TV, Movies & Home Theatre - Page 50

I didn't think this would be this soon, details on Apple TV, but here we go. Apple analyst Gene Munster has reiterated his belief that Apple is set to launch a TV in 2012.

Munster made the comments at Business Insiders' IGNITION: Future of Media conference this morning. Gene is so sure that Apple TV is coming he told anyone thinking of buying a new TV set to actually wait, because Apple's TV is going to be that awesome.

Here are some details:

Christian Bale's stint as the masked crusader, Batman, is finished. The filming of Batman - The Dark Knight Rises has wrapped, and while speaking to the Philippine Daily Enquirer, Bale said:

Bale also had a few quotes on his new cast mates, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a personal fave of mine) as policeman John Blake. He said about Anne Hathaway:

Boxee Box is set to receive an upgrade in the form of the Boxee Live TV. Boxee Live TV is a dongle that allows you to connect an antenna to your Box and watch channels such as ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC in HD without a monthly fee.

Most people are watching less traditional TV, because of Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Vudu and Vimeo. Boxee wants to get in on this, by providing something that allows you to still use those great services through Boxee Box, but allows broadcast TV channels such as ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC over the air in HD through Boxee Live TV.

The traditional TV model is changing, we know that. Most people (like myself) don't sit down and watch TV when it is happening, live. They'll pre-record, DVR, download, or stream it over the Internet, to watch it later. Cable companies don't understand this, as their decades-old business model is fading, and they don't know how to stop it. Companies like Boxee understand you, most importantly, the new-age of TV viewers.

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit is currently filming and Jackson is uploading Production Videos onto Facebook, with Production Video #4 from the set of the Hobbit being uploaded today. The video goes into the 3D side of things where its revealed The Hobbit is being shot in 5k resolution, 48fps and 3D. Intense, and I'm loving the high-res shoot.

The movie is being shot on digital cameras, and directly to hard drives (SSDs by the look of them) at 128GB in size. To get an idea of 5k, think of your TV with 1080p, and then imagine a Windows desktop on it. Increase what you can fit on that screen by five times, and you're nearly there. It's hard to show the scope of it, but as the market moves toward it (with the help of movies like this and James Cameron's upcoming Avatar sequels), it is a great thing for the industry.

Jackson actually says, that people who have seen scenes of The Hobbit in 48fps, say that it's "like the back of cinema has had a hole cut out of it, where the screen is, and it's like you're looking into the real world." I would agree, as an avid user of 120Hz for games, it adds a total different dimension of fluidity into the game (and in this case, movie).

The name of the upcoming 23rd James Bond film has been confirmed: Skyfall. Skyfall features the great Daniel Craig donning the role of James Bond once again (for the third time), with leading ladies confirmed as French actress Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris.

Skyfall is being directed by Sam Mendes, most famous for 1999's American Beauty in which he won an Oscar. Mendes has said that the storyline will take Bond to London, China, Turkey and Scotland. Skyfall will see Bond's loyalty tested to M, his superior, while espionage headquarters MI6 faces an attack.

Dame Judi Dench returns as M, and Skyfall will also co-star Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Javier Bardem as the villain of Skyfall. Best of all, it will be released in the UK on 26 October 2012, which is less than a year from now.

Google TV arrived last year to some lukewarm reviews, citing its complicated interface and lack of actual usefulness. Google has spun out with another push in the form of Google TV 2.0, which includes a totally revamped UI as well as access to Google's Android Market. The update will get rolled out to Sony devices starting today and will hit Logitech Revue set-top boxes soon after.

There's no new hardware announced, but we should see some from Samsung, Vizio and other partners next year. Google, for now, are focusing their efforts making its software more user-friendly and building a solid base that will continue to be improved upon with one or two major OS updates per year and through apps from third-party developers.

Google have also tweaked the YouTube app, making it more living-room friendly. Videos now start playing in full-screen mode right away and custom playlists are created on-the-fly, so a related video will automatically begin playing when the previous one finishes, leaving you not having to tweak that remote control every time a video ends. Google have also added a very nice update that gives users access to a filtered version of the Android Market with apps optimized for Google TV.

Great marketing, fanboy or just 'I did it cos I could', Joss Whedon, the man responsible for such things as Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, Serenity and he was actually a writer for Roseanne, and even Toy Story is at the helm of the most awesome looking 'The Avengers'. If you haven't seen The Avengers trailer, I've posted it below:

The news itself, is that The Avengers has been partially shot The Avengers... on an iPhone. Interesting, isn't it? This is a great piece of marketing for Apple and the community to hear this. Seamus McGarvey, Joss Whedon's director of photography on The Avengers, revealed in an interview recently that some of the movie was shot on an iPhone.

McGarvey says:

Ubisoft is reportedly close to signing off on a deal with Sony PIctures for an Assassin's Creed movie. The rights to the movie were apparently hotly contested by a number of large studios, with Sony getting the winning ticket.

