Wow, maybe MTV can get back to showing actual Music Video!

MTV Networks is to launch its first all-high-definition network, MHD, on January 16, although no carriage agreements have been announced yet. The network will feature an array of music genres – rock, country and hip-hop – with programming taken from MTV as well as MTV2, VH1 and CMT.

And even CMT - Yeehaw!

As concert films rather than music videos are traditionally shot in HD, a large portion of MHD’s schedule will be filled with concert acquisitions and repurposed series, including MTV Unplugged, the MTV Video Music Awards and VH1 Storytellers.

Please guys, no more reality shows, we beg you…

Source

I came across some new screenshots today of the XBOX 360 release title, Ghost Recon 3 Advanced Warfighter. These shots are the best I’ve seen yet, the older ones always seemed fuzzy or blurry for whatever reason.

The GR series has been one of may favs ever since the first one was released. There is just something about sneaking around with high powered weapons and killing those little brown… errr I mean liberating those poor terrorists!

New ScreenShots

There are still a rare few of these tuners left at various Rat Shacks, for $90.

Radio Shack 16-3499, the Accurain HST 6000

480p -720p - 1080i outputs

Some people are reporting a few problems with tuning certain stations, but what do you expect for hdtv tuning for 90 bucks.

Check your local RS for availability - call them, their website is not accurate for this product’s stock. I also advise asking about the return policy in case you have a problem with it.

Radio Shack Product Link

AVS Forum Thread

We’ve got more info from CEDIA about the mirage projector screen that works well with lots of ambient light.

If you haven’t heard about this material, it could be the Front Projector Cave Dwellers’ dream come true.

“The manufacturer claims 10x higher contrast ratios than standard front projection screens and 2x the brightness.”

The screen features:

Support for all optical front projection formats (LCD/DLP/LCoS)
Capability to have projection in brightly lit rooms
10x higher contrast (in ambient light) than standard front screens
2x brighter images
50 customer frame options
Screen sizes from 60″ - 100″ (4:3) or 60″ - 120″ (16:9) in 1″ increments

Shipping will probably bite your wallet, as the screen must ship as a full sheet - it’s very think and can’t be rolled up.

These screens should be available in November.

I can’t wait! This should be a very wife-friendly purchase. “Just think Babe, you can knit beside me while I watch the big screen!”

Audioholics source

More coverage by Audioholics at CEDIA:

3 new home theater front projectors from Epson.

For the entry level HT Dude:
Epson PowerLite Home 20
480p native
estimated street price at a grand
1000:1 contrast ratio
1,200 ANSI lumens
comes with its own 80″ portable pull-up screen!

for Mid-Level HT Dudes:
Epson PowerLite Cinema 550
720p native
$2,499 “minimum retail price”
3000:1 contrast ratio
1,400 ANSI lumens
HDMI connections
cinema filter

And Epson’s top of the line:
Epson PowerLite Cinema 800
takes the Cinema 550 and adds:
5000:1 contrast ratio
1,600 ANSI lumens
10-bit color
ISF-certified calibration
and will have a minimu retail of $4500

All of these machines are 16:9 native and should be available in October.

Epson Home Theater Front Projectors

Toshiba will start shipping their HD DVD player the first quarter of 2006 with or without a commitment from the studios to provide content.

‘Bout time. Being a professional procrastinator myself, I must say better now (or then) than never.

Marketspeak on HD-DVD media pricing:

When asked about software price, the manufacturer’s representative also indicated that there would be a “small monetary premium” over standard DVD prices.

Hmmm, small by whose definition? Anyway, I can’t wait for this format to take off, and I’m sure you can’t either.

Source

These huge bean-bag sofas look like they could be some seriously comfortable HT seating. Bags are available up to 8 feet in length and come in 9 different colors. Not too pricey either.

Imagine your friends coming over - “That’s a SEAT?” But when they fall into it…

Better yet, next time your wife just wants to “cuddle,” say sure Babe! And flip on the front projector…

Cuddlebag Furniture

More CEDIA coverage - these receivers caught my eye. They have HDMI switching and upconverting features:

The RX-V2600 can convert 480p signals to HD resolutions (720p, 1080i), and is the first and only receiver in its class to offer the benefits of superior up-scaling technologies. These models also include HDTV (720p/1080i) compatibility via a component video upconversion feature, which can upgrade composite and s-video signals to component video format for ease of installation.

Also some interesting “zone” features for multi-room installs. Get your groove on all over the house.

For multi-room custom installations, power amp channels can be assigned in two ways:

* The first uses five channels for the Main Zone and two channels for Zone 2, for enjoying 5.1-channel sound in the main room.
* The alternative would be three channels for the Main Zone and two channels each for Zone 2 and 3, allowing users to enjoy music in all three rooms without the need for extra amplifiers. Music can even be heard in Zone 4 by using the Speaker B output function.

This unit comes with extra remote for another room. A man can never have too many remotes. High tech equipment that women aren’t qualified to handle - we just can’t get enough.

Great features at a mid-range price:
RX-V2600 to retail at $1,399.95
RX-V1600 to retail at $1,099.95

Units to be available in October.

YamaHAW!

More info

The news from CEDIA begins!

Texas Instruments at CEDIA today announced and showcased 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080) chipsets for the front projection market.
…
DLP 1080p resolution chips will be made available to customers for both single-chip and 3-chip applications, enabling incredible detail for the ultimate HD viewing experience.

Bring on the 1080p goodness from TI! T and I, much better than that other acronym T and.. well you get it.

Press Release

AVIA, Digital Video Essentials, and Sound & Vision

I noticed a decent review of the 3 popular HT calibration DVDs. The conclusion pretty much sums it up:

Each of these calibration discs fits a different type of user. For the beginner, Sound & Vision’s offering is more than enough to help you get your feet wet and perhaps pique your interest in the more advanced discs.

The AVIA Guide to Home Theater is an excellent mid-range disc, with an enormous selection of test patterns and a helpful description for each, extending its usefulness from the new home theater owner to the experienced projector user.

Finally, Digital Video Essentials offers updated versions of many of AVIA’s most useful test patterns, and its introductory material, while sometimes steeped in jargon, is still the most up-to-date of the three discs. And it sells for a much more attractive price than does AVIA at the moment.

Discerning htdudes should go for the DVE disk. If you already have DVE, Avia is a good addition.

Full Write-Up