The arguments centered around fair use: Real claimed that making a bit-for-bit copy of the film, which is what their software did, falls under that umbrella. The studios claim that fair use does not include decoding a movie from any media besides the original DVD — something what RealDVD enables. Far from the legal victory or even protracted, public battle that Real was hoping for, the decision will likely hold into the foreseeable future. [Wired Threat Level]

The best studios? Sony, Disney and Universal all scored a B or above, with Sony (surprise!) taking the top spot with an A-. They are labeled the "most consistent and dependable studio of 2008" with their "strong video transfers, TrueHD audio tracks, and...slew of new releases and catalog classics."

The worst? The Weinstein Company (D-) and MGM (F). Apparently MGM has only released five Blu-ray movies in 2008 which have had poor A/V transfers and often lacked the extra features—even the ones bundled with the original DVD.

Interesting findings for sure, but there's lots more to the Sound & Vision article. So if you're interested in the workings of Blu-ray movies, hit up the link for the full article. [Sound & Vision]

Yes, Blu-ray is a high definition gimmick to make you repurchase old movies. But in the case of Sleeping Beauty, Disney claims that the original 70mm print has never been viewed with less image cropping than on BD—even in theaters. Presented in super wide 2.55:1, if the image alone isn't enough to convince you, then enjoy the four original songs that were cut from the film, a 3D walkthrough of Sleeping Beauty Castle and the ability to watch the film with friends while text chatting over Disney's BD Live network...along with a bunch of other legitimately good looking documentary content. Other releases:

• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (Sony)
• The Amityville Horror (1979) (MGM)
• Beetlejuice (Warner)
• Body Heat (Warner)
• Carrie (1976) (MGM)
• Faces of Death (Gorgon)
• The Happening (Fox)
• Korn: Live on the Other Side (Image)
• The Omen (1976) (Fox)
• The Omen: The Collection (Fox)
• Otis: Uncut (Warner)
• Ray Harryhausen Collection (20 Million Miles to Earth, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, It Came From Beneath the Sea, 7th Voyage of Sinbad) (Sony)
• Rest Stop (Warner)
• Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (Warner)
• Stuck (Image)
• The Visitor (2008) (Starz)
• You Don't Mess with The Zohan (Sony)
• Young Frankenstein (Fox)

[hidef digest and blu-ray.com]

In a small victory for Real, they got the case moved out of the studio-infested Central District to California's Northern District court. Now they just have to convince the studios and the judge that the extra DRM sprinkles it piles on top of the rips make RealDVD totally kosher. [Electronista]

There's no cost to register and the points appear to integrate seamlessly with existing Sony Rewards accounts. The catch is that the rewards are only valid for Sony Pictures films. In other words, not nearly every Blu-ray movie or tv show you may buy will count. Still, if you've got the Blu-ray player already, you might as well register, right? [Sony Rewards]

*My editor mandated that I throw "bitches" on the end of this post. I think it was a good call. [Format War Central]

The stakes for RealNetworks aren't terribly high either, as sales of RealDVD might have been slow because of, oh, I don't know, the mountains of free software that does a better and more complete job. Within the day, Real filed a countersuit which could possibly set a new precedent for the interpretation of the Hollywood's DVD license. Even in a best-case scenario, the most legal headway that could probably be made would be to permit neutered software like RealDVD, which would still leave any useful method of DVD backup well outside of the law. [NYT]

Target also goes the Iron Man trophy head route, though it just has the Ultimate 2-Disc Edition, in both DVD and Blu flavors, inside.

FYE and Suncoast deliver the Ultimate 2-Disc Edition in a superclassy steelbook case that I really, really like.

Walmart waltzes in with not one, but two exclusives, though only the first one matters to you: Ultimate 2-Disc edition with an exclusive Nick Fury comic. The other packs the first ep of the Iron Man animated series in with the single disc edition of the movie.

Costco's gift set throws in a bobblehead of each Iron Man suit from the movie. Feh for bobbleheads.

Borders rolls with a collectible book loaded with sketches and the top 24 Iron Man comic covers.

Circuit City gives you access to some exclusive Marvel Digital comics, snore.

Kmart and Sears are knocking five bucks off the Ultimate Edition if you buy $25 in Craftsman tools. I'm...not really sure what's going on there either.

