Starting August 1, the recent blockbuster "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith will be available in Blu-ray™ disc quality 1080p resolution, only on DISH Network's VOD service, DISH On Demand, at a discounted price.

Yes. Dish Network is actually promising I Am Legend in "Blu-ray™ disc quality 1080p resolution" over Video on Demand. Presumably streamed in real time, it would be a technological feat even if not part of normal programming. And while we bet Dish will make the image look as good as possible under the pressure to show off, whether or not it's truly as stunning as a Blu-ray disc or meets some minimum 1080p prerequisite is yet to be seen.

In other news, Dish Network is soldiering on with their promise of 150 HD channels by the end of the year, and tomorrow will add 17 must-see HDTV channels including Lifetime Movie Network HD and Starz Edge HD. Read the presser for all the details. [Dish]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – July 31, 2008 – DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) today set the bar for the next-generation HD standard by becoming the first in the pay-TV industry to offer high definition programming in 1080p, the highest and best HD resolution available.

This new functionality is part of DISH Network's latest and unprecedented expansion in HD services, which includes the rollout of TurboHD, the industry's first 100 percent, all-HD suite of programming packages. As previously announced, DISH Network will also launch 17 more national HD channels tomorrow, surpassing its goal of reaching 100 national HD channels five months ahead of schedule. DISH Network now plans to nearly double its national HD channel count in less than one year and offer up to 150 national HD channels by the end of 2008, made possible by the recent launch of Echo XI, the most powerful satellite in the company's fleet.

"Over the years, DISH Network has maintained a very competitive HD offering in the marketplace, providing customers with a premium HD product including the best technology, signal and experience – at the best value – that no other pay-TV provider can come close to matching," said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, CEO and President of DISH Network. "Our latest system upgrade coupled with the introduction of TurboHD further strengthens our position as the leader in digital television and high definition television, platforms we look forward to enhancing even more with mobile and portable options."

DISH Network's new HD services are supported by a proprietary "turbo-charged" system upgrade that, starting August 1, is being rolled out to all MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers. The upgrade activates a unique feature of the set-top boxes, improving the current standard of HD delivery used by pay-TV providers such as the ability to output 1080p programming. By early August, all DISH Network customers with MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers will have the only set-top boxes in the nation enabled to display 1080p content, allowing them to maximize the full potential of their 1080p-compatible HDTV sets.

To celebrate this new era in the HD viewing experience, DISH Network is offering subscribers a special deal in August to enjoy the unparalleled picture and sound of 1080p HD programming. Starting August 1, the recent blockbuster "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith will be available in Blu-ray™ disc quality 1080p resolution, only on DISH Network's VOD service, DISH On Demand, at a discounted price. Subscribers may order the movie on DISH Network Channel 501. This marks the first time in history a pay-TV provider offers movies in 1080p, the highest resolution format available for HD video enthusiasts.

Consumers can sign up for the best HD programming and service in the industry with DISH Network's new TurboHD programming packages, the only all-HD packages on the market, starting at $24.99 per month. TurboHD is available in three separate tiers and includes DISH Network's award-winning and industry-leading HD technology, advanced equipment enabled to display 1080p programming, and the most-watched HD channels that may be viewed on any TV – analog, digital or HD.

Current DISH Network customers with MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers are being automatically upgraded and will have their systems "turbo-charged" by early August with all the features and benefits of TurboHD. DISH Network customers looking to add the industry's best HD experience can get a "turbo-charged" HD package for as little as $10 more per month.

The latest national HD channels added to DISH Network's programming line-up are: ActionMax HD (DISH Network Ch. 313), CBS College Sports HD (Ch. 152), Lifetime HD (Ch. 108), Lifetime Movie Network HD (Ch. 109), Planet Green HD (Ch. 194), Encore HD (Ch. 340), HBO 2 HD (Ch. 301), HBO Comedy HD (Ch. 307), HBO Family HD (Ch. 305), HBO Latino HD (Ch. 309), HBO Signature HD (Ch. 302), HBO West HD (Ch. 303), HBO Zone HD (Ch. 308), Starz Comedy HD (Ch. 354), Starz Edge HD (Ch. 352), Starz Kids & Family HD (Ch. 356), Starz West HD (Ch. 351).

For more information about DISH Network's 1080p programming, new HD channels and TurboHD system and packages, visit www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).

The 810's Marvell-designed engine seen above stitches four 1080p scalers together with DVI connections to bump any digital source from 480i to 1080p up to a full 10MP. The projector can pump out a few different aspect ratios: 4:3, 16:9 and using a CinemaScope lens, 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen that's mostly used in old school films. It's also got a lamp that goes up to Hollywood-reference levels of 4000 lumens and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio which is odd since their $15K projector claims 30,000:1.

