The Price: $230

The Verdict: Once again, Flip has done a respectable job of bringing dead simple, high quality video recording to the masses. The MinoHD is light on features—no macro shooting, still picture taking, or video quality options—but it makes up for these shortcomings by its ease of use. The memory and battery are both built-in, and are sufficiently sized to take a day's worth of video without filling up or going dead. The touch-sensitive buttons are more responsive than the original Mino, making zoom and playback a snap. Even the new editing software on the Flip, usually included on camcorders like this as an afterthought, is great, and you can make a YouTube-level video complete with background music and credits in just a few clicks.

The video quality on the MinoHD is decent. Well-lit areas look good, but places with low-light are noisy and not as clean as the Zi6. The video gets choppy while panning, a problem shared with Kodak's cam, but most things shot on the device will likely be single-angle clips of people getting punched in the nuts or popping zits, so this shouldn't be much of an issue. *Update: It may be apples-to-oranges comparing low-light video between the two cams, since the Zi6 switches to 15fps in low light, while the Mino HD stays at 30fps.

For comparison's sake, here's a clip I shot in low-light on the Zi6, the current cream of the HD crop. It's much clearer than the MinoHD, and close-up focus looks nice. Sound quality is pretty comparable between the two.

Still, the price tag is a bit steep for such a small set of features. More serious aspiring viral video stars will miss options like recording in VGA to increase space, or a macro switch for close up shots. Also, the screen is so small that its difficult to see what you're recording, which is necessary when the video is in 720p. All in all, the MinoHD is a super simple, solid quality, if a little pricey camcorder that will have you sharing videos in no time.[Flip]

• Eight extra minutes of footage in the unrated version of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
• Beyond the Forbidden Zone Adventure Game
• Science of the Apes: scientists, anthropologists and sociologists discuss the first film
• Evolution of the Apes: HD featurette that traces how the Planet of the Apes went from book to screen
• Impact of the Apes: HD featurette about how the story became a pop culture phenomenon
• HD “Making of” features for each sequel
• Commentary by composers, actors and make up artists.
• A Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary
• The original theatrical trailers
• Behind the scenes galleries

... and much much more! The five disk set will retail for roughly $160. [The HD Room]

The subwoofer itself is the receiver/amplifier unit—there is no video source, but adding a DVD or game console wouldn't be hard or cumbersome. The speakers themselves are ridiculously tiny, but if you were wondering, they actually are the same as the ones from the HT10 introduced last year. The sound is very beefy, frankly way louder than we thought. The center channel has an IR receiver, so that you can stash everything else except for those itty bitty speakers, and still run everything. Not bad if you're going for the hidden home-theater thing.

The unit has three 1080p HDMI inputs to keep sources in their hi-def glory, and the system can be extended to multiple rooms by using S-Air wireless speakers. The set has an optional kit to make the included rear speakers wireless too. The HT-IS100 is out in July for $700, press release after the jump. [Sony]

SONY DELIVERS STYLISH SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM FOR HIGH-DEFINITION HOME THEATERS

NEW YORK, June 5, 2008 - Offering a stylish solution for the modern high-definition home theater, Sony today introduced the HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theatre Micro System.

Designed with five incredibly small speakers roughly the size of a golf ball, the new audio/video system delivers a rich surround sound experience that can be easily integrated into a home theater.

The system includes three 1080p HDMI inputs with repeater functionality and support for eight channels of uncompressed audio. It is an ideal complement for Blu-ray Disc players, PlayStation 3 consoles and other high-definition sources. With the ability to add optional wireless rear surround speakers and multi-room wireless speakers that configure automatically, the HT-IS100 system can be set up with fewer wires and without complicated wireless IP settings.

"Consumers want a cinema-like surround sound experience in their homes, but are hesitant to add large equipment that overpowers the d cor," said Tyler Ishida, director of marketing for Sony Electronics' Digital Imaging and Audio Division. "The HT-IS100 packs all the power of a conventional home theater system in five discrete speakers that practically disappear in your living room."

The 5.1 channel system, with 450 watts (RMS) of power, includes a subwoofer with integrated 32-bit S-Master digital amplifier for superb audio performance.
Featuring Sony's S-AIR technology, you can add wireless multi-room listening throughout the home using Sony S-AIR Air Station speakers, which are sold separately. Television audio and music can be transmitted from the main system to multiple rooms throughout the home by connecting the Air Station into a power outlet. An optional speaker kit (WAHT-SA10 sold separately) delivers audio wirelessly to rear speakers, eliminating the need to run speaker wire from the front to the back of the room.

The system features Sony's Digital Media Port, which adds control, networking and connectivity options for music playback through various accessories, including a Cradle for iPod (TDM-iP10), a Network Walkman cradle, a PC client device and a Bluetooth adapter (each is sold separately).

Sony's Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (DCAC) simplifies surround sound setup with the push of a button by automatically adjusting speaker frequency, distance and level.
The system also features BRAVIA Sync for Theater, which integrates its operation with select BRAVIA televisions and home theater products for one-touch play. With the touch of a button, you can automatically turn on and switch inputs, synchronizing connected devices to make operation easier.

Equipped with a Dialogue Audio Enhancer with night mode, the system can adjust audio levels for dialogue when the receiver volume is turned low. Additionally, the updated Portable Audio Enhancer feature improves the clarity and depth of digital audio devices connected to the system by adding information to the audio signal that had been removed during compression.

The HT-IS100 system will be available in July for about $700 at Sony Style stores, online through www.sonystyle.com, at military base exchanges and at authorized dealers nationwide. Digital Media Port accessories and thin antenna speaker stands are also available at Sony Style stores and online at www.sonystyle.com.

I know you are all excited over the HD Wii rumor. Have you not seen it yet? A "drunken" Nintendo employee revealed:

...the Wii GPU has full hi-def capabilities even if they are not exposed. The reason you don't see it is twofold, the fact that the console can't really push HD rez at reasonable frame rates and the fact that it would cost more.

Sincerely,
Mark Wilson

Nintendo Hides Wii's HD [theinquirer]