SquareTrade

Blu-Ray 2.0 goes Live on PS3 First.

Sony barely paused to feast on the remains of former HD rival Toshiba before announcing the Blu-Ray 2.0 spec (a.k.a. BD-Live), an enhanced Blu-Ray disc with even more features that no Blu-Ray player currently on the market will be able to access.  Whoops!  Solution: Sony's own PlayStation 3.

Sometime in the next two weeks, Firmware v2.20 will bump the PlayStation 3 up to the BD-Live specs, allowing for what's being touted as a whole new level of DVD interactivity.  Is it?  Well, part of the BD-Live protocol calls for internet connectivity, so you'll get updated content for whatever disc you pop in for as long as the studio supports it.  Ringtones, multiplayer games, and trailers have been mentioned as early content, but we suspect at some point that'll expand to new making-ofs, post-release interviews and audio commentary.  The disc themselves are bumped to a full Gig of storage to take on all the new schwag, and allow for various picture-in-picture features. The first BD-Live disc are set to release on April 8.

And yep, the PS3 will be the only player set to do those things. 

Just as well, really.  We've said for a long time that a PS3 might just be your best option for a Blu-Ray player, given that they cost the same and play games as well as movies.  The current projections are that regular Blu-Ray players won't come down to the $200 range for another year.  But any which way you decide to go, a SquareTrade warranty on your equipment might not be a bad idea, and it'll certainly cost less and do more than any warranty you're used to.

On the other hand, BD-Live's still in its infancy, so you may not feel the urge to rush right out and nab that three-disc 2.0 Special Edition of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.  That's okay... neither do we.

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Best Buy mails out $50 gift cards to HD-DVD mourners.

 Okay, so they're a little late to the party, but better late than never.  Best Buy is doing a little something-something for all those HD-DVD owners who got left without a chair when the music stopped, and it even looks like they're trying to one-up Circuit City's already-cool return policy.

If you bought an HD-DVD player or peripheral before Feburary 23rd, you're now entitled to a $50 Best Buy gift card.  You may not even have to ask for yours; BB's automatically mailing them out to everyone they can identify.  If you're in Best Buy's Reward Zone, bought it off their website, or bought one of their overpriced warranties, you should get your gift card should show up in the mail within two weeks.  Otherwise you'll have to bust out a receipt or a credit card statement and show it to the guys at the store... though they're also claiming you can do it over the phone at (888) BEST BUY.

The beauty of that is you can keep your HD-DVD player if you want... you're just getting free Best Buy money.  But starting his Friday, you can also ditch it by using Best Buy's new Trade-In Center, which will pony out another gift card based on their estimate of what your item's worth.  A few wee tests suggests that under optimum conditions, that'll be 60% of the retail price, but the good news is this option's available on any HD-DVD player (and any other electronics you've got lying around) whether you bought it at Best Buy or not.

It might not be perfect system, but it's better than nothing... which is what BB could've done instead.  But when you start spending all that cheddar, keep in mind that a SquareTrade warranty costs half as much for a faster service that's rated better by our own customers. 

Still, credit where credit's due... the gift card giveaway alone makes it about $10 million Best Buy's about to eat on this format war, all for your sake.  See, and you thought it was the consumers who were going to lose. 

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The Logitech diNovo Mini is actually a Universal Remote.

Sure, it might look like it can surf the web, text your friends and illegally download the latest episode of Two and a Half Men, but that's where the Logitech diNovo Mini has you fooled.  It can't do any of those things.  What it can do, and does do, is Bluetooth-synch with the Windows Media Center on your PC or laptop so you can satisfy your digital recording needs without having to touch that filthy computer.

Okay, so it might not be the most versatile gadget in the bin, but it does look like it's gonna do what it does fairly well.  There's a backlit QWERTY keyboard built for your thumb-typing pleasure, and a dual-use clickpad.  Logitech says it'll hold a single charge for up to a month of normal use, which is nice.  It's got a range up to 30 feet, but seeing how there's no screen on this sucker, if you plan to use it at that range, you better have really good eyesight. 