Either way, the picture projected by the 810 is pretty unreal. I stuck my nose up to the screen and couldn't see a pixel to save my life, and Meridian says that it will project on a screen up to 25 feet wide without any pixelation. The 810 comes in short, medium, and long-throw packages, as well as a very short throw package for rear-projection. It'll be available in September, if you can afford it. [Meridian]

A few weeks back, I wrote up a piece on Vudu's high-definition video falling short of my expectations. Today I bring you a more thorough report of the three most compelling set-top boxes and their video-download capabilities. Apple TV, Vudu and Xbox 360 all have a lot going for them, but by looking at them side-by-side, you can see how their makers are all taking different paths to get to the ultimate desired end. Dive into the chart, then have a look at the screengrabs from three movies, to really get a feel for the progress, or lack of progress, in the world of HD downloads.

Just so you know, in addition to skipping everything that requires an actual PC (including HP's MediaSmart receivers), I omitted TiVo from the running for now, for two reasons: 1) the Amazon Unbox on TiVo doesn't yet offer HD movie downloads; and 2) TiVo itself is a subscription service, whereas these systems don't charge a monthly fee for the privilege of renting movies.You can see how frustrating it is to pick a winner when you look at the three systems on paper. Fortunately, things clear up a bit when you compare stills I shot at the same time, on the same Panasonic 1080p plasma TV.

Screens from Ratatouille—note that the Vudu shot is standard-definition only:
Screens from 3:10 to Yuma—note that the Apple TV shot is standard-definition only:
Screens from Transformers—here the three devices are all running high-def versions, and I've mixed in a screen from the HD DVD of it as well, for surprising comparison.
Keep in mind that the key here is to compare the shots with each other, as they were all shot the same way. (Note that the same perceived down-rezzing issue I noted before on Vudu's high-def is still obvious.)

Now that you've seen all the evidence I could gather. It's a toss-up to me, though I think for content I have to lean towards Vudu and for pure video quality (and most HD content) the Xbox 360 is hard to beat. Meanwhile, Apple TV is cheapest and lives up to its name with the best access to actual TV programming—though NBC is still painfully absent. How about helping me make the call here?

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While this HG10 shares a lot of specs with the Canon HR10, its DVD-recording HD camcorder brother, this new shooter feels extremely compact in the hand, and while it is indeed the world's smallest hard disk HD camcorder, it's not too small, still giving you easy access to its controls. We especially like the scroll wheel on the widescreen viewfinder instead of that touchscreen on models from Panasonic and others, which in the real world tend to end up such a smudged-up mess it's hard to even see your video underneath all those fingerprints.

A slight disappointment is the life of the standard battery included with the camcorder, which Canon says will give you an hour of shooting, and that's without the LCD viewscreen on. If you want longer battery life, you'll have to spring for the extended battery, which lasts a quoted 2 hours and 15 minutes.

We especially like the way Canon applies its AVCHD codec, different from the way this compression is being used by Sony and Panasonic. Canon's compression scheme is able to lightly compress some scenes, while more heavily compressing others. For example, a simple clear blue sky can stand a lot more compression than a complicated crowd scene or a bunch of flowers.

How does the resulting footage look? Canon was unable to show us any video coming out of this camcorder at our preview session in New York, but we did see some of the HR10's 12Mbps footage which looked excellent with very few compression artifacts. The good news is that this HG10 compresses its footage even less, at a rate of 15Mbps, so it'll probably look even better. Even at that 12Mbps compression rate we saw, it looked every bit as good as HDV footage, which compresses at 25Mbps. It was some crispy-clean HD video, remarkably sharp with excellent color saturation and accuracy. Big thumbs-up.

This HG10 is recording in 1080i HD, at 1440x1080 at all compression settings. As is the case with most 1080i camcorders, only 1440 pixels per scanline are written to disk to save space, anamorphically squeezed from this HG10's 1920x1080 sensors to 1440x1080 on disk, and then stretched back out for the full 1920x1080i when it's played back.

Canon also uses "super range optical image stabilization," which uses a gyro sensor that detects motion, and sends a signal to a processor that tells a lens-shifting element to move. Then a processor analyzes the image, and if it determines the framing could be even more stable, it sends a signal back to the lens to tweak it further. It's an optical system, but it has a unique ability to feed back even more information in a second pass of stabilization. The result is good stabilization of high-frequency shaking as other systems can do, but also stabilization of subtle hand movements.

