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Poll: Did you like the new show V?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Nov 4th 2009 at 5:41PM

ABC V logo
The ratings are in and ABC's V was the highest rated series premier this season with a rating of 5.0, a 13 share which equals 13.9 million viewers. Of course this doesn't mean that many actually liked it and since we were pretty split here at Engadget HD, we wanted to know what you thought of this new Si-Fi show.

Did you like the new show V

Analyst: More HDTV owners getting a steady diet of high definition for every day viewing

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:43PM

Last seen belatedly dubbing HDTV "game changing" for 2008, analytical firm Knowledge Networks is back with its latest breaking observation, finding owners are 65% more likely now than they were two years ago to say they are watching HD programming daily. Up from 26% in an '07 survey to 43%, we sadly noted that amount of people that always check for the high definition feed instead of SD rose only slightly from 61% to 68% among the 510 surveyed. Seeing fair and balanced numbers on the appeal of stretch-o-vision (we already know how you feel about it) would have been nice, but check the press release to see the stats networks and advertisers are probably checking before deciding to spring for HD specifically broken down across genre and gender.

Poll: What is the best Blu-ray player?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 25th 2009 at 3:30PM

Blu-ray booth
With Christmas right around the corner and the CEA predicting that consumers will spend more on electronics this year then last, we have to wonder what our dear readers think is the best Blu-ray player. Of course the PS3 is the most obvious answer since it pulls double duty as a gaming device, but movie lovers might prefer a standalone with other streaming features like VUDU or Netflix. At the same time, home automation nuts might prefer a player with discrete IR codes or maybe an RS-232 port. So keeping everything include the price in mind, which is the best Blu-ray player?

What is the best Blu-ray player?

Poll: Where do you buy your Blu-ray discs now, if you buy them at all?

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 18th 2009 at 4:20PM


With Blu-ray disc adoption continuing to grow, we're wondering if your buying habits have changed. Last year Amazon ran away with the results, but it's 2009 now, Wal-mart has expanded its focus on Blu-ray (even nabbing the exclusive on TDK-style IMAX scenes for the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen release next week), Circuit City no longer exists and that weird guy in the white panel van even has a much better selection than he used to. So, where are you buying Blu-ray movies?

Where do you buy your Blu-ray discs? (2009)

Poll: What part of your home theater is getting upgraded this holiday season?

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 11th 2009 at 3:15PM


Blame Christmas Creep (© Tuesday Morning Quarterback), but we're already getting our Black Friday (R.I. P. KURO Friday) attack plan laid out. With prices diving and features spreading on Blu-ray players, receivers, LCDs and plasmas -- remember when a $1,000 42-inch 1024x768 plasma was a big deal? -- we figure you must have an idea of a big ticket item getting replaced in the next few months. Poll choices are for which component is getting added/swapped out sooner rather than later, let us know what product you're waiting for a price drop on in the comments.

What part of the home theater is getting upgraded this holiday season?

Poll: Would you rather see live 1080p or high quality 3D from your cable / satellite provider?

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 4th 2009 at 2:45PM


The technology exists, or will soon, the only question is how or if it should be used. We know it won't require a huge stretch for your provider to deliver 1080p broadcasts, and CableLabs is right in step with others trying to figure out how to bring 3D home, but as a viewer which one would you rather see? As always, write-in votes are allowed so don't be afraid of the comments section.

Poll: Would you rather see live 1080p or high quality 3D from your cable / satellite provider?

Poll: What's the most you'd pay for a quad HDTV tuner with CableCARD?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 14th 2009 at 11:55AM


Let's be clear right up front, we're not asking you how much you want to pay because we already know the answer; as little as possible. We want to know, what is the most you would pay. Now before you answer, lets put this into perspective. A dual tuner TiVo HD costs $300 at retail (plus subscription), a Moxi is $800 and the old ATI single CableCARD tuners were $300 -- so unlike the Ceton tuner, you'd have to rent four CableCARDs instead of just one. So keeping all that in mind, what is the most you'd pay for a single PCI-E card that could turn your Windows 7 PC and Xbox 360 into the best premium content HD DVR today?

What's the most you'd pay for a quad HDTV tuner with CableCARD?

Poll: Do you surf while you watch HDTV?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 5th 2009 at 12:00PM

Daybed surfing chair
According to a recent Nielsen report, 57 percent of US internet users reported that they've surfed the internet while watching TV. This sounds spot on to us, because we do it all the time. In fact we surf almost constantly while watching football to keep up with stats and fantasy teams, and have even been known to look up a forgotten character on Lostpedia while watching our favorite show. So are you as bad as us and record shows that you plan to playback while you have your laptop with you on the couch, or are we just weird. In the interest of full disclosure, this post was written in a room with no TV and was not influenced by any HD programming.

Do you surf while you watch HDTV?

Poll: Will you buy a PS3 Slim to use as a Blu-ray player?

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 29th 2009 at 12:00PM


Finally, it's official and in our hands for a review. Now you decide, with the addition of HDMI-CEC, bitstreaming for the latest codecs, and in a quieter smaller case (although it might be a little slower loading, for now) the PlayStation 3 Slim is better and cheaper than ever for your home theater. So let us know, is that enough to get you to purchase one?

PS3 Slim as a Blu-ray player....you getting one?

Poll: Which HDTV feature are you least concerned about?

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 23rd 2009 at 12:00PM Featured Story


It's that time of year, from now 'til CES a constant stream of new displays will finally be launched, touting specs, features and bullet points. Of course, once it's time to buy a new one we'll all have our own list of priorities, but which one is the least likely to make you consider a certain model? Whether it's a Hz race that doesn't concern you plasma fans, a complete disregard for useless contrast ratio measurements, or if you've already decided widgets aren't for you, let us know.

Which HDTV feature is LEAST likely to influence your buying decision?

Poll: What's the worst mistake HD channels make?

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 9th 2009 at 12:00PM


We've discussed it again and again, the ills done by so-called HD channels against perfectly good content, whether it's passing off SD as high definition with Fox Widescreen, vomit-inducing stretching on TNT & TBS or the inexcusable cropping, zooming and pan & scanning of movies broadcast on AMC and HBO. But which one is the worst? Let your voice be heard, and if we forgot anything drop us a line in the comments.

What's the worst mistake HD channels make?

Poll: Do you / will you use Windows Media Center in your home theater?

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 1st 2009 at 3:30PM


Now that we've gone in depth with Windows 7 Media Center, with enough pictures, videos and explanations to make your head spin, if you haven't already made the jump are you considering making it a part of your home theater? Talking about it on the podcast this week, cost was a big reason why not, but moving beyond that the benefits of customization, integration, multiroom and everything else it can do are very compelling. Let us know if you've tried it out and how you're feeling about the latest iteration of Media Center.

Do you / will you use Windows Media Center in your home theater?

Poll: Is Final Cut Pro an indication of more Blu-ray support coming from Apple?

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 25th 2009 at 2:00PM


Yeah we know, it's only been a month, but just like Apple and Microsoft, Apple and Blu-ray are the magic words, so when a smidgin of Blu-ray support popped up in the latest Final Cut Pro, we had to revisit the topic. Is everything properly lined up for a Blu-ray equipped Macbook, Apple TV or Mac Mini HD, or will it all be for naught once again?

Do you think Apple will start offering Blu-ray drives and playback anytime soon?

Poll: So how do YOU think Blu-ray is doing?

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 27th 2009 at 2:15PM


Why leave it to analysts and other, much less reliable, polls to gauge the impact of Blu-ray after a couple of year's on the market and where it's headed? We're taking it to the people, let us know what you think of Blu-ray so far. Still on track for mass market dominance and successfully supplanting DVD sales within a couple of years, or a doomed vestige of a bygone age that's just not convincing people to upgrade?

What do you think of Blu-ray's impact on the marketplace so far?

Harris Poll results indicate little Blu-ray interest, even as HDTV sales go up

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 19th 2009 at 10:39PM


Just some more data for you HD fans to pore over, as The Harris Poll talked to a couple thousand people in April and came away with statistics it claims show interest in Blu-ray is still "lukewarm." We're a little less than convinced, especially after reading over the press release that uses HD DVD to refer both to the dead format and all high def media as a whole in the same sentence, while mentioning that its stats show sales of HD DVD players are up over their 2008 marks by the same amount that Blu-ray is (excluding the PS3). Once you've gotten over that shock, there's also interesting stats showing the number of people planning to switch to Blu-ray in the next year is down to 7%, from 9% last year. Grab the PDF at the read link for the full breakdown, but we're not sure you'll give the survey any more credence than we do (not much.)




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