Hulu suffered a setback today when Viacom announced that it is pulling the plug on both The Colbert Report and The Daily Show effective March 10th, 2010. Fans of the two shows need not panic as each show, though gone from Hulu, will still be available online via Comedy Central at TheDailyShow.com and ColbertNation.com. Money is rumored to be the reason for the split with Viacom reportedly pushing for a more lucrative advertising agreement or even an upfront lump cash sum that Hulu was unwilling to provide. Despite its amicable press release, Hulu must be feeling a bit of a sting as both The Daily Show and the Colbert Report consistently ranked within the top ten all time watched shows. With two of its headliners gone, should Hulu be concerned about other programs following suit or is it merely waiting for Viacom to come groveling back after failing to make it on its own ?

[Via The New York Times]

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TiVo, last night, announced the TiVo Premiere and TiVo Premiere XL Series-4 set-top DVR boxes, complete with a resigned UI and optional Bluetooth QWERTY slider remote. A QWERTY TiVo remote? Come on, who are you kidding, you know you want that. The Premiere will retail for $299 and will accommodate up to 45 hours of HD programing on its 320GB hard drive. The XL will retail for $499 and will store up to 150 hours of HD goodness on its 1 TB hard drive. Both models will have a CableCARD slot, Ethernet, USB 2.0, eSATA, Netflix integration, Amazon Video integration, YouTube integration, and the ability to output in 1080p. Other than an extra 680 GB, the XL model also adds THX certification for all you audiophiles out there. The Bluetooth QWERTY remote will be available later this year, although pricing has yet to be announced. As far as other accessories go, a wireless-N adapter can be purchased separately for $90 and, for those stuck in the boonies, a $30 phone line adapter is also available. We’ve got a pic of that new-fangled remote queued up after the break.

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High tech couch potatoes take note as Logitech has added two new Harmony remotes to its already robust remote lineup. The latest additions offer one click activity buttons and have enough functionality to replace five individual remotes. The Harmony 600 is an entry level model and features a black & white screen with support for device commands. The Harmony 650 offers a color screen, has icons for your favorite channels, and supports device commands. You might be familiar with Logitech’s lineup, but here is the kicker: The Logitech Harmony 600 will retail for a mere $79.99 while the Harmony 650 comes in at a slightly higher, but still affordable $99.99. Both remotes are expected to touch down in the US and Europe in late March.

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Blockbuster continues its downward spiral with the once powerful movie rental company now posting yet another quarterly loss. Bad news across the board with sales plunging 16%, revenue falling 18%, and an income loss of $425 million which exceeds the $360 million loss posted in Q4 2008. Blockbuster is in tough shape; its stock is hovering around $0.31, a point that places its future on the NYSE at risk, and analysts en masse are questioning if it has the ability to repay its debts which total $964 million. In an attempt to reverse this trend, Blockbuster is closing stores, shuttering 253 of them last month with another 150 planned for April, and extending its reach by offering a video by mail service, an on-demand video streaming service, and is introducing kiosks which offer movie rentals without the overhead costs associated with a brick and mortar store. Blockbuster is jumping feet first into the kiosk market, rolling out 2,000 kiosks in 2009 with another 7,000 planned for 2010. This may be a little too little, a little too late as kiosk rental champion Redbox continues to eat away Blockbusters market share and Netflix, Blockbuster’s primary rival, is laughing all the way to the bank with $31 million in quarterly income and 12.3 million subscribers in tow.

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Takings its cue from the success of VUDU, Roku, and Boxee, Cablevision is developing a new PC to TV Relay service which will provide a dedicated channel for customers to serve up computer content to their TV. The service connects a home PC to a TV using a set-top cable box and can display Internet content including Hulu, media files stored on the computer, and local documents like email, spreadsheets, etc. The service routes the content through Cablevision’s network where it is piped back down through the cable box and displayed on the TV via a secured channel that is unique to each customer. This service is targeted at the technology challenged customer as most savvy computer users already have a laptop with HDMI and know how to route computer content to their TV without Cablevision’s help. Windows users can jump on board when the service is launched as a technical trial in June while Mac owners will have to wait for the Mac version of the software to be completed. This seems like a pretty decent attempt at bringing computer content to the living room as the hardware is already in place. Any takers?

