While around here you're more likely to see a flame war erupt about Blu-ray versus HD DVD, on many computer gaming websites the war is over ATI and nVidia, with the two major video card manufacturers constantly leapfrogging each other in an attempt to benchmark the highest scores on games like Unreal Tournament and Doom. Ars Technica has a head-to-head comparison on how well the their latest offerings perform decoding high-definition content, using an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive and some prerecorded 1080p and 1080i content. While both camps did similarly well, ATI was better at playing back VC-1-encoded HD DVD content, and nVidia held a slight edge on 1080i recordings. The benefits to both allow even older video hardware to take a load off the CPU, meaning home theater PC builders can pair a cheaper CPU and video card for playing back HD on the cheap.

Hey there Ansel Adams -- we know you're shooting all your news pictures in an ultra-detailed, millions-of-megapixels format. Unfortunately for you, it's hard to show off your breathtaking work to friends and family. Well, a company called Hama hopes to change all that with its PhotoPlayer 1080i, a curious device that serves one basic function: it allows you to view your photos on an HD television. Basically, the little contraption is a 35-in-1 card reader which also outputs images (via component hookups) to your favorite 1080i-equipped display. The PhotoPlayer comes with a tiny remote for flipping through your majestic vision, and also includes a USB jack (for hard drives and the like), so you can go for a really, really long haul during your presentations. We can hear the "oohs" and "ahhs" already. Available now, no word on price.

[Via PhotographyBLOG]

We first stumbled upon a prototype of the DirecTV D-HR20P DVR at Electronic House Expo last year, but haven't heard anything about it since then. Now with CEDIA coming up, a promo image of what could be the next evolution in this design has been leaked, the HR21 Pro. The DVR will reportedly handle 100 hours of high-def recording and output it at 1080p over optical HDMI, but lacks any over-the-air antenna inputs, probably due to DirecTV's 100-channel rollout plan. We should see it in November, so clear out some rackmount space... you do have a rack to mount it in, right?

Straight from IFA 2007 in Berlin comes Daewoo's surprise entry into the Blu-ray camp with the company's first player, the DBP-1000. Interestingly, even though Daewoo is probably more well-known for their Trutech ODM devices -- or even their autos -- this player supposedly supports the full 2.0 Profile for Blu-ray Disc, including BD Live internet functionality, picture-in-picture, and local storage. Pricing and availability are nowhere to be found, but it won't be soon enough for Blu-ray fans to see players with that interactive functionality built-in like competing HD DVD players have. Another picture after the jump.

To help clean up that rat's nest of cables behind your AV rack, semiconductor company AMIMON is now shipping its Wireless High-definition Interface (WHDI) chips to manufacturers. Loewe and Funai will be demoing WHDI products such as wireless HDTVs and high-def DVD players at IFA in Germany next week, following up on the WHDI-equipped projector prototype Sanyo showed off at CES. The chipset supports streaming uncompressed 1080p over the unlicensed 5GHz spectrum -- with worldwide compliance up to 1080p / 30fps -- at ranges up to 100 feet (30 meters) and a latency of less than 1ms. Let's hope you can handle the dust bunny apocalypse you'll release from behind the stereo.

Pioneer has finally launched their KURO plasma line this week, with sets beginning to show up in retailers for prices ranging from $2,700 for the KURO -- Japanese for "black" -- PDP-4280HD 42-inch model to $6,500 for the 60-inch PDP-6010FD 1080p bigg'un. Three of the sets in the line are 720p-ish, with the two top 50- and 60-inchers sporting 1080p resolution. All models feature standards like CableCARD support, quad HDMI 1.3 inputs, and Home Gallery for displaying photos and the like via USB, with contrast ratios and color reproduction that's all the rave with reviewers.

[Thanks, Joe]

Sharp is bringing to the US market a subset of the series of slimmer LCDs recently released in Japan. The D64U series of 1080p LCDs includes four models from 42 to 65 inches, all with re-engineered circuitry inside for a 25% slimmer and 20% lighter frame than previous product lines, while consuming less power. With the thinner bezel and smaller speakers, you might fit a 42-inch set where a 40 would normally go. The panels feature 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 4ms response time, and RS-232 automation controls. The series will be available later this month, with the 42-inch LC-42D64U retailing for $2,099, the 46-inch LC-46D64U for $2,699, and the 52-inch LC-52D64U for $3,799, with the 65-inch LC-65D64U unpriced and following in September.

