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Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
Antique Speaker Horn Adds Old-Timey Class to iPhone
You Can Now Get a 19-inch HDTV For Under $200
Dealzmodo: Wal-Mart Spotted Offering Funai NB500 Blu-Ray Players For $298
Hype Sheet: Back to the Future With Magnavox
Philips to Sell Magnavox and Philco Branded DTV Converters to Your Grandma
LG's Zenith DTT900 Converter Competes with RCA for Grandma's $40 Coupon

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bens
07/16/09

In reply to Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
the videodisc was the first consumer product to offer star wars, in stereo, back in the day. i feel bad for anyone who bought the things!
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cletar
07/18/09

@bens09: I saw Star Wars on one of those. It was actually pretty impressive, compared to the quality of VHS.
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elfonblog
07/16/09

In reply to Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
Are you certain this is an optical disc player, or have you been inserting that term into the article? Videodiscs are indeed record players with needles which follow grooves on the disc to play video. I've seen them in person.
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matt buchanan
07/16/09

@elfonblog: It's optical.
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dingus
07/16/09

In reply to Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
My choice LaserDisc memory: 8th grade bio, teacher who wasn't too good with the gadgets plays through a LD of a woman giving birth. When the video was over, she instinctively hit "rewind" as one is accustomed to doing for video tape, though without remembering to hit stop first.

We got to see the baby being crammed back in at 2x speed.
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92BuickLeSabre
07/16/09

@dingus: Outstanding story.
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loofkid
07/16/09

@dingus: my health teacher did that intentionally, 3 times... it scarred me.
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the_sidewinder
07/16/09

@92BuickLeSabre: That happend to me too in grade 7

Everyone was yelling "Cram it back in arrrgh!"
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92BuickLeSabre
07/16/09

@loofkid: I would have too, but I would have absolutely pretended that I was doing it on accident.

"Shoot, now how do I work this thing again?" *slow motion* (Groans) "No, that's not it." *slow motion rewind* "One of these has to be stop." *pause* (Screams) *zoom* "I'm sure I'll figure it out in a second."
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32ndnote
07/16/09

In reply to Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
Fr sm rsn th sm tchr n mddl schl tght s Jpns, shwd s hw t mk nmtns wth vctr grphcs, hd s wtch Str Trk nd rd Ry Brdbry, nd... mst mprtntl, shwd s vds n Lsrdscs dspt th bndnc f VHS plyrs.

Whr wld w b wtht th crzs?
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Edited by 32ndnote at 07/16/09 9:25 PM 32ndnote was starred 32ndnote was unstarred

telepheedian
07/16/09

@32ndnote: Can I have his star?
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92BuickLeSabre
07/16/09

In reply to Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
Okay, I only made it to 0:55 when I was totally distracted by the fact that there was a movie called "How to Watch Pro Football."

Released in 1981 it "boasts the expertise of such legends as Tom Landry, Marv Levy, John McKay, Chuck Noll, Sam Rutigliano, Don Shula, and Dick Vermeil."

Now this is awesome. Screw all those talking heads on ESPN spending 30 seconds with this coach and 2 minutes with a GM who is only available because his team had the worst 8-year record in 50 years before he was fired. How incredible would it be to just watch an hour long film with some of the great coaches in history breaking down what's on the screen. Especially with all of the great camera angles and HD recording? This is friggin' genius.
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92BuickLeSabre
07/16/09

@92BuickLeSabre: Okay, Nimoy's mustache and the talking lite-brite quartz that feels the need to explain current earth technology to a celebrity is pretty cool too.
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TrollSlayer
07/16/09

@92BuickLeSabre: The solid plastic ka-chunk the Magna-Vision makes as Mr. Nimoy prys it open is wonderful.
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Yannick Wolfe-Mercier
07/16/09

In reply to Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision (Laserdisc) Player Reviewed
I personnaly own an old Sony Laserdisc player purchased for 99 cents on ebay a while ago.