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It’s pretty incomprehensible that until about two weeks ago, I had never used a piece of Sonos equipment. Heard about it, and read about it? Sure, but never used it. What MP3s did for personal audio enjoyment 5 years ago, Sonos does for your home, office, or wherever you want today, ingeniously creating a seamless and practically unlimited expandable system. Sonos is literally one of the coolest things I’ve seen in years; not because they reinvented the wheel (even though they kind of did in some places), but because it works.

Our digital lives are consumed by software updates, OTAs, custom ROMs, and promised OS upgrades, and because of their absence in Sonos’ system the entire experience is completely refreshing. You literally, in the words of Ron Popeill, “set it and forget it.” Once you unbox the sucker you have access to potentially limitless amounts of music spanning dozens of genres and styles.

We were sent two Sonos S5s, which are incredibly powerful units, and include speakers, subwoofers, and the ability to transmit/receive data and signal in addition to a ZoneBridge and Sonos Controller 200. If you want your S5 in the room where your internet router is, great, you just plug it in, and off you go. If you don’t have Ethernet in the room you’d like to host the system in, you can simply buy a ZoneBridge ($99), which will bridge your wireless network to your Sonos base for you. From there on out it is as simple as pairing the additional components.

I started off setting up the ZoneBridge to my network, I then added a Sonos S5 in the kitchen two rooms away. Set up was a breeze. I ran the Sonos software, touched a button or two on the S5, and it paired immediately and connected to my network. Once networked, I had instant access to my Pandora account, Last.fm account, Rhapsody account, Napster account, and Sirius radio account, in addition to whatever music was on my network. Instantly. Before I got too excited and immersed in some music from Billboard charts from 1995, I decided to add the other S5 to the network; this time unit was headed for the living room. The second S5 also seamlessly connected in about one minute. I now had independent control over the music/volume in the kitchen as well as the music/volume in the living room from my computer. So wild. If you’re having a small get together, or raging party, and want the music to play all over your apartment or house, you can simply link the zones together — all your zones will play the exact same thing perfectly in sync. You can also control the volume of linked zones together or independently.

We’re not done…there’s more. Sonos’ new controller is so thoughtfully designed that I’m really not sure what to compare it to. It seems like it should cost $1,000 instead of $349; it even includes a capacitive screen. You have the ability to control the entire system — including changing your playlists, music queue, stations, volume, zones, and everything else — right from the controller. Computer not required. But, Sonos went even further. They basically replicated the entire experience they offered on the remote into an iPhone application. This transforms your iPod Touch or iPhone into another controller, complete control over everything, computer not required (you need to be in range of your WiFi network though, duh).

In terms of the actual music, the Sonos S5 unit itself sounds absolutely amazing and really packs a punch. For something that can be literally picked up and plugged in anywhere it’s pretty remarkable. During the tests I didn’t ever miss having my actual home speaker systems hooked up, the S5s sounded that good.

While it’s great that the hardware and wireless network side of things work so incredibly well, what good would all that be without quality music sources, right? Here’s how Sonos’ music breaks down:

• If you have a PC or Mac on your network, Sonos can make use of any existing library pending of course the music is DRM-free. This includes all of your iTunes music, ripped music, downloaded music — whatever is stored locally on your computer
• Rhapsody (subscription based access with free trial, streaming)
• Napster (subscription based access with free trial, streaming)
• Pandora (streaming)
• Last.fm (streaming)
• SIRUIS (streaming)
• Internet radio (25,000 stations, streaming)

All in all I loved listening to a seemingly endless catalog of music that I could tailor to my daily routines, activities, and moods. Times when you’d normally just forget about turning on tunes dissolve away when there’s a Sonos remote nearby — hopefully the neighbors aren’t too mad at me. Check out some more photos in our gallery, and definitely hit up Sonos directly to learn more!

Click on over to our Sonos Music System gallery!