There's also an interesting switch on the back that reads "PC/PS3," so it might also be compatible with your PlayStation 3, which was supposedly going to get DVR features in the UK a while back.  Eeeennteresting. 

Amazon's got it up for $145 right now, and it's SquareTrade warranty is only $17 for 3 Years of protection (thank you, magic sidebar widget).  To be totally honest, we're not entirely sure why you might need this, but we're also willing to give in to yet another Scrubs marathon if we can't find the remote.  We're just too damn lazy to get off the couch.

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Cheap TiVo HD Recorder at Woot!

We like us some WOOT! even though we almost always hesitate just long enough for them to sell out of their Item de jour.  This time, however, they seem to have a good chunk of stock on hand.

What stock is that?  How about a Tivo HD DVR for only $180... not quite half-price, but pretty close.  This particular model can store up to 20 hours in HD or 180 hours in Standard Definition, record two shows at once (both in HD), and does all the wonderful plug-n-play things all other Tivos do.  You'll still have to subscribe to Tivo's service, but saving $120 on the DVR will almost cover the first year.  And a SquareTrade warranty will make sure it stays operational for that year, and two more besides, for pennies a day.

Don't know WOOT?  They sell one item at a time, for 24 hours or until the item sells out, whichever comes first... so Early Birds and all that.

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DVD Enters its Blu Period.

Hey, guys!  You can get an HD-DVD player at Circuit City for only $85!

But seriously, now that Toshiba has officially thrown in the towel and released a statement saying they will no longer develop, make or market HD-DVD players and recorders, the format war has been won by Sony's Blu-Ray.  Now it's time to start thinking about the future.

So what you really need is a Blu-Ray player that's in your budget range.  Hey, we found some of those, too.  There's the Samsung BD-P1200, which Circuit City has marked down $475 to sell for only $125... that seems like a good deal to us.  It's cousin, the Samsung BD-P1000 is down to $213 (though its 12-in-2 memory card reader is no match for the P1200's HQV video processing, which ups picture quality). 

Best Buy... well, their Sony Blu-Ray players start at about $400.  We think not.  And naturally, you can get a SquareTrade warranty on any DVD player you choose.  Check out the Instant Quote widget in the sidebar to find out how much less we'll charge you than Circuit City, for a far better warranty.  According to our reviews, anyway.

In the meantime, rejoice!  The war is over!  Now we must create the peace, for our children and our children's children.

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Vudu reduces prices, fears Apple TV.

 One week after the MacWorld keynote unveiled a revamped Apple TV, digital media player Vudu decided to chop a hundred bucks from the price of their hardware.  Probably just a coincidence.

On the other hand, even though Apple TV Mk 1 didn't do so well, Vudu should be worried.  The new Apple TV is much closer in form and function to Vudu than previous, only with the added bonus of synching to your iPod, so you can take any Apple TV rental or purchase on the road with you.  Vudu just doesn't have that architecture in place.  Truth is, our sneaking suspicion is that Vudu's not worried enough... their new price is $295, and that's still $70 more than an Apple TV. 

Whether you decide on Vudu or go with Apple TV, both boxes are eligible for a 3-Yar SquareTrade warranty... it's even ten bucks cheaper than Apple's 2-Year Apple Care plan, according to the quote widget in the sidebar.

Vudu's still a good device with an impressive catalogue, so we wouldn't count them out quite yet.  That said, this is just the start of changes they'll have to make to stay competitive (same goes for Amazon's Unbox) against Apple's media smackdown.  Our guess for what's going to go next: Vudu's pre-pay model, where they automatically charge your card $20-$100 (your choice) when your account reaches $0. 

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Macworld Keynote 2008: the Other Fun Stuff.

