After making sure there was a domain name locked down for Epix, the new premium movie network formed by Studio 3 Networks (Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM) it was all about taking advantage of an early peek at the 720p Flash powered site to see what a new generation of home movie distribution has to offer. The tech end (opening up to invited users this week for beta testing) is powered by Akamai's variable bitrate streaming streaming technology, delivering up to 3mbps HD video with stereo audio all the way down (6 different levels) to 500kbps encodes. Where it surpasses current online offerings from the competition is the ability, thanks to the aforementioned studio backers, to provide many of the recent movies you want to see. Our impressions of the service and a few more pictures of the interface are after the break.

It's been some time since CES 2009 and the requisite flood of brand new Blu-ray hardware flooding store shelves. Now that most of them are for sale, Scott has the same question I'm sure many of us are wondering - which one is the best?

"I'm finally ready to jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon and move up from DVDs, but I have no idea which player to buy. I'm not really looking for a universal player like the BDP-83, and I'm not sold on streaming services just yet and I'm not in need of discrete analog outs. I just want a high quality picture, support for all the audio codecs and fast load times. With a budget of around $300, where should I turn for the Blu-ray player that fits me, or should I just grab a PS3?"

You have your mission if you choose to accept it, now that many of us have some hands on time with the latest and greatest hardware so let him know which one you like.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

It may be easiest to bang on those cable carriers who all seem to hop on the price hike bandwagon at the same time, but AT&T's making a name for itself in the up, up, up department. Shortly after hearing that a few U-verse TV components would be priced higher come February, we're now clued in to the fact that U-verse users will no longer have gratis access to Flickr Pro. Beginning on January 31, 2009, those currently using a Flickr Pro account will downgraded to the free version of Flickr unless they opt to pay the $25 yearly fee. Who knows -- maybe not enough users were taking advantage? Either way, the news sure bites for those who've been enjoying it on the house.

[Thanks, Justin]

We're longtime fans of active fully powered loudspeakers primarily because they allow the manufacturer to get the best sonics by optimizing the speaker-amplifier integration and also they make cabling the system up a little nicer, too (interconnects are thinner and more flexible than speaker cables in our system). So MartinLogan's move to putting a 150-Watt amp in its Feature LCR (wall-mountable, too) speaker to power up the electrostatic membrane, dome tweeter and dual 5.25-inch woofers should be good for the target high-end audience -- great sound, a tidy install and we imagine at $1695 each, a nice margin for MartinLogan. You didn't think you were going to get into electrostats on the cheap, did you?

EDIT: MartinLogan is keeping us honest -- "active" would imply an adjustable crossover, which these speakers do not have; so "fully powered" it is!

Now that the big three have been out for quite some time (though securing the white one is still somewhat problematic, we hear), we figured it was a good time to throw this question out for folks finally looking to make their pick and snag a console:

"I've got a satisfactory HDTV now that I enjoy HD programming and Blu-ray movies on, but I'm getting the itch to pick up a console as well. Obviously, the only two out there that can really support HD gaming are the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, though I'm not ruling the Wii out completely. I know the PS3 would seem a no-brainer if I didn't already have a BD player, but removing that from the equation, which is likely to suit the HD lover best?"

Drop those gamepads and get over here -- this fellow needs some advice! Does the gameplay on Nintendo's unit trump the woefully underpowered hardware? Is the Xbox 360 superior to the PS3 graphically? Sound off however you'd like, just keep the fanboy comments to yourself.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

CES is an epic event, and after walking the show floor, sitting through press conferences and reading enough press releases to last us a lifetime, these are the products that made the most lasting impression, good or bad. Pioneer's extreme contrast concept was without a doubt the most impressive item on display, and left more than one person saying they'd seen their next HDTV. Size still matters, Panasonic had the biggest and Pioneer had the slimmest. XStreamHD was best and worst by making great promises, but failing to deliver when we stopped by for a demo. Finally, HD DVD's pre-CES disappointment -- and subsequent press conference cancellation -- left a pall hanging over the booth, no matter how many people were there.

