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Netflix CPO gets technical about encoding for streaming

by Darren Murph posted Nov 20th 2008 at 6:02AM


Go on, confess. If you're reading this now, chances are you have at least a passing interest in learning how all of this glorious streaming content actually gets to your TV set / computer while still managing to look at least halfway decent. If you're willing to be honest with yourself, there's a lot in the read link that you'll love. Without going too in-depth here (wouldn't want to scare anyone off, you know?), Netflix's Chief Product Officer covers the basics of first- and second-generation encoding as well as how it handles the wonderful high-def encodes that are used to deliver Watch Instantly content to the Xbox 360. Oh, and now that the New Xbox Experience is live, you can chime in below and let us know if all that hard work that's being done behind the scenes is paying dividends on your HDTV.

[Via CNET]

Pioneer intros Elite X-Z9 audio system

by Steven Kim posted Sep 12th 2007 at 12:32AM

Pioneer X-Z9
Pioneer hasn't forgotten the audiophiles out there, and their new X-Z9 is for those who still listen to stereo music. The X-Z9 combines a SACD/CD deck and integrated digital amplifier (50W to each channel) in one chassis. All you have to do is connect the included speakers and you've got an audio listening station. In case you prefer music of the ripped variety, there are additional inputs available: Sirius/XM; interoperation with a PC via Home Media Gallery; iPod integration and USB drives. Supported digital formats include WMA, MPEG4-AAC, MP3 and FLAC. Available in October for $1799.

Rotel unveils pricey 1080p upcoverting RDV-1093 DVD player

by Darren Murph posted Jan 6th 2007 at 1:43PM

For the person who just has to have everything, or is willing to spend more money to stick with DVD than cave in and buy two separate high definition players (or not), Rotel has announced the forthcoming RVD-1093 upscaling DVD player. The high-end boutique has cranked out yet another snazzy looking standalone flagship device, which touts 1080p upcoverting, a built-in scaler, HDMI, component / S-Video / composite outputs, and silkly smooth progressive scan playback. Additionally, the device plays nice with recordable discs, SVCDs, JPEGs, MP3 / WMA CDs, and even the lost-but-not-forgotten DVD-Audio format. To somewhat justify the lofty pricetag, the company points to its "switching power supply" which reportedly touts "an advanced pulse circuit and individually regulated supply stages to generate optimal voltages," and also boasts about the wideband DA converters, "Adaptive Geometrical Chroma Mapping," optical / coaxial digital audio outs, NTSC / PAL-compatibility, RS-232 interface, and discrete IR commands. We're still not entirely convinced this player is worth the $1,499 asking price, especially considering the forthcoming price drops in the Blu-ray arena, but those still interested can pick one up sometime this quarter.

Four new WMV HD trailers

by Matt Burns posted May 22nd 2006 at 1:47PM

Microsoft has added four new WMA HD clips to their online showcase. While they are not very long, they sure look pretty. If you want to see more then the couple of minutes that these clips show, you can purchase three of these discs via Amazon. In fact, this is a great way to enjoy high definition media right now without the HD DVD/Blu-ray battle. There are a few DVD players out there that can provide your HDTV with these discs in their full HD beauty. There is always a home theater PC to feed your high-def TV too.

Enjoy the show!

[via Chris Lanier's]




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