 When Steve Jobs took the floor, he said there were four things he wanted to talk about.  We already gushed embarrassingly over the MacBook Air, but we'd be remiss to not talk about his other One More Things.

First, GPS is coming to the Apple iPhone, sorta, as well as the ability to text multiple parties at once (isn't that technically a chatroom?). The GPSish function is being called "Maps with locations" at the moment - hopefully something cooler later on - but it's really just Google Maps with a few bells and whistles, like the ability to automatically center on your location without you typing a thing.  Plus, no GPS subscription fees. It's all a free software download for the iPhone. 

It's also available as an $20 upgrade for the Apple iTouch, but comes built-in on new iTouches.  We have no idea why they're charging for one and not the other.  Let's see how long that lasts, from the company who chopped $100 off the iPhone price one month post-launch.

Hardware-wise (aside from the Air), we like the look of Time Capsule, a server-grade 802.11n wireless backup station for all your Leopard needs.  Wireless is the key word here, as you can back up any Mac in the house without a single cord, and that's a good thing.  It's available now and comes in a Apple White 500 GB model for $300, or if you prefer, an Apple White 1 TB model for $500.  Steve's all about the variety.

The bigger news is that Apple is definitely taking a big swing at delivering entertainment over the internet by revamping their oft-neglected Apple TV set-top box.  Two years later, they're moving even closer to what Vudu is doing with digital delivery, giving you instantly streaming television (still two bucks) and movies to rent (for three bucks) or own (for four) and watch on your big-screen television.  The difference this time, and on the new Apple TV, is in the details.

First, you can get films in HD for a dollar more, and Apple has signed content deals with every major studio - all of them - so the Apple Store is going to become as comprehensive a library for film as it is for music.  Second, you can also use the menu to surf and watch internet content on your TV, anything from YouTube to your buddy's pictures on Flickr, for free.  Third, the new menu system means you don't need a computer to run Apple TV.  Forth, you can still subscribe to podcasts and buy music through the Apple TV box, and listen to them through that boss sound system you've set up, and that's important thing to note.

Because fifth, everything you store on the Apple TV box, whether it's rented or owned, can be synched and copied to your iPod, your iTouch, or your iPhone.  That gives the new Apple TV on huge edge over Vudu, Netflix, and everybody else in the streamed content space: mobility.  And that makes all the difference these days.

They have two models up at the Apple Store: 40GB for $229 (that's $70 less than their first generation box) and $329 for a 160GB.  If you've already got an Apple TV box, you can upgrade to the new software for free.

Of course, if history's any judge, there will only be two places you can get an extended warranty for this sucker when it hits shelves: Apple and us.  The difference being we'll give you a lower price, a 5-Day service guarantee, and an option to add Accidental Damage coverage or extra years of coverage.  A lot of people on Amazon seem real happy with us, but it's up to you, really.

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Apple warranty

Cheap HD-DVD players everywhere! ...but are they worth it?

Well, here's an interesting price drop for a product teetering on the edge of extinction.  It seems that Toshiba's slashed prices on some of their HD-DVD players a mere ten days after Warner Bros. abandoned the format. 

So, that means you can get the Toshiba HD-A3 for only $150 (that's half price) at Circuit City and Best Buy, but we found it at Amazon for only $133.  Amazon's also got the next player up, the HD-A30, for $172, while the others still hover around the $200 mark.  And naturally, all these are eligible for a SquareTrade Warranty. 

But the question remains: should you actually get one? 

That depends on whether you've still got a Betamax VCR hooked up to your 1080p HDTV.  Except that this time, the people behind Betamax - i.e. Sony - seem to be in the winner's chair.  Sony's Blu-Ray discs are currently poised to decisively end Toshiba's HD-DVD format, and it could happen within just a few months. 