Which version are you going to pluck from this overloaded orgy of marketing? This "exclusive" crap—and most of it is crap—has really gotten out of hand. Update Best Buy is just selling the bust, the DVDs aren't in it, as some of you guys pointed out.

On September 30th, Paramount Home Entertainment will release the critically acclaimed box office smash IRON MAN: 2-DISC ULTIMATE EDITION on DVD and Blu-ray!

With this release comes EIGHT fantastic retail exclusives! Below, you will find details and article work on these eight exciting, exclusive offers!

Here are the details for these Eight Exciting Retail Exclusives:

**Circuit City - Access to exclusive Marvel Digital Comics featuring the artwork of Adi Granov.

**Best Buy - Custom Lithograph created by Marvel artist Gerald Parel.

**Target - Target Deluxe Edition includes exclusive Mark III mask packaging. Available on both the Ultimate 2-Disc Edition and 2-Disc Blu-ray.

**Costco - Giftset includes the Ultimate 2 Disc Edition DVD and 3 Iron Man Bobbleheads, with all 3 Iron Man suits from the film. Giftset includes the "Battle Damaged Mark II", available exclusively in this giftset at Costco.

**Walmart - Two exclusive SKUs. Ultimate 2 Disc Edition packed with an exclusive comic book chronicling the Nick Fury story. The single disc giftset is packed with the 1st episode of the new Iron Man animated series.

**Kmart & Sears - Save $5 on the Ultimate 2 Disc edition with any $25 Craftsman purchase.

**Trans World - FYE and Suncoast Exclusive Steelbook Package available on the Ultimate 2- disc Edition. (pictured above, left)

**Borders - On pack collectible book featuring original sketches by Bob Layton and the top 24 comic cover of Iron Man.

[Paramount]

Extras included on the first disc also include "Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene," a "focus points" version of the film containing behind-the-scenes vignettes with director Christopher Nolan and his team discussing the planning of the film, the use of IMAX photography, the stunts, and more.

Disc two will feature additional extras presented entirely in HD, including a pair of featurettes ("Batman Tech," "Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight"), the "Gotham Tonight" collection of six episodes of the Gotham Cable's Premiere network, and "The Galleries," containing multiple still galleries, theatrical trailers and TV spots.

Apparently the collectible limited edition is exactly the same as the standard Blu-ray edition, except it'll come in fancy Bat Pod packaging.

The standard edition will retail for $35.99 (though it'll probably hit shelves for less), while the premium edition has yet to be priced. On a completely unrelated note, Gizmodo will not be in service from December 9th until further notice. Our apologies. [HiDef Digest]

Since Blu-ray was announced, there's been a lot of talk about its impending obsolescence in the face of digital downloads. Just last week, Samsung took a low blow at the format, predicting its lifespan to be only five years. Sony fired back, claiming that the "Blu-ray format will not only coexist with the networked era, but will actually enhance it for many years to come."

I'm here to say, I don't give a crap that Blu-ray is living with an incurable disease, wasting away on intravenous feeding tubes stuffed with the cash of early adopters. It's, sadly, still the best option for me to watch hi def movies. Why?

Digital downloads take too damn long to acquire
You've been there. It's a Wednesday night, your butt is planted on the couch and you feet are on the coffee table. You splurge on some delivery and plan an impromptu movie night with your sweetie. "Let's download something." You pick out a film. And then you wait. Your dinner comes. And you eat in silence, watching a status bar trickle to a buffer point capable of playing the film without interruption. Want to download an HD clip? You'd better order it at lunchtime. The convenience of download, in terms of speed, is an illusion.

There's limited content in HD
If you are using a service that supports HD (which excludes popular download spots like Unbox right off the bat), chances are that the content you want to watch isn't in HD anyway. I know it's just a documentary, but I want to flex the muscles of my HDTV a bit. Don't make me pick through old, rotting produce. Chances are if I have the tech to download your movie, I have the tech to watch it in HD.

The content in HD costs extra
I'm still at a loss here. Why should I pay more to download a movie in HD? You can point to film remasterings, or argue that Blu-ray is priced at a premium too. But the simple fact is that Blu-ray will eventually be as price-friendly as DVD (pending its adoption) while downloading services will ALWAYS have the bandwidth excuse to charge you extra. And that HD download isn't coming with anything special other than the resolution that you can get free on freaking antenna broadcasts.

