The kiosk company MOD Systems, which launched in October has said today that playback support of its movie downloads has been extended to all PCs, and soon to Blu-ray players, HDTVs and other devices with SD card slots.

MOD kiosks offer movies from Warner Bros. and Paramount which are downloaded to SD cards. Despite SD cards being supported by many devices, the movies could only, until now, be played back on MOD SD set-top boxes.

Additionally, MOD says they have created technology that will allow device makers to add MOD support, through easy firmware updates. Players that can playback MOD will have the name "GreenPlay."

Permalink | Comments

---

LG Electronics has launched the BD590 at CES this week, a wireless Blu-ray player that includes a 250GB HDD built-in.

The player will also have the online movie service VUDU integrated. Users can download and rent films in SD or HD.

Additionally, the player can rip and copy CDs using the drive. The new "MusicID" feature will let users hear "an entire song playing within a movie or TV show using the BD590's remote control."

As with most BD-Live LG players, Netflix, CinemaNow, YouTube and Pandora are integrated. New to the BD590 are Picasa and Accuweather.

"LG is committed to offering consumers easier access to more content on demand, which is reflected in our 2010 line of Blu-ray products with new content partners, advanced technology and unique design," adds Peter Reiner, senior VP of marketing at LG Electronics USA.

Permalink | Comments

---

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has upgraded the interface for DisplayPort to version 1.2, doubling the data rate from v1.1 and providing support for multiple monitors.

Data transfer rate is now 21.6 Gbps, allowing for higher display resolution, color depth, refresh rates, and 3D playback.

Says PCMag: DisplayPort v1.2 supports "multi-streaming"—the ability to transport multiple independent uncompressed display and audio streams over a single cable, supporting protected content and high performance applications such as 3D gaming. This enables the use of multiple monitors connected by cable in a daisy chain or hub configuration. Whereas the current Display v1.1a standard can support one 2,560-by-1,600 monitor at 60Hz, DisplayPort v1.2 can support two such monitors with one cable, or four 1,920-by-1,200 monitors. Many other combinations are possible, including multiple video sources, multiple displays (even at different resolutions) and multiple audio speakers.

The update is compatible with all existing DP systems and cables.

Additionally, v1.2 adds Audio Copy Protection, Dolby MAT, DTS HD, all Blu-ray formats, and the DRA standard from China support.

Adds the source, "DisplayPort v1.2 also includes improved support for full-HD 3D stereoscopic displays: lifelike motion using up to 240 frames per second (fps) in full HD, providing 120 fps for each eye; 3D stereo transmission format support; field sequential, side by side, pixel interleaved, dual interface, and stacked; 3D Stereo display capability declaration; mono, stereo, and 3D glasses."

Permalink | Comments

---

The MOTO Development Group has published a report this week which has given the Apple iPhone, hands-down, the best marks for quality of touchscreen.

The phone was put up against three Android competitors, the Nexus One, the Droid and the Droid Eris.

The test itself was pretty simple: "Although we usually use sophisticated tools to test touch screen accuracy, MOTO has also developed a simple technique anyone can use to evaluate the resolution and accuracy of a touchscreen device. All you need is a basic drawing program (download one if necessary), a steady hand, and a few straight lines drawn very slowly on the screen."

The iPhone had the smoothest, straightest lines, although it notably had the worst sensitivity towards the edges of the screen. The Droid had the worst sensitivity all-around, while the Nexus One and the Eris had some trouble with "light contact."

MOTO concludes that the iPhone has a small sensor size and smarter processing that determines where the fingers are moving. The Droid's sensor may be "too coarse."

Check the video and picture:

DIY Touchscreen Analysis from MOTO Development Group on Vimeo.

Permalink | Comments

---

3D technology was the biggest new trend of the 2010 CES event, and the creation of new glasses and digital 3D has certainly made the experience a more enjoyable one. Despite the advances, prominent eye experts has said that 3D tech may still lead to headaches for many users, and they should have their eyes checked first before investing in 3D HDTVs or other tech.

"There are a lot of people walking around with very minor eye problems, for example a minor muscle imbalance, which under normal circumstances, the brain deals with naturally," says Dr Michael Rosenberg, an ophthalmology professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. 3D "translates into greater mental effort, making it easier to get a headache," Rosenberg added.

Normally, each eye will see things at a different angle.

"When that gets processed in the brain, that creates the perception of depth," adds Dr. Deborah Friedman, a professor of ophthalmology and neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. "The illusions that you see in three dimensions in the movies is not exactly calibrated the same way that your eyes and your brain are. If your eyes are a little off to begin with, then it's really throwing a whole degree of effort that your brain now needs to exert. This disparity for some people will give them a headache."

Dr. John Hagan, a fellow with the American Academy of Ophthalmology adds that anyone with a lack of depth perception or eye muscle issues may not be able to see 3D images at all, or will have trouble processing the images.

Rick Heinemen, of 3D theater equipment provider RealD, says digital technology has solved most of 3D's former problems, notably headaches and nausea. Older 3D tech used two film projectors, one for each eye. If they weren't lined up properly, the image would cause headaches. With digital there is only one projector.

Permalink | Comments

---

The James Cameron epic Avatar has continued to crush the competition at the Box Office and in the record books, becoming the second-highest worldwide release ever, just one month after release.

Globally, the film earned $191.5 million this weekend, for a total of $1.3 billion. The figure surpasses "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which made slightly over $1.2 billion during its run. Avatar is now only behind Titanic, Cameron's last epic which collected $1.84 billion at the Box Office in 1998.

In America, Avatar has hit $430 million in sales, good for 7th all-time. Titanic is the leader there as well, at $601 million.

Internationally, the film is a sensation as well, with $906 million in sales. France is the largest market, at $100 million, followed by Germany at $73 million. The film set a Chinese launch week record as well with $40.2 million last week.

The film cost $230 million to produce and had an estimated marketing budget of $130 million.

Avatar will also undoubtedly be the best selling Blu-ray and DVD of all-time when it is released sometime later this year.

Permalink | Comments

---

PCMag is reporting today that members of their staff have followed the tech-heavy CES event by heading to the AVN Adult Entertainment event and noticed that the porn industry seems to have unanimously selected MicroUSB for their, um, charging needs.

In the past, the porn industry has helped push standards (see VHS vs. Beta, and more recently Blu-ray vs. HD DVD), and this latest trend could help give MicroUSB the push it needs to be the standard across most tech appliances. Currently MicroUSB is used by HTC and other phone manufacturers, and is the standard for most digital cameras.

Quoting PCMag: "It looks like many in the porn industry are getting on board as well, with a new crop of vibrators that can be charged from the comfort of your PC. From now on, you'll only have to pack one cable for those long business trips."

Permalink | Comments

---

Google is on the verge of settling with Chinese authors, says the Chinese Writers' Association, after months of fighting over whether Google had the right to scan books and upload them for its giant online library.

"Following discussions and communications in recent months, we do believe that our communication with Chinese writers has not been good enough," Google said in a letter to the Association. "Google is ready to apologize to Chinese writers about this." The letter was signed by Erik Hartmann, Asia-Pacific head of Google Books.

Just last month, the case of author Mian Mian went to Chinese court and the judge told both sides to settle the case.

Overall, Google has scanned 10 million books since 2004, getting consent for 2 million from publishers. Another 2 million are public domain. The remaining 6 million are still in dispute.

Permalink | Comments

---