Audio Video News

Of course the BBC is Britain's version of public radio. Its Radio 3 channel is strong in classical, jazz, world music, new music, and spoken-word drama.

According to Andrew Clements of The Guardian, "toggling between the HD service and the usual Radio 3 website broadcasts revealed greater definition and the more spacious, warmer sound of the new format. There was far more bloom on the tone of the instruments in the Brahms horn trio, and a real depth to the orchestral 'picture' for the Tchaikovsky, all of which really did seem comparable to Radio 3 FM, though still worlds away from what CDs or old-fashioned vinyl LPs can offer." Since we don't have access to Radio 3's FM or HD signals, we'll take his word for it.

A BBC press release says: "Initially, the stream will only be available for live programmes (not on demand) for UK listeners only." BOO! "It will be available through pages on radio networks' websites and special event sites, although the ambition is to integrate HD Sound into iPlayer and Radioplayer as the technology develops."

Panasonic will retain its special arrangement with Avatar, providing the much sought after 3D Blu-ray title to purchasers of its products through February 2012.

James Cameron's masterwork has done much to convince consumers that 3DTV is a worthy investment. And folks can enjoy it at home if they buy a Panasonic 3DTV or Blu-ray player on which to view it. But those who use non-Panasonic gear are still out in the cold for another year. Of course Panasonic provided a lot of production support during the making of the hit movie, so if anyone is going to have a special relationship with Avatar and its producers, it's going to be Panasonic.

The music industry is quietly grappling with a digital audio storage crisis that threatens to sweep away many of the musical achievements of the past few decades. The lack of usable masters or other elements is also throwing a spanner into the works of lucrative remasterings and reissues.

If you're planning to go out and see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader or Gulliver's Travels, which open in theaters this weekend, you might want to stop by a Blu-ray/DVD retailer on your way and pick up one or more select titles from MGM and Fox. In the packaging, you will find a coupon for up to $10 (Blu-ray) or $7.50 (DVD) of Hollywood Movie Money toward a ticket for either flick. Just look for titles with one of the stickers depicted above.

Click below for a list of applicable titles.

Blockbuster isn't the first name you may think of in connection with video rental kiosks. Its name is on only 900 of them, as opposed to 25,000 for Redbox. But Blockbuster and its kiosk partner NCR are trying some new moves with two titles, Inception and Knight and Day, hoping to attract new customers.

Android phone users will eventually be able to stream programming from Netflix. But unless something changes, only some users will be able to access the service.

The Kaleidescape system has always been filled with The Awesome. But with Great Awesome also came Great Expense. Today, joining that elite club of Kaleidescape system owenership just got a whole lot easier on your credit line. They announced that...