This isn't the first time we've heard of a Blu-ray release not exactly living up to the format it's being released on, but apparently purchasers of Gangs of New York are none too pleased with the BD transfer. It is noteworthy that this film had a pretty wretched DVD transfer, but it seems that those in charge of transferring it to Blu-ray didn't quite take the time to fix the issues that were already present. Sure, the BD version looks a touch better than the DVD edition, but we're still seeing loads of artifacts and noise... just at 1080p. Anyone else raging mad right about now, or is your copy not worth griping over?

[Thanks, Michael]

Apparently a number of Canadians who have purchased Juno in hopes of downloading a Digital Copy and hauling it around on the go are coming up empty handed. We're seeing reports of failed attempts to redeem the packaged code, resulting in error messages indicating that "This product is not available in the Canadian store." Initially, users were generally assuming the blame needed to be placed on Fox, but according to an e-mail reply from the Fox Digital Copy Support team, it indicated that "Apple [was] working" to fix the problem as quickly as possible. Any of you in the Great North dealing with the same issue? Have you seen this on more than just one occasion?

[Thanks, Nick]

We can't say we're shocked to hear it, but new data released by Symmetricom explains that cable operators have identified video quality problems as the primary reason customers call in with complaints. Potentially more disturbing, however, is the note that "only 31-percent [of carriers surveyed] said they use network monitoring tools to discover quality problems," while 61.9-percent learn of said issues via angry subscribers. As expected, these very facts are the same reasons given for high customer churn (along with high prices), and while 40-percent of respondents suggested that VOD is causing the most quality concerns today, 51.6-percent stated that HD is "expected to produce the most quality problems one year from now." Here's a tip -- stop shoving three HD channels on a single 6MHz slot, and we'd bet the quality complaints drop significantly.

[Image courtesy of Donna Earl Training]

Truthfully, the writing was on the wall -- after all, we've seen Verizon hit unexpected shortages on HD STBs, run completely out of Sharp AQUOS LCDs for its signup offer and create 335 new job openings in an attempt to get a handle on FiOS growth. All within three months. Now, it seems that customers are creating a hullabaloo due to all sorts of issues ranging from repeat over billings to discounts that never materialize to missing equipment. When questioned about the gripes (specifically in the Tampa Bay, FL region), Verizon's new head of operations in the area, Suri Surinder, noted that he was aware of the problems and said that fixing customer service was "a high priority." To be fair, this type of breakdown isn't uncommon when a product is so highly sought after, and from what we can tell, Verizon simply wasn't -- and still isn't -- prepared to deal with the influx of customers ditching satellite and cable to join the fiber revolution. Still, there's entirely too much competition in this space to do customers wrong -- have any of you been battling with Michael Bay's favorite programming provider over these very issues?

[Via TampaHDTV]

It seems The Man is still trying to hold CableCARD users down, as just a month after Bright House and Time Warner users in various locales were forced to either revert to a carrier-issued HD STB or lose out on a few HD channels, along comes Cablevision trying to do the same. This time, however, Cablevision / Optimum actually had the nerve to print up flyers and mail 'em out to CableCARD users informing them that they'll need to switch to the box they (likely) intentionally snubbed to begin with in order to catch the high-def action on the Voom HD family. Worse still, it tries to coax said users into ditching their card by offering an HD cable box gratis for a full year. Needless to say, SDV support for CableCARD can't come quickly enough.


[Thanks, Ramon]

This most certainly isn't the first time we've heard of a firmware update causing more harm than good, but apparently, the latest version -- which supposedly enables 1080p24 output on the HD-A30 / HD-A35 -- is creating all sorts of headaches. According to a lengthy thread over at AVS Forum, the HD DVD faithful that are hanging tight to their players are growing increasingly frustrated by the addition of jaggies on MPEG4 / AVC discs when played back in 1080p24 -- a problem that was also present in the last HD-XA2 firmware. Worse still, it seems as though Toshiba isn't stepping up to address the issue, and considering that its format has now passed away, many are wondering if a bona fide solution will ever surface. If you've been battling this very quirk, head on down to the read link to check out a few workarounds -- here's to hoping a real fix emerges in the not-too-distant future.

[Thanks, Colin H.]

Not even two months after Samsung rolled out a firmware update for its ailing BD-UP5000 Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player, the firm is at it again in an attempt to mend the issues that owners have been squabbling about since day one. Sammy doesn't provide any gory details about what exactly firmware v1.2 does -- all we're told is that it "fixes the network connection error [introduced in v1.1]." Still, its good to see some progress being made, but considering that there's no laundry list of solutions here, we've all ideas that there are still some strides left to be taken. Hit up the read link to get your download on, and be sure to chime in below with any changes / bug fixes.

