High-Definition

Float Through Every Detail of the International Space Station in 4K Glory

Space is undeniably cool, but you know what else is cool? Space gear. And taking a long, leisurely tour through the international space station in beautiful 4k with pristine focus is the best way to see all those wires, meters, monitors and control stations. Bookended by vertigo-inducing shots of Earth as seen through the ISS…

Google Hangout video chats have been quietly upgrading to 720p HD, and the mothership says all users should have high definition soon. The quality boost is part of a long-term upgrade that has Hangout moving toward a system that won’t require installing any plugins, but that’s still down the road. [Gigaom]

All of YouTube’s 1080p Videos Are Going 3D

For as much as everybody loves to hate 3D, there seems no end remakes and reboots touting it. Even YouTube is jumping on board, announcing today that all short-form videos uploaded in 1080p will automatically be converted to the 3D format. https://gizmodo.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-made-james-cameron-update-the-stars-5898287 The auto-3D feature is an offshoot from the one-click conversion that YT rolled…

NASA is using lasers to broadcast from space in HD

NASA is finally pushing to bring space communication out of the dark ages by boosting their data transmission rates from dial-up speeds to broadband. And they’re looking to do it with lasers. What does a laser communication system mean for all of us here on Earth? How about live, HD television broadcasts from future Mars…

Drift HD 1080p Rugged Cam Lightning Review: Awesome? Check. Reliable? Ehhh, Not So Much

Man, and the Drift HD was so close to being a super-stealthy altrernative to my GoPro. If only it would just stay on. Like The video quality is top-notch with a 170-degree field of vision. Its rubberized exterior survived being dropped (repeatedly). The Drift HD is 25 percent smaller than its predecessor at 4 inches,…

Apple “HD” Apps are iPad Only

Kotaku noted earlier today that HD versions of several popular App Store games have started popping up in iTunes. We just heard from a developer that it’s Apple’s preferred nomenclature for distinguishing iPad games that aren’t iPhone or iPod compatible. https://kotaku.com/first-ipad-hd-games-sneak-out-including-plants-vs-z-5502152 So far, the games Kotaku found getting the HD treatment in the iTunes browser…

Nintendo Claims Wii Owners Don’t Need Netflix HD, Nor A New Console

Oh, Reggie. You used to be such a gaming icon, hell, I even bought your Wii nunchuck t-shirt. But how can you judge your fanbase so incorrectly, saying Wii owners don’t care about Netflix HD? https://gizmodo.com/netflix-video-streaming-available-on-nintendo-wii-in-ju-5447015 True, the Wii isn’t HD at 480p, so anyone serious about streaming Netflix video in HD probably owns a…

The Wii Is Gorgeous in High Definition

Super Mario Galaxy has incredible art design, but in standard def, the game can just be so visually disappointing compared to its potential hinted at onscreen. So what would it look like in 720P HD? Like this. Pumped through a Wii PC emulator, these images are just upscaled versions of the SMG’s existing graphics—in other…

JVC’s First 8K Projector and 4K Live Camera Are Under $200K

JVC latest projectors—one at 8K (8,192×4,320pixels) and the other at 4K (3,840×2,160pixels)—come with 10,000 lumens of brightness and produce a 5500:1 contrast ratio. JVC has also created a prototype of their new 4K handheld camcorders, which shoot in 4240p and was made to be more of a broadcasting camera. Although release dates and prices are…

What Is This?

It looks like the lastest image from a NASA spacecraft, approaching the surface of a satellite on the outskirts of the Solar System. Or maybe one from the deepest underwater exploration voyage ever. It’s actually an UV view of the tattoo on Otzi’s right ankle, the Stone Age warrior who was found by tourists on…

NASA Airing High Def Tour of the ISS Today and Tomorrow

If you’ve ever wanted a closer look at the International Space Station, NASA Television will be airing a 35-minute HD tour today and tomorrow. Filmed by Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke, the show will run at both 1pm and 3pm (CST) on January 22nd and 23rd on NASA Television. Immediately following the broadcast, you’ll also…

hd EZ lock Keeps Your HDMI Cords Fully Penetrated

While HDMI may be the greatest home theater connection known to Man, there can be instances when it comes unplugged accidentally. The universal hd EZ lock was designed to prevent such travesties. Designed to work with most HDMI components and most HDMI cords, the premise is pretty simple. The lock uses either a screw or…

Sony’s SR1 High Definition Cameras Can’t Hack It In Microgravity

Matt, the guy who literally jigged his way around the world, discovered the hard way that space tourists will be unable to lug Sony SR1 HD cameras into orbit because microgravity won’t let them. https://gizmodo.com/sony-hdr-sr1-hottest-hd-cam-on-the-market-210492 Poor Matt found out the hard way. After plunking down $3,500 for a ticket on a Zero G vomit comet…

Don’t Mess with DVD Upscaling Foreplay, Just Buy Blu-ray

The high definition scientists over at HD Guru make a possibly obvious but nevertheless important point. You should not buy a DVD upscaler—though not for the reason you think. It’s not because DVD upscaling doesn’t bring some benefit to watching DVDs on HDTVs; it’s because most TVs are upscaling already. https://gizmodo.com/toshiba-xd-e500-upscaling-dvd-player-their-plan-to-not-5038128 Not only can HD…

SkyV Skylights Bring HD Virtual Nature Into Your Windowless World

Imagine being able to install a skylight into your gloomy, windowless office—even if it is located on the 10th floor of a 20 story building. One way to achieve this would be to install faux skylights with LED backlighting—but stationary images take away from the illusion. On the other hand, SkyV skylights utilize high definition…

Samsung Shows Off Giant 40-inch OLED HDTV

Way back in 2005, Samsung technically showed off a 40-inch OLED screen. We didn’t want to be rude and say anything at the time, but it wasn’t sporting HD resolution and the contrast ratio was a measly 5,000:1. Now Samsung is showing off their new 40-inch OLED (that’s a mere 8.9mm thick), and needless to…

2008 Is the Year When HDTV Defeats Standard Definition

While high HDTV prices may have made this day seem improbable, iSuppli is reporting that HDTV shipments have outpaced SDTV shipments in 2008. And iSuppli doesn’t see HDTV growth slowing any time soon, ballooning by a compound annual growth rate of 20% through 2012 when an estimated 241.2 million HDTVs will ship. By that time,…

LG Shows Off 19-Inch OLED Panel

Looks like LG wasn’t kidding about its 2011 deadline to produce OLED TVs. At a recent tech conference in South Korea, the company revealed an ultra skinny 19-inch OLED panel, showing that it’s well on the way to volume producing 32-inch screens before the next three years are up. Sure, it was a little upstaged…

Criterion Considering Movie Downloads

Last week, while visiting Criterion Collection headquarters to observe their transition to Blu-ray, I brought up the subject of digital downloads. To my surprise, they let slip a little detail that sheds light on how a master disc maker like Criterion will manage in an all-download future.As we’ve seen, even “HD” digital downloads are far…

New HP Notebooks Boast Hi-Def 16:9 Screens

HP has dropped two notebooks catering to portable home theater addicts. Both computers run Windows Vista SP1 and come with Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processors, Nvidia GeForce 9600M graphics chips, 4GB DDR2 RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a DVD±R/RW drive. The HDX16 has a 16-inch 1366×768 pixel Brightview display and comes with a 320GB hard…