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Netflix and Nintendo are teaming up to bring Netflix’s streaming media service to the Nintendo Wii this spring. In order to actually get some streaming content going, Wii owners will obviously need to have a broadband internet-connected Wii and a subscription to a minimum $8.99 Netflix plan. Similar to the PS3, the Wii will not be an embedded solution and will require a Netflix application disc which must be inserted in the Wii while accessing the Netflix content. Wii owners ready to jump on board can sign up now to receive additional information and reserve an application disc at Netflix’s website. The disc is free and will ship this spring when the service launches.

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VUDU has taken a great leap forward, moving from its small lineup of streaming media set-top boxes and its presence on a few home entertainment devices to being the embedded media service of choice for LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung, SANYO, Sharp, Toshiba and VIZIO. The popular streaming movie service will be installed on select models of broadband TVs and Blu-ray players across all partners, an arrangement that may put millions of VUDU-enabled home entertainment devices into living rooms across America. Customers who purchase a VUDU-spiced HDTV or Blu-ray player will be able to access VUDU’s 3,000 strong on-demand HD movie catalog and its exclusive 1080p HDX formatted feature films. VUDU also announced its new VUDU Apps application platform, a cloud-based application service that allows customers to browse photos, stream video, access social network sites and more from the comfort of their favorite chair. They’ve got over 100 applications in the catalog and they will be available on broadband HDTVs from Mitsubishi, SANYO, Sharp and Toshiba and on broadband Blu-ray players from Toshiba. We need this. Now.

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Sling is coming to Vegas with four new placeshifting media devices that will allow you to sling your HD content around your house, control your Sling media with the touch of a finger and, in typical slingbox fashion, access your content on portable media devices while on the go. The four products include the following:

• Slingbox 700U – a traditional Slingbox that will connect to an internet-connected set top box via USB
• Sling Monitor 150 – a remote monitor which displays HD streaming media from an in-network Slingbox
• Sling Receiver 300 – a companion device which will stream HD media from an in-network slingbox to a remote TV
• Sling Touch 100 – a touch-enabled remote control with a UI based upon the SlingGuide electronic program guide and the ability to control SlingGuide-enabled DVRs and most line of sight controlled AV equipment

All four devices are targeted for television service providers so they may attract new customers and are not for general consumption. We know, we know. Hit the jump for the full press release and press photos of each device.Sling Media Unveils Suite of New OEM Products at CES 2010

Innovative new placeshifting products improve time to market, simplify installation for television service providers

Las Vegas, Nev., USA – Jan. 6, 2010 – SlingMedia, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), today unveiled four products as part of an expanded strategy targeted at television service providers and consumer electronics manufacturers. Leveraging the award-winning technology in its core Slingbox® product, Sling Media has created elegant, easy-to-install new products that deliver video placeshifting, allowing anyone to enjoy their video around their home or around the world.

New Sling Media OEM Products Unveiled at CES 2010:

* Slingbox 700U
* Sling Receiver 300
* Sling Monitor 150
* Sling Touch Control 100

“For the past 12 months, we have been fine tuning an all new product lineup. We believe manufacturers and TV service providers realize that building Sling Media products and services into their offerings is the best way to acquire new customers and delight their current ones,” said John M. Paul, executive vice president of Products at Sling Media. “We are open for OEM business and excited to work with any television service provider or CE manufacturer to integrate our products and technology to bring placeshifting to the mainstream.”

About the Slingbox 700U

The Slingbox 700U is the fastest way of adding award-winning Slingbox capabilities to an existing Internet-connected set-top-box with a USB port such as the EchoStar 722K. Using a simple connection, an existing HD set-top box can be quickly SlingLoaded™, giving viewers the ability to watch HDTV via the web-based SlingPlayer anywhere in the world on a PC, Macintosh or smart mobile device.

About the Sling Receiver 300

The Sling Receiver 300 is a companion to a SlingLoaded™ set-top box such as the EchoStar SlingLoaded 922 HD DVR that can deliver an HD DVR’s full HD video stream to any other television in the home using a home network, eliminating the need to run cables or purchase a second HD DVR.

About the Sling Monitor 150

The Sling Monitor 150 is a light-weight, portable flat screen display that wirelessly takes a viewer’s primary HD DVR video experience to any location in the home, eliminating the need to run cables or purchase a second DVR. Now viewers can watch HD programming in places they may not have installed a second TV like the kitchen, office or workshop.

