We told you that ATI's reinvigorated All-in-Wonder would be hitting the streets in late July, and sure enough, Diamond Multimedia is first out of the gate with versions of its own. The All-In-Wonder and the All-In-Wonder Premium iterations are both slated to hit reputable e-tailers "soon," with the latter unit including a bundled remote and an input / output board with an array of easy access connections. As expected, each card will boast 512MB of DDR2 memory, a clock speed of 725MHz and a single hybrid tuner for capturing local NTSC / ATSC broadcasts and ClearQAM signals. Unfortunately, the most pressing piece (ahem, price) was omitted.

We kick things off talking about the Playstation Network's video downloads to the PS3 and PSP; it's a new service, but with pricing and terms that seem oddly familiar. Not as familiar, though, as ripping your own content -- which seems unlikely to ever go away, no matter how low the prices on recorded media gets. Our online Engadget HD community turned out in big numbers to make Amazon the favorite place to get Blu-ray discs, easily outpacing brick and mortar giant Best Buy. No tech podcast this week would be complete without mention of the iPhone, and we talk about the state of apps for the uber-gadget to automate your home, both commercial and open-source. For PCs, TotalMedia Theatre seems like a winner, even though it alienates the 64-bit crowd -- it's unfortunate, but we don't see much need for 64-bit addressing in Vista MCE, anyways. Despite losing AMC-14 earlier this year, DISH keeps rolling out HD channels, and by some counts has even pulled ahead of DirecTV. Also getting off the ground is CBS's new HD production studio, and we're waiting for the goodies that are to come after the premiere of CBS Evening News in HD. Like, for example, more Olympic coverage in HD! We all know HD sports are preferable to being at the live event, and it might be double true given the smog in China. We wrap up by giving our old pal TiVo a critical look -- the latest features are welcome, but they have a note of "what took you so long" to them.


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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
00:54 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 092 - 07.09.2008
07:09 - Playstation Network gets movie / TV download service, single sign-on across devices
11:38 - Study finds that one-third of consumers copy DVDs
16:39 - Warner set to lower Blu-ray Disc prices for the holidays
18:24 - Poll: Where do you buy your Blu-ray Discs?
19:49 - Microsoft adds Universal, NBC to Xbox Live Marketplace, calls #1 in HD
22:02 - iPhone App Store to host loads of home automation programs
27:25 - ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre gets reviewed, loved
30:37 - DISH to roll out 17 new HD channels on August 1st
33:38 - CBS News fleshes out high-def plans
35:10 - NBC lays out 2008 Beijing Olympics coverage plans
39:04 - TiVo's 9.4 update trickling out to Series 3 / TiVo HD users

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Some four months after The Price is Right made the leap to high-definition on Friday nights, the daytime variant of the famed game show has now followed suit. During today's first pricing game, host Drew Carey proudly proclaimed that the show was now airing in HD during the day, after which kids home from school and grandparents with TVs from 1982 celebrated and did nothing, respectively.

[Thanks, Justin]

Many have tried to be that other box that sits under your TV. You know, the DVD player, the cable box, the TiVo, the consoles are all well and good, but somebody somehow needs to solve they mystery of getting web and PC content onto your TV, and Kodak might be on the cusp of cracking it. Kodak's new Kodak Theatre HD Player is a simple, slick little box with multiple flash card slots, a USB port, and all the requisite home theater outputs like HDMI, component and all that. The unit can naturally shuffle through photos like there's no tomorrow, and includes wireless access to pull stuff off of Flickr feeds or your PC's hard drive, but there's also 720p video playback, online radio and what have you. The real clincher is that you won't be interacting with all this via a clunky d-pad remote, but instead there's an amazingly great gyroscopic mouse that makes the whole thing a joy to use. The $300 price tag might turn some people off when this lands in September, especially with no built-in storage, but we still think Kodak might have a winner on its hands.

Sure, it might shoot 720p video, but you aren't gonna catch indie filmmakers capturing the next low-budget masterpiece on Kodak's new Zi6 HD pocket video camera. The camera is Kodak's response to Pure Digital's Flip and Creative's Vado, complete with upright form factor, YouTube friendliness, simple as could be interface, a flip-out USB plug (with some surprising spring action), and, of course, totally shoddy video quality. The camera is powered by a pair of AA batteries, sports a 2.4-inch LCD, and can switch between VGA video, 30fps HD and 60fps HD. It'll sell for $180 in September, in black or pink, but there's only 128MB of memory on board -- you'll have to spring for an SD card if you want to do any substantial shooting.