Sony is expected to foot the fill on what is to be expected, quite a large production. An Assassin's Creed movie might actually be alright, the games are phenomenally successful, they're great games themselves, there's a lot that could be done with the AC franchise.

Ubisoft are set to maintain more creative control over the development of its games for other platforms, versus the traditional one-off licensing deals with studios. Something that proved key during the bidding process with Sony.

The new standard of ultra high-definition television (UHDTV) has taken a step in the right direction as experts at the ITU Study Group on Broadcasting Service announced they have reached an agreement on most of the pertinent technical characteristics for a new UHDTV standard.

It'll be years before consumer-based products will be here (boo!) but broadcasters and others have been working for quite a while on UHDTV, which represents a gigantic leap forward in image resolution and picture quality. Just recently, Japan-based broadcaster NHK, who have played a pioneering role in the development of UHDTV, demonstrated a screen with 33 million pixels, a mammoth jump from the 2 million pixels seen on HDTV screens today.

Last month, a trial on UHDTV was arranged between London and Amsterdam and plans are underway to cover part of the 2012 London Olympic Games in UHDTV for screening at public venues around the world.

Apple is rumored to be launching a cloud-based movie service before the end of the year, if not, early 2012. The Los Angeles Times has reported that Apple Representatives have been meeting with various movie studios to finalize a deal that would allow consumers to purchase movies through iTunes and stream them to any iOS-based device. The news comes just after talks of the first movies from a multi-studio venture known as Ultraviolet being launched this week.

Ultraviolet will allow consumers to purchase a DVD or Blu-ray and gain access to digital cloud-based copies they can then watch instantly on their Internet-connected TVs, smartphones and tablets. Ultraviolet web-only purchases, without discs, are expected to arrive in 2012. The Los Angeles Times didn't cite iCloud specifically, but when it says that Apple plans to "put movies in the cloud", there's no guessing required. What is unclear though, is whether the movies and TV shows would be simply downloaded to iOS devices, or streamed in order to save storage space.

The Ultraviolet system is interesting as it introduces a new digital system for customers, without ditching the old business model. It would also [hopefully and potentially] curb piracy, as there are many, many iOS users who are happy with paying for things through services such as iTunes. People familiar with the matter also stated that even though studios were launching Ultraviolet, they are willing to partner with Apple for the new venture, with talks of customers being able to access their Ultraviolet-stored content through Apple's cloud-based service.

Die Hard 5 has been officially announced and will be titled "A Good Day to Die Hard". The movie shoots in January 2012 and is set to have a release of February 14, 2013. A Good Day to Die Hard will see John McClane (still played by the awesome Bruce Willis) heading to Moscow to sweet talk some cops into letting his apparently-warward son out of jail for something he did, but when he gets there, things surround his son's arrest are not as they appear and world-threatening terrorist hijinks ensue.

There's no word on whether A Good Day to Die Hard will be PG-13 or R, personally I'm hoping for the latter. I want to see some Yippee Kiyay Moth... well, you get the picture. John Moore was reportedly chosen by Willis to direct. Moore previously directing Max Payne, The Omen and Behind Enemy Lines. Skip Woods wrote the screenplay, he was behind the screenplays of Swordfish, Hitman, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The A-Team.

Bruce Willis has stated that he wanted to expand and go "worldwide", saying that the Die Hard needed to expand in scope. The original film had John McClane "trapped in a building", in Die Harder he was "trapped in an airport", Die Hard With a Vengeance expanded the scope to New York City and Live Free or Die Hard expanded the threat to the United States. So as you might have guessed it, Willis says the fifth film would have to go further: "Well it's got to go worldwide."

One of two announcements has just come out from Microsoft detailing their freshly signed agreement with Verizon to provide a new FiOS TV-powered experience for the Xbox 360; this among several other niceties in the way of an overall better, and complete Kinect-enabled TV experience.

A special software app developed by Verizon for Xbox LIVE Gold members will provide streamlined access to live TV channels through the Xbox without any additional hardware requirements. A vast selection of Verizon's live TV channels will be on offer, also including multichannel streaming HD TV.

As mentioned, the app is designed to make good use of the Kinect accessory as well, doing away with the need to use a controller or remote.

AC Ryan, International IT and CE manufacturer and leading digital lifestyle producer, have launched what they say is the future of digital home entertainment today - VEOLO. AC Ryan VEOLO combines the most demanded functions to provide a complete digital home entertainment unlike ever before - apps, internet, and a media streamer, all on your TV. VEOLO is powered by Android 2.2 Froyo platform, bringing an enhanced experience for apps on a TV, including casual games and social media.

The built-in web browser includes Java support which allows you to view your favourite Flash-based websites and stream videos from the comfort of your sofa, lounge or bean bag. Streaming your library of music, movies and photos in Full HD is great with the built-in Gigabit Ethernet connection. VEOLO also sports built-in wireless 802.11 b/g/n LAN, powered by an ARM Cortex A9 1GHz processor and includes on-board 512MB DDR3.