Overall, this looks like a great new camcorder from Canon. Its AVCHD format is finally becoming more widely accepted, too, with Apple's Final Cut Pro editing software now compatible with the format, along with the excellent Windows video editing application Sony Vegas Pro 7e. Unfortunately, Adobe hasn't jumped on the AVCHD bandwagon yet, but Adobe officials told us they were feverishly working on it. Adobe is planning to include AVCHD support with future updates of Premiere Pro CS3, which we hope will trickle down to Premiere Elements. But you can still edit this camcorder's footage without buying any more software, at least on the PC—Canon said a version of the Windows-only Corel (formerly Ulead) VideoStudio 11 will be included with this HG10 camcorder.

Canon says the HG10 will be priced at $1299, and will ship in early October in the United States.

UPDATE: The Sony SR5 is now the smallest hard drive-based camcorder.

You get a lot for your $99, including HDMI and component outputs. Too bad the best this H2000 can do is 720p or 1080i, stopping short of up-rezzing the video to the full 1080p video holy grail. But then, no up-rezzing looks all that great, so don't get too excited about any of this. Alas, no matter how much you process it, even with the finest Faroudja electronics (which, incidentally, aren't in this unit), it still isn't HD.

[Helios, via CrunchGear]

Get lots more info, including our hands-on impressions, future plans from Canon, availability and pricing, after the jump.

Like its HV20 bro, this is a highly portable camcorder, and this one can record in either standard definition or high definition. If you record standard-definition onto its DVD, you can pop that disc into almost any DVD player and play back its MPEG-2 footage right away. Or, if you record in AVCHD format on a regular DVD, you can play it back on a Blu-ray player in all its HD glory.

Some DVD players will be compatible with AVCHD soon, too, so you'll be able to play that footage back through them, too, albeit down-rezzed to standard definition. There's also an HDMI port, so you can just feed the footage from the camera into any HDTV, and eliminate the need for Blu-ray player at all.

We had a chance to play with a non-working prototype of this camera at PMA, and found its rounded shape to fit perfectly in our hands. The size of the camera is so small it just about fits in your palm, but it's a little too big to put into a pocket.

Canon reps told us that this camera represents a paradigm shift, where the content is separated from its media. In this case it's recorded on a DVD but it could be recorded onto a flash drive or hard disc as well. The MPEG4-based H.264 AVCHD footage is just data, and Canon explained that all the acquisition modes are just routes to a computer hard drive, where the footage can be edited.

Until recently, there weren't many options for editing this nascent format, but now software manufacturers are starting to release applications that can actually edit AVCHD data without transcoding, such as the Ulead VideoStudio 11 application we showed you last week.

Canon is supplying this DVD acquisition mode first, hinting that it plans to also offer this same technology with flash memory and hard disk storage, too. Canon reps also told us the HR10's DVDs won't play back on HD DVD drives yet, but the company may implement that capability in the future.

The HR10 HD camcorder will be available in August, and will retail for $1199. – Charlie White

Press Release [Canon]

They're both recording in that beloved H.264 compression scheme that's so squeaky-clean and compact, with the SD3 using a high-capacity SDHC flash card (good for 90 minutes of 1080i video) and the hump-backed DX3 using an old-timey DVD, which we can certainly do without.

Check out the gallery below, and jump for pricing, availability and commentary.

These two models ought to give JVC's similarly outfitted and outstanding $1799 HD Everio GZ-HD7 camcorder, which we've had our hands on and like very much, a run for its money. But then, that JVC camcorder has a 60GB hard drive on board, and the $1270ish Panasonic SD3 includes a 4GB SDHC flash memory card.

Rolling out in Japan late this month, expect to see these two sharpshooters by late Spring here in the United States. While still a bit pricey for the mainstream, it won't be long before all camcorders are made this way. – Charlie White

Panasonic HDC-SD3 and HDC-DX3 AVCHD Camcorder [I4U]

Well, at least it's halfway there. So the early adopters who bought HDTV sets that can only crank out 1080i are still out of luck. Sigh. You can always tell the pioneers: they're the ones with the arrows in their backs. But this is lame. Why couldn't Sony have solved this scaling problem before launch? – Charlie White

Ripping off the veil: The mysterious PS3 hardware scaler exposed [Beyond 3D, via Daily Tech]

It's slim, light, and it looks quite stylish next to either a black or silver HDTV. The buttons are all on top, and discs are tray-loaded (some box shots may erroneously say it's slot loaded). However, the remote is somewhat unintuitive, and requires some getting used to. For example, if you put in a disc of DivX files and pictures, the player will load the picture list first and you have to press the "return" button to get to the movie listing. This isn't written on the remote itself—you'll have to find it on screen.

But the performance is pretty impressive for such a cheap player.

On our test 46-inch DLP set, the upconverted DVDs looked noticeably better than standard DVDs, as you'd expect. However, even though there's 1 optical digital out and 1 coaxial digital out for audio, there's only Dolby Digital and DTS 2-channel audio supported—even if you've got a DVD with 5.1 channels. This is a thrifty set after all. As for video, there's HDMI and component, as well as composite for older sets.

