Yahoo! Widget Engine, DivX playback, and DLNA support, but you’ll be paying handsomely for all this newness — the 45.9-inch UN46B8500’s MSRP is $3,599, while the 54.6-inch UN55B8500 will run you $4,499.

Filed under: HDTV

Samsung 8500 series LCD TVs feature local-dimming LED backlights, Yahoo! widgets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Almost four months after we first saw evidence that a 2TB Time Capsule was in the works, Apple has finally come clean and listed said device for sale in its webstore. So far as we have the ability to tell, the 802.11n router + NAS drive isn’t any different than existing models save for the internal capacity, and it looks to be shipping today for $499. If you’ll recall, that’s exactly what Apple was charging for the 1TB model yesterday, which has this day stooped to just $299. As for that 500GB model? Looks like the clearance / refurbished section is your only option there, where it’s currently listed for $199.

Filed under: Wireless, Storage, Networking

Apple unveils 2TB Time Capsule, ships this day for $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By David Ponce

Kodak just took a big swipe at the pocket camcorder market with the release of the Zi8. Get this: it’s got 1080p recording along with face tracking, image stabilization, an external mic jack and a 2.5-inch LCD (0.5 inch more massive than its main competitor). You’ll of course be able to upload videos directly to YouTube but unlike competitors, to Facebook as well. Recording is dumped on SD cards, which are a dime a dozen these days and can give you limitless recording time while on the go. Not so with the Flip UltraHD, which has limited internal memory.

Ideal part? It should retail for all of $179, a full $20 less than the aforementioned camcorder (which we reviewed here, by the way), which does 720p “only”.

It’s nice to see Kodak isn’t just sitting around crying that the core they built their business on is disappearing, but are actually doing something to remain competitive.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Crunchgear ]

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