About the Sling Touch Control 100

The Sling Touch Control 100 is a next-generation, touch-screen remote control with an interface based on SlingMedia’s popular SlingGuide™ electronic program guide. It interacts with and controls SlingGuide-enabled DVRs as well as most line-of-sight controlled audio-visual devices.

SlingMedia will be demonstrating these new technologies in Booth 9021 at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. we’ll let you know what we think of them.

Discovery Communications, Sony Corporation and IMAX Corporation, a trio of entertainment powerhouses, are teaming up to deliver the first dedicated 3D television network in the US. The network will feature 24/7 programming from Discovery, Sony Pictures Entertainment, IMAX and other third party 3D content creators with a focus on genres that look stunning in 3D. These include natural history, space, exploration, adventure, engineering, science and technology, motion pictures and nightmare-inducing children’s programming. The joint venture is still in the preliminary stages with each company having signed a non-binding Letter of Intent. With 3D televisions set to take CES by storm and a network for non-stop 3D content in the works , it won’t be long before we are donning those goofy glasses and watching Shark Week in glorious 3D. Full press release after the jump.

Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX Announce Plan to Launch First 24/7 Dedicated 3D Television Network in the U.S.

– Three-Way Venture to Bring Next-Generation Experience to Home Television Viewers –

– Joint Media Call with Discovery, Sony and IMAX CEOs at 3:15 p.m. EST Today; See Dial-in Details at End of Release –
2010 International CES

LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Three of the world’s leading media, technology and entertainment companies – Discovery Communications, Sony Corporation and IMAX Corporation – today announced a joint venture to be established to develop the first 24/7 dedicated 3D television network in the U.S. The partnership brings together three leaders with an extraordinary collection of award-winning 3D content, technology expertise, television distribution and operational strength to deliver a high-quality three-dimensional viewing experience to home television audiences.

“Today’s announcement is the next step in fulfilling Discovery’s mission of providing groundbreaking content for our affiliate partners and enlightening viewers with the most immersive and realistic viewing experience available anywhere.”

“Discovery’s business strategy has always focused on delivering groundbreaking content through new platforms, including the first suite of digital channels launched in 1996 and the first 24/7 basic cable HD channel in 2002,” said Discovery Founder and Chairman John Hendricks. “Now, as Discovery celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2010 as the world leader in satisfying curiosity and bringing audiences the most realistic viewing experience, we continue to change the face of television with the launch of the first-ever 24/7 dedicated 3D television network.”

“Sony is the only company with expertise in every part of the 3D value chain,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President, Sony Corporation. “We are delighted to be partnering with Discovery and IMAX, two premier companies also dedicated to leadership in 3D, in this groundbreaking new venture. It is clear to us that consumers will always migrate to a better and richer entertainment experience, and together we are determined to be the leader in providing that around the world.”

“By partnering with Sony and IMAX on 3D, Discovery will lead the way in revolutionizing the next-generation home viewing experience in the U.S. and around the world,” said Discovery Communications President and CEO David Zaslav. “Today’s announcement is the next step in fulfilling Discovery’s mission of providing groundbreaking content for our affiliate partners and enlightening viewers with the most immersive and realistic viewing experience available anywhere.”

“IMAX has been a pioneer and recognized leader in 3D technology for more than twenty-five years, delivering the premium in-theatre experience to audiences around the world. We’re reaching more and more consumers with the recent expansion of the IMAX® theatre network and the growth of 3D movie content,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “This new business venture is the first step in our strategic effort to take 3D into the home and extend the IMAX brand. We’ve already had strong collaborations with Discovery Communications and Sony in the past on IMAX event film titles, and we are thrilled to work with such strong partners to be the first to make in-home 3D a reality.”

Discovery, Sony, through its U.S. affiliate, Sony Corporation of America, and IMAX each will be equal partners in the joint venture. It will be launched in the U.S., with a goal of driving consumer adoption of 3D televisions and giving the network long-term leadership in the 3D home marketplace. In the future, the companies also will explore international distribution opportunities in selected markets.