AC Ryan include a 3-in-1 remote control as standard with the VEOLO which ensures the VEOLO is a premium product with maximum features an unrivalled user experience. All the functionality of a keyboard and mouse, wireless motion controller and standard remote control, packed into a single, stylish, uncluttered remote control. VEOLO will be available on store shelves in November 2011 at a Suggested Retail Price of US $279.

Ah, James Cameron. I really hope you can make this happen. The infamous director of such movies as Terminator, Aliens and Avatar, is pushing the film industry toward using higher frame rates than the current industry standard of 24 frames per second. Cameron wants to see digital cinema projectors enabled for higher frame rates. He started pushing for higher frame rates at CinemaCon earlier this year where he argued for the use of 48 and 60 fps.

Cameron talked to THR about his need for higher frame rates, saying he would favor 60 fps:

Enjoy your 1080p screen? Well, maybe it's time for an upgrade. Sony have released their VPL-VW1000ES projector that has a 4k resolution - that's 4096x2160 pixels folks! More than four times the resolution of a 1080p picture. What would you do with it? Well, Sony Pictures has more than 60 theatrical releases shot in native 4K resolution, but there is no way of getting that onto a disc and into customers hands right now with current technology.

Sony reps do claim however, that they're in talks with the Blu-ray Disc Association to iron out a standard compression method to squeeze 4K movies onto discs and they have already promised that the upcoming Spider-Man movie will be the first one. But, Spider-Man has a release of July 2012 which should tell you that Sony don't want to talk specific dates and their calendar definitely doesn't have any definitive strikes on it.

The VW1000ES does sport a 4K upscaler, meaning that it will boost your current 1080p content to new heights. It also features 2,000 ANSI lumens, which Sony claims is enough to throw up a screen of 200-inches, and also offers 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio thanks to Sony's Iris3 technology and latest SXRD panel. Control over IP is included as is the ability of 3D. Sony are set to launch this puppy in December and hopes the price will be "under $30,000".

The first look at the new Superman suit is now available and I must say as a loving, adoring Superman fan that I'm quite excited. This is my Star Wars, my Star Trek. Superman is being rebooted under the helm and help of Christopher Nolan (of the Batman reboot and Inception fame) and directed by Zack Snyder of 300 and Watchmen fame. Henry Cavill plays Superman and photos have been making their way to the Internet for weeks now, but WB decided to get out ahead of time to show off the suit instead of a leaked smartphone shot or similar.

As you can see, it has a very Batman/Spiderman reboot feel, very "techie" and out-of-this-world, so they've nailed the Kryptonian feel of it. How do I think Henry looks? Right now, he definitely looks like the Man of Steel, rather than the Boy of Steel that Brandon Routh gave in Superman Returns. I really can't wait to see the direction this movie takes, I just hope Snyder uses practical flying rigs and not 90% CGI flying scenes like we saw in Returns.

Also, this is where our new Image system comes in handy, slide your cursor over the image for a high-resolution shot. It's 1.2MB and should give your eyeballs a bit of a work out. Enjoy!

WD have today announced that its making the Hulu Plus subscription service available to its WD TV Live Plus and WD TV Live Hub family of media players. WD TV customers can now watch hit TV shows, movies and catch up on previous seasons of their favorite shows.

Hulu Plus compliments the already strong content offerings such as Netflix, Blockbuster, Cinema Now, Pandora, YouTube, Facebook and many others. The Hulu Plus subscription service will allow WD TV customers in the US to watch nearly every episode from dozens of current hit programs all season long from networks such as ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, MTV, NBC and VH-1.

Series such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,South Park, Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy, to Glee andFamily Guy, to The Office and 30 Rock, dozens of classic shows like Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Arrested Development, Saturday Night Live, Miami Vice, Ugly Betty, Quantum Leap, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Roswell andAlly McBeal, and hundreds of movies from Miramax and the Criterion Collection.

A new social media film project has been given the green light By collaborators Intel and Toshiba to kick off from July 25th onward in the form of multiple short episodes with a casting call already running from today through to the 20th of this month to identify a new character to be included in said film.

The film, "Inside", is centralised around Christina (played by Emmy Rossum) who is trapped in a room with only a Toshiba Satellite P775 series laptop and an untraceable internet connection. With no idea where she is located or what her fate might be, she uses the laptop to launch her social network, reaching out to friends, family and anyone else who can help her figure out where she's being kept and how to get out of there.

This is the first film of its type in that it helps engage its audience by enlisting them to be a part of the film through social media.

Acer is proud to announce their new slim and stylish Acer Revo RL100, a digital hub for the den or living room which connects to a flat-screen TV and includes a dual-mode wireless touchpad/keyboard for smooth navigation from the comfort of your couch, bed or bean bag. It also has the option of including Blu-ray.

Superman is something very important to me, as a child I grew up with the Christopher Reeve movies and since then have been a big fan of anything Superman. I've watched Smallville for ten years now and have enjoyed the show, it has evolved into something so much better than the Freak of the Week and with introductions with actors such as the great Cassidy Freeman as Tess and Justin Hartley as Oliver, the show has really started to shine.