This week, we get our grumpy on by attacking some news stories -- the portion of PS3 owners using their console to watch Blu-ray movies, those terribly loud and annoying commercials, the impending shift to 16:9 LCDs for notebooks and analyst predictions of a "tough road ahead" for tru2way. Our summertime crankiness sated, we then head into gear news: reviews of the Pioneer Elite plasma and HP's MediaSmart Media Center Extender. Speaking of Media Center, we spend some time covering impending changes coming this year, hopefully in two rollouts (with the first one as soon as this month). Finishing up, don't be fooled by the last NFL story -- it's really just an excuse to complain about HBO's lack of content.

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[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
02:34 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 091 - 07.02.2008
06:37 - 87% of PlayStation 3 owners watching Blu-ray movies? Survey says yes
09:20 - Loud commercials actually not that loud, just startling
12:49 - Widescreen LCDs going widescreen by 2010
17:56 - Analyst sees tough going for tru2way
22:18 - The HD Guru puts Pioneer's Pro-111FD plasma to the test
24:33 - HP's MediaSmart Connect gets reviewed
26:28 - No DirecTV HD for Vista Media Center until 2010?
31:45 - Are there two Vista Media Center updates due this year?
35:45 - Inside the NFL switching to HD on Showtime


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China is already seeing a phenomenal boost in high-def love thanks to its deep, intimate connection with the 2008 Olympic Games, but it seems the fanfare isn't planning to stop after the spectacle comes and goes. Reportedly, Shanghai Media Group -- the second largest media group in China -- is gearing up to launch a couple of free-to-air HD channels in time for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, but sadly, that's all the details that have surfaced thus far. On a grander scale, we're thrilled to see the high-definition seeds being planted in China; with a population like it has, a spark is probably all it needs to catch on.

Simmer down, North Americans / Europeans / Africans / etc. -- you should know this here deal is being reserved for those in Australia, so don't go ordering yourself a new Sammy without reading the fine print (or buying yourself a plane ticket). Reportedly, Samsung is looking to rival Sony's "Free PS3" promotion by tossing in a newly launched Foxtel iQ2 HD DVR for folks picking up a Samsung flat-panel HDTV and connecting to the HD+ service. Better still, Samsung will pick up the tab on the $200 connection fee as well. An official announcement of the partnership is expected within a fortnight, so if you've been looking to snag a new HDTV and make the dive into pay-HDTV, we'd hold off just a bit longer if you're even mildly fond of fantastic freebies.

[Via CNET]

And you thought Microsoft bringing back the SideWinder was gnarly. Announced today, AMD is resurrecting the long-standing AIW line with its first-ever high-definition variant: the $199 ATI All-in-Wonder HD. The PCI Express 2.0 card attempts to handle both PC gaming and HDTV duties by boasting specs like DirectX 10.1 support, a 725MHz engine clock, 600MHz memory clock and MPEG2 / VC-1 / H.264 video decoder acceleration. You'll also find Vista and AMD LIVE! certification badges to go along with the dual-link DVI port, HDMI jack (which supports 5.1 Dolby Digital transmission) and optional component video connectivity. As expected, users can capture live programs (as well as pause / rewind) in SD or HD over-the-air, and there's even support for ClearQAM. For those looking to take their clips elsewhere, the bundled Avivo software converts it for viewing on some of today's most popular handhelds (yes, including the iPod). Look for models from Diamond Multimedia and VisionTek to hit retailers in North America late next month. Full release after the jump.

It was a slow week for new in the HD world, so it makes for a short podcast. We are starting to get excited about the upcoming football season, with all the recent announcements of networks going all HD all the time in regards to America's most popular sport. We also talk up a bit of HD news locally and nationally. Vista Media Center gets a few mentions with a recent update and a new Extender becoming available for pre-order. And finally we talk up the iPhone as a remote, and a funky looking antenna.