The technologie sucks, but still, imagine and sound quality were top notch for that time...

but who needs disc when you get get DivX files?
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TrollSlayer
07/16/09

@Yannick Wolfe-Mercier: I personally own a Pioneer laserdisc player that I payed full price for in 1990. I simply had to watch Star Wars in beautiful laserdisc quailty through the amazing S-Video connection.
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dingus
07/16/09

@Yannick Wolfe-Mercier: You, apparently?
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skeelo58
06/10/09

In reply to Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
That's great that wal-mart is selling em this cheap and all, but has anyone ever looked at the type of people that shop at wal-mart? Most of them have an IQ of about 75. I guarantee there will be several thousands of people who go buy one of these at Wal-Mart, and take it home, and either

A) hook it up to their 19" SDTV in their living room.

or

B) Use the cables that come in the box (composite) and hook it to their 50" plasma they just bought. Then they will all scream and shout "why does this look like crap?"

I wish BR manufacturers would include a cheap little $5 HDMI cable in their box. Seriously, it can't be that expensive.
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ceilingFANBOY
06/10/09

@skeelo58: I can see why Magnavox doesn't put an HDMI cable in the box, considering some people do have HDTVs that do not have HDMI, but higher end manufacturers that are less concerned about price should put HDMI cables in the box. At the very least, they should put component cables instead of composite cables in the box because I do not think I have ever seen an HDTV that doesn't have component inputs.

Beyond that, you'd be surprised at how many people come into Wal-Mart that have nice HDTVs but are smart enough to not pay $100 for an HDMI cable at Best Buy and $30 for two year old blu-ray releases. Besides, rednecks are all about putting a 50" projection TV in a room that is 6' across.
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theycallmetak
06/11/09

@Male Roof Blower: The HDTV probably has component inputs but unless it's a ripped, decrypted Blu Ray disc, the most they get from component is 480p. IIRC, players won't even upscale through the built in chip unless it's over HDMI.

HDMI was designed to protect content. Coax has more than enough bandwidth for anything you or I are likely to need for a while. It's not the cable, it's the content companies.

And as far as the rednecks go, they may know even more than you think. At a 50" screen size six feet is just outside the viewing distance for THX.
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ceilingFANBOY
06/11/09

@theycallmetak: You can get up to 1080i on component cables, but it is true that you can't upconvert over component. Even then, I don't know that 1080i is necessarily the limit for component cables or if it is just that most players can't do 1080p over them.

My 50" tv comment was a response to the comment saying that these people are probably hooking up their blu-ray player to a 19" tv. Other than that, an old style projection screen TV, hell, even a newer projection screen, will stick a couple feet away from the wall and the couch will move you away from the wall, so a 6 ft room would put you about 4 ft away from the screen.
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theycallmetak
07/24/09

@ceilingFANBOY: Sorry I missed this. Coax cable is capable of way more than 1080p.
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m4ximusprim3
06/10/09

In reply to Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
Pretty sweet, but I think it's a little too late. Had this been out a year ago, you might see a different result. I think most people that were concerned about HD movies have made their decision by now- either buying a player or getting some sort of media service.

Or, you know, just downloading mkv's. but I don't advocate that, no sir.
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Hello Mister Walrus
06/10/09

@m4ximusprim3: At this point, most people still have DVD players. I'm pretty sure Blu Ray player sales will increase dramatically over the next couple of years.
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ceilingFANBOY
06/10/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: Shit, people still come into Wal-Mart asking for movies on VHS.
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deceit
06/10/09

In reply to Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
and there goes my excuse for buying a ps3. damn.
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ceilingFANBOY
06/10/09

@deceit: You could have bought the PS3 for playing games instead of overpaying for a blu-ray player anyways. It's not like before this price drop the cheapest blu-ray player was $800 like it was back when the PS3 launched. Then again, maybe I am just crazy for thinking that a gaming system should be purchased primarily for its gaming capabilities.
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Xeno
06/10/09

