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Movie Fans... Welcome to Digital Heaven
Having VUDU in your home means never having to go to the video store again.
Movies On-Demand — Access over a vast library of movies and TV titles from all Hollywood studios and leading independent distributors directly from your HDTV.
New Movies Weekly — Watch newly released movies the same day the DVD becomes available. No worrying about it being in-stock at the video store, or having to queue it up online. Even watch the trailer before you decide to rent or buy.
HDX™ Movies — Only VUDU offers the highest quality internet-delivered format, HDX, featuring true 1080p HD, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.
Learn more
World's Largest HD Library — With over 2000 HD titles VUDU has the largest collection available anywhere, physical media included.
VUDU Labs — Access millions of free videos and photos from popular Internet sites like YouTube, Flickr and Picasa, free On-demand television and games, plus free Internet radio from Pandora.
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Instant Convenience — Having VUDU means that you don't need to plan anymore. With a large catalog of new releases and library titles available instantly you will never need to drive or wait for the mail again.
No Subscription — VUDU is available without a monthly subscription or contract. Rent or buy high definition and standard definition movies whenever you like — only pay for what you watch.
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| Learn About Hi Definition DVD |
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Hi Definition DVD Basics
High definition DVD is an evolution of the DVD format. In terms of video and audio quality, high definition DVD will be what DVD was to VHS videotapes. Many television sets today are capable of displaying high definition pictures, and the move to a high definition home video format is the logical step in the evolution of home video.
To be more precise, high definition DVD will aim to offer 1080 lines of video resolution (more on these technical details later), compared to the 576/480 lines currently offered by DVDs today.
Blu-ray and HD DVD are the two competing high-capacity disc technologies backed by various consumer electronics and computer manufacturers. HD DVD and Blu-ray includes Set Top Recorders, as well as Computer Burners. Both are capable of recording High Definition broadcasts.
On one side you have Blu-ray, led by Sony, that includes Panasonic, Samsung, Dell, HP, Philips, and several others, and HD-DVD which is supported by Toshiba, NEC, and a couple of others . Both formats use blue laser technology, which has a shorter wavelength than red, allowing it to read the smaller digital data "spots" packed a lot more densely onto a standard-size disc. HD-DVD is capable of holding 30GB on a dual layer disc (compared to 8.5GB for standard dual layer DVDs). Blu-ray will go up to 50GB at launch, and Sony is reportedly working on a quad-layer 100GB disc.
This increased capacity of high definition discs will hopefully mean an end to single movie multi-disc sets, and allow for more extra features to fit onto one disc. It may, for example, be possible to fit an entire season of a television show onto one disc.
Both HD-DVD & Blu-Ray DVD players can upscale (increase the video resolution through digital manipulation) existing DVD movies to high definition. While upscaling won't offer the same kind of experience as "real" high definition movies, it will allow your DVDs to be show in the best possible manner without resolution loss being an issue.
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| Satellite Radio |
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Satellite Radio
Do you want to listen to over 100 channels of uninterupted music, sports, weather, or news? If so, then Satellite Radio is for you. Choose from either XM Radio or Sirius Satellite to enjoy your favorite programs anywhere in the U.S. without having to change the station.
Get Ready to Do a 180:
XM is About to Change How You Feel About Radio.
One big idea can change everything. And XM Satellite Radio is one big idea: Radio to the Power of X. It's America's most popular satellite radio service at only $13.00 a month, and a new audio experience on your radio with the unmatched clarity of 100 digital channels wherever you drive. It's our passionate commitment to program quality that will give you more of the listening you enjoy most, including many commercial-free channels. XM's radios for the car and home offer you freedom - from static, from distortion, from that frustrating feeling when you drive out of range in the middle of an exclusive interview or a new song you've been waiting to hear.
So if you're a music devotee, a sports fanatic or a news hound, come share our passion for the new power of radio. Join us in a listening partnership as we capture the soundtrack of your imagination. Our job is to push radio beyond traditional limits and win you as a fan. Your job? To sit back, listen, and open yourself to the excitement of radio as you've never heard it before.
Once you hear XM, there's no tuning back.
The Sirius Satellite Radio National Broadcast Studios
Our powerful signal originates from our National Broadcast Studios in the heart of Manhattan. This state-of-the-art complex is one of the largest digital radio studios in the world, housing production facilities capable of broadcasting 100 radio stations.
Sirius satellites –bringing you world-class programming and commercial-free music, coast-to-coast
Three high-powered Sirius satellites flying in figure eight orbits receive the signal and then beam it back to earth. The high-angle positioning of our satellites provides a “clear line of sight” and a direct signal to your car—coast-to-coast.