The player managed to support all DivX and XviD files we threw at it, on both CDR and DVDR discs. All in all, a bargain player if you're looking for a stopgap solution between your old DVD player and the new-fangled HD DVD and Blu-rays. Plus, you can burn your downloaded movies and enjoy them on upconverted 1080i quality on your big HDTV. The only downside is the lack of 5.1 audio.

But if you're willing to spend a little bit more, there are much better DVD/DivX upconverting players out there.– Jason Chen

Product Page [Best Buy]

The Wavio enclosure is able to output in 480p, 720p and 1080i. You can even hook the Wavio up to your car's AV system thanks to the 12V car adapter that's included. It goes on sale in Japan next week sans hard drive, naturally, for around $125.

This oddly named hard drive enclosure with AV outputs looks promising enough—drop the price a bit and then maybe we'll talk. – Nicholas Deleon

Press Release (in Japanese) [Onkyo via I4U News]

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

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

MXO is capable of some counterintuitive feats as well, such as extracting 8 channels of SDI embedded audio with stereo audio monitoring from the secondary DVI port on a Mac. Another advantage is that it's compatible with most Macs including laptops, iMacs and G5 desktops. Final Cut Pro video editors on the Mac will love this thing.

The best part of MXO is, until now, Mac users couldn't get an accurate view of what would actually be seen on a television screen when watching their productions in full-screen view on a computer display. Now they can get that full 1080i effect, using this $995 box. I've seen this baby, and it's fo' real. – Charlie White

Product Page [Matrox]

First Look [Creative Mac]

What's this 1080p Stuff?

By Brian L. Clark
Ok, so I admit to sometimes being caught in a time warp. Last week, for example, I referred to Bonjour, Apple s open, standards-based networking technology as Rendezvous, or what it used to be called.

My bad.

The truth is, Bonjour is designed to help discover services available on a local network or, in Apple s words, automatically connect electronic devices on a network, allowing them to interoperate seamlessly without any user configuration. You might even say rendezvous.

Now that that s out of the way, it s time to get to this week s subject: Why don t I notice a significant qualitative difference between 1080p and 1080i?

The marketing minions have been working overtime lately, pitching the wonders of televisions featuring 1080 progressive lines of resolution (1080p). Translated to English, that s 1080 lines of vertical resolution, with 1920 pixels on each line. Based on what those minions have told me, 1080p will not only change my life, it will future proof my HDTV purchase. After all, since it s true HD, it stands to reason the picture on these sets should blow me away.

Whatever.

Last week I mentioned I had done some work for a PR firm that promoted digital entertainment products. One of those products was a 1080p DLP projection set a 65-inch monster bigger than most of the rooms in my house. I remember the first time I was to see one of these babies in action: It was prior to a tradeshow last year and I was truly excited about the possibilities, especially since I was intimately familiar with the product messaging. So imagine my disappointment when, for the life of me, I could not notice a qualitative difference between that award-winning 1080p set and a good 1080i set.

That s not to say there isn t one. I just couldn t see it. And yes, the TV was being fed true 1080p content via a modified box under the table. But I honestly didn t notice much difference certainly not enough to justify the $1,000+ premium on the price of the TV. So I began to wonder: Could 1080p be for videophiles the same way Super Audio CD or DVD Audio is for audiophiles? Could it be that a very large segment of the population, including me, did not have good enough vision to really notice a difference? I called an expert to find out.

If you re a normal HDTV viewer, you re probably sitting three to five times the screen height from the TV, says Edward M. Milbourn, engineer, retired manager of Advanced Television Systems Planning with Thomson Electronics and current CE industry consultant. At that distance, he says, it s almost impossible to tell the difference between 1080p and 1080i.

Why? Because, Milbourne says, the human eye can t discern either scan lines or artifacts at that distance. As you get closer, those things become more evident. But remember what your mother always said about sitting too close to the TV.

Sure 1080p is better if you re using the screen for precise apps like, say, surgery or if you plan on using your very expensive TV to stare at a lot of still pictures. But for the most part, when manufacturers tell you 1080p is the greatest thing since the Hoola Hoop and a fantastic way to future-proof your TV purchase, they re just blowing smoke up your arse. In fact, according to Milbourn, From a home entertainment standpoint, 1080p is absolutely not worth the extra money.

Touch .

Brian L. Clark is a reporter and consultant on all things digital, runs the The Tech Enthusiast s Network, and writes for Money, Men s Health, and Laptop. Read more Tuning Fork here.

The new Sanyo LP-Z4 projector [Akihabara News]