Note that the original Series3 (TCD648250) requires two CableCARDs – S-Cards or M-Cards. While the TiVo HD (TCD652160) can utilize a single M-Card. Depending on what your cable company charges for CableCARDs this may or may not be a factor in your decision. The original S3 has the fancy OLED front panel display and the Glo remote, while the TiVo HD has the basic LED indicator lights and a non-Glo remote.

They also have the older Series1 and Series2 units with internal analog tuners and support for external set top boxes, both single-tuner ($299.99) and dual-tuner ($349.99) models. They even have Pioneer TiVo Series2 DVD combo units ($399.99). These units are available in 40GB (single-tuner) or 80GB (dual-tuner & DVD) base models, or upgraded to 80GB ($19.00 S2), 500GB ($99.00 S2 – $149.00 DVD), or 1TB ($149.00 S2 – $199.00 DVD).

The real old-school Series1 units are available in Philips ($199.99) or Sony ($249.99) models, both with 40GB. Upgrades to 80GB ($19.00) or 120GB ($39.00) are available. While I could see some reasons to buy the Series2 units, I really can’t see why someone would want one of the Series1 units these days. Maybe someone really into TiVo hacking with the old TiVoWeb and the like, but even then I doubt it.

All of these units have been refurbished and tested by WeaKnees, and they come with a six month parts and labor warranty. Quantities are limited, so grab one now if you’re interested.

Via the WeaKnees Blog.

Anyway, Amazon’s Black Friday Week sale is in full swing. It actually started on Monday and runs through next Monday. They have deals all over the site, so I’m not going to try to list them all.

But I did want to focus on the deals in Movies & TV. They have specials on DVD, Blu-ray, and Amazon Instant Video – thousands of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs at up to 67% off. Check it out.

Remember these are new, not refurbished, for just $249.99. The MSRP is $349.99 and Amazon sells them new for $279.98, so this is $100 off MSRP and even $30 off Amazon’s discounted price.

I’d probably jump on this myself, except I already own both Iron Man films on Blu-ray.

On top of the sale, this week’s Blu-ray special is on the first four (of five) volumes of the top-notch anime series, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Volume one, volume two, volume three, and volume four are all $19.99 each, 64% off the $54.98 MSRP. Volume five, the final volume, releases on August 2nd and is up for pre-order for $27.99, 49% off MSRP. I’d be all over this deal… if I hadn’t already (pre-)ordered all five volumes.

Disc 1: The Pink Panther Collector’s Edition ’64 Feature Film
Disc 2: A Shot in The Dark Feature Film
Disc 3: Inspector Clouseau
Disc 4: The Pink Panther Stikes Again Feature Film
Disc 5: Revenge of The Pink Panther Feature Film
Disc 6: Trail of The Pink Panther Feature Film
Disc 7: Curse of The Pink Panther Feature Film
Disc 8: Son of The Pink Panther Feature Film
Disc 9: Pink Panther 2006 (SONY)
Disc 10: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 1
Disc 11: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 2
Disc 12: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 3
Disc 13: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 4
Disc 14: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 9
Disc 15: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 5 (Ant and the Aardvark)
Disc 16: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 6 (The Inspector)
Disc 17: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 7 (The Inspector Volume 2)
Disc 18: The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 8 (Roland and Ratfink)

After the trial Blockbuster will offer the one-disc plan for $9.99/month and the two-disc plan for $14.99/month. While Netflix’s one-disc plan is $7.99/month, Blockbuster claims some advantages. Their deals with the studios gives them new release titles up to 28-days before Netflix and other services. And, for those who still have a Blockbuster brick-and-mortar store nearby, they offer in-store exchanges of their by-mail DVDs. So you can return your rent-by-mail DVD and walk out with a new movie, for no additional charge.

If you want to take advantage of these offers you can do so online or bring the tear-off from a Netflix mailer to a participating Blockbuster store.

Via TWICE.