The new 3D network will feature high-quality premium content from genres that are most appealing in 3D, including natural history, space, exploration, adventure, engineering, science and technology, motion pictures and children’s programming from Discovery, Sony Pictures Entertainment, IMAX and other third-party providers.

Discovery will provide network services, including affiliate sales and technical support functions, as well as 3D television rights to Discovery content and cross-promotion across its portfolio of 13 U.S. television networks. Sony will provide advertising/sponsorship sales support, and will seek to license television rights to current and future 3D feature films, music-related 3D content and game-related 3D content, while providing cross-promotion at retail stores. IMAX also will license television rights to future 3D films, promotion through its owned-and-operated movie theaters across the U.S., and a suite of proprietary and patented image enhancement and 3D technologies.

Governance for the joint venture will be handled by a board of directors comprised of members from each of the three companies, with the day-to-day operations run by a separate staff and management team that will report to the board. A search for the venture’s general manager will begin immediately.

The parties have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent. Specific financial terms of the venture were not disclosed. The parties will work towards prompt execution of definitive agreements, subject to any necessary regulatory approvals.

Conference Call Details
Discovery Founder and Chairman John Hendricks, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav, Sony Corporation Chairman, CEO and President Sir Howard Stringer and IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond will hold a joint media call to discuss the venture at 3:15 p.m. EST today. To access the conference call, in the U.S. dial 1-888-396-2298, or outside of the U.S. dial 1-617-847-8708, and use the following passcode: 30218

You know what was so 2009? Television in HD. You know what is so 2010? Television in HD and 3D. HD Guru is reporting that DirecTV is planning to launch an all HD and 3D channel in 2010; with an announcement forthcoming at this years CES show in Las Vegas. The new service will be made possible by a new DirecTV satellite being shot into orbit sometime in the very near future, a satellite slated to be fully operational by March of 2010. The channel will play a variety of movies and sports all conforming to the latest 3D standard. Now before we all get too excited, the new service will work with your current DirecTV HD box, thanks to a firmware update, but you will have to purchase yourself a new 3D compatible HD TV — many of which are to be announced at CES this year. Will 3D be the new buzz word of the 2010 television market? We will see.

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Rumors are starting to fly around about the next iteration of Apple’s somewhat neglected set-top box venture that is the Apple TV. The Wall Street Journal and others are reporting that the Cupertino company has been courting standard and cable networks to provide content, via iTunes, for the Apple TV. The new content is purportedly going to be bundled in small packages and target consumers who only watch a few channels yet often have a 300+ channel cable package, and the accompanying bill. Apple would pay somewhere between $1-2 per subscriber to broadcast companies providing content from standard channels — ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX — and $3-5 per subscriber for cable channels. The WSJ reports that $30 could get you between 15-30 channels on your Apple TV, commercial free. No details on how soon after initial airing the content would become available or how things like live sports would be handled. How about it? Would any of you be interested in a service like this instead of standard cable?

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Grab your tinfoil hat and rip the coaxial out of your TiVo privacy-freaks. Search giant Google has setup strategic partnerships with TiVo and DISH Network to analyze customer DVR data in a move billed to better “align advertisers with viewers.” Google TV will do what Google does best — mine data –  TiVo and DISH will be providing Google with “second-by-second viewing information on who’s changing channels and when, who’s fast-forwarding through commercials and anonymous information on viewers themselves.” We’re unclear as to how information can be both anonymous but about the viewer? The information will be used to more accurately target and price 30 and 60 second advertisement spots as the data will be able to indicate just how many people actually watched that Viagra ad, versus how many people fast forwarded over the bloody thing.

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One of our favorite set-top boxes, Roku, has just announced that it is launching the Roku Channel Store. The good news for you couch potatoes is that the first 10 channels are free. The open platform for sharing content on TV will allow you to share pictures and video, and listen to Internet radio and podcasts. New channels available to add right now are Pandora, Facebook Photos, Flickr and TWiT (This Week In Tech). Plus, since this is an open platform, developers can jump on the Roku bandwagon to add in getting more channels out.