[Thanks, Jim]

Although Time Warner has been handing out heaps of HD channels in the state of Ohio here lately, some subscribers could face a few headaches in the coming days. As of this week, the carrier is realigning its digital channels in order to "create a uniform lineup across all of its systems, including those it acquired from Adelphia." Unfortunately for customers, this means that they'll have to reprogram their DVR to record shows / series after the changes occur, and worse, it could affect some of the content already on there. When asked if the change would erase stored programs, a TWC spokesman (unsurprisingly) replied: "We're not sure." Weirder still, the company has actually gone so far as to post a how-to guide of transferring saved television shows from your DVR onto another medium (VHS, DVD, etc.), and it's encouraging subscribers to do so to ensure they don't lose any content. Um, thanks? [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

We had heard that some Shaw customers up north (that's Canada, to be precise) were having some serious quality issues with their HD programming towards the end of 2007, and according to a recent writeup by Digital Home, the problems haven't gone away -- entirely, at least. Apparently, the audio dropouts and macroblocking that seemed to be present on nearly every HD channel were finally brought to the attention of management, and while the bigwigs did proclaim that they were taking the complaints "very seriously," nothing had been done as of early January. After a six-week effort that consisted of gathering data from 38 volunteers experiencing the problems, users say that the audio issues have improved somewhat, yet visual quirks are persisting. Any problem that hangs around for months on end can't be good, but we're curious to see if Shaw's done anything since to improve matters. So, dear Canadians, has it?

[Image courtesy of Vidiot]

Uh oh, here we go again. Earlier this month, we heard a chorus of complaints from CableCARD Bright House customers that had four of their HD channels snatched out from under them, and now it looks like Time Warner Cable subscribers in Albany, New York will soon be dealing with the same. According to a recent note sent out to CableCARD users, the carrier plans to start delivering TBS HD, A&E HD and Universal HD via switched digital video (SDV) on March 18th. Considering that we're still waiting for support for SDV on CableCARD devices, TWC is advising these users to come on in and join the dark side -- er, pick up one of its own HD set-top-boxes that can handle two-way services (which SDV is). So, here's your options: concede and pick up a box (if only temporarily) from TWC, or stick with your CableCARD setup and go without this trio. Check the full letter after the jump. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Mark P.]

By our count, Panasonic's DMP-BD30 wasn't a half bad Blu-ray player from day one, but apparently, it just got a whole lot better. Effectively immediately, owners can surf on over to the firm's website and grab hold of the v1.6 firmware, which promises to fix the LFE audio issue that some were experiencing. Additionally, Panny informs us that BD-V (PiP) playability and HDMI compatibility are also improved upon, but no further details are given. Anxious to update? Head on down to the read link to get your download on, and stop on by the via to see how others have fared.

[Via AVSForum, thanks Brian L.]

Hey, Bright House CableCARD customers -- remember those eight HD channels that popped online back in September? Turns out, you were only supposed to receive half of 'em, and reportedly, four have actually been pulled after five newcomers were added in late January. According to Arthur Orduna, the senior vice president of product for BHN, it had decided to "not to deliver those channels [HGTV HD, TBS HD, The History Channel HD and Food Network HD] to CableCard customers" as it prepared for switched digital video, and apparently, the cable company is now allowing these very subscribers to trade their beloved CableCARD in for a ho hum HD DVR. Supposedly, this stopgap will enable customers to view the entire HD lineup while they wait for an "external adapter" to be rolled out which will allow CableCARD-ready TiVos to play nice with SDV. Sounds like a pretty complicated mess from here -- anyone down in the Sunshine state dealing with this here dilemma?

[Thanks, Celly and David]

When a program nets some 97.5 million viewers, the last thing you want as a broadcaster is trouble with your transmission. Nevertheless, reports are already starting to flow in from towns in which their local FOX affiliate or cable provider somehow bungled what's likely to go down as the biggest night in US sports for 2008. One report out of Kinston, North Carolina, noted that multiple disruptions during kickoff and most of the third quarter had customers at a local restaurant "cursing at the television." As for a particular family near Springfield, Missouri, it's actually considering "canceling the cable service" after SuddenLink's mishandling of the game forced them to watch it via "rabbit ears." Any of you experience unforeseen outages during Sunday's matchup? If so, are you planning a revolt at your carrier's doorstep, or have cooler heads prevailed?

[Image courtesy of WiredVision]
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It's really a bit hard to believe that this is anything more than a stunt, but apparently, Warner really has established a hotline to replace botched discs found in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. After waiting for ages to finally see the release, it appears that the title plays back in 1080i (rather than 1080p, as advertised) when the In Movie Experience (IME) is not activated. Interestingly, it seems that 1080p output is achieved when IME is active, which leads us to believe that two encodes of the movie are indeed on the disc. If you've been so unlucky, you can phone up Warner's customer support center at 1-800-553-6937 to request a replacement, and be sure to ask what's going on in the QA department while you're at it.

Although we just heard that the five-disc Complete Collector's Edition of Blade Runner was a solid buy for HD DVD aficionados, things aren't going so well for those hoping to enjoy the same experience on Blu-ray. Granted, we're sure the actual image / audio quality is up to snuff on the BD version, but in a mishap similar to that seen with the latest Harry Potter box set, some BD packages are apparently arriving with duplicated discs. More speficially, a growing number of individuals are claiming that their Disc 5 (correctly labeled as the rare Workprint edition) is actually a copy of Disc 1 (the Final Cut iteration). A surefire way to check is to see if your Disc 5 has a Dolby TrueHD track on it -- if so, you've received a mislabeled disc. Of course, considering the general unavailability of the Blu-ray set, simply exchanging these may prove difficult. We'll keep you posted if an official announcement is divulged.

[Via Blu-ray]