One of the benefits touted by HD DVD supporters had been the capability of the format to support both HD DVD and DVD content on a single side. Though, with only two layers, this meant a HD DVD15/DVD5 was the result – providing limited capacity on both formats. I repeatedly pointed out that the Blu-ray camp had the capability for the same kind of single-sided hybrid disc, and they had been demonstrated by JVC but not commercialized. Since Blu-ray, unlike HD DVD, uses a different layer depth than DVD it is theoretically possible to have higher capacities – in theory a BD50/DVD9 is possible. JVC demonstated a BD25/DVD9, which provides enough capacity on both formats for a lot of content. However, producing the hybrid discs is more complex and costly, and I didn’t really expect to see them move beyond the lab curiosity phase. What we’ve seen to date are some vendors simply packing a standard DVD in with the BD release to support both formats.

Well, color me surprised. On February 18, 2009 Pony Canyon will release the first BD/DVD hybrid discs, in Japan. It is a box set of the TV series Code Blue. It is a multi-disc set, with the discs being hybrid BD25/DVD9 – a single Blu-ray layer ‘over’ two DVD layers. So it is like having a standard dual-layer DVD and a single-layer Blu-ray disc on one physical disc. The DVD’s red laser sees through the BD layer to see the DVD data, while the Blu-ray’s blue laser reflects from the BD layer and never sees the DVD ‘below’.

The discs are produced by Infiniti Storage Media Ltd. and they’re very similar to the hybrid discs demonstrated by JVC back in 2004. Infiniti is also apparently working on a BD50/DVD5 (2-BD layers, 1-DVD layer) standard with the BDA. A BD50/DVD9 isn’t mentioned, though I’d be surprised if that wasn’t the next step, JVC was talking about that in 2004.

It’ll be interesting to see if this catches on or is just a bit of a gimmick. If it is successful we might see more titles using hybrid discs, which would eliminate the BD vs. DVD purchasing decision. Though I’m not sure it will catch on, since they are more complex to make than BD or DVD alone. Still, as a geek I love the elegance of the solution so I kind of hope it will.

Spotted via Blu-ray Stats News Log, which took me to Electonista, and thence to Impress AV Watch. Images from Impress.

We need an HD DVD and Betamax combo deck just for the Epic Fail factor that would represent. (This system supports Digital Audio Tape, Digital Compact Cassette, and MiniDisc – it can’t fail!)

Picked up via Gizmodo.

So today Toshiba dropped a press release entitledToshiba ‘Breathes New Life’ Into DVD with XDE™ Technology. XDE stands for eXtended Detail Enhancement, which to me sounds like nothing more than upscaling with fancy edge enhancement and color contrast adjustment. Frankly it sounds like crap to me, based on the press release.

XDE Flexibility

In addition to upconversion from 480i/p to 1080p, XDE technology offers consumers the ability to customize their viewing experience to their liking with its picture mode settings. With these three selectable settings — Sharp, Color and Contrast — users can get the most out of their DVD movie-viewing experience on their terms.

– Sharp Mode offers improved detail enhancement that is one step closer to high definition. Edges are sharper and details in movies are more visible. Unlike traditional sharpness control, XDE technology analyzes the entire picture and adds edge enhancement precisely where it’s needed.

– Color Mode makes the colors of nature stand out with improved richness. Blues and greens are more vivid and lifelike. Color Mode combines the improvement in color with the detail enhancement of Sharp Mode and is ideal for outdoor scenes.

– Contrast Mode is designed to make darker scenes or foregrounds more clearly visible without the typical “washing out” that can occur with traditional contrast adjustment. Recommended for dark scenes where detail may be difficult to notice, Contrast Mode is also combined with Sharp Mode to provide a clearer viewing experience.

So ‘Sharp Mode’ cranks up the edge enhancement. But too much edge enhancement is one of the most common complaints videophiles have about many titles. This is the kind of cheap trick studios use to try to make an image ‘pop’, but it is unnatural. And now your DVD player can do it to all of your discs. Yay?