That HD content might be compressed (not really HD)
So you say you've found a service that gives you instant HD streaming? You didn't. They may call it 720P, but it's got more compression artifacts than Blu-ray any day.

DRM restrictions are absurd
I rented a movie the other day on my PS3. Lars and the Real Girl. But I made the mistake of previewing the content, just for 10 seconds or so, as it downloaded. Then I walked away. But when I returned the next night to watch the movie, oopsies, my 24 viewing window was up. The DRM was smart enough to know when I first loaded the movie, but didn't care as to whether or not I'd had a chance to actually watch it. Netflix and Blockbuster understand that plans change, and that's why they offer consumers a way to watch movies at their own pace.

I don't trust digital formats to be less obsolete in the future than Blu-ray
MPEG4, the codec that both Blu-ray and download services use, isn't going anywhere soon. But there's enough DRM on most downloads that not only links you to a specific platform (PS3/AppleTV), but a specific download service (iTunes, Unbox, etc) as well. Do I really believe that my Unbox purchases will be there 5, 10, or even 20 years from now? No. And if they are, will it be easy to access old hardware to bring up the service? Probably not. But VHS, DVD and Blu-ray will all plug into my TV for a long time to come. Unlike services that don't allow unlimited redownloads, I won't have to worry about swapping hard drives only to find SATA connections are dead for a better (read: incompatible) format with my PC.

And Piracy Doesn't Make it Any Better
Look, I'm not an 8-year-old living off some minuscule allowance. I don't have to make sure I have cash left for the movies after splurging one day at the comic book store. I want things to be simple, even if that means I have to pay for it. Bittorrent isn't all that easy. Unless you're downloading the latest, most popular content, good luck finding enough seeders to get a decent download speed...if you're lucky enough to find what you're looking for at all.

I know what I'm saying isn't cool. I know that Blu-ray sits on a temporal fissure in the way media is delivered to us, probably teetering before it falls into an abyss beside its friend VHS.

But at least I know where my Blu-ray is going—on my shelf, ready to watch whenever I choose at a quality I can appreciate with extras still not found in downloads. (Plus, if I insist on watching the movie on my computer, many Blu-rays are accommodating that anyway.) If that makes me old fashioned, then so be it. They don't make media like they used to.

We're actually not sure which movie to endorse this week. Speed Racer was viewed at a drive-in, where it was tough to make much of its probably gorgeous visual effects. Pirates of the Caribbean is hitting in a $83 3-movie pack...which doesn't seem like any kind of special deal. And Ang Lee's Hulk (yeah, that's the one coming this week, not the recent update) isn't exactly a fan favorite. Of course, we listed all of the releases after the jump. So maybe there's something you prefer.

•1408 (Weinstein)
•88 Minutes (Sony)
•Another Cinderella Story (Warner)
•Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might/Lord Slug (FUNimation)
•Hulk (2003) (Universal)
•The Love Guru (DreamWorks)
•Madagascar (DreamWorks)
•Made of Honor (Sony)
•The Mist (Weinstein)
•Pirates of the Caribbean: 3-Movie Collection (Walt Disney)
• Pushing Daisies: Season One (Warner)
•Risky Business (Warner)
•Speed and Angels (Vivendi Visual)
•Speed Racer (Warner)

[hidefdigest]

For $50, or $30 for a limited time, RealDVD allows you to rip standard DVDs in perfect quality to your hard drive (no Blu-ray), complete with bonus features, menus and such. The process takes anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes and requires 4-8GB of space. The catch is that these video files can only play in Real's player and cannot be converted for use by your other devices, like iPods or phones.

RealNetworks' solution is that you can buy four additional licenses for $20 apiece to view your content on other PCs. And it's not a very good one.

Then again, it's important to note that this is the DVD copying solution that the industry has allowed. And even with the strict limitations in place, it's surprising that you don't need to have the actual DVD in the drive to play the ripped files. [RealDVD]

Aug 28, 2008 19:00

LG to Launch First DivX Certified(R) DVD Player from a Major Manufacturer Capable of Playing HD Video

Innovative "Floating" Player Lets Consumers Enjoy HD Content on Standard DVD Device
SAN DIEGO & SEOUL, Korea —(Business Wire)— Aug. 28, 2008 DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ: DIVX), a digital media company, and LG Electronics, Inc. today announced the DivX Certification(TM) of a new DVD player from LG capable of playing high-definition DivX(R) video.