Sirius Satellite Radio--sleek design meets cutting-edge technology
The Sirius antenna receives the signals from our satellites and ground repeaters and is passed to the Sirius tuner. The tuner combines the best input from all of the signals to deliver the highest quality audio possible through your radio to your speakers, and channel song and artist information to your radio's display or a separate controller. All for $13.00 a month
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| Go To The Movies without Leaving Home |
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You've been hearing a lot about home theater. But what exactly is it? Very simply, home theater is a high quality video and audio entertainment center that creates the movie experience right in your own home: large screen TV plus spectacular, realistic surround-sound audio. Realize a vast improvement in home video entertainment.
A home theater can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish -- from a specially designed and equipped "theater" to an ordinary den or living room. Custom installers specialize in designing such systems and recommending the best equipment at various price levels.
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11/11/2005 - A Guide to Digital Television
Check out this great article that explains everything you wanted to know about Digital Television (It's an Adobe Acrobat PDF file so make sure you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer before opening article)
Click here for the Digital Television article
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10/11/2005 - MP3
MP3 Explained: A Beginner's Guide
MP3 has changed the way people listen to music. It wasn't so long ago that the average pop song converted into a Wav file took hours to download on a 28.8Kbs modem connection and ate up around 50 megabytes of disc space. With the same song converted into an MP3 file, download time gets reduced dramatically to around one-tenth the original size while sounding just as good as before.
Consequently, music has become really popular on the Internet. While garage bands MP3 their demos, others are grabbing their favourite albums, converting them to MP3 and uploading them onto the Internet. MP3s get traded online, posted to newsgroups, uploaded to web servers and shared on P2P networks like KaZaa.
Despite opposition from certain elements of the music recording companies, MP3 is extremely popular as a file format. MP3 isn't much of a bandwidth choker, the sound quality is quite good and just about every major artist's music has been put online. It's no wonder that Searchterms.com claim that MP3 is one of the most popular search terms, second only to sex.
What is MP3 and what does it stand for?
MP3 is a form of compression. It's an acronym which stands for Mpeg 1 Audio Layer 3.
How does MP3 work?
As a form of compression, MP3 is based on a psycho-acoustic model which recognizes that the human ear cannot hear all the audio frequencies on a recording. The human hearing range is between 20Hz to 20Khz and it is most sensitive between 2 to 4 KHz. When sound is compressed and encoded into an MP3 file, an attempt is made to get rid of the frequencies that can't be heard.
When encoding a file into MP3, a variety of compression levels can be set. For instance, an MP3 created with 192 Kbit compression will be of a greater quality and larger file size than that of a 128 Kbit compression. The more the compression level decreases, the lesser the sound quality. Ultimately, the benefits of MP3 compression mean that people can back up their music collection onto hard disc or burn their own music selections onto CDs which hold over 100 songs (CD-RW in data format).
What's the best software for listening to MP3?
Before you download any software, you will want to have a soundcard and speakers. When it comes to MP3 software players, to each their own. However, Winamp is widely regarded as being the most popular MP3 player for Windows users. It features a wide variety of plug-ins and can be customized to the user's requirements. Winamp can also be used to tune into online broadcasts. Macintosh users might want to try out MacAmp.
Many people are now using the Rip, Mix and Burn philosophy for creating thier own mixes of music on CD's they create themsleves. Many new models of car stereos, portable stereos, home stereo equipment as well as PC's can play these home-created music CD's either on media called CD-R's and CD-RW's.
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| Video Waves: TV For Your Car |
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JUST IN CASE you've been in a time warp and still think "screen size" refers to the measurements you take of your windows so you can get the right mesh grilles put on them, video is not something that can only be enjoyed from your home. Mobile video has exploded in the last year or so, as compannies both new and old are manufacturing monitors faster than a speeding bullet.
Of course, mobile video isn't just for movie viewing-though it's hard to deny the rush of watching the final drag racing scene from The Fast and Furious on a mobile theater that's also equipped with full surround sound. If you get a package that includes a TV tuner, you can watch the news, Survivor, or follow a favorite sporting event. Get a satellite hookup, and you can tune in to WWE Raw/Smackdown, and never miss a drop-kick or body slam. If you have kids, they could be playing the lastest Grand Theft Auto game while on the way to the mall to purchase yet another version of the same game. And if its mapping and or info you need, verbal and touch screen navigation systems await your every command.
Intrigued by the possibilities??
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08/02/2005 - Essentials of Home Theater
Video
In the average household, this means a television. In an actual home theater, "video" represents a projector and a screen. Projectors can be mounted to the ceiling or set on a bookshelf or coffee table. Although the image can be projected onto a plain white wall, for best picture, it is recommended that a screen be used.
Center Channel Speaker
This plays the dialogue portion of the soundtrack. For best results, it should be placed directly above or below the screen. It must be magnetically shielded if you are to place it within three feet of a television.
Two Front Channel Speakers
These speakers deliver the music and the special effects and action sounds. These also need to be magnetically shielded if used within three feet of a television.
Two Rear Channel Speakers
These produce background noises. When using Dolby Digital, the rear speakers should be equal in quality to the front speakers.
One Subwoofer
This speaker produces low frequency bass sounds. This is the speaker that helps you "feel" the sounds. Make sure your receiver has an output for this piece of equipment.
Audio/Video Receiver
Make sure the receiver you purchase has a built-in surround sound decoder. The AV receiver simulates movie theater sound by playing audio through each of your speakers. You'll need to be aware of what type of surround sound the receiver is capable of outputting.
Video Source
VCR, DVD player, DSS, computer, video game machine, etc. You must have a source to plug into your projector.
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| Learn About Home Theater |
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Home Theater- Just Like Being At The Movies!
Sitting in the center of the movie theater or on the fifty yard line at the football game, creates an involvement in the event that watching ordinary television just can't seem to recreate. It's the roar of the crowd as the ball splits the uprights and the screech of the tires just before the car hits the wall, that makes you feel like part of the action.
Home Theater is one of the most fun and enjoyable investments that you can make for you and your family. Our goal is to help evaluate your needs, and combine that with equipment you may already own, to come up with the finest performances at the best possible price.
The secret is the sound. Sound stirs the emotions in all forms of entertainment. When you're at the theater, you often forget that you're in a darkened room watching a movie, and your imagination transports you into the middle of the action. Movie theaters use a combination of high resolution film, multiple speakers (positioned to help recreate time and dimension relationships with the action on the screen), and specially encoded sound tracks that make movement on the screen coincide with the sound you hear. We can help you to create that same "theater experience" right in your living room.
First, you need a television. Any size will work, but the bigger the better. Many of the new large screen televisions today, incorporate high resolution pictures and other features that will also enhance your enjoyment of watching regular broadcast TV. Next, you will need a Hi-Fi VCR or laserdic player. You have to have a Hi-Fi VCR to reproduce the stereo and Dolby Pro-Logic soundtracks recorded on tapes.
You'll also need an audio/video receiver with Dolby Pro-Logic processing. This unit contains the amplifiers to power all the various main and surround channels, along with a processor that decodes the surround sound information on the video tape or laserdisc. It is also the unit you use to connect your source components to, such as a CD player or changer, cassette deck, Hi-Fi VCR, or laserdisc player.
The Main front speakers are the same as you would have in any stereo system. They perform a similar function in your Home Theater system by recreating the rich detail and dimensions of the original experience. Perhaps the most important speaker is the center channel speaker. This speaker is used to reproduce the movie's voice track and is normally positioned above or below the TV screen and it accounts for a major portion of what you hear in the sound track (especially the important center imaging information). The last necessary components are the rear channel speakers. These speakers add the third dimension to the sound that lets you experience the effect of flying overhead or the roar of the crowd cheering in the stadium. These speakers are typically small and are placed toward the rear of the room, or they can be mounted in walls to blend in with you decor.
Though the system is complete with one, most Home Theater systems are improved greatly with the addition of a subwoofer or bass module. This specialized speaker' s job is to reproduce the very low bass sounds that are a major part of most of today's major movie soundtracks such as the resounding thump of a dinosaur's foot as it hits the ground or the blast of cannons in a raging battle scene. Only one subwoofer is necessary. And because low bass sounds are non-directional, placement of a subwoofer is not critical. You can place it just about anywhere in your room.
To learn more about home theater technology click here
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| 1080p TV: What it is, and why it's better. |
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1080P TV
1080p is the shorthand name for a category of video modes. 1080p is considered to be an HDTV video mode.
The number 1080 stands for 1080 lines of vertical resolution, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced.
The upside of interlaced scanning is that it conserves bandwidth while still providing more than two million pixels onscreen (1080 times 1920 equals 2,073,600). The ATSC adopted interlacing for the 1080-line format specifically to fit over-the-air HDTV into the same 6MHz bandwidth as an analog TV channel (though 1080i also travels via cable and satellite).
Remember, 1080i delivers only a half-frame every 1/60th of a second, while 1080p can deliver a full frame in that amount of time. That gives the video processor some headroom that it can use to manipulate the signal. This is exactly what a progressive-scan DVD player does, except that it converts a 480i signal to 480p. If you can see the difference between an interlaced-scan DVD player vs. a progressive-scan model, you may see the difference between 1080i and 1080p.
The term also usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a horizontal (display) resolution of 1920 lines and a frame resolution of 1920 × 1080 or over two million pixels. The frame rate in hertz can be either implied by the context or specified after the letter p (such as 1080p30, meaning 30 frames per second).
There is a growing selection of consumer televisions with native 1080p at this time. Among the television sets with a 1080p resolution, they do this via a digital input such as Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).
1080p-encoded titles have been released on HD DVD, and will also be released on the upcoming Blu-ray Disc. After a hardware generation or two, it is expected that both HD DVD and Blu-ray players will allow output of full 1080p via copy-protected HDMI connections. Output of film-based material in conventional 1080i60 form will also be available, and 1080p displays that are able to apply 3-2 pulldown reversal could deinterlace film-based content and achieve full 1080p image quality.
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