According to Home Media Retailing Magazine, Disney representatives confirmed that one of our favorite HDTV shows, Lost, will make its Blu-ray debut day-and-date with the DVD set of season three December 11th. No word on possible HD special features or price, but we can expect more details soon.


[Via MovieWeb]

What we're watching: My Name is Earl and The Office reruns? We'll take it.

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We are shocked, SHOCKED to find out that not only does giving away movies and lowering prices increase HD DVD hardware and software sales, but now Toshiba has announced it is extending its "The Perfect Offer" of five free HD DVDs from a selection of 15, via mail-in with the purchase of any Toshiba HD DVD player. Originally set to run through July, the promotion has been extended until September 30th, so you might be able to find out if that Harry Potter box set has any HDi special features before choosing a side in the format war. Still, with the base HD-A2 player at a price of $299 and several free movies in the mix, Toshiba's certainly hoping to grab the attention of remaining fence sitters and current Blu-ray owners alike.

Read - Consumers Can Get 'The Perfect Offer' All Summer Long With Toshiba's 5 Free HD DVD Disc Promotion
Read - The Perfect Offer web site

DreamVision has released a 1080p D-ILA-based projector called the DreamBee, which boasts a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, and 1000 lumens of brightness. The oddly-War of the Worlds-shaped projector includes an RS-232 port and a pair of HDMI inputs, with the usual analog video and audio connectors, and retails for $14,000. The DreamBee Pro model adds another pair of HDMI ports, along with an external scaler for source management, and is priced at $19,000. Both models are available in colors like midnight, coconut, blue sky, hibiscus, and sunflower. No word on the possibility of a custom "red alien weed" color, or whether the controls are tentacle-friendly.

The HD DVD Promotional Group recently claimed that 74% of the market share for European high-definition DVD players is held by HD DVD, but the Blu-ray Disc Association points out that they conveniently "forgot" to include PS3s and PC drives in their count. Including those puts Blu-ray in the lead instead, with almost 95% of hardware sales. HD DVD lobbyists contend that most who buy game consoles don't even use them for watching high-def movies, while everyone who bought an HD DVD player will do exactly that. The fact that the PS3 is still basically cheaper than many of the standalone high-def players (Blu-ray or HD DVD) means it's not exactly honest to discount them completely either. All we know is that the format war continues, but as long as prices continue to fall, it's tough for the average consumer to complain about that.

What we're watching: For a Friday the 13th, we have an amazing lack of horror flicks tonight, but there's a new show on ABC, Greek, and Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon on HDNet.

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VideoBusiness has got a few more details on what to expect from Samsung's third generation Blu-ray player, the BD-P1400. Look for the player to make its debut on August 31 at the 2007 IFA in Berlin, with support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD audio, as well as a built in Ethernet port. Whether it will meet the new standards for Blu-ray players released after October remains unanswered, as well as how much it will cost. With Sony's BDP-S300 and recently price-reduced PlayStation 3 both already on the market at $499, we'll soon see how much lower prices can get.

Microsoft's E3 conference is still ongoing, but they were more than happy to note that Xbox Live Video Marketplace has already raked in more than $125 million in revenue, and is bigger than any cable providers' VOD offerings. As if that wasn't enough, for everyone who thought Blu-ray would be their only option for Disney films in HD, Microsoft announced that it is bringing both catalog and new releases to Xbox Live, in high definition, starting tonight. Our friends outside the U.S. have something to look forward to as well, because it plans to bring the video marketplace to Canada & Europe by the end of this year. Check out the live blog for more details.

Update 1: Check out the official details after the break.

Update 2: More info from Reuters indicates 35 titles from Disney are available now, including Bridge to Terabithia, The Queen and Deja Vu, but no Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (currently available on iTunes in theaters) on the way yet.