Back after a week of silence, we’re primed and ready to go. We start off with a look at Mitsubishi’s 149″ OLED display. But before you get excited, this is more an example of how far off general market OLED is than it is anything else. The screen is made up of smaller 10cm panels stitched together and only reaches 1088×640 resolution (so not HD).
We go back to High Def Digest for our next story, too. Amazon accidentally outed pricing on three of Samsung’s four new BD players for 2010. Most notable is the BD-C6500, which promises 15-second boot and disc load times, for $299 and the BD-C6900, likely to be one of the first 3D players available, for $399. Does the pricing on the C6900 indicate where the 3D market will start for BD decks?
Elsewhere, Netflix is crowing about its Blu-ray subscriber rates, which the company says hit 10% in the final quarter of 2009. That more than 1.2 million people opting for the surcharge that comes along with sweet HD goodness. Panasonic is first out of the gates with a full 3D authoring facility in Hollywood. Also in the 3D realm is Acer’s new 23-inch 3D monitor, out now for $399. Don’t forget to get all the accessories you need with it.
Finally, we wrap up our news segment looking at the iPad. Is it HD or isn’t it? At 1024×768, it certainly doesn’t reach 720p. And according to these sources, the CEA doesn’t consider it HD either. So while you may be able to download HD videos from iTunes (let’s not worry about if that’s true HD or not for now) you won’t be watching them at HD resolutions on your iPad.
Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds is our Blu-ray review for the week. A fabulous film, just today named a Best Picture nominee, Inglorious is WWII Tarantino style. Tension, wonderful dialogue, and brilliant direction make this truly one of 2009’s best films. The 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack is stunning. Well balanced and evenly spaced, the film makes use of every bit of the soundfield. The closing chapter is something you have to hear to believe, starting with a powerful musical selection of David Bowie’s “Cat People (Putting Out Fire) that is one of the best musical pieces I’ve heard on Blu-ray. The bass is overwhelming in a good way, and the music fills every nook and cranny of the room.
The AVC-encode is strong as well, with great detail and color. The reds really pop, be it in lipstick or the Nazi flag. An otherwise drab pallet sparkles when given the chance. Some minor inconsistencies aside, this is a beautiful presentation. Extras include a roundtable discussion with Tarantino and star Brad Pitt.
Lost is back. That’s pretty much all the needs to be said of Geek Tonic’s guide to the 2010 Winter TV schedule this week. The HD Sportsman is headlined by Sunday’s Super Bowl.
We look at two weeks worth of Blu-ray releases, and it’s the busiest release slate in some time as47s discs debut between Feb. 2 and 9. Highlights for Feb. 9 include Couples Retreat and The Running Man (we looked at Feb. 2 last week).
Click here to download Episode 21!
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