‘Color Mode’ sounds like it just tweaks the color palette to favor blues and greens, which can certainly make an image seem more vivid, but artificially so. This is the same kind of trick box stores use to make images on HDTVs look more striking on the wall of screens. And also why the first thing you should do is calibrate your TV, because the settings it comes with are great for selling the set in the store, but not for accurate color reproduction at home.

And ‘Contrast Mode’ cranks up the contrast. But if the contrast isn’t there in the source material, then it must be artificially boosting and/or suppressing some of the picture to increase the contrast. It all sounds like a high-tech, fancy way of doing what people used to do with the color, tint, and contrast knobs on old TVs – and the menus that replaced them on new TVs. This doesn’t sound so much like ‘breathing new life’ into DVD as it does ‘putting DVD in an iron lung’.

You know what these remind me of? Those silly audio modes most receivers have. You know, like ‘Concert Hall’? The settings that mess with the sound to supposedly recreate the feeling of a different space, but in reality are about as close the the real thing as Froot Loops cereal is to real fruit. The snozberries taste just like snozberries!

Sure, I’m just basing this off their press release and I haven’t seen it for myself. But even if they’ve been remarkably clever about the technology, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re just upscaling DVDs and tweaking the picture to try to make it look better. They’re just putting lipstick on a pig compared to real HD media like Blu-ray. No matter how you slice it, the best DVD can provide is one-sixth the raw pixel count as Blu-ray. And no matter how clever your algorithms are to interpolate the data, you just can’t recreate what isn’t there to start with. You can never start with a 480p source and upscale it to 1080p and match a native 1080p source.

So who is going to buy XDE players? People with extensive existing libraries of DVD you say? I have many hundreds of DVDs myself. But Toshiba is selling their XD-E500 1080p/24fps Upconverting DVD player, their first XDE-equipped player, for $149.99. Now, it also handles MP3 and WMA music playback, JPEG display, and is DivX certified, which is all well and good. But you can get a non-XDE player with all of those features (1080p24 upscaling, MP3/WMA, JPEG, DivX), for $50-$60. I myself have a Philips unit I picked up a while back from Amazon for around $60 which has those features, plus known codes to enable region free playback, and it handles NTSC< ->PAL. The Toshiba is unlikely to have either of those features. So is XDE worth the extra $90-$100? Or even $50 if the player is that much cheaper online? Will XDE and the Toshiba logo on the box convince people to pay double what they can get another unit for?

I doubt it will for the majority of users. Any improvement can only be just so good, and you’d need a good HDTV to really get the full benefit. And that’s after you manage to educate users on just what XDE is. When someone in standing in their local Best Buy, comparing units on a shelf, and the only differences are the brand, the price, and that the Toshiba has ‘XDE’, you’ve got an uphill battle on your hands to educate the user on what XDE is and why they want it.

So you’re really after users who are willing to spend more for a (supposedly) better quality picture. But then the users most likely to be willing to shell out more for such improvements are the very same group most likely to be willing to shell out for a Blu-ray deck. Entry level, current model decks are under $300 now, closer to $250 in some cases. And existing stocks of last generation units can be had for less than that. Even some of the best of the current models, with bells and whistles like BD-Live, are between $350-$400. And those prices are falling as supply and competition both increase, and component costs decrease. Entry level units should be under $200 by the holidays, with some well-equipped units under $300.

So where does XDE fit? Users who are just slightly more demanding than a non-XDE DVD player, but not demanding enough to go for even a low-end Blu-ray deck? All Blu-ray decks are also DVD players, all upscaling as far as I’m aware, most quite good at it, some very, very good. Once a person is willing to spend more money on the player, beyond the glut of sub-$100 upscaling players, they’ve already taken the first step toward being willing to make the jump to Blu-ray. It seems like XDE is there just to try to catch those who don’t quite jump high enough to clear the bar. I can’t believe that’s a big market.

The DVD player market is a commodity market now, even for nice upscaling players. It is getting such that there are fairly decent DVD players that cost less than some new release DVDs. Buy a movie, get a free player. That’s a joke, but sometimes it seems like that’s the next step. Toshiba is trying to be the odd man out, and they seem to think XDE will distinguish them from the hordes of commodity players. Enough that users will pay their higher prices. I don’t think it is going to be a big win for them.