But here’s the best part: Anthony Wood, CEO and co-founder of Roku, says, “Now content producers and distributors – from single person shops to billion dollar corporations – can deliver their content directly to consumers without having to go exclusively through cable operators, satellite networks or TV affiliates.” Less restriction could mean more of the content you want without paying premiums. When is it available? Existing customers will get a free and automatic upgrade and new Roku customers will get the upgrade as soon as they get their box going. If you own a Roku box and are currently subscribed, let us know what you think of the new channels.

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All you movie addicts who own the PlayStation 3 no longer have to envy Xbox 360 users. Sony and Netflix are teaming up to bring movie streaming to the Ps3. The bonus for those on the PlayStation Network is, since your PSN accounts are free, all you need is a Netflix account to watch movies whereas Xbox 360 users need a $50-per-year Xbox Live Gold membership. The service will launch in November and if you decide to use your PS3 to access your Netflix account (why wouldn’t you?), Netflix will send a Blu-Ray disc that will allow you to access its library. It might seem like a hassle to pop in the disc every time you want to watch movies, but Netflix says it’s working on a software update for the PS3 that will do away with the need for a disc. It looks like you gamers and movie buffs are about to see double the couch time.

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Our Apple tipster (who accurately predicted organizable iPhone homescreens in iTunes as well as integrated social networking components) is back at it again! This time we’ve been sent an image that we’re told is a “product mockup that may coincide with the launch of a revised Apple TV.” It seems a little far-fetched that this unit’s only purpose would be to control an Apple TV, and you can even see a Safari option on the mockup. To be honest, it looks like a touch screen iPod nano, just longer. We’re going to dig a little bit and see what we can find, but we figured we’d run this with a high dose of caution for informational purposes.

Thanks, Lindsey!

File this little guy under gadgets we need ASAP. VUDU has been tearing it up lately as the company wisely broadens its horizons beyond dedicated set top boxes. The HD on-demand content provider recently announced partnerships that bring its service to various LG and Mitsubishi flat-panel televisions, and now VUDU is taking things to a new range of products: LG Blu-ray players. It certainly makes sense — if you’re going to add an on-demand HD streaming service to a line of home theater components, why not make them Blu-ray players? The first LG model that will be graced with VUDU service is the BD390, which is available now with an MSRP of $399. VUDU will go live on the player via a free software update toward the end of the month, though CEDIA attendees will be able to get a preview of the VUDU-enabled player this week at the show. If you have a High Def addiction and you’ve given up fighting it long ago, the BD390 is definitely the 1080p fix you’ve been looking for. Hit the jump for the full release.

VUDU NOW AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY PLAYERS

VUDU Extends Footprint of Industry-Leading HD Movie Service

To LG Electronics’ Network Blu-ray Disc Player

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 9, 2009 – VUDU, Inc.’s industry-leading on-demand high definition (HD) movie service is now available on the BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc player from LG Electronics, giving consumers a whole new way to access the largest on-demand HD library of Hollywood movies in their living rooms, the company announced today.

VUDU continues to work with top consumer electronics manufacturers to become more accessible to customers who want to rent or buy major Hollywood movies in high definition.  The VUDU service, already available on flat-panel HDTVs, uniquely delivers the largest available HD movie library of instantly-viewable movies in 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and provides customers with VUDU’s superior user experience for finding and watching movies in high definition.

“Our goal as a company is to offer the best possible HD movie service to the broadest possible audience,” said Alain Rossmann, CEO of VUDU.  “By adding the top-rated LG BD390 Blu-ray player to the lineup of VUDU-enabled products, we’ve made it easier than ever for customers to enjoy the VUDU experience.”

Some of VUDU’s key features include:

• Instant viewing experience:  unlike typical Internet and on-demand video streaming, VUDU movies start immediately, and viewers can fast forward, rewind and browse chapters without the delays or the frustration associated with buffering
• Highest quality video:  VUDU’s unique HDX format delivers true 1080p resolution and TruFilm encoding enhancements, now available for the first time on an instant-start basis
• Immersive sound:  VUDU is the only on-demand service to deliver Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound at all video quality levels
• No monthly fees: customers can instantly buy or rent from VUDU’s extensive library of standard and high definition movie and TV titles without any monthly service charges
• Largest HD library anywhere: over 2,200 titles are available in HD or HDX format
• New releases: Newly-released titles from all major studios are available the same day as DVD release, typically months before they are available on subscription-based service.