Best:
Tru2way TVs at CES 2008
Hands-on with Pioneer's extreme contrast concept plasma
Hands-on with the Pioneer 9mm-thick Kuro plasma
Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive
DirecTV's PC tuner (HDPC-20) is real!
Eyes-on with Samsung's 31-inch and 14-inch OLED TVs -- take that Sony
Panasonic's gigantic 150-inch plasma is official!
XstreamHD details continue to emerge
Hands-on with Marantz's first Blu-ray player, the BD8002
Hands-on with HD video podcasts on an HD TiVo
Logitech launches Harmony One
Sharp rolls out SE94U Aquos series w/ Aquos Net
MusicGiants launches VideoGiants, with HD movies from Paramount

Worst:
XStreamHD's CES 2008 booth tour
HD DVD's CES 2008 booth tour
Philips' new LCD lineup continues to not impress
Mustek intros the BD-100, aka Sharp BD-HP20S

Whether plasma is back, or never left is up for argument, but don't think LCD took CES 2008 sitting down. Vizio upgraded the specs on its bargain LCDs, and even Panasonic showed some love. PDP prototypes might have been bigger and skinnier, but 2008 is the year we'll actually be able to buy a 108-inch LCD from Sharp, a 1.5-inch thin screen from Hitachi, or even a Quad HD panel from Westinghouse.

Sharp pushes out more Aquos LCDs
Sony refreshes Bravia line with 17 new models, Digital Media Extender
Philips' new LCD lineup continues to not impress
Sharp promises to bring its 108-inch LCD to market in '08
Samsung intros new 1080p LCD HDTVs, Ethernet / interactivity included
Panasonic reveals five new LCD HDTVs at CES
Sharp launches 32-inch LC-32GP3U LCD at gamers
LG takes thin to the next level with the 1.7-inch LGX LCD HDTV
Toshiba announces slew of LCDs for 2008: hands-on and video
Vizio's new Evolution Series LCD HDTVs
Vizio announces stylish Envy LCD HDTV lineup
Vizio intros Black Tie LCD lineup with 120Hz, MEMC technology
Vizio intros Jive surround for LCDs
JVC P-Series LCD line rocks iPod docks
JVC intros 42-inch LT-42SL89 / 46-inch LT-46SL89 LCD HDTVs
Hitachi Ultra Thin 1.5 LCD lineup headed for CES
Eyes-on with Westinghouse's Quad HD displays

Sure 1080p video and various iterations of surround sound audio are nice, but we've been waiting to see more interactive BD-J and HDi (or is it Advanced Navigation?) features on next gen discs, and Universal is bringing just that with their next two high profile releases. Children of Men hits first on March 27th and will let viewers watch the video billboard ads shown in the film, in their entirety, rather than just the short clips visible in the movie. Smokin' Aces follows on April 17th and features a Google Earth tie-in to show the location of each assassin during the film. VideoBusiness got the heads up from Microsoft's director of HD DVD evangelism, who also noted we expect to see three HD DVD titles featuring internet connectivity this year and that these movies "just scratch the surface". The HD DVD camp will need to do a few things Blu-ray isn't in order to keep pace in the format war, we'll see if extra features prove to be a difference between the two.

It's hard to decide. We're seeing so many great HDTVs every day like these two giants -- and some not so giant -- but still, which one of these screens would we rather take home? On the left we've got Samsung's old school 102-inch plasma, on the right Sharp's new 108-inch 1080p Aquos LCD. Some people could be content with a mere 102-inch or even 103-inch screen and prefer plasma to LCD, but with 120Hz motion and other advancements coming off of Sharp's 8th-generation manufacturing line its impossible to say no to the new size king in town. Check out the gallery for a couple more pictures of both.

Because CES really is nothing without some enormous prototype displays hanging on the wall and we have a Pokemon Snap-style desire to catch each one in its habitat.. This one is Sony's recently announced 82-inch Bravia. While it's only a prototype for now, we wouldn't be surprised to see HDTVs this size and bigger become available later next year when Sony and Samsung have an 8G plant like their competitors over at Sharp. As far as we're concerned, this 120Hz refresh LED-backlit x.v.Color compatible screen can't hit shelves soon enough.

Some people need bigger and better LCDs, but we're just fine with the 27-inch prototype Sony mentioned during its press conference yesterday. With a contrast ratio of greater than 1,000,000:1 (not a misprint) to go with its 1080p resolution, and >100% NTSC color reproduction, we'll take this Organic LED great looks in a small package any day. We promised to hunt it down on the show floor and so we did, finding it hiding amongst a rookery of 11-inch displays. Take a look at the gallery for a few more shots of this HDTV and hope it hits shelves someday.

