Richard Lawler
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Richard Lawler is used to being on the bleeding edge of technology, he can usually be found with a cellphone that does everything except make or receive phone calls, an Xbox that no longer plays games, and a car that's not running, but has slightly more speakers than the indigenous North American language "Onandoga". He can usually be found extolling the virtues of the Phantom game system for any and all who will listen on the High-tech boards of Okayplayer.com that he also moderates. He's not as much of an HD addict as Kevin, but he's probably seen Sunrise Earth on Discovery HD more times than he's seen a real sunrise in the last year.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 4:36PM
What we're watching tonight:
- CW (1080i) lines up Everyone Hates Chris at 8 p.m. followed by The Game
- TBS (1080i) has the ALCS with Red Sox/Rays at 8 p.m.
- MyNetworkTV (1080i) has WWE: SmackDown at 8 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) brings Ghost Whisperer at 8 p.m. followed by The Ex-List and Numb3rs
- Cartoon Network (1080i) has Star Wars: The Clone Wars at 9 p.m.
- Sci Fi (1080i) drops in Stargate Atlantis at 9 p.m. and Sanctuary at 10 p.m.
- USA (1080i) has the season premiere of The Starter Wife at 9 p.m.
- TLC (1080i) has What Not to Wear at 9 p.m. and Say Yes to the Dress at 10 p.m.
- ESPN (720p) has Louisville/Memphis college football at 8 p.m.
- NBC (1080i) has Life at 10 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 1:42PM
In the year 2009....
LED-backlit LCDs will probably be increasingly common, and why not? Everyone wants a flat panel with questionably-measured
contrast ratios full of
so many zeroes they run off the spec sheet. but in order to bring the tech to the masses, Digitimes reports manufacturers may switch from current red/green/blue LEDs to white LEDs.They claim white LEDs meet the mark in terms of
power savings, but won't measure up when it comes to accurate color reproduction. Specifically mentioned? Sharp, LG, AUO and "others" (Samsung has already jumped
on the bandwagon) so when you meet a guy selling cheap LED HDTVs from the of a van, add one more thing to check while making sure you aren't purchasing an oven door.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 4:43PM
What we're watching tonight:
- Fox (720p) starts the MLB NLCS with Dodgers/Phillies at 8 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) has Survivor at 8 p.m., followed by the season premiere of CSI at 9 p.m. and series premiere of Eleventh Hour at 10 p.m.
- NBC (1080i) has My Name is Earl at 8 p.m., the series premiere of Kath & Kim at 8:30 p.m., The Office at 9 p.m., SNL Weekend Update Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and E.R. at 10 p.m.
- ABC (720p) has Ugly Betty at 8 p.m. followed by Grey's Anatomy and the series premiere of Life on Mars
- CW (1080i) brings Smallville at 8 p.m. and Supernatural at 9 p.m.
- TLC (1080i) has American Chopper at 9 p.m. and the season premiere of L.A. Ink
- Discovery (1080i) drops in Destroyed in Seconds at 9 p.m.
- Showtime (1080i) has Comics Without Borders at 10 p.m.
- FX (720p) has It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10 p.m. and the series premiere of Testees at 10:30 p.m.
- A&E (720p) has Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force at 10 p.m.
- Versus (1080i) has NHL action with Maple Leafs/Red Wings at 7 p.m. and Bruins/Avalanche at 10 p.m.
- ESPN (720p) presents Clemson/Wake Forest college football at 7:30 p.m.
- ESPNU (720p) has Winston-Salem/Florida A&M college football at 7:30 p.m.
- ESPN2 (720p) has an MLS tilt with New york/Real Salt Lake at 10 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 7:00PM
What we're watching tonight:
- Fox (720p) has Bones at 8 p.m. and 'til Death at 9 & 9:30 p.m.
- NBC (1080i) brings home Knight Rider at 8 p.m. and Lipstick Jungle at 10 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) lines up The New Adventures of Old Christine at 8 p.m. followed by Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds and CSI: NY
- ABC (720p) has Pushing Daisies at 8 p.m., followed by Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money
- Showtime (1080i) has Inside the NFL at 9 p.m.
- DirecTV's The 101 has Friday Night Lights at 9 p.m.
- History (720p) has MonsterQuest at 9 p.m. and Jurassic Fight Club at 10 p.m.