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[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
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[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
00:55 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 088 - 06.11.2008
08:14 - All live 2008 NCAA Football games on ABC / ESPN networks to air in HD
08:40 - All FSN's College Football games will be presented in HD
08:56 - Raycom airing all SEC football, select basketball games in HD
12:41 - CBS Evening News preps HD control room for debut
17:16 - Microsoft releases a patch for the "broadcast flag"
20:35 - HP MediaSmart Connect brings digital media to your HDTV
23:13 - Turn your iPhone into a remote for $250
29:35 - Antennas Direct taking preorders for ClearStream2 OTA antenna


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You've known this day was coming, but it still has to feel good to have a hard figure to wrap your noodle around. Foxtel's HD+ is reportedly set to go live on June 22nd, with an HD VOD service and two puny HD tiers available at launch. The first tier consists of Fox Sports HD and ESPN HD, while the HD Explore package includes footage from BBC HD, National Geographic HD and Discovery HD. The tiers will set you back AUD $9.95 each per month (or AUD $14.95 for both), but how on Earth could you resist seeing the World Cup Qualifier between Australia and China in glorious high-definition this Sunday? That's right, you can't.

[Via iTWire]

Tons of fun this week for HTPC Blu-ray fans as they get new ways to enjoy the best audio quality the format has to offer, but we're still waiting for a better solution. Lots of video download boxes in the news this week, but we're still not sold on any of 'em. The other thing that isn't selling us, are those annoying commercials as we talk up our biggest gripes with the advertising industry. Finally we both lament in our own provider's news as Cox is starting to use SDV and FiOS is finally adding more HD channels.


Get the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
[Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
07:31 - With some help from Realtek, PowerDVD will support 24-bit lossless audio
09:44 - ASUS intros HDMI-equipped Xonar HDAV1.3 sound card
13:44 - Samsung BD-P1500 review
17:24 - How are back catalog titles chosen for Blu-ray release?
23:36 - Ask Engadget HD: Which movie set-top-box is best?
24:45 - Netflix Player, Apple TV and VUDU compared: movie STB shootout
26:42 - Poll: What's the most annoying form of advertising?
30:19 - Discovery's When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions series debuts tonight
32:09 - Just say no to HDTV?
33:31 - Cox to give Phoenix TiVo users free tuning adapter to cope with SDV
36:42 - Rumor confirmed: FiOS TV to add 27 new HD channels in July

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Ah, it feels good to get back into the swing of things as we crank out a second podcast two weeks in a row right after our long hiatus. We were a little more on the ball this week as we talked up some interestingly odd Toshiba news, that Ben refuses to believe. There are also a few more Blu-ray topics as we approach a Summer of Blu. We also get on to our new favorite topics, like trashing digital downloads and TiVo. Then we finish things up by cracking on our least favorite brand as one of Philip's latest HDTVs receives a pretty bad review.


Get the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
[Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
08:03 - Toshiba knows no shame, plans to release super-resolution DVD player
10:16 - Transformers Blu-ray edition gets detailed, confirmed for September launch
15:22 - Jack Ryan to finally go Blu in July
16:52 - Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending May 25th, 2008
22:58 - Poll: Are you replacing your DVDs with Blu-ray Discs?
26:09 - VUDU's v1.5 firmware update brings along costly rental extensions
27:28 - TiVo's Tom Rogers speaks of "whole home model"
36:08 - DISH Network's EchoStar XI heads to Sea Launch for summer liftoff
37:13 - Hauppauge HD-PVR now shipping
39:21 - Philips' 42-inch 1080p 42PFL5603D LCD TV reviewed

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It's no secret that DISH Network has seen better quarters than Q1 2008, but CEO Charlie Ergen is already outlining ways to improve things in the future. On a recent conference call with analysts, Mr. Ergen reportedly acknowledged that DirecTV and telephone outfits "had garnered the lion's share of new customers in the first quarter." The infamous AMC-14 failure and a (relative) dearth of HD expansion options were both blamed. After realizing that operations and customer service were slipping in February, the exec became more involved with day-to-day procedures in an attempt to right the ship; however, he still felt that DISH "probably missed the HD window last year." Curiously enough, the satcaster has just recently felt the need to giveth and taketh away, but if it really can stay on track and deliver close to a hundred HD channels before 2009 dawns, we can certainly see things turning around.

[Image courtesy of Reference For Business]

For Aussies counting down the days until Foxtel's HD+ service goes live, here's a bit of good news to tide you over. That iQ2 HD set-top box is apparently right on schedule, with company bigwig Kim Williams stating that he was "very confident" that customers would be able to use said unit to access the looming HD+ service "well before June 30." Also of note, ongoing technical trials have been going quite well, with the last of the quirks reportedly ironed out just last week. Mr. Williams also confirmed that Foxtel's immediate plan after the iQ2 launch was to "deliver high-bit-rate, high-contention video (HD channels and HD VOD)," but sadly, he failed to mention specifics.