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HDD Gear Deal Spotlight: Up to 71% off Headphones, Portable Speakers, and Soundbars[teaser]Amazon is offering big discounts on select audio gear! [/teaser] As part of the online retailer's ongoing deals, Amazon is running a special sale on headphones, portable speakers, and soundbars from Jarv, Etekcity, Photive, TaoTronics, Bowers & Wilkins, Sony, and Polk Audio. Jarv Joggerz PRO Sports Bluetooth 4.1 Headphones - Currently $20 (71% off). Etekcity RoverBeats T12 Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - Currently $25 (67% off). Photive EB200 Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds - Currently $25 (64% off). TaoTronics 20W Boom X Premium Wireless Stereo Speaker - Currently $50 (62% off). Bowers & Wilkins P3 Recertified Headphones - Currently $90 (55% off). Sony HTCT380 300W 2.1 Sound Bar - Currently $248 (29% off). Sony HTCT780 330W 2.1 Sound Bar - Currently $348 (23% off). Polk Audio MagniFi One Sound Bar - Currently $250 (17% off). These deals will only be active for a limited time while supplies last. Make sure to stay tuned to High-Def Digest for more sales and special promotions!Posted Fri Mar 11, 2016 at 03:30 PM PST by: -
'American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson' Blu-ray Up for Pre-Order[teaser]Court will be back in session on Blu-ray later this year. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, 20th Century Fox is preparing 'American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson' for Blu-ray in 2016. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story goes inside the O.J. Simpson trial with a look at the legal teams battling to convict or acquit Simpson of double homicide. It explores how a combination of prosecution overconfidence, defense shrewdness, and the LAPD’s history with the city’s African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt. Specs and supplements have not been detailed yet. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $49.99. You can find the latest specs for 'American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under PENDING. Order the Blu-rayPosted Fri Mar 11, 2016 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
Tim Blake Nelson's 'Anesthesia' Bound for Blu-ray[teaser]The drama starring Sam Waterston and Kristen Stewart is coming to Blu-ray in May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MPI is preparing 'Anesthesia' for Blu-ray on May 3. A snowy New York City night, a beloved teacher, a shocking crime: this provocative drama pieces together the puzzle of a man's life just before it changes forever. While on his way home one evening, Walter Zarrow (Sam Waterston), a popular Columbia University philosophy professor, is violently attacked on the street. Flash back one week, as actor-director Tim Blake Nelson traces the domino effect of events that led up to this seemingly senseless assault. Along the way, hidden connections between a seemingly disparate group of people-including a self-destructive student (Kristen Stewart), a hard-drinking suburban housewife (Gretchen Mol), and a desperate junkie (K. Todd Freeman)-emerge, forming a complex, engrossing mosaic of lost souls united by tragedy. The stellar ensemble cast includes Glenn Close and Michael K. Williams. Specs and supplements have not been detailed yet. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Anesthesia' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 3. Order the Blu-rayPosted Fri Mar 11, 2016 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
Netflix Debuts Trailer for 'The Ranch' Starring Ashton Kutcher & Sam Elliott[teaser]The official trailer for the new streaming sitcom has been revealed. [/teaser] Netflix has released a trailer for its latest original series. 'The Ranch' is a multi-camera comedy show starring Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, and Sam Elliott. Set in present day on a Colorado ranch, the show follows Colt's (Kutcher) return home after a brief and failed semi- pro football career to run the family ranching business with his older brother Jameson "Rooster" (Masterson) and father Beau (Elliott), whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Winger stars as Colt's and Rooster's mother, Maggie, who runs the local town bar. 