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Sonos Playbar Advertises Wireless HiFi Simplicity and Expandability[teaser]Nine-speaker sound bar offers wireless expansion and streaming.[/teaser] Sonos has built a product line with an emphasis on wireless capabilities. With the Playbar, Sonos is really offering a hybrid sound bar. One the one hand, the Playbar is ready to replace paltry TV speakers for booming stereo sound for anyone, even those users made dizzy by a traditional receiver set-up. On the other hand, the system supports wireless streaming for audio playback, wireless smartphone control, wireless/wired multi-room audio networking, and wireless expansion to a either a 3.1 or 5.1 set-up. Sonos, Inc CEO John MacFarlane, "Sonos has transformed the way people listen to music throughout the home and now we’re bringing our wireless HiFi approach to home theater. PLAYBAR will change everything about the sound experience in your living room, bringing together amazing HiFi sound for your TV and wireless access to the world’s music in a radically simple way." The nine-speaker set-up breaks down into six mid-woofers and three tweeters, and is designed to project sound in two positions. The bar can be set in front of the TV or rotated 90 degrees for mounting without compromising the angles speaker design. The Playbar becomes a 3.1 system by adding The Sonos Wireless sub, and a 5.1 by adding a pair of Sonos Play:3 speakers. As a Sonos product, the potential for a multi-room audio set-up is just one-button and several purchases away from being realized. Even at $699, the Playbar depends on a optical jack for deriving Dolby Digital from the TV. Older TV sets are notorious for only supporting Dolby 2.0, so prospective buyers with 2008 era TVs should be wary. Still the Sonos' combination of audio quality, simple set-up and footprint, and advanced wireless capabilities may make the Sonos Playbar the best option for the right situations and family members. The Sonos Playbar is available to order here. Source: SonosPosted Thu Apr 18, 2013 at 09:30 AM PDT by: -
Can LG Bring Its Curved OLED TV to Market in 2013?[teaser]LG working to beat Samsung to market.[/teaser] The LG EA9800 represents the company's first attempt at a curved image-preserving OLED TV. The 55" "Paper Slim" design attempts to replicate the curved angle of cinema screens that when combined with the set's red, green, blue, and white organic LEDs hopes to increase viewer immersion. Kyung-Jin Kang, a lead engineer at LG's Home Electronics, "When you go to the cinema the screen is curved. By applying that to the TV you can enjoy being at the cinema in your living room." Naturally, the 55" screen size is just the beginning. Hung W.K. Shin, Home Electronics Product Communication Team Manger at LG, "We are preparing various types of curved TV. Not only 55-inch models but larger as well. Consumers will be most strongly immersed with this curve." As LG vies with Samsung, the immediate goal with OLED is to be first to market. Trusted Reviews has derived from several LG interviews that LG EA9800 is being be pushed for release this year, but the exact date is not yet known. Thomas Lee, LG’s Vice President of Home Entertainment, "curved TVs are coming in the second half of this year." Source: Trusted Reviews via The VergePosted Thu Apr 18, 2013 at 08:30 AM PDT by: -
'Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The next DC Comics animated movie will be based on the popular 'Flashpoint' storyline and will be released on Blu-ray this July. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers is readying 'Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox' for Blu-ray on July 30. When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event's temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman's Amazons and Aquaman's Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash's original timeline. "The Flashpoint Paradox has all the elements of another great film – dynamic forceful villains, treacherous twists and turns and internal tensions amongst heroes," said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Home Video Vice President, Family, Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. "Showcasing a cast that brings together some of today's popular primetime television actors with many fans' favorite voices from the original series, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is proud to release this title as the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie." The Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital Copy combo pack will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: A Flash in Time: Are there other dimensions? Can time travel get us there? And if The Flash existed, could he really travel through time? Interviews with experts in mythology, theoretical physics and top DC writers will examine the science and legacy of the storytelling behind the fiction; My Favorite Villians! The Flash Bad Guys: Acclaimed DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and others share their favorite Flash villains, giving viewers a glimpse into the Flash's world through the eyes of some of the nefarious characters he has encountered over the past 70 years; Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Audio Commentary; Sneak Peek at the next Dc Universe animated movie, spotlighting the cast and crew; and From the DC Comics Vault: Bonus cartoon episodes. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray combo is still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 30.Posted Thu Apr 18, 2013 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'Lord of the Flies' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed[teaser]Peter Brook's 1963 film based on the acclaimed novel by William Golding will hit Blu-ray this summer. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, the Criterion Collection is readying 'Lord of the Flies' for Blu-ray on July 16. In the hands of the renowned experimental theater director Peter Brook, William Golding’s legendary novel on the primitivism lurking beneath civilization becomes a film as raw and ragged as the lost boys at its center. The Blu-ray will feature a 4K digital transfer supervised by cameraman and editor Gerald Feil, an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and supplements include: Audio commentary featuring director Peter Brook, producer Lewis Allen, director of photography Tom Hollyman, and Feil; Audio recordings of William Golding reading from his novel Lord of the Flies, accompanied by the corresponding scenes from the film; Deleted scene, with optional commentary and reading by Golding; Interview with Brook from 2008; Collection of behind-the-scenes material, featuring home movies, screen tests, outtakes, and stills; New interview with Feil; Excerpt from Feil's 1972 documentary The Empty Space, showcasing Brook's theater methods; Something Queer in the Warehouse, a piece composed of never-before-seen footage shot by the boy actors during production, with new voice-over by Tom Gaman, who played Simon; Trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Geoffrey Macnab and an excerpt from Brook's book The Shifting Point. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Lord of the Flies' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 16.Posted Thu Apr 18, 2013 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Babette's Feast' and 'The Ice Storm' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Acclaimed films from Gabriel Axel and Ang Lee will be available on Criterion Blu-ray this July. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion has revealed 'Babette's Feast' for Blu-ray on July 23. At once a rousing paean to artistic creation, a delicate evocation of divine grace, and the ultimate film about food, the Oscar-winning 'Babette’s Feast' is a deeply beloved cinematic treasure. The Blu-ray will feature a 2K transfer, a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack, and supplements will include: New interview with actor Stéphane Audran; Karen Blixen: Storyteller, a 1995 documentary about the author of the film's source story, who wrote under the pen name Isak Dinesen; New visual essay by filmmaker Michael Almereyda; New interview with sociologist Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson about the significance of cuisine in French culture; Trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Mark Le Fanu and Dinesen's 1950 story. Criterion will also be bringing 'The Ice Storm' to Blu-ray on the same date. With clarity, subtlety, and a dose of wicked humor, Academy Award–winning director Ang Lee renders Rick Moody’s acclaimed novel of upper-middle-class American malaise as a trenchant, tragic cinematic portrait of lost souls. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video supervised and approved by director Ang Lee and director of photography Frederick Elmes, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Audio commentary featuring Lee and producer-screenwriter James Schamus; Documentary featuring interviews with actors Joan Allen, Kevin Kline, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Sigourney Weaver, and Elijah Wood; Interview with novelist Rick Moody; Deleted scenes; Footage from a 2007 event honoring Lee and Schamus at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image; Visual essays featuring interviews with the film’s cinematographer and production and costume designers; Theatrical trailer; and an essay by critic Bill Krohn. Suggested list price for each Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Babette's Feast' and 'The Ice Storm' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under July 23.Posted Wed Apr 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'The Devil's Backbone' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]Another Guillermo del Toro favorite will be getting the Criterion Blu-ray treatment with the fitting spine number of #666 in July. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion is preparing 'The Devil's Backbone' for Blu-ray on July 30. Set during the final week of the Spanish Civil War, 'The Devil’s Backbone' tells the tale of a ten-year-old boy who, after his freedom-fighting father is killed, is sent to a haunted rural orphanage full of terrible secrets. The Blu-ray will feature a 2K digital transfer approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Audio commentary featuring Del Toro; Video introduction by Del Toro from 2010; New interviews with Del Toro about the process of creating the ghost Santi and the drawings and designs made in preparation for the film; ¿Que es un fantasma?, a 2004 making-of documentary; Spanish Gothic, a 2010 interview with Del Toro about the genre and its influence on his work; Interactive director’s notebook, with Del Toro’s drawings and handwritten notes, along with interviews with the filmmaker; Four deleted scenes, with optional commentary; New featurette about the Spanish Civil War as evoked in the film; Program comparing Del Toro’s thumbnail sketches and Carlos Giménez’s storyboards with the final film; Trailer; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Mark Kermode; and a Blu-ray exclusive selected on-screen presentation of Del Toro’s thumbnail sketches alongside the sections of the final film they represent. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'The Devil's Backbone' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 30.Posted Wed Apr 17, 2013 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'The Life of Oharu' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed[teaser]Kenji Mizoguchi's 1952 drama is bound for Blu-ray in July. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, the Criterion Collection will proudly present 'The Life of Oharu' on Blu-ray on July 9. This epic portrait of an inexorable fall from grace, starring the incredibly talented Kinuyo Tanaka as an imperial lady-in-waiting who gradually descends to street prostitution, was the movie that gained its director international attention, ushering in a new golden period for him. The Blu-ray will feature a new 1080p digital transfer, an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and supplements include: Introductory commentary by scholar Dudley Andrew; Mizoguchi’s Art and the Demimonde, an illustrated audio essay featuring Dudley Andrew; Kinuyo Tanaka’s New Departure, a 2009 film by Koko Kajiyama documenting the actor’s 1949 goodwill tour of the United States; and a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Gilberto Perez. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'The Life of Oharu' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 9.Posted Wed Apr 17, 2013 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
Warner Bros. and Microsoft Agree to Bring Flixster to the Xbox 360[teaser]Flixtser on the 360 features Rotten Tomatoes scores and UltraViolet access. [/teaser] Even as the current generation of game consoles prepares to make way for successive models, the defining characteristic of the generation, the ability to add new functionality, shows no sign of waning. And thus Warner Bros. is bringing its robust digital film rental and ownership system, Flixster, to the 360. Flixster has been available for the PC, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms, and its 360 incarnation offers another way for consumers to access their UltraViolet digital film collection. At the same time, the discerning viewer can peruse Flixter's offers alongside Rotten Tomatoes ratings. Joe Greenstein, Co-Founder and President of Flixster, "The mission of UltraViolet is to allow consumers to enjoy their content on any device and platform they desire. Launching Flixster on Xbox is an exciting step forward for us as it's one of the most popular platforms for consumers to enjoy entertainment in their living room." The Flixster 360 is free to download but does require Xbox Live Gold membership for full access. Flixster features include the following: Buy or rent standard and high definition movies Browse current movie listings in theatres Watch high quality movie trailers Look up movie details, including film posters and synopses and Rotten Tomato scores Access “My Movies” (UltraViolet Playback) to easily sort and watch movies from a family’s UltraViolet movie collection Browse new and upcoming DVD releases Experience cinematic 5.1 surround sound with Dolby® Digital Plus ™, the audio standard for online and connected entertainment Naturally, Flixster for the 360 supports Kinect for voice and gesture control and is available now on the Xbox Marketplace. Source: EngadgetPosted Wed Apr 17, 2013 at 05:30 AM PDT by: -
'The Amityville Horror Trilogy' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The walls will bleed in a Blu-ray horror triple feature expected to be released before Halloween! [/teaser] In a recent Facebook post, Scream Factory has revealed that they are planning to bring 'The Amityville Horror Trilogy' to Blu-ray sometime before Halloween. This set will include 'The Amityville Horror,' 'Amityville II: The Possession,' and 'Amityville 3-D.' However, it is unclear whether or not 'Amityville 3-D' will be presented in 3D at this time. Specs, supplements, suggested list price, and a release date have not been set yet. You can find the latest specs for 'The Amityville Horror Trilogy' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under PENDING.Posted Tue Apr 16, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'Scary Movie 5' Blu-ray Up for Pre-Order![teaser]The fifth chapter in the horror spoof franchise is now available for Blu-ray pre-order at Amazon! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, 'Scary Movie 5' is coming to Blu-ray in the near future. The comedy that takes jabs at horror films such as 'Paranormal Activity' stars Ashley Tisdale, Lindsay Lohan, Mike Tyson, and Charlie Sheen. Specs, supplements, and a release date have not been set yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $39.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Scary Movie 5' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under PENDING.Posted Tue Apr 16, 2013 at 10:00 AM PDT by:
