CES 2008

Blu-ray's on a roll--but will downloadable Internet video be a bigger challenge than HD DVD?

(Credit: Philips)

What was arguably the biggest story of CES 2008 occurred three days before the show actually opened for business: Warner Home Video went Blu-ray exclusive, leaving just Paramount and Universal (and smaller DreamWorks) as exclusive HD DVD content partners. Indeed, in the days since, the issue of those studios following Warner's lead seems to be one of when, not if. Blu-ray seems on the verge of a complete victory in the HD disc format war to become the high-def successor to DVD. As a result, combo players--including a newly announced model from Samsung--were greeted more by yawns than by "oohs" and "aahs." Even without HD DVD to nudge it, prices for Blu-ray players seem destined to become more affordable, as evidenced by forthcoming devices from Philips and Funai. That said, with the specification still evolving--Panasonic's DMP-BD50 became the first 2.0 player to be officially announced--there's no reason to rush out and buy one anytime soon.

But there's still a big question as to whether or not the future of home video will be one of discs--or, in fact, physical media of any kind. Online delivery of home video seemed to be everywhere: major companies such as Samsung are getting into the game, while upstarts such as XStreamHD are offering intriguing delivery options and increasingly improved video quality. That's on top of existing hardware solutions such as Vudu, Xbox 360's Video Marketplace, and Amazon Unbox on TiVo, not to mention the promise of Netflix stepping up to the plate.

Of course, the potential 800-pound gorilla in the online video space won't be unveiling its plans until next week. That's when we'll find out if Apple plans to ramp up its Apple TV into a serious home video contender. If, as rumored, Steve Jobs and company add some long overdue features--iTunes video rentals, direct access to the store through the TV interface, and improved video quality--it could overshadow nearly anything shown in Las Vegas. And while the sort of full HD video quality delivered by Blu-ray's 50GB discs isn't yet available to consumers via broadband (at least in the bandwidth-challenged U.S.), it's only a breakthrough or two away. In other words, watch your back, Blu-ray: HD DVD was just a battle, and the wider war is still raging.

We're just about 13 months away from the government-mandated digital transition--at which time analog TV broadcasts are scheduled to cease completely. Those who can't--or won't--get cable or satellite TV now have their first non-TiVo DVR to consider in the form of the EchoStar TR-50. That's good, because traditional manufacturers such as Panasonic continue to offer mostly lackluster recorders--either tunerless DVD recorders (which will pretty much serve as "backup drives" for DVRs) or models with hobbled digital tuners that won't deliver native full resolution HD programming.

Elsewhere on the home video front, we saw indications that wireless in-home HD video is getting closer to the mass market. As with wireless audio, standards remain frustratingly elusive, but devices such as the Belkin FlyWire offer the potential for an end-to-end solution to decouple your video sources from your TV--which is increasingly vital to those with wall-mounted flat-screen TVs and projectors. Alternately, companies such as EchoStar's Sling Media are aiming to make it easier to access your home's main DVR on other TVs in the home (via the SlingCatcher), if not outside the home altogether (with the SlingPlayer software coming to BlackBerry smartphones later this year).

Looking at it in the rear-view mirror, you get a strong feeling from this CES that 2008 will be a big transitional year in the home video world. It's clear that the public wants more high-def programming and more on-demand video, as well as the ability to watch it where and when they want. Which manufacturers and standards will deliver on those promises? If we're lucky, the answer to that question may be more in focus by the time CES 2009 rolls around.

The Gizmodo kids pulled a good stunt at CES: they fired TV-B-Gone remotes at walls of shiny new monitors on display and during press conferences, much to the displeasure of booth staffers.

No colors anymore.

(Credit: Gizmodo)

The video is funny. The ramifications of prank will not be. The CES organizers only grudgingly gave bloggers press credentials to the conference, and even then kept them segregated into a working lounge that was a step down in amenity and luxury from the "press" lounge and work area. This prank will not endear the blogging class to either the CEA, which produces CES, or the companies that paid dearly for the right to occupy CES floorspace and show off their products.

I would not be surprised to see Gizmodo banned from the show and possibly sued by either the CEA or the companies its bloggers harassed. For journalists (in my mind, all bloggers are journalists), legal and constitutional protection does not extend to mischief or sabotage. Publishing news reports, opinion, and satire are protected acts. Physical interference is not.

I asked Gizmodo publisher Nick Denton if he was going to fire the Gizmodo crew for their prank. "No," is all he said in an instant message. He did not reply to followup questions.

Gizmodo added this apology after the post first ran, but I don't think it will mollify the victims.

It was too much fun, but watching this video, we realize it probably made some people's jobs harder, and I don't agree with that (Especially Motorola). We're sorry.

There are other likely outcomes of the prank. From now on, no one with an infrared-controlled device at a tradeshow is going to leave it exposed. A few tabs of black electrical tape will thwart TV-B-Gones. Beyond that, as our security expert Robert Vamosi said about this incident, expect TV manufacturers to think seriously about building encryption into their remote controls.