Toshiba’s HD DVD decks were very nice units with some great features. They could easily have used the same platform as the basis for a Blu-ray player development. And now is the time (well, six months ago was the time) to get some nice BD players out and make revenue on them. In 2009 when the wave of Chinese BD players hits, there will be a lot of downward pressure on player pricing, making the market less attractive to ‘premium’ brands like Toshiba. That happened in the DVD market years ago. Instead of chasing yesterday’s market long after it has been commoditized, Toshiba needs to go after the marker’s of today and tomorrow, where the margins are higher and competition is lower. I really think it is just their corporate pride and stubbornness which keeps them from embracing Blu-ray.

The full press release:

Aug 18, 2008 04:00 ET

Toshiba ‘Breathes New Life’ Into DVD with XDE™ Technology

XDE offers enhanced picture performance from standard DVDs

WAYNE, N.J., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. (“Toshiba”) today announces its new video enhancement technology for DVD with the introduction of the XD-E500. XDE, or “eXtended Detail Enhancement,” is more than just DVD upconversion. XDE takes DVD picture quality to a whole new level. In addition to providing upconversion from 480i/p up to 1080p, XDE offers user selectable picture enhancement modes that allow for greater detail, more vivid colors and stronger contrast that bring standard DVD quality closer to the HD experience. XDE technology lets consumers enjoy their existing DVD libraries in a whole new way.

“Consumers have embraced the DVD format like no other technology and invested in large libraries of their favorite movies. As the market moves towards high definition, XDE lets them experience their existing DVD library and the tens of thousands of DVD titles in a whole new way,” said Louis Masses, Director of Product Planning. “XDE offers consumers a simple solution to add on to their HDTV purchase. XDE works with existing DVDs to deliver a near HD experience with enhanced detail and richer colors. Toshiba is delivering to consumers what they want — a high quality experience at an affordable price.”

XDE Flexibility

In addition to upconversion from 480i/p to 1080p, XDE technology offers consumers the ability to customize their viewing experience to their liking with its picture mode settings. With these three selectable settings — Sharp, Color and Contrast — users can get the most out of their DVD movie-viewing experience on their terms.

– Sharp Mode offers improved detail enhancement that is one step closer to high definition. Edges are sharper and details in movies are more visible. Unlike traditional sharpness control, XDE technology analyzes the entire picture and adds edge enhancement precisely where it’s needed.

– Color Mode makes the colors of nature stand out with improved richness. Blues and greens are more vivid and lifelike. Color Mode combines the improvement in color with the detail enhancement of Sharp Mode and is ideal for outdoor scenes.

– Contrast Mode is designed to make darker scenes or foregrounds more clearly visible without the typical “washing out” that can occur with traditional contrast adjustment. Recommended for dark scenes where detail may be difficult to notice, Contrast Mode is also combined with Sharp Mode to provide a clearer viewing experience.

In an effort to reach a broad spectrum of consumers from around the world, Toshiba’s new XDE technology and the exciting experience it delivers, will be featured in an extensive print and online advertising campaign. This includes placement on NBCOlympics.com, a site that signifies strength, performance, diversity and unity among many. A new Web site, http://www.toshibaxde.com/, will be launched to help educate consumers on the benefits of XDE technology and how it works so they can experience the best of what this new technology has to offer and enjoy their DVD movies in near HD quality.

XDE will be launched today onboard the XD-E500 1080p/24fps Upconverting DVD player. Featuring XDE technology, the XD-E500 also incorporates key features found on today’s upconverting standard DVD players such as HDMI-CEC, DivX certification, JPEG capability,

MP3 and WMA playback and much more in a slim, high-gloss cosmetic design to complement today’s HDTV.

The XD-E500 is shipping this month with an MSRP of $149.99 and can be found at authorized retailers nationwide. For more information on XDE please visit http://www.toshibaxde.com/ or http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/.