Incorporating a stylish and sleek design capable of being mounted on a wall, LG's new DivX Certified(R) DVD player, the DVS450H, allows consumers to play their personal libraries of high-definition digital content. With this device, consumers can enjoy high-definition DivX videos burned to DVD's or stored on USB flash drives. Typical HD video requires a considerable amount of digital storage space, but DivX HD video provides a superior media experience by maintaining the highest visual quality while significantly reducing the digital file size of the video. Using DivX technology, a full-length high-definition movie is able to fit onto a standard DVD.

"The demand for products that play DivX video has continually driven us to produce solutions that maximize this high-quality experience across a range of product categories," said Dan D.H. Koh, Head of Marketing Strategy Team in LG Electronics' Digital Media Company. "Incorporating support for high-definition DivX video on this DVD player illustrates this in a significant way. We are committed to bringing our customers the very best entertainment solutions and are pleased that working with DivX fulfills this vision."

"Bringing high-definition video to LG's newest DVD player illustrates our mission of enabling a high-quality media experience across any device," said Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer, DivX, Inc. "This new player from LG simplifies the consumer transition to HD entertainment by providing a high-definition experience on a familiar DVD platform. We are delighted to work with LG in bringing consumers a premium solution for their digital content."

Products that bear the DivX Certified(R) logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality that users expect from DivX.

LG is a major manufacturer across consumer electronics product categories who has embraced DivX Certification within a variety of different platforms, including mobile phones, digital televisions, and in-car media players.

Berlin, Germany – Philips has found a new way to put a complete home theater system into another surprising form factor without compromising on quality: The Philips CinemaOne (http://www.philips.com/ambisound) combines a DVD and CD player, an iPod dock, a five channel amplifier, six speakers, and a subwoofer all into a single stylish box of the size of a football, This small, stylish all-in-one home cinema system is the perfect fit for small spaces and budgets.

Measuring just 27.3 x 17.2 x 27.3cm (wxhxd) the Philips CinemaOne surprises with a great surround sound experience caused by six precisely angled speakers which are positioned around the body of the CinemaOne. The 4” subwoofer is built into the base of the unit whereby the installation is clutter free without the need for extra power cables and speaker wires. With the Philips CinemaOne a cinema like experience can be created also in smaller spaces like the living room of a student appartment, the bedroom, or in the office.

Technical details
CinemaOne's five channel amplifier and DSP (Digital Signal Processing) unit can process Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG2 multichannel or stereo sound tracks and uses Philips' proprietary sound and array processing technology to create a realistic and immersive cinema sound effect with distinct and clear dialogue, a convincingly wide sound stage and powerful deep bass.

The CinemaOne is compatible with nearly any format of movie – including DivX, Mpeg and WMV - from just about every type of DVD, CD or iPod. The dock also allows an iPod to be controlled via the units remote control while all track information can be accessed via the TV screen.

Movies can be upscaled to 1080p HD resolution with a pristine digital quality transfer to the TV via the HDMI connector. The CinemaOne also offers the high quality display of jpeg photos and includes flip, rotate, slideshow and zoom functions.

A hi-speed USB port and MP3 link allows connection to a huge variety of portable devices - using PCM, WMA or MP3 - while Philips’ unique Fullsound technology uses the CinemaOne's DSP to restore the emotion, warmth and dynamics to compressed MP3 music tracks.

[Philips]

LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 26, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Building upon its leadership position in the projector industry, Epson America Inc. today announced the Epson MovieMate(tm) 55, the latest model to join the industry's top-selling line of combo projectors(1). By combining a high-quality projector, a CD/DVD player and stereo speakers in one portable unit, Epson MovieMate 55 gives consumers an affordable, easy-to-use and convenient solution for home entertainment in the living room, on a vacation, and even outdoors.

