Thursday Podcast Roundup

This is the final batch of interview from CES. I have Arcsoft talking about how to get 3D movies in Windows Media Center using Total Media Theatre, they have some great solution for movie watching in Media Center including HD audio and upscalling. Of course 3D requires special hardware and so I talked with Nvidia about the hardware needed to get 3D working on the PC.

We’re still catching up on all the none CES news that came out during CES and one item was of a favorite topics around here; the success of Blu-ray. To make things more interesting though we brought on a guest, Jeremy Toeman, who although agrees shares many of our same values, thinks Blu-ray is floundering — you can just imagine where this discussion goes. After we get back to the normally schedule program, we cover the funny Lexicon Blu-ray story, as well as Disney and Netflix, Comcast’s ugly new guide, and the cold fusion equivalent of the HDTV industry. Finally we close with a talk about how much fun we had being a part of HD Nation.

To kick things off on show No. 20, we wrap up some CES loose ends starting with Sharp adding another color to the standard RGB that HDTVs are currently made with. They added a yellow to that spectrum, hoping for improved color accuracy as well as the ability to reproduce even more colors than before. Is four better than three? We also look at Panasonic’s announcement of two new portable Blu-ray players. Both have HDMI out, so while the need for a BD deck with a 10-inch screen is pretty small, being able to slowly replace DVD players with Blu-ray players is a nice option to have.

Where did 16:9 come from, anyway? Mac Mini: Not The Best Settop Box. Where do IMAX Features Come From? Ultra-Widescreen: Will Your Next HDTV Be 21:9? More CES: OLED displays, Projectors and More, Getting 3D HD on your PS3, the Blu-ray releases for January 19th, 2010.

Sadly Jon could not make it this week but filling in is none other than Ian Dixon himself. Of course everyone is buzzing about next week’s Apple event so we discuss some of the possibilities there along with some of the tablets that Ian got to see while at CES. We also had a very lively discussion about Windows Mobile and its competition, along with form factors and what the future may hold for the various platforms. We are planning on recording next week’s show right after Apple’s event which will no doubt give us plenty to talk about so be sure to subscribe!