(Credit: Samsung)

(Credit: Samsung)

Bearing a striking resemblance to Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link, Samsung has announced the Home Digital Media Adapter (DMA). The Home Digital Media Adapter is designed to attach to the back of certain 2008 Samsung HDTVs and streams media from the internet or networked connected PCs. Connecting to your home network is possible either by a wired Ethernet connection or by buying a separate 802.11n module. It also works as a Media Center Extender, which gives you access to Microsoft's user interface and features like an electronic programming guide. The initial list of supported file types is decent, with WMV, MPEG2 and h.264 video support, MP3 and WMA music support, and JPEG photo support.

The $199 list price is considerably less than Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link, and it compares favorably to standalone media streamer prices. Still, we're always skeptical of integrating functionality as complex as media streamer with another product (in this case an HDTV). We'll wait for a hands-on review for our final verdict, but we'll be surprised if it outclasses standalone media streamers. The Home Digital Media Adapter will be available in April.

At first glance, Re-Mission comes across as a stylishly produced, anime-influenced video game. But the targets in question are cancer cells, which the character Roxxi the nanobot blasts with the Chemoblaster, the Radiation Gun, and the Antibiotic Rocket.

Re-Mission is specifically designed as a health improvement intervention for teens and young adults who have cancer. Game producers at HopeLab start with a desired health outcome, and then reverse engineer a game that encourages positive behaviors, adding motivation and fun into something as scary as a kid's battle against cancer.

Re-Mission helps teens fight cancer

HopeLab Vice President Ellen LaPointe spoke at the Sandbox Summit conference on Tuesday, and I was amazed to learn that the game producers actually test the effectiveness of their games through controlled clinical research studies. HopeLab followed 374 kids with cancer, at 34 hospitals in several countries, playing the game in English, Spanish, and French. The kids who played Re-Mission showed measurable improvements in their attitude (sense of self-efficacy) and healthy behavior (taking medications as prescribed).

It's interesting to see a nonprofit with a health-improvement mission embrace video games in this new way. It is crucial that Re-Mission looks as well-designed as any game out there on the market. Deborah Manchester of the kids' science Web site Zula, another panelist at the Sandbox Summit, said that one pitfall of educational media is that we can get stuck in a rut trying to put the same boring content into a digital format. Re-Mission shows what can be accomplished when designers break out of that box to create a product based on what kids and teens really enjoy playing.

What's next for HopeLab? Ruckus Nation, whose underlying goal is to look for new solutions to childhood obesity. Students from all over the world entered Ruckus Nation's online competition for new product designs that are cool and fun enough to get kids moving.

HopeLabs will support the development and testing of winning products, providing a real opportunity for kids to not only win a contest, but to see their innovative ideas come to life.

A group of video game giants that changed the way people play in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s were honored with technology and engineering Emmy Awards during a ceremony Monday night in Las Vegas amid the Consumer Electronics Show, according to Sony Online Entertainment.

The awards were handed out in two categories. The first was development of massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The winners were Sony Online Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment, and AOL/Time Warner for EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and Neverwinter Nights, respectively.

In the user-generated content and game modification category, Electronic Arts, Id Software, and Linden Lab were honored for Pinball Construction Set, Quake, and Second Life, respectively.

The SlingProjector feature mirrors anything on your PC screen including streaming video

(Credit: CNET)

Watch the SlingCatcher video on CNET TV.

But this is the year, the company insists, that the long-awaited product will indeed be on sale. No specific date has been set, but the word is sometime in the second quarter. Though it originally planned to have it out in time for holiday sales, "sometimes these things take time," said Sling CEO Blake Krikorian, in a statement.

(Credit: Sling Media)

The SlingCatcher is a separate set-top that can be used to bring content from a Slingbox to another TV in the house, or from an external hard drive. Though it works fine on both HDTVs and standard-definition sets, connecting the SlingCatcher to the new Slingbox Pro-HD is the only way to transmit high-definition video around the home.

The SlingCatcher also lets users project Web content to a TV screen, either wired or wirelessly, through an application called SlingProjector. Navigation can be done with either the included remote or through a PC.

SlingProjector software has been updated since last we saw it. When browsing Web video on a PC, the software automatically detects windows with video and projects it to the TV screen it is connected to.

(Credit: MyVu)

It has to be said: I cannot WAIT to model these suckers for you on camera. I mean, just look at them! Tell me that this is not exactly what leapt to your mind back in the early 90s when you first started dreaming about the time when video glasses would rule the personal entertainment marketplace. Now, that time hasn't quite arrived yet, but MyVu is sure aiming to make it so. The company offers a line of Personal Media Viewers in the form of glasses that hook up to an external video source (such as an iPod) to provide the illusion of watching the content on a large screen from several feet away. Generally speaking, this means less eye-strain than you would get from viewing for long periods on a 3-inch screen.

The latest PMV to join MyVu's lineup is the Crystal Edition, an orange-lensed set that is certainly sweeter-looking than its predecessors. The Crystal also a 35 percent increase in the field of view over existing PMV models, which allows for better quality and a more immersive viewing experience. Another difference is the transparent lenses, which opens the glasses up to other applications...after all, who wouldn't want to sport these beauts as their daily shades? Keep an eye out for the Crystal in spring of 2008.