Within moments, Epson MovieMate 55 allows consumers to view their favorite movies in larger-than-life sizes — up to eight times larger than on a 40-inch widescreen TV — by simply plugging the unit into an electrical outlet. Featuring a new brighter lamp and Dolby(r) Digital audio, MovieMate 55 delivers instant home cinema on-the-go. Consumers can enjoy watching DVDs and playing video games when connected to Nintendo(r) Wii(tm), Sony(r) PlayStation(r) 3 and Microsoft(r) Xbox 360(r) videogame consoles. They can also play music from MP3 players and videos from an Apple(r) iPod(tm) on the big screen. For even more versatility, MovieMate 55 plays photo slideshows from photo CDs and USB flash drives and can connect to a PC or Mac to show content from the computer. With 3-chip 3LCD technology and E-TORL(r) lamp, consumers will experience brighter, natural colors that pop off the screen.

"Epson is the world's number one selling brand of projectors(2) because Epson listens closely to its customers' needs," said Rajeev Mishra, director, Projector Marketing and Development, Epson America. "Epson MovieMate projectors can transform any space into a home theater environment. Anyone can enjoy the simple setup, transport and operation of these easy to use and portable projectors."

More about the Epson MovieMate 55

Weighing only 8.3 pounds, the Epson MovieMate 55 features a sleek, compact design with a built-in handle and cushioned carrying case for portable convenience. Additional features and benefits include:

* Projecting a 16:9 widescreen 60-inch image from only six feet
away or a 120-inch image from just 12 feet away

* Built-in progressive scan standard definition (480p) DVD/CD
player

* Great sound quality using two built-in 8 watt 5.1 Dolby Digital
DTS(r) speakers

* Compatible with Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PS3, and
Apple iPod

* Integrates a new, brighter E-TORL lamp with up to 1,200 lumens to
project light more efficiently, maximizing brightness and
uniformity across the entire screen throughout the lamp's life
— White light output: 1,200 lumens
— Color light output: 1,200 lumens

About 3LCD Technology

3LCD is the world's leading projection technology, delivering unbelievably bright and natural color, amazing detail and road-tested reliability. Using an advanced, 3-chip optical engine, 3LCD offers full-time color for brilliant quality images without the possibility of color break-up. 3LCD is based on LCD technology, which is used by leading manufacturers worldwide for the ultimate viewing experience in flat panel TVs and projectors. To find out why more users choose 3LCD than all other projection technologies combined and to get the latest list of leading companies offering 3LCD technology in their products, visit the 3LCD website at http://www.3LCD.com.

Availability and Support

The Epson MovieMate 55 will be available in October through national resellers for an estimated street price of $699. The projector also comes with the service and support only Epson can offer, including a two-year limited warranty with toll-free access to PrivateLine(sm), Epson's priority technical support, and free overnight exchange with ExtraCare(sm) Home Service.

Disney DVDs have a history of top-notch A/V transfer, and Tim Burton's masterpiece of stop-motion animation should take full advantage of Blu-ray's higher resolution. On top of that, you get a slew of bonus features—everything from the original DVD set along with a few more, including a feature-length commentary by directors Tim Burton and Henry Selick and composer Danny Elfman. Also, you can (legally) transfer the film to your iPod via the bundled DisneyFile Digital Copy—you know, for if you need to watch the movie at all times and all places.

Here are the rest of this week's Blu-ray releases:

• Action Starter Pack (Universal)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Warner)
• Afro Samurai: Season One (FUNimation)
• Blue Man Group: How to Be a Megastar Live! (Rhino)
• Dude, Where's My Car? (MGM)
• End of Days (Universal)
• Heroes: Season One (Universal)
• Heroes: Season Two (Universal)
• Miami Vice (2006) (Universal)
• Pale Rider (Warner)
• Postal (UMVD)
• Redbelt (Sony)
• U-571 (Universal)
• What Happens in Vegas (Fox)

Anything you'll be picking up? [hidefdigest]

Where the hell is the Blu-ray edition? How can you ask us to buy it a fifth time—after VHS, two earlier DVDs and the beautiful-looking HD DVD—without a version on Blu-ray? Do we really have to hang onto our Xbox HD DVD module just so we can enjoy the Coen Brothers' masterpiece, with classic sequences like The Dude's post-roofie hallucination, dripping with oddball 70s sleaze, in high-def? Who are you, George Lucas? This will not stand. [Amazon via CrunchGear]

It's $149 and most people still just own DVDs—hell, even if they own an HDTV more than half don't even know what Blu-ray is. And for them, this will make their DVDs look better, and that's good enough. So it's not a bad business decision, either. It's just that it feels like a little bit of a cop-out, even if Toshiba openly admits it's not meant to battle HD, just be a bridge to it for normal people. What I really want to see is a Toshiba Blu-ray player, and I want it to be totally awesome. [Toshiba]

On the DVD and BD "Ultimate" versions of the film:

The sets offer the ultimate IRON MAN experience with extensive explorations of the origins of the character in a six-part featurette, as well as a seven-part in-depth look at the making of the film, a revealing documentary on the stellar visual effects, Robert Downey Jr.’s original screen test, deleted and extended scenes, a photo gallery of concept art and behind-the-scenes images on the set and more.