Monster, same company that brings you those high-priced but still high-quality cables, has taken one of the best remotes Harmony offers and made it their own. We didn't think this was possible but, sure 'nough, they did. It's hard to say if their incarnation is a 100% improvement on the already amazing Harmony 890 but multiple system control and a slick lighting system are welcomed additions. The remote does carry the standard Monster sticker price but you know what, it just might be worth it. Read on for the full review.

Samsung's first go at throwing out the traditional 4,000 hour DLP bulb and color wheel in favor of a cluster of red, green and blue long life LEDs seems to be a success. We have been enjoying the HLS-5679W for a week or two and got to say up front, it has a great picture – post calibration. Just like most other HDTVs, the out-of-box color is horribly wrong, but thankfully it can be adjusted easy and once done produces an outstanding picture. Keep in mind we are saying that the picture quality is great as the HDTV as a whole is not without flaws; continue reading for the full review.

UPDATE: There is a common thread running through all users questions/comments: how does this set compair to Sony's new SXRDs. I can't say for the XBR line as they are just now shipping but as far as the A2000 line, this set seems just as clear and bright as those sets. It would be hard to tell which one is 'better' without 'em side by side but I can say this DLP does provide what seems to be better color uniformity then the bright SXRDs. However, this set is priced to compete with the higher quality XBR line so we will have to wait and see how those new sets look. Thanks for the questions and keep 'em coming.

BTW, you can win one of these brand spanking new HDTVs here.

Coming directly on the heels of Fox announcing we will see Blu-ray Java enabled movies in 2006, the Blu-ray Disc Association has announce Sun Microsystems is joining the Board of Directors. Sun will continue to play a key role in supporting content providers enabling BD-J support in future Blu-ray releases. Reuters reports that the BDA is looking for "more muscle" to join with the various CE manufacturers and content companies although they did not indicate who that is specifically. If this truly leads to more announcements like the one earlier today and advanced BD-J features in an increasing number of Blu-ray movies then we applaud the move.

Read - 20th Century Fox, Sun, Time Warner boost Blu-ray - Reuters
Read - Blu-ray Disc Association Welcomes Sun Microsystems as Newest Board Member - BusinessWire

Fox has announced they are jumping into the Blu-ray market in a big way this fall, with eight titles scheduled and the debut of many of the advanced features we've been expecting to see from Blu-ray since launch. Slated to launch just ahead of the Playstion 3 in Japan November 10th followed by North America, Europe and Australia release on November 14th, all of the movies will carry an MSRP of $39.98 and appear to be well worth it. Also announced today is the day-and-date with the DVD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown on Blu-ray November 21st. The rundown of the titles and their features is as follows:

• Behind Enemy Lines: BD-J authored, DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and MPEG-4 compression. Includes several director commentaries and HD trailers for coming BD releases.
• Fantastic Four: DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, HD Trailers, HDMV authored.
  
• Kingdom of Heaven (Directors Cut): 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc to accommodate the 3 hour 42 minute movie DTS HD Master Lossless Audio, HDMV authored.
  
• Kiss of the Dragon: Director commentaries, HDMV authored, HD Trailers.
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: BD-J authored, MPEG-4 AVC compression, special features including search index by actor/character/location and more, a first-person shooter game, up to 99 bookmarks, pop up animated trivia game and HD trailers.
• The Omen (666): DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, director commentaries plus BD-exclusive pop-up trivia track The Devils Footnotes exploring the history of 666.
• Speed: BD-J authored, DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, 56 category search index, Speed: Take Down Java game with six play modes and HD trailers.
• The Transporter: DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, HDMV authored, director commentaries, HD trailers.

Twentieth Century Fox is obviously going the extra mile to show what Blu-ray can do in these initial releases, with features even Sony Pictures has put off until 2007 like BD-J. As the press release states, these titles and features have been chosen specifically to appeal to buyers of the Playstation 3 and Blu-ray early adopters. While you may be familiar with Blu-ray's advanced Blu-ray Java features obviously present in the BD-J authored releases, if you're unfamiliar with HDMV, that is the term for discs authored with simpler menus more reminiscent of traditional DVDs. While HD DVD has undoubtedly outclassed Blu-ray up to this point, it looks like the BDA's first strike back will come in November.