Is Samsung's new combo player still relevant?

(Credit: Samsung)

Just a month ago, home theater enthusiasts were clamoring Samsung's soon-to-be released BD-UP5000 HD DVD/Blu-ray combo player, which promised high-end features like HQV processing and the ability to decode DTS-HD Master Audio (after a future firmware update). But the BD-UP5000 was delayed, and now it's likely to face less demand considering Warner's decision to go Blu.

Watch the Samsung BD-UP5500 Duo HD Player video on CNET TV.

The same goes for Samsung's newly announced combo unit, the BD-UP5500. It appears that the main step-down from the BD-UP5000 is that it lacks HQV video processing, which will disappoint videophiles, but should make it available at a lower price point. Soundtrack support is solid, with onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, plus the ability output high resolution audio in bitstream format. Samsung specifically mentions full support for HDi and BD Profile 1.1, so it should have no problem with special "picture-in-picture commentary" features available on some HD DVD and (future) Blu-ray discs. Rounding out the feature set is an Ethernet connection for firmware upgrades and some HD DVD interactive features.

Just a few weeks ago, a step-down combo player might have been attractive to those looking to into high-def discs without worrying about the format war. But with HD DVD canceling its press conference at CES presumably due to Warner's announcement, the general feeling in the industry is that HD DVD days are numbered--which makes a combo player seem like a waste of money. The BD-UP5500 will be available in May 2008--and we'll certainly know more about the format by then--but don't be surprised if it already feels like an anachronism by then.

The Vudu XL: 4 times the storage for 2.5 times the cost

(Credit: Vudu)

With its ability to deliver on-demand movies to your TV via a broadband Internet connection, the Vudu was one of the more promising home theater gadgets of 2007. The company is building on that momentum by adding a second, step-up model to its lineup: the Vudu XL. Physically, it's a near doppelganger of the original model--which remains available--but it ups the internal hard disk to 1 terabyte of storage. That's 4 times the size of the current version, and--according to Vudu--enough to store up to 500 standard-definition movies. The XL is also designed to be more friendly for home installation, thanks to the inclusion of an IR dongle. That'll allow the XL to be controlled by standard universal remote controls unlike the current RF-only Vudu, (Alas, there are no plans to make the USB dongle available to owners of the standard Vudu box.) Look for the Vudu XL to be available from home installers and high-end AV retailers in February for $1,000.

Separately, Vudu also announced that its slate of HD movies is expanding to 70 by the end of this month. Unlike the company's earlier experimentation with the HD movies--it had offered just the three Bourne movies in high-def last fall--the new slate of movies will be available for rental: $5.99 for new releases and $3.99 for older catalog titles. Vudu isn't touting its studio partners, but a quick look at some of the promised titles--including Blades of Glory, A Mighty Heart, the Star Trek movies, and Hostel: Part II--indicates that Paramount and Lionsgate are on board. For customers with a 4-megabit or faster broadband connection, Vudu is pledging the same instant-start feature for HD movies that's available on all its standard-definition content. Those with slower connections, meanwhile, will need to wait a bit while enough of the bandwidth-intensive HD video queues up for uninterrupted viewing.

Don't be surprised if the home video headlines at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show look like reruns of the past four or five years. The big themes will continue to be the Blu-ray/HD DVD format war, network video delivery, and the slow but steady transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

Best in Show CES 2007: LG BH100

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Every year seems to be "the year" for network video streaming, and 2008 is no exception. Expect more units with wireless-N capabilities and bundled with every audio and video codec you can imagine. But for the category to ever go mainstream, the bigger issues--securing A-list content, simplifying setup chores, and improving reliability and quality--need to be addressed. And while Apple won't be at CES, the following week's MacWorld conference could well see Apple announcing an upgrade for Apple TV, allowing users to purchase video directly from the device--something the iPhone and iPod Touch can already do with music.

Consumer electronics manufacturers pretty much dropped the ball on DVD-recorders with digital high-def tuners this year, so more robust models should crop up with support for true HD pass-through and electronic programming guides (EPGs) utilizing program guide data already embedded in the digital ATSC signal. Along the same lines, we're hoping to see some standalone DVRs designed to be primarily used with over-the-air ATSC signals, which is another product consumers were missing in 2007.

2007: A look back
Last year, when we picked the LG BH100 as the Best of CES overall winner, we made a much bigger deal of the fact that the combination Blu-ray/HD DVD player actually existed than of its astronomical price tag. The combo player went on to receive a lukewarm reception in the market, a reception that wasn't helped by the eventual CNET review, from which we'll quote: "After thoroughly testing the BH100, we learned a few things that gave us cause for concern: no CD playback, somewhat limited HD DVD functionality, and subpar soundtrack support, to name the main ones. The worst part, of course, is the $1,200 price tag, which means you could buy both a Blu-ray capable PS3 ($600) and an Xbox360 ($400) with the HD DVD add-on drive ($200) for the same price--and get two high-performance game consoles for 'free.'" 'Nuff said. A pair of newer universal players, the Samsung BD-UP5000 and LG BH200, are already on the market, but there's no denying they owe a lot to the trailblazing (albeit flawed) BH100.