About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba is a pioneer in DVD and DVD Recorder technology and a leading manufacturer of a full line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TV, combination products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. For additional information please visit http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/.

Important Notes

This product does not play HD DVD or Blu-Ray discs. It upconverts standard definition (480p) DVD content to HD (720p, 1080i or 1080p) to match the resolution of your HD display. Although near the picture quality, it does not produce or output native HD video content.

To display upconverted 720p, 1080i or 1080p video content, a 720p, 1080i or 1080p capable HDTV or HD Monitor (as applicable) with an HDCP capable HDMI or DVI input is required.

The effect of enhancements may vary depending upon disc content quality and display device capability/functionality/settings. Depending on the quality of the DVD disc, some video noise may be visible.

Some DVD-R/DVD-RW discs may be incompatible due to laser pick up and disc design. Some recordable media or recording formats may not be supported.

Compatibility with other HDMI-CEC products will vary by manufacturer. Some products may not be compatible at all or may only allow for limited functions.

Viewing 24 frames per second requires content created in 480p / 24 frames/sec and an HD display capable of accepting a 1080p/24Hz signal.

Source: Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

CONTACT: Nicole Lawler of BRODEUR for Toshiba America Consumer Products,
L.L.C., +1-617-587-2024, nlawler@brodeur.com

Web site: http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/
http://www.toshibaxde.com/

Product Features

• Play Blu-ray™, HD DVD™ or regular DVD movie on your computer
• Reads data from all popular DVD and CD format – Blu-ray™ and HD DVD™, standard DVD and CD
• Write to DVD+/-R/RW/DL media and CD-R/RW media
• Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video on compatible DVD+R DL (dual layer) and DVD-R DL(dual layer) media
• Choice of enclosure for eSATA or eSATA/USB 2.0 interface connection
• Bundled with Cyberlink High-Def Suite – software is for use in Windows XP, 2003, and Vista only
• Sturdy aluminum construction
• Compact size for convenient transportation
• Plug and play
• Stereo ear phone jack
• OS support – Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, Vista, Linux (Kernel 2.6 and above), Solaris 10, Mac OS X 10.4*

The drive can read Blu-ray, HD DVD, DVD and CD, and can burn DVD and CD. It is a fairly peppy Blu-ray reader too, 6x reads. The eSATA version is $409, the eSATA/USB2.0 is $429.

Via EngadgetHD.

I’ve had my deluxe box set of Blade Runner on Blu-ray on order for a while. I am very much looking forward to watching that.

Via Blu-ray.com.

As evidenced by the flanking banners, BestBuy.com is having two back-to-back sales. First is the Thanksgiving Weekend Sale. Thursday, Friday and Saturday only 11/22 – 11/24, and then the Cyber Monday Sale, 2 Days Only: Sunday – Monday, Online Only.

There are a few deals I’d highlight for my audience:
Thursday Only: 50% off select DVD box sets 11/22 Only!

Free $100 Best Buy gift card with Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc player for $399.99 11/22 – 11/24. Remember, this is also eligible for five free Blu-ray movies via mail-in.

Free Open Season Blu-ray disc and NBA 08 game with PlayStation 3 40GB hardware 11/22 – 11/24. This makes a great Blu-ray Disc player – and it is also eligible for the five free movies offer.

Free $10 gift card with any PS2, PS3, PSP hardware and select games 11/22 – 11/24.

50% off the top 62 HBO DVDs 11/22 – 11/24.

Select TV on DVD for $14.99 11/22 – 11/24.

Free $25 iTunes card with purchase of three $25 iTunes cards, plus free shipping 11/23 – 11/24. $100 worth of iTunes credit for $75? Sounds good to me. (No pun intended.)

There are a lot more, check out the sale.

They’re supposed to email me with the Cyber Monday specials this weekend. I’ll post them if I can – due to a crisis at work I’ll be flying to a client site in Omaha, NE on Friday and I’ll be there until Monday. I’m bringing my laptop, of course, but I don’t know what my time and access will be like.