LG’s BD390 networked Blu-ray player transforms and personalizes the home theater experience by offering a stellar array of entertainment options.  In addition to its broadband capabilities, the BD390 offers exceptional “Full HD” 1080p video performance and exceptional image quality from standard DVDs with 1080p up-scaling via HDMI output. The BD390 is also equipped for easy connection to the home network and has one gigabyte (GB) of built-in memory for BD Live functionality.

Model BD390 with LG’s “NetCast Entertainment Access” feature is available now at nationwide retailers at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399. VUDU connectivity will be available at the end of the month via a free upgrade.

We know, we know — if you really wanted one and stay up on your blawgz you’d have purchased one by now, but for everyone else, it seems as if the PS3 Slim is currently available at a bunch of Best Buy locations. One of our tipsters hit us with the above photo and other sites have reported on this as well. Anyone purchase one yet?

We haven’t really covered Blockbuster’s DVD-by-mail service since this past March when a string of policy changes finally culminated in our exclusive scoop covering the elimination of Total Access’ one competitive edge over Netflix — the ability of subscribers to enjoy their free in-store rentals while they awaited new DVDs to be delivered by mail. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones appalled by the move. The following is pulled from the company’s latest 10-Q filing:

a $40.7 million decrease in by-mail revenues driven by a 34% average decline in by-mail subscribers”

So, in a single quarter, Blockbuster reveals that it shed 34 percent of its by-mail subscribers and the hejira resulted in a $40.7 million decline in by-mail revenue. Ouch. The prior quarter was no different, and Blockbuster has seen a $76.3 million total decline in by-mail revenue over the half. Time to switch things up, fellas.

[Via Zatz Not Funny!]

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Sling let us know that they’ve gone and submitted version 1.1 of their popular SlingPlayer for iPhone application to Apple. New in this version include true 16×9 wide-screen support, improved remote control interface, faster speeds all around including channel changing, initial connection, remote control response.

While unfortunately there’s no 3G support in here, SlingMedia did let us know that they’ve submitted a version specifically for outside the United States that does have 3G support built in. There’s no telling whether Apple will approve it, but still a nice bit of information for our brothers and sisters that don’t live in the States.

Following a long a grueling battle that forced the company to bury its now-defunct “next generation” home entertainment media tech, Toshiba was left bleeding worse than a naked cheerleader in an axe murderer flick. It’s been just over a year since we all attended HD DVD’s $1 billion funeral and now it appears that Toshiba is done grieving. A year is enough time, right? According to the the Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun, the beaten electronics giant plans to join the dark side and issue a Blu-ray player by year’s end. It’s first BD offering will reportedly play DVDs as well as Blu-ray discs, though the price point is still unknown. Tosh is supposedly considering a Blu-ray recorder as well but no time line was specified so odds are we won’t see it this year. The move makes sense of course — Toshiba has to keep up with the times and 1080p is hotter than Hansel right now. It’s going to have to sell a whole lot of players to make up for that $1 billion it lost in the format war, however. Best of luck to you, Tosh.

[Via HD-Report]

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Changeover day came and went this past Friday and while the vast majority of the country likely didn’t even notice, a handful of people were in for a rude awakening as analog broadcasts ended. Over the past week, the FCC’s official help line received about 700,000 calls — 347,450 on Friday alone — regarding issues leading up to and following the changeover. About a third of Friday’s calls were from people still looking for coupons to help pay for digital converter boxes and another third were from people having trouble operating their converters. About 20 percent of the calls were regarding reception issues. Michael Copps, acting FCC Chairman, had this to say regarding the tidal wave of calls:

Our job is far from over. This transition is not a one-day affair. We have known about re-scanning and reception issues for some time and have been doing our best to get the word out.

Re-scanning, as Copps mentioned, is said to resolve reception issues a great deal of the time. So, if Grandma decides to call you for tech support rather than dialing up 1-888-CALL-FCC, that should likely be the first stop on the troubleshooting train. As for BGR readers, we imagine most if not all of you have already been enjoying some kind of digital broadcast for years now. There are always a few stragglers though — anyone caught with their pants down this past Friday? Figuratively, that is.

