Elgato ships 1080p-friendly Turbo.264 HD video conversion dongle
by Darren Murph 
posted Mar 19th 2009 at 6:11PM
[Via Electricpig]
conversion posts
[Via Electricpig]
DDD chip makes all your old 2D video 3D automatically
by Richard Lawler posted Dec 27th 2008 at 8:06AM
Add another to the CES must-see list, as DDD TriDef and Altera have teamed up to create automatic 2D-to-3D converting processors. Slated to run demos on a 46-inch Hyundai IT 3D LCD , the opportunity for plug and play 3D could make for an easy transition, just like the jump to HD (ha!) While you collectively shudder from horrible memories of the old days of high definition, we'll ponder whether this is the same sterescopic 3D chip Samsung is testing with an eye towards a late '09 release. Considering their long track record with DDD finding this hardware a home next to your MediaLive Digital Media Adapter doesn't seem to be entirely unreasonable speculation.Night of the Living Dead (1968) returning in 3D to theaters, DVD & downloads next year
by Richard Lawler posted Dec 24th 2008 at 5:16PM
Not satisfied with simply colorizing and restoring old black & white films, Legend Films is making the jump to 3D, teaming up with PassmoreLab to bring Night of the Living Dead (the original 1968 flick, now colorized, not the 2006 3D remake) to 3D screens near you. By that we mean, really near you, after a limited run in theaters starting April 1, 2009 the new version is coming to DVD and downloads (including allegedly hilarious commentary from former MST3K talent, if that's what you're into.) Legend Films prez Barry Sandrew is calling it the first full-live action feature film to be converted from 2D to 3D, now that a film most have already seen making the jump, is this enough for you to buy into the 3D hype?D-PA relaunches to hasten 2011 DTV cutover in Japan
by Darren Murph posted Apr 10th 2007 at 9:24AM
Yes, the beginning of the end if officially upon us, and yes, the Japanese are still probably more interested in colonizing the moon with robots than worrying over that pesky DTV cutover, but "a stronger and larger Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (D-PA) will be relaunched next month, merging two separate organizations" in an effort to "speed up" the adoption of Digital TV. The newly-formed entity is now supported by "local broadcasters, mobile phone service providers, and TV manufacturers," and essentially hopes to broaden the marketing efforts in order to "achieve a target goal of 30 million DTV sets sold in Japan by March 2008, or about 63-percent of the country's 48 million households." Of course, the D-PA should probably get started on fleshing out an actual set of guidelines for making the switch by 2011 if they hope to garner any sort of following, but they should really take heart in the fact that they've got an extra 24 months to get things in order compared to we Americans.Eurovision successfully transmits US HD feed to Europeans
by Darren Murph posted Dec 10th 2006 at 7:48AM
As if there wasn't enough variations of HD feeds, and the fact that NTSC and PAL just can't seem to get along, the last thing the blokes across the pond want (or need) is another complication when it comes to catching American sports on their HD sets. Thankfully, Eurovision is not only sparing everyone the trouble, it has reportedly claimed a victory in the typically messy conversion game. The global network operator has apparently transmitted HDTV coverage of NHL and NBA games shot in America to Europe, all without down-converting to NTSC in the process. The content originated in 1080i/60, and was rebroadcasted in the UK-friendly 1080i/50 format, all while keeping users on both ends thoroughly pleased. Eurovision's head of production and services, Tony Naets, proclaimed that Europeans who witnessed the converted coverage "were delighted with the results, which included the ingest of the original coverage through the resources of Eurovision Americas in Washington, the conversion from the original broadcast format to 1080i/50, and the transport of the converted signal via our dedicated transatlantic fiber to the European uplink." While quite a mouthful, we think we dig what he's saying, and as soon as Europe sends a few of its own HD Digital TV converter coupons: Who gets them and how much?
by Richard Lawler posted Jul 25th 2006 at 7:22PM
There's been a lot of concern over the upcoming digital broadcast conversion and how it will affect those who currently get TV via over-the-air broadcast and haven't upgraded to sets with digital tuners. Under the proposal recently submitted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, only homes that do not have cable or satellite TV currently would be eligible for coupons to reduce the price of two boxes by $40 each. That might not seem fair to people who have say, one cable TV and that one TV in the basement/attic that you could always use to watch the game on Sunday if need be. Luckily if you disagree with the proposal -- which you can read in its entirety here -- they are inviting public comment.Check out the FAQ for info on how to make your voice heard, much like us they will publish your comments on the website for all to see. Sort of makes you wonder why the government doesn't just start up a blog for this kind of thing.