While it's not over until it's really over, let's recap.  Even before the format war hit the retail market, the six major Hollywood studios fell in line with one format or the other, or agreed to produce DVDs on both.  At this point in time, there are only two studios left that are producing HD-DVDs: Paramount and Universal.  When Warners jumped ship, it activated an escape clause in Paramount's contract, and while they haven't used it yet, they've conspicuously not renewed their HD-DVD contract with Toshiba, which just expired.  Universal is in a similar situation, though their Toshiba contract has longer to go before it's up.

Elsewhere, Microsoft will never, ever go in for Blu-Ray, because Sony's PlayStation 3 is a direct competitor to Microsoft's Xbox.  Apple, however, seems poised to go Blu for their desktop and laptop computers.  They have to respond to HP's decision to offer either format in their laptops, but all Apple's studio partners who provide downloadable TV and movies to the Apple Store are squarely in the Blu-Ray camp.  Most have been from the start.

So unless you're extremely pro-HD-DVD, or anti-Blu-Ray, or physically cannot ignore a big discount like this, we'd suggest letting these deals pass you buy.  On the other hand, these HD-DVD players are all backwards-compatible, so if all you need is a new DVD player for a normal price and don't want to upgrade to Blu-Ray, these will do you just fine.

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HD-DVD warranty, Blu-Ray warranty, Toshiba warranty

Best Buy Deal: Free Blu-Ray Player w/Plasma HDTV Purchase.

Remember that pesky format war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray that had no end in sight last week?  The end's in sight.

And to celebrate, we found this little Blu-Ray player deal on Best Buy.  Essentially, you pick from a list of Panasonic Plasma HDTVs, and then you get a free Panasonic Blu-Ray player (model DMP-BD30K), which is a $500 value.  A bunch of those HDTVs in question are on sale, too.  There's a Panasonic 50" 1080p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV listing at $2400 (that's $400 off), or if you want to keep it under the 2K mark, there's a 42" 1080p Flat-Panel Plasma running at $1650 (a nice $150 off).  That's two out of eight televison choices that qualify for the deal.

And because you get all this stuff at reduced cost, you can get your SquareTrade warranty for less, too.  If you want one on the no-cost Blu-Ray player, just plug its normal list price into the Quote Widget in the sidebar to calculate its 3-Year warranty price, which will cover you for the $500 you didn't pay for the Blu-Ray.  It'll be a lot less than what Best Buy will offer you, too.

So why go with Blu-Ray now?  Well, while Apple hasn't made any official decision to start putting Blu-Ray players in their Macs as rumored (and the new Mac Pro just went on sale without the option), Warner Bros. decided last week to stop making HD-DVDs and go exclusively with Blu-Ray which, due to a crafty little exit clause in their contract, allows Paramount to do the same.  If - or rather, when - Paramount jumps ship, HD-DVD will have almost no support left from major Hollywood studios.  What's the sound of one hand clapping?

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Blu-Ray Player warranty

Free Vudu box and $50 in movies with Sharp Aquos HDTV.

Has the panic shopping set in yet?  If so, let us direct your raw nerves over to a little deal we found; buy yourself (or a loved one) a brand new Sharp Aquos HDTV 42" or bigger, and they'll throw in a free Vudu digital movie box for free.  And then they'll give you a $50 credit to buy or rent movies off Vudu's service.  That's a $450 value, total.

We should say that these HDTVs are NOT on sale - it's regular prices all the way - but if you were considering getting a Vudu, it's a staggeringly good deal.  Vudu's service is growing pretty fast, and delivers HD movies pretty much instantly to your HDTV, either as permanently owned files or temporary rentals.  If you're into that sort of thing. 

Both these items qualify for SquareTrade warranties, and we do have a 20% Off coupon code you can use to make a good deal even better.  The widget in the sidebar can quote you an exact price, before discount and/or adding extra years of coverage.

You can find the qualifying Sharp televisions here.  They're saying this is a "limited time offer," but they aren't saying how limited.  You rolls the dice, you takes your chances. 

Cheap HDTV warranty, LCD televisions