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Today is the day our grandparents have been dreading for quite some time now — that is, if they even knew DTV was on its way. Today is Friday, June 12th, and the switch from analog to digital TV is upon us. While those of us with modern sets and digital cable/satellite/etc have nothing to worry about of course, the generation of analog signals and Rabbit Ears may not be prepared. Then again, if you’re like some of us here at BGR, your grandparents have way more intense set ups than you and it makes you feel a tad uncomfortable. Moving along, it’s estimated that around 3 million US households are not prepared for the switch so Oprah, don’t be surprised if your numbers drop off for a short while. As for the rest of us, if your grandfather is threatening to cut you out of the will unless you come fix his box so he can watch the talkies again, the FCC’s DTV website is a good place for you to start.

We’ve been getting a bunch of comments and emails looking for an update on the Comcast Town design giveaway and since there’s $30,000 worth of prizes up for grabs, we thought we’d drop a little update on you. First and foremost, a couple finalists have been chosen from among thousands of designs. The judges have done their part and now its up to you guys — voting is live on the site and open to the public. You can vote once each day so if your design was chosen, it’s definitely time to rally the troops. Voting is open through 11:59PM PDT on June 15th and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter. Good luck to all the finalists and may the best design win!

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We’ve long since given up on Blockbuster and the debacle that is Total Access. As the company continues to struggle with the evolving home entertainment industry, Blockbuster repeatedly reminds us all that it just doesn’t get it. That won’t stop it from trying though. According to the Wall Street Journal, Blockbuster will finally begin piloting the addition of video games to its through-the-mail movie rental service sometime in June — the goal will still be to launch the service nationally in 2H of this year. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings of video games being added to the pot but apparently it took a bit longer than expected to get the pilot rolling. Still no word on how video game packages will be priced or whether the half-price in-store game rentals will indeed be part of the offer, but to be honest we don’t really care. The Blockbuster ship has already sailed as far as we’re concerned.

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As expected

In an attempt to further lower its operating costs, Sony will continue with its previously announced work force reduction of 16,000 employees and will also close 3 plants in Japan, lowering its total number of plants to 49 from a high of 57 last year. Despite its cost cutting measures the outlook remains similarly bleak for the fiscal year ending in March 2010, with losses projected to be in the ballpark of ¥120 billion.

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You judge us every day in the comments section and now it’s our turn to return the favor! Last month we told you about a big promotion Comcast is currently running and now that things are coming down to the wire, we wanted to remind you guys to enter. In short, contestants use Comcast’s virtual room designer to build their own virtual pads in Comcast Town. The judges, your pals at BGR included, will then judge each room and the top ten finalists will go on display for a community vote. One lucky winner will be selected to win up to $30,000 in prizes including a brand-new 40-inch Sony BRAVIA HDTV, a Sony VAIO AW laptop and a Philips digital phone. Are you independently wealthy and already living in the lap of luxury? Move along, nothing to see here. If you’re like the rest of us though and the recession’s got you down, there’s no better way to get your hands on a truckload of free gear than Comcast’s contest. Entries must be submitted by 11:59PM PT for a chance to win so get a move on…

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Here’s the deal… Comcast just launched this big marketing initiative called ComcastTown (you’ve probably seen the ads on BGR by now) and we’ve agreed to be judges. We wouldn’t participate in a campaign that we didn’t like ourselves and the ComcastTown.com concept is actually pretty cool. Here’s how it works: Using an interactive design interface, you can set up your own apartment using a whole boat load of available stuff — furniture, electronics and even some BGR-specific items, too. We and other people judge it and if you win, Comcast will redecorate your apartment with whatever you created. Stuff like Sony BRAVIA HDTVs, Sony VAIO laptops, phones, and more all worth up to $30,000 are up for grabs for your apartment. Comcast didn’t tell us if they’d include Comcast service but if you win, we’re pretty sure we could con them into it. You can see our apartment up above, but maybe you can do better? Hit the read link if you’d like to participate!

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