We used to have the full deal.  Digital Cable and all the trimmings.  HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, you name it.  Slowly, over the years we’ve cut back.  This was mainly because we realized that we simply didn’t use the services we were paying for.  We’re a movie family for sure, but we had already seen everything that was hitting the big movie networks.  Kinda pointless to pay for something you’ve already seen and have no interest in seeing again.
When we moved to northern New York, we started out on Dish Network.  …

It looks like my dream of having IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) may be one step closer to becoming a reality.  I’m still years away from having what I want but it seems that Time Warner Cable intends to launch a pilot test of Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV service in the Los Angeles area later this year.
There are no indications at this time how large the pilot program will be nor if it’ll ever lead to a nationwide rollout, but as I said, it’s a step.
I’m a bit excited about this …

Mainstream media, along with a lot of new media sites out there have been drilling 3D into our heads since long before CES.  Catch phrases like “It’ll change the way you watch movies” and “Things are sooo much better in 3D” are everywhere.  I even saw “3D” deodorant at my local grocery store which I couldn’t understand since every deodorant I’ve ever used has been 3-dimensional.  It seems however that not everyone agrees, and some are realizing that 3D isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
The first piece of evidence is a report …

At the CES keynote Microsoft announced enhancements to the MediaRoom IPTV service in version 2.0 that is coming this year. If you’re in America you can experience MediaRoom if you use AT&T U-verse as your television provider. The major enhancements include the ability to watch U-verse through an XBox 360. It will also take advantage of MicroSoft’s Silverlight and SmoothStreaming technologies to bring you more internet content. And lastly, they showed off an on demand video store that not only works on the PC, but also on Windows Mobile phones.

Vizio is typically regarded as the best of the low-end high definition television manufacturers, but they may be trying to change that image with these latest two offerings.
These two models fit into Vizio’s new line, the XVT Pro Series. The first is the massive, and feature packed, 72″ XVTPRO720SV LED TV. It is a back-lit LCD also sporting wireless HDMI, a total of 5 HDMI inputs,Smart Dimming technology, Internet Apps, and Full HD3d that matches the Blu-ray 3D specification. If your spouse won’t go for hanging a 72″ screen in your …

They showed it off a bit at their event in NYC on December 7th and now D-link has announced before CES even opens that yes, the Boxee Box is coming and sometimes during the first half of 2010 for under $200. 
Boxee has struck a deal which will see D-link pushing out a hardware version of the popular media streaming and aggregating software turning any TV or monitor into an instant content outlet.  With access to Pandora, Youtube, Last.fm as well as Revision 3 and other online content, the …

It looks as though we’ll be getting another wireless HD streaming technology out of CES this year.  In the home theater and digital media space, this is starting to trend up as much as 3D.
ProVision’s AXAR streaming will push HD content to, well, basically anything that supports it.  The tech supports two streams and while ProVision has said that it can support more, at this time they don’t intend to offer it at the consumer level.  Why is beyond me, but hopefully they’ll see the lunacy in that move.  If …

There’s been more than one time over the last few years when I wished I had a TV outside.  While it’s easy to move a laptop out there and watch shows as the kids play in the backyard, a full set would be great.  While I’m no closer to owning one due to the fact that it’s out of my price range, SunBrite will be showing off their new 55 inch 5510HD LCD all-weather TV at CES 2010.
While most sets can’t stand the variable temperatures, dirt, bugs and other …

We know that even more than last year, this year’s CES will be slammed with companies looking to push internet content to your television.  It started with widgets built into TVs last year and that seemed, for the most part, to go nowhere.
Syabas, makers of the Popcorn Hour, recently unveiled their new Popbox.  The device is intended to make getting internet and local content to your TV easier and more mainstream.  The device ships with an HDMI port as well as USB and SD slots for connecting external drives …

Coby isn’t exactly known for high quality products but that isn’t stopping Swiss company Sonic Emotion from teaming up with the discount producer to introduce (what they’re calling) the “first soundbar on the market that plays 3D sound from simple stereo input”.  That’s what the VP of Sonic Emotion is saying but saying and doing are two very different things. 
Again, Coby isn’t a super high quality company by reputation.  How well this speaker will sound is suspect to me but hopefully they can bring some sort of innovation …