The Blu-ray edition will feature these extra goodies:

One of the most anticipated releases of the year, the IRON MAN Blu-ray presentation offers even more exclusive content for an incredible entertainment experience including a “Hall of Armor” that allows fans to enter the Stark database to zoom in on any of the three Iron Man suits — or Iron Monger. They can then activate the digital 3-D schematics to check out every weapon and the full high-definition renders let users fly around each suit to explore each of the armors in comprehensive detail.

The “Iron Man IQ” is a user-friendly web application that lets users create and share new multiple choice quizzes based on clips from the film. Fans can also download other users’ challenges via BD-Live.

Fully-controllable Iron Man porn, at last. Sign us up. It should be noted that there will also be a single-disc, standard DVD release as well, but not on Blu-ray. [Hollywood Newsroom]

The optics remain largely unchanged, with a 10x zoom but this time coming with an optical anti-shake system. There's also face recognition for exposure and focus automation, and the same Picture Master image processing tech built in.

In HX mode, at full 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, the cam manages a 15Mbps bitrate and fits about 4.5 hours of recording onto the 30GB drive, or an hour onto a 8-cm BD. At 720 x 480 resolution, in SX mode (9 Mbps) it'll fit 20 minutes onto a DVD. Its battery will shoot for about 80 minutes, and the whole package weighs about 1.27 pounds and measures 3.1 x 5.5 x 3.4 inches.

Available in Japan at first, from August 9th for around $1,400. [AVWatch]

Features

DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD, JPEG and MP3 playback

MPEG4 playback

Flash media card capability with a port for SD(tm), MMC and MS Cards

Built-in USB port

16:9 widescreen format

High-resolution active matrix TFT display

Built-in stereo speakers and anti-shock system

Includes rechargeable NiMH battery, IR remote control, AV cable, AC/DC adapters and carrying case

[Chipchick]

You can get Beast With a Billion Backs here, and expect to see the third DVD, Bender's Game, out towards the end of the year, as it is currently in post-production. [YouTube and Wired]

Extra profiles wont' be merged, they'll be deleted, come Sept 1st, 2008. When asked to comment on "WHY OH WHY?!" Netflix responded that it was in the best interest of most customers. I'm not sure that makes sense to me, since the majority who don't need the extra profiles can just opt out of using them.

Let's submit customer feedback and complain if you feel the way I do and don't want your significant other's terrible movie tastes infecting your queue! Here's a petition.

Important News Regarding Netflix Profiles

Dear Brian,

We wanted to let you know we will be eliminating Profiles, the feature that allowed you to set up separate DVD Queues under one account, effective September 1, 2008.

Each additional Profile Queue will be unavailable after September 1, 2008. Before then, we recommend you consolidate any of your Profile Queues to your main account Queue or print them out.

While it may be disappointing to see Profiles go away, this change will help us continue to improve the Netflix website for all our customers.

If you have any questions, please go to http://www.netflix.com/Help?p_faqid=3962 or call us anytime at 1 (888) 638-3549. We apologize for any inconvenience.

- The Netflix Team

It still doesn't play real HD (Blu-ray support won't be around till 2009) like a much cheaper Xbox, AppleTV, Vudu or PS3, and we can already import DVDs for a streamer using the freeware Handbrake. If we did want to play high quality content without importing it, we'd just buy a $99 upscaling DVD player. Available now, hit the link for the full review, but please don't believe it. [Sound & Vision]

This method seems like it'd work in theory. Being able to withstand a woman staring at you angrily for minutes at a time is a skill you have to work on developing. 96 minutes is a long time, however, and Mark Wilson says he only needs about 4 minutes. [Crunchinatrix]