Skip to content

Bob Caswell

Media consumer, tech enthusiast, and gamer

  • Home
  • About
  • Toggle search form

Category: Media

Irony Alert: HD DVD Eases the Pain of Its Death for Owners

Posted on January 8, 2008August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 20 Comments on Irony Alert: HD DVD Eases the Pain of Its Death for Owners

HD DVD vs. Blu-rayBack in November, I asked for help in deciding between HD DVD and Blu-ray. I ended up choosing HD DVD via an amazing Amazon deal: HD DVD player and 10 HD DVDs for $174. (That deal is now over, but now there’s an even better deal: HD DVD player and 7 movies for only $132.)

But it wasn’t just the price being nearly half of any Blu-ray equivalent (check out Amazon’s Blu-ray page, where every player is well above $300 with not nearly as many included movies), it was other little things. For instance, HD DVD is region free. This means that any movies bought in Europe or the U.S. can work on any player bought anywhere as well. The same isn’t true for Blu-ray.

Read More “Irony Alert: HD DVD Eases the Pain of Its Death for Owners” »

Do-It-Yourself Tech, Media, Tech News

HD DVD Press Releases Before & After Blu-ray Warner Deal, Bloggers Already Giving Up On HD DVD

Posted on January 5, 2008August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 1 Comment on HD DVD Press Releases Before & After Blu-ray Warner Deal, Bloggers Already Giving Up On HD DVD

HD-DVD vs. Blu-rayRight on the heels of Warner Bros. announcing exclusive Blu-ray support comes news of HD DVD canceling its CES press conference due to its rival’s announcement. The HD DVD group previously invited attendants with this upbeat message:

“Please join us as we present exciting news and a sneak peak at what’s to come for 2008, featuring executives from the HD DVD Promotional Group: Intel, Microsoft, Paramount Home Entertainment, Toshiba, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video.”

Read More “HD DVD Press Releases Before & After Blu-ray Warner Deal, Bloggers Already Giving Up On HD DVD” »

Media, Tech News

Breaking: Blu-ray Gets Warner Bros. Movies Exclusively, HD DVD Left Relying on Low Price

Posted on January 4, 2008August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 7 Comments on Breaking: Blu-ray Gets Warner Bros. Movies Exclusively, HD DVD Left Relying on Low Price

Blu-rayAccording to Warner CEO Barry Meyer, this move is a “strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” and he also mentions that “the window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.” Warner movies will be released on both next generation formats (HD DVD and Blu-ray) until May 2008, but the studio will then go exclusively with Blu-ray.

Read More “Breaking: Blu-ray Gets Warner Bros. Movies Exclusively, HD DVD Left Relying on Low Price” »

Media, Sony, Tech News

Netflix TV Boxes Coming Soon + Netflix via Gaming Consoles

Posted on January 3, 2008August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 8 Comments on Netflix TV Boxes Coming Soon + Netflix via Gaming Consoles

Netflix LG InterfaceThe big news today is that Netflix and LG plan to market an LG-branded device (like a cable box) that will allow you to watch movies on your TV via Netflix streaming. Details are sketchy, but the product is to be available in the second half of this year.

And multiple sources are claiming that this magical device will play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, the two big next generation high definition rival formats that are incompatible with each other. LG already offers a Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player for $799, but some are hoping this new Netflix device will be priced much lower.

Read More “Netflix TV Boxes Coming Soon + Netflix via Gaming Consoles” »

Media, Netflix, Tech News

Why Blockbuster Total Access Doesn’t Work

Posted on December 21, 2007July 15, 2008 By Bob Caswell 14 Comments on Why Blockbuster Total Access Doesn’t Work

Blockbuster Total AccessIn theory, Blockbuster has a better offering than Netflix in that it “lets you rent online with the flexibility to exchange movies in-store, so you never have to wait for a movie.” That is, according to the marketing pitch plastered all over its homepage. But I decided to see just how “total” Total Access is, and I found it pretty lacking. In short, over half the movies in my Netflix queue are not available at my local Blockbuster.

Read More “Why Blockbuster Total Access Doesn’t Work” »

Media, Netflix, Tech Reviews

HD DVD Still Winning Price War vs. Blu-ray: Player & 10 Movies $219

Posted on December 12, 2007August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 16 Comments on HD DVD Still Winning Price War vs. Blu-ray: Player & 10 Movies $219

HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray(*Update* The deal mentioned in the title is over, but Amazon has an even better deal: HD DVD player & 7 Movies for $132.)

Today I came across this article by Joel Hruska at Ars Technica in which he links to this Blu-ray deal on Amazon and says the following:

“Samsung is hoping to tilt the scales in favor of Blu-ray; as of right now, Samsung’s BD-P1400 Blu-ray player is selling for $279 on Amazon, down from a $499 MSRP. That’s not so much a discount as it is a steal, and it drops the BD-P1400 squarely within the price range for an HD DVD box.”

I couldn’t help but respond with all of Amazon’s concurrent HD DVD deals, which happen to be much better than the above mentioned “steal.”

Read More “HD DVD Still Winning Price War vs. Blu-ray: Player & 10 Movies $219” »

Amazon, Do-It-Yourself Tech, Just For Fun, Media, Shopping, Sony

Internet Video & TV: Can they ever join forces successfully?

Posted on December 12, 2007August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 1 Comment on Internet Video & TV: Can they ever join forces successfully?

Sony TVWe here at TechConsumer are no strangers to trying new ways of getting quality entertainment onto our living room big screens. Regular old cable TV doesn’t cut it, what with frequent commercial breaks, horrible selection, and inopportune timing. Surprisingly (at least to us), though, cable TV is what most of the free world uses (the part of the free world with TVs, that is).

To recap, Logan reviewed using Amazon Unbox on TiVo without a computer, Paul reviewed using both CinemaNow and Vongo on the Xbox 360, and each of us took a turn at pointing out why Netflix is amazing. But each service has its disadvantage ranging from “too complicated” to “inconvenient” with “too expensive” and “too slow” somewhere in the middle.

Read More “Internet Video & TV: Can they ever join forces successfully?” »

Amazon, Apple, Do-It-Yourself Tech, Media, Microsoft, Netflix, Tech Reviews, Web 2.0

HD DVD’s New Feature: Watching Movies Together But Not In the Same Place

Posted on December 3, 2007August 20, 2008 By Bob Caswell 35 Comments on HD DVD’s New Feature: Watching Movies Together But Not In the Same Place

Harry Potter HD DVDPerhaps in an attempt to differentiate itself from Blu-ray, HD DVD tech wizards will launch the HD DVD version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with a new feature called “community screening.” The movie takes advantage of the fact that all HD DVD players are equipped with an Ethernet hookup (unlike Blu-ray, which has players that do not include network connectivity). “Community screening” is a way to watch a movie simultaneously with your friends while you’re each in the comfort of your own homes. Here’s how it works:

Read More “HD DVD’s New Feature: Watching Movies Together But Not In the Same Place” »

Gaming, Media, Sony, Tech News, Web 2.0

Posts pagination

Previous 1 … 5 6 7 … 10 Next
  • Amazon
  • Apple
  • Computers
  • Cyberlaw
  • Do-It-Yourself Tech
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • Google
  • Internet
  • Just For Fun
  • Media
  • Microsoft
  • Music
  • Netflix
  • Privacy
  • Shopping
  • Sony
  • Tech News
  • Tech Reviews
  • Web 2.0
  • Yahoo

Copyright © 2026 Bob Caswell.

Powered by PressBook Green WordPress theme

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
View preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}