@Male Roof Blower: Yes and no. I bought my first 360 mostly for games and my second mostly for the media center extender. I agree with you about the PS3 though. It has plenty of games to stand on it's own as a game system now and is mediocre as a movie player.
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spannu
06/10/09

@Just a simple Xeno: I don't really see what's mediocre about its playback ability. As a media extender it's pretty solid. It's still more functional than this device and all the other entry-level Blu-ray players, though it's a bit annoying to have limited remote control options. The games might be the main attraction but it's not like the rest of it is crap because of that.
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ceilingFANBOY
06/11/09

@spannu: In this case mediocre isn't necessarily a bad term. You have to remember that you are already referring to a luxury item. It's not the worst; it's not the best. It's probably closer to being the best than being the worst, especially since firmware updates can be used to upgrade the compatibility with new codecs, but mediocre still applies as a description.
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Hello Mister Walrus
06/10/09

In reply to Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
So can I actually buy one without being crushed by screaming mobs?
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nukee
06/10/09

In reply to Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
Damn. I wonder what the DVD vs. Blu-Ray sales will look like this holiday. Let's hope for some mass adoption of HD this year.
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Xjep
06/10/09

@nukee: Wont happen until the players hit the $99 mark and they will be in every household when they hit $40 just like dvd did.
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ceilingFANBOY
06/10/09

@Xjep: Considering we are only halfway through the year and the players are hitting $128, $99 or even lower is very likely this year.
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Michael Edmunds
06/10/09

In reply to Walmart Drops Blu-ray Player Price to New Low of $128
Take that, economy!
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facepuncher: you're right:
06/10/09

@Michael Edmunds: Leave it to magnetbox!

i wonder if this will hurt ps3 sales much? I'm sure people still buy the ps3 primarily for bluray playback
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ceilingFANBOY
06/10/09

@facepuncher: The days of buying a PS3 just for the blu-ray playback are for the most part over. There have been cheaper players than the PS3 for a while now. This player was already under $200 before this price drop. In a way, this could increase demand for a PS3 in households that have multiple HDTVs because it makes the blu-ray capabilities of the PS3 more appealing since people will be able to afford multiple blu-ray players so they can watch blu-ray movies in multiple rooms.
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.357
04/27/09

In reply to Antique Speaker Horn Adds Old-Timey Class to iPhone
He didn't really do that much. I mean, he made no attempt to make the wood seem a little less boxy.
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switchblade saints
04/27/09

In reply to Antique Speaker Horn Adds Old-Timey Class to iPhone
I think "Designer" is being tossed around a little too loosely in this article.

the "designer" could have at least picked a wood stain that would have complimented the aged brass a bit more. im just sayin...
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Mac the Tard
04/27/09

@switchblade saints: @switchblade saints: The Wood Block Portion?

Are you referring to the 2x4 with the iPhone stuck in it?
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Homerjay is utterly alone.
04/27/09

@bleuray vs. honeydijondvd: @switchblade saints:

Boy, you're dumb. The wood block is OBVIOUSLY there to compliment the green Rubbermaid container beneath it.
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krnplcd
04/27/09

In reply to Antique Speaker Horn Adds Old-Timey Class to iPhone
Is there video? Could any audiophile readers tell me what kind of sound one might expect? Since its already in .mp3 format it couldn't sound that much better (or worse) than most docks right?
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Duncan Mowatt
04/27/09

@krnplcd: I imagine that tiny speakers + Tuba = craptastic?
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IN THE FACE!
04/27/09

@Duncan Mowatt: I'm not convinced it is a Tuba/Sousaphone Bell.

Sousaphones (at least all the ones I've seen) are curved, and I'm realtively sure that Orchestral Tubas don't have that wide/shallow a bell.

But I could easily be wrong...
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Homerjay is utterly alone.
04/27/09

@bpapa9013 - Is full of ぶっちぎり, probably...: It does have kind of a marching sousaphone bell but the brass beyond the bell is far too narrow to be a sousaphone OR a tuba.
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