- FX (720p) has Sons of Anarchy at 10 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 7th 2008 at 7:10PM
What we're watching tonight:
- CW (1080i) has 90210 at 8 p.m. and Privileged at 9 p.m.
- ABC Family (720p) has Lincoln Heights at 8 p.m. and Greek at 9 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) airs NCIS at 8 p.m.
- ABC (720p) brings home Dancing With the Stars at 8 p.m.
- ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, PBS have the Presidential Debate at 9 p.m.
- Discovery (1080i) has Dirty Jobs at 9 p.m.
- Sci Fi (1080i) drops in ECW at 9 p.m.
- A&E (720p) has The Cleaner at 10 p.m.
- ESPN2 (720p) has Troy/Florida Atlantic college football at 8 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 4:55PM
What we're watching tonight:
- CBS (1080i) lines up The Big Bang Theory at 8 p.m. followed by How i Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Worst Week and CSI: Miami
- NBC (1080i) has Chuck at 8 p.m., Heroes at 9 p.m. and Life at 10 p.m.
- ABC (720p) has Dancing With the Stars at 8 p.m. and Boston Legal at 10 p.m.
- Fox (720p) brings Terminator: SCC at 8 p.m. and Prison Break at 9 p.m.
- TBS (1080i) continues MLB playoffs with Angels/Red Sox at 8:37 p.m.
- ESPN (720p) presents Monday Night Football with Vikings/Saints at 8:30 p.m.
- USA (1080i) has WWE: Raw at 9 p.m.
- TLC (1080i) drops in Jon & Kate Plus 8 at 9 p.m. followed by 17 Kids and Counting at 10 & 10:30 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 5th 2008 at 3:54PM
What we're watching tonight:
- NBC (1080i) has Sunday Night Football with Steelers/Jaguars at 8:15 p.m.
- CW (1080i) brings the series premieres of Valentine at 8 p.m. and Easy Money at 9 p.m.
- TBS (1080i) has MLB playoffs action with Angels/Red Sox at 7 p.m.
- ABC (720p) has Desperate Housewives at 9 p.m. followed by Brothers & Sisters
- CBS (1080i) lines up Cold Case at 9 p.m. and The Unit at 10 p.m.
- Showtime (1080i) tosses in Dexter at 9 p.m. followed by Californication
- HBO (1080i) has True Blood at 9 p.m., followed by Entourage, Little Britain and The Life & Times of Tim
- AMC (720p) has Mad Men at 10 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 4th 2008 at 6:23PM
What we're watching tonight:
- Fox (720p) has Cops at 8 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) brings EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at 9 p.m.
- Sci Fi (1080i) presents NYC: Tornado Terror at 9 p.m.
- TBS (1080i) has MLB playoffs with Phillies/Brewers at 6:30 p.m. and Cubs/Dodgers at 10 p.m.
- FSN (720p) has Texas/Colorado college football at 7 p.m.
- ESPN2 (720p) has Uconn/North Carolina college football at 7 p.m.
- ESPNU (720p) matches up Maryland/Virginia college football at 7 p.m.
- ABC (720p) brings in Ohio State/Wisconsin or Oregon/USC at 8 p.m.
- ESPN (720p) has Missouri/Nebraska college football at 9 p.m.
- HDNet (1080i) brings MLS action with LA/Columbus at 7:30 p.m.
- HBO (1080i) premieres The Brave One at 8 p.m. followed by Boxing After Dark at 10:05 p.m.
- Cinemax (1080i) has I Am Legend at 10 p.m.
- NBC (1080i) has Saturday Night Live at 11:29 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 4th 2008 at 8:37AM
Good decision London, you will never top the
Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, so why not try pushing them on resolution. That's the potential idea coming out of a recent roundtable discussion at Rapid News TV. Reps from Tektronix and Pace cited interest from their customers in 1080p-ready equipment and the potential for an IBC 1080p feed in 2012 as reasons to believe, while the Tandberg rep -- from the company that previously
predicted the
onslaught of 1080p VOD via satellite -- was more concerned about finding enough bandwidth. Hit the read link for the full discussion, while we ponder a world where NBC could actually get 1080i right before going to 1080p, or least show the 100m final
live, somewhere.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 10:09PM
Following up on a
soft launch back in February,
Comstar has gone all out with its STREAM high definition IPTV service in Moscow. Coming hand