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Archive for the 'Geek gear' Category

A costly solution to the high-definition DVD war

December 8th, 2007, 5:17 pm by Scott Kirchhofer

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HD DVD or Blue-ray? It’s an important decision we all must make as we enter the world of high-definition DVDs. Anyone who’s seen either high-definition format on a high-definition TV will tell you it looks amazing. Regular DVDs simply do not compare to its crisp and colorful picture, hi-fi audio and cool special features. As the price of individual HD DVD and Blue-ray players decreases, we (the consumers) are still getting screwed because many high definition movies are still being released exclusively on one format. Regardless of who’s winning the war, it doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. Luckily some companies are making dual-format players. Samsung recently announced their BD-UP5000 dual-format high-def disc player is now available for $799–making them the second manufacturer to market a dual player capable of playing HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. LG’s BH100 was the first to hit the market in January of this year. It also has a pricetag of $800 which might seem like a lot to spend but not when you consider most of us will probably have to buy a second player down the road–depending on who wins this frustrating format war.

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Samsung BD-UP5000 dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD player

G4 brings the show to Phoenix

December 6th, 2007, 12:20 pm by Jayson Peters

Attack of the Show, G4’s hawesome daily interactive discussion of technology, the Internet and more, will broadcast live from one lucky Phoenician’s home today.

Look for it at 8 p.m. on G4 (formerly Tech TV). It’s Channel 158 on Cox Digital Cable.

The folks at AOTS have been making a quick trip across the country, filming from viewers’ humble abodes - and making their hosts perform embarrassing stunts before lavishing them with gifts such as iPods.

It’s The Nerdvana Holiday Special!

November 18th, 2007, 9:54 pm by Jayson Peters

badsanta.jpgThe end is near.

The end of the year, that is. And that means shopping for the perfect gift for the nerds in your life.

Geeks are an expensive lot to care for. Ask my wife. They like their gadgets and their Interwebs.

I’ve compiled a few resources to keep you from looking like this guy at the end of the day:

  • I’ve started a Wish List at Amazon that can serve as a shopping guide for that “special” someone in your life. (Don’t bother buying me anything - there’s no shipping address. This is just for brainstorming, people!) There are also some ideas here and here in our Nerdvana archive.
  • You might also want to check other Tribune blogs - specifically, Tweenish and sammit! - for the young-at-heart and fashionistas in your life.
  • Cool Finds and Home Turf over in the Tribune’s At Home section should inspire shopping for the homebody.
  • Of course, you don’t want to miss all the cool advertising supplements that will be stuffed in your Tribune on Black Friday. Do you?

Good luck - and may the Force be with you!

A long time ago … but somehow in the future …

November 5th, 2007, 9:10 pm by Jayson Peters

Fans of Family Guy and Star Wars don’t have to wait too much longer to own the popular parody Family Guy: Blue Harvest on DVD. It’s slated for a Jan. 15 release date.

As you can see above, there will be a deluxe special edition set, retailing for $34.99, that includes special packaging, trading cards, an exclusive brochure, 3-D glasses (why, I don’t know), a T-shirt and more.

The standard edition (just the DVD) will retail for $22.98.

You can find out more at StarWars.com.

The episode was this year’s season premiere of Family Guy and a hilarious send-up of the original 1977 film Star Wars (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope.) It was made with the full approval and support of Lucasfilm - a sign that the once-restrictive juggernaut has relaxed its litigious ways.

It’s just too bad, in this fan’s opinion, that they couldn’t bring it out in time for the holiday shopping season.

Merry Sithmas!

October 30th, 2007, 2:49 pm by Jayson Peters

It’s never too early to start thinking about the perfect holiday gift for the geeks in your life. Especially when one side of a Target aisle is littered with spooky Halloween accoutrements and the other holds Christmas decorations like this bad boy pictured above ($29.99 @ StarWars.com, $19.99 at Target). Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Wii mourn a friend

October 20th, 2007, 10:20 pm by Jayson Peters

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Rest in peace, my old friend.

Nintendo of Japan has officially retired the Famicom - their version of the Nintendo Entertainment System (pictured) - and the end of support for the Super NES, GameBoy and N64 lines isn’t far behind. Read the rest of this entry »

Where no remote has gone before

September 28th, 2007, 11:00 pm by Jayson Peters

Set phasers to stun! Or rewind. Or pause. You can, with the new remote control for Toshiba-brand HD-DVD players. To get one, you have to buy one of the players ($250 and up) AND the dual-format boxed set of “Star Trek: The Original Series: Season 1″ (about $200, releasing Nov. 20). Live long and prosper … hopefully, lots of prosper to afford toys like these!

Star Trek remote control for Toshiba HDDVD players

Source: Philadelphia Daily NewsJump ahead to the 24th Century …It doesn’t come with any costume ray guns, but the complete series of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” starring Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner et al releases next week (Oct. 2).Can you believe it’s been 20 years since the series was resurrected? What a shock to see a Klingon on the bridge! And a ship that split in two (on purpose). Now J.J. Abrams is reimagining the original series for the big screen.List price: $455.95. Engage!

More Than Meets…Darth Vader!

September 4th, 2007, 9:22 am by Scott Kirchhofer

vader/death star transformer

This is one of the coolest toys I’ve seen in a while. Combining Star Wars and Transformers is like mashing together two of my best childhood toy memories into one piece of glorious plastic. Hasbro has sold toys like this before, but this one is new and looks way better than the rest. You might think $49.99 is a bit much to spend on this beauty, but that was before I told you that it comes with “two awesome battle modes with electronic lights-and-sounds excitement!” Yes! It also comes with a Darth Vader pilot mini figure, two TIE fighter mini vehicles and three stormtrooper mini figures. This is a must buy for fans and collectors, and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t contain lead paint or magnets you could inhale or swallow.

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