Blu-ray may have the edge in exclusive support from Hollywood film studios. But and you know what they say about giant Hollywood blockbuster films: Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen about twenty - that is until next summer. But HD DVD is giving a serious boost to Indie film makers, a pleasant surprise. In an alliance between Microsoft and ...

Affordable wireless music streamers are here! If you have a computer and a wireless router, what are you waiting for? It’s time you switched to a digital wi-fi music source. You don’t need to buy one of those mega-priced hi-fi units either - the smart money is on a Roku SoundBridge or Slim Devices SqueezeBox. Either unit will only set you back ...

Ever since XCM announced it would build a new HDMI cable for vanilla Xbox 360 word hit the web - then slightly contorted, as words often do. Confusion started when some stories referred to XCM’s new cable as a 1080P. This insinuates that 1080P video is not possible without the HDMI format. This is technically not correct.   We ...

XCM is a manufacturer of aftermarket cables and cases that just announced it’s making an Xbox 360 HDMI cable. This will knock the wind out of Xbox 360 Elite or the so called “black” Xbox 360. Its primary advantage was HDMI.   Video-philes will look to the new HDMI capabilities for enhanced video quality over the component cable ...

It’s not enough Blockbuster has its movie titles edited by studios to fit a family values agenda. Blockbuster is now taking sides in media technology. Just a couple of days ago Blockbuster (owned by Viacom) has decided it will no longer give shelf space to the HD DVD format.   It’s a significant victory for Blu-ray even though neither HD ...

By next Christmas there will be at least two competing Blu-ray/HD DVD combo set top players. The only one currently on the market is the BH100 by LG. It’s a slim and speedy set top box but has a few rather wide shortcomings. By Christmas season Samsung will throw its hat into the combo player mix with the announced BD-UP5000. With two ...

Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers says his company is deploying a heavy push into the consumer electronics sector. Get ready for DVD players and set top boxes with a network flair only Cisco can deliver. The question now is - will Cisco Systems name or one of its acquisitions grace the face plate of its upcoming household gadgets? Consumers will ...

There has been some confusion over Windows Vista and how it relates to various audio formats. Vista does indeed have a reworked audio stack with a lot of cool new features like Room Correction, Bass Management and Loudness Equalization.   One of the negatives however is how Vista handles copy protected audio. It really shouldn’t ...

GizmoCafe’s own Hip Culture correspondent Al Augustin explains why the new Xbox 360 Elite had to be black. Analysts have thoerized that Microsoft wanted to imitate the look of Sony's PS3. But, Al dispenses with theories and gets to the hard hitting truth.   The primary differences between Elite and Vanilla Xbox 360, besides the striking ...

HD DVD received an unexpected ally last Friday when it announced plans to release a combo player. The Korean consumer electronics firm and manufacturer of many fine HDTVs took an early stand on Blu-ray. Samsung is part of the reason Sony’s BD format is ahead of HD DVD in the format war. The BD-P1000 was released to positive reviews as the first ...