'The Ranch' is executive produced by Don Reo ('Two and Half Men,' 'My Wife and Kids') and Jim Patterson ('Two and a Half Men,' 'Mike and Molly'). Kutcher and Masterson serve as executive producers and co-executive producer respectively. The duo previously co-starred on 'That 70s Show,' which delighted audiences around the world for eight years with its wacky, knowing take on 1970s teen-dom. The first ten episodes of 'The Ranch' will premiere exclusively on Netflix on April 1. The series is then set to debut ten new episodes twice per year. Netflix also recently announced a new limited series from Steven Soderbergh called 'Godless,' a German supernatural drama series called 'Dark,' and a new anime series called 'Perfect Bones.' Recent Netflix premieres include season four of 'House of Cards' which launched on March 4. Upcoming premieres include season two of Marvel's 'Daredevil' which will debut on March 18, the original film 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday' which is also due on March 18, season two of 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' which is set for April 15, season two of 'Chef's Table' which is scheduled for May 27, and the documentary 'Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru' which arrives on July 15. A current Netflix subscription starts at $10 for HD streaming and $12 for Ultra HD streaming. Source: NetflixPosted Fri Mar 11, 2016 at 08:45 AM PST by: -
'A Perfect Day' Starring Benicio Del Toro Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The drama from director Fernando León de Aranoa is heading to Blu-ray in May.[/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MPI is preparing 'A Perfect Day' for Blu-ray on May 17. It's just another day on the job for a band of badass war zone rescue workers as they defy death and confront war's absurdities. The setting is 1995, "somewhere in the Balkans." Over the course of 24 breathless hours, Mambrú (Benicio del Toro), leads his team of humanitarians-including hard-bitten, wisecracking veteran B (Tim Robbins) and new recruit Sophie (Melanie Thierry)-as they deal with a most unexpected crisis, layers of bureaucratic red tape, and the reappearance of Mambrú's old flame (Olga Kurylenko). Through it all, the group handles the less-than-glamorous realities of life in a combat zone the only way they know how: with selfless bravery and a healthy dose of irreverent humor. Specs and supplements have not been detailed yet. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'A Perfect Day' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 17. Order the Blu-rayPosted Fri Mar 11, 2016 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Eytan Rockaway's 'The Abandoned' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]The horror flick starring Jason Patric and Louisa Krause is planned for Blu-ray in June. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Scream Factory will be releasing 'The Abandoned' on Blu-ray on June 7. Take a terrifying plunge into the warped mind of a disturbed young woman. Desperate to get her life back on track, the unstable Streak (Louisa Krause – Martha Marcy May Marlene) takes a job as a security guard, working the graveyard shift at a once upscale, now abandoned apartment complex. But on her first night on duty, she discovers a horrifying presence lurking deep within the bowels of the decaying building. With her nerves already on edge, Streak must confront demons both real and imagined as she struggles to keep a grip on her sanity. Jason Patric (The Losers, Narc) co-stars in this harrowing thrill ride. Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but the suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $22.97. You can find the latest specs for 'The Abandoned' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under June 7. Order the Blu-rayPosted Fri Mar 11, 2016 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
LG Announces April Launch for G5 Modular Smartphone[teaser]The company's first modular smartphone will start shipping next month. [/teaser] Following its official reveal at Mobile World Congress last month in Barcelona, LG has revealed a launch window for its new flagship mobile device. The G5 will hit the US market in early April. "You only have to wait a few weeks to get your hands on the LG G5. It's clear from the consumer polls being conducted by the media that people are incredibly excited about the phone and we're very proud of the practical innovations in the G5 and Friends as well," said Morris Lee, LG Electronics MobileComm's senior vice president and head of North American sales and marketing. "The rave responses to the LG G5 from the press and the industry are proof that the smartphone is exciting again and it is obvious that the LG G5 is well worth waiting for." The G5 features a 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and 554ppi. In addition, the panel includes Always-On tech which allows the screen to show the time and date continuously even when the G5 is in sleep mode. The smartphone incorporates a sleek, metal uni-body with a Slide-out Battery and a Modular Type design. Add-on modules that can be connected to the phone include the LG CAM Plus which offers a better grip and standalone camera controls, and the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY which is a portable HiFi DAC audio player. Under the hood, the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor, 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, and a 2,800mAh removable battery, all running Android 6.0. A standard rear 16MP camera, a second rear 135-degree wide angle 8MP camera, and a front 8MP camera are integrated as well. Beyond the smartphone and its add-on modules, LG has also announced several companion devices dubbed "LG Friends." Highlights of the lineup include the LG 360 VR goggles which can plug into the G5 to view VR content and simulate a 130-inch TV viewed from two meters away; and the LG 360 CAM which can record 360 degree 2K video and 5.1 surround channel audio. Though pricing has not been detailed yet, the smartphone will be available through a variety of retailers and carriers, including AT&T, Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile Stores, B&H, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon. Select companion products will be available in early April as well. In addition, LG is also offering G5 customers a free extra battery and battery-charging cradle as a limited time promotion. Source: LG via PR NewswirePosted Thu Mar 10, 2016 at 02:30 PM PST by: -
HDD Tests the RiffTrax App!HDD Tests the RiffTrax App! Some movies just have it coming! Hollywood makes hundreds of movies every single year. Some of them are good, some are just mediocre, others are downright awful. So what do you do with those big-budget blockbusters that are virtually unwatchable? The guys over at RiffTrax know what to do with those terrible movies! Started in 2006 by Mike Nelson of MST3k fame along with his co-stars Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, the new RiffTrax App makes enjoying your favorite bad movies a whole lot easier! Currently, RiffTrax is beta testing their automatic syncing app for iOS and Android platforms. All you need to do is download the app to your device and it currently comes pre-packed with all six riffs Mike, Kevin, and Bill recorded for the Star Wars films, free! The way the app works is by using your device's built-in microphone to detect the dialogue of the movie. After about thirty seconds or so, the track syncs up and in no time Mike, Kevin, and Bill are riffing away at midichlorians, Hayden Christensen's mullet braid, the hideous digital creatures, digital Jabba The Hutt, and everything else George Lucas' creations has to offer. Given that this is new territory for the guys at RiffTrax, the app understandably has some good points, but it also has some areas for improvement: On the plus side, the automatic synching works really, really well. Since the microphone is always listening for the movie dialogue, anytime the track may fall out of sync, it catches up really quickly. It's also nice not to have to monitor either your computer or mobile device throughout the movie. Since the app takes care of everything, all you have to do is sit back and laugh your socks off. If there is something that needs work for this App before it goes primetime, it's the 30 seconds of dialogue that the App requires for the RiffTrax to sync up to the movie. Take the six 'Star Wars' films for example, as anyone who has watched a Star Wars film knows that there are several minutes of the opening without dialogue. Consider that the RiffTrax guys make jokes the whole time, that's a lot of missed material. Since this is new tech for RiffTrax to be toying with, I wasn't expecting a top of the lineup, out of the park home run. However, thankfully this is a solid double base hit. When I first heard this App was on the way, I was excited but also a little worried at how well it would work. Thankfully the tech is there, it works, it just needs a little fine tuning. I'm sure the RiffTrax team is hard at work making various perfections so that when the full version is released, it'll be a well-oiled laugh machine! That said, if you're new to RiffTrax or have only heard a couple riffs, here are my 10 Favorite RiffTrax releases to help get you started: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: Picture a movie that features Spock wearing flying boots, a Vulcan with emotional issues on a quest to find God, and Uhura doing a sexy fan dance to distract some bad guys, and you have the makings for one of the lamest 'Star Trek' films ever made. There' s very little redeemable value with this movie making it ripe pickings for RiffTrax. Mike and Keven do a grand job taking this one apart and never miss the chance to chime in with their own impersonations of Shatner and DeForest Kelley. Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here The Happening: Considering the excess of really bad M. Night Shyamalan movies to come out, it was hard to pick just one of his movies the RiffTrax crew eviscerated. As bad as 'The Last Airbender' is, and they do a good job of making fun of it, Mike, Kevin, and Bill are in pitch perfect form with this one. From jokes about Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher to Zooey Deschanel's doe-eyed stare and John Leguizamo talking like he had a stroke, it's hard to get a full breath of air from laughing so hard. Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here Titanic: While it may well be one of the highest grossing movies of all time, 'Titanic' is also one of the most unintentionally hilarious films. Part of that has to do with the on-the-nose plot but also the shallow dialogue and hammy acting. Add all of those elements together and 'Titanic' has a big joke target painted on it's stern and Mike, Kevin and Bill are more than capable of exploiting the film's many flaws. As one of the longest movies for the trio to take on, they maintain the energy and prove themselves to be spry commentators never leaving a good joke hanging. Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here Any of the Transformers Movies: From 'Transformers' to 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' to 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon,' Mike Kevin and Bill have made short work of Michael Bay's cinematic adaptations of the beloved 80s cartoon. If you've watched any of these films, it's easy to see where and how they could be undone by the RiffTrax brand of humor and thankfully these riffs don't disappoint. Considering the range of quality of this franchise, the RiffTrax goes a long way towards making them a truly enjoyable experience. Get Your Blu-rays Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentaries Here Starship Troopers: This is a studio recording version of the first big-budget RiffTrax Live! event. Since they weren't able to get the rights to release that show on VOD, Blu-ray, or even just the theater recorded audio, we have to settle for this version, which is still hilarious. While a lot of people feel and defend the film as a work of satire to begin with, it's impossible to ignore the epic level of canned cheese on display. From the first minute to the last, the Mike, Kevin, and Bill toss off the jokes one after another and the results are fantastic. Even if you're an ardent fan of the film, it's easy to still appreciate what RiffTrax brings to the show. Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here Jurassic Park: Granted, this is probably one of my favorite movies from my childhood and I've seen it dozens of times, I can appreciate how easy it is to be made fun of. Mike along with special guest riffer Weird Al Yankovic do a great job at poking fun at the film while also appreciating that it still is a pretty good movie. My favorite knock is during the scene where our scientists see a dinosaur for the first time and Weird Al politely notes that they must not have very good peripheral vision if they failed to see a thirty foot dinosaur standing to the side of them! Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Without a doubt, this is the least liked entry in the entire 'Indiana Jones' franchise - making it perfect RiffTrax bait! From the opening prairie dogs to the drag racer with really big teeth to the nuclear refrigerator escape, Mike, Kevin, and Bill don't miss a chance to put this movie in its place. Add in their frequent gags about the presence of Shia LaBeouf and this stands as one of the funniest RiffTrax releases. I know it's a tall order for a number of people to even give 'Crystal Skull' another shot, but trust me, RiffTrax makes it worth it! Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here Anaconda: This is another studio recording of one of the RiffTrax Live! shows, and like 'Starship Troopers' it's absolutely hilarious. I've long loved this movie for exactly how cheesy bad it is. When you've got Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez and a sneering Jon Voight fighting a gigantic intermittently animatronic and digital snake you've got a great movie, add in a young Owen "Oh, wow!" Wilson and a comatose Eric Stoltz and the movie just gets better. The jokes fly a mile a minute as Mike, Kevin and Bill never fail to point out the film's numerous flaws, including a waterfall that goes backward because the filmmakers were too cheap to shoot a boat going in reverse! Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here The Twilight Saga: While some may think this series of star-crossed sparkly vampire lovers is a case of low-hanging fruit, but 'Twilight,' 'New Moon,' 'Eclipse,' and 'Breaking Dawn: Part 1 and 2' prove to provide Mike, Kevin and Bill with some of their best material. Each of the four films is a laugh a minute and it's darn near impossible to chose one over the other, so I lumped the whole franchise in together. If you had a hard time watching these movies in the first place, you now have a good reason to try them again! After all, you don't have to love them, you just have to laugh at them! Get Your Blu-rays Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentaries Here Road House: This seminal Patrick Swayze classic is one of the best/bad action movies ever made. Pain may not hurt, but Mike Nelson makes you hurt so good from the constant jokes. As the very first RiffTrax release, it still stands as one of the best. While numerous other bad movies have been riffed over the years, I keep coming back to this one because it is just that good. While I loved that the RiffTrax App included the six 'Star Wars' riffs, there's a big part of me that wished that it came packed with this one instead! If you've yet to hear a RiffTrax, this is the movie to start with! Get Your Blu-ray Here Get Your RiffTrax Commentary Here The wonderful thing about RiffTrax is they have done nearly 80 commentary tracks, making this list far from definitive - but it's a great place to start! When you have 'Point Break,' 'Over the Top,' and 'Glitter' among dozens others, you now have a great reason buy some guilty pleasure bad movies and some RiffTrax commentaries. The new RiffTrax App is just going to make getting your laugh fix easier!Posted Thu Mar 10, 2016 at 01:00 PM PST by: -
Charlie Kaufman's 'Anomalisa' Blu-ray Dated[teaser]The stop-motion film from directors Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman will arrive on Blu-ray in May. [/teaser]As previously reported, Paramount is preparing 'Anomalisa' for Blu-ray, and now the date has been set for May 3. From the Oscar-winner who brought you 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'Being John Malkovich' comes a riveting new masterpiece. Michael Stone – husband, father and noted author – travels to Cincinnati to speak at a customer service conference. But once he’s separated from the routine of his daily life, a chance encounter helps him to realize just what, and whom, he’s been missing. Love, laughter and loneliness align in Charlie Kaufman’s "staggeringly inventive" (Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly) stop-motion work of art. Specs have not been detailed yet, but supplements will include: None of Them are You: Crafting Anomalisa; Intimacy in Miniature; and The Sound of Unease. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo pack is $39.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Anomalisa' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 3. Order the Blu-rayPosted Thu Mar 10, 2016 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
First 4K Ultra HD Roku TVs Now Available at Best Buy, Prices Start at $400[teaser]Best Buy has released the first Roku Ultra HD TV models under their Insignia brand. [/teaser] Roku and Best Buy have announced the launch of the first 4K Ultra HD Roku TVs. Three Insignia models are now available exclusively through BestBuy.com, and availability will expand to Best Buy retail locations next month. The Insignia 4K Ultra HD Roku TVs are available in 43 inch, 50 inch, and 55 inch screen sizes. Each LED LCD panel features a resolution of 3840 x 2160 and a sleek bezel design. Likewise, the displays all use the Roku OS, offering a convenient smart TV experience with a personalized home screen and access to more than 3,000 streaming channels. Other unique Roku OS features include a comprehensive and unbiased universal search feature that helps users find availability and pricing for movies and TV shows across more than 25 top streaming channels; the Roku Feed which enables users to follow entertainment that they're interested in and be notified when it becomes available to stream; mobile device control through the free Roku app; Netflix and YouTube video casting support from mobile devices; and personal media sharing from mobile devices. In addition, the 4K Roku TVs have extra features to highlight Ultra HD viewing, including a 4K Spotlight Channel that provides instant access to a curated selection of 4K entertainment from a variety of streaming services. A 4K UHD category is also included within the Roku Channel Store with more than 10 channels including Amazon Video, Netflix, PLEX, YouTube, UltraFlix and more. The Insignia 4K Roku TVs are powered by quad-core processors and fast 802.11ac dual-band WiFi to provide optimal streaming performance. The Insignia 43 inch ($400), 50 inch ($500), and 55 inch ($650) 4K Roku Ultra HD TVs are now available through BestBuy.com. Outside of Insignia, TCL is also prepping their own line of 4K Roku Ultra HD TVs, and future models with HDR and Dolby Vision support are planned as well. Source: RokuPosted Thu Mar 10, 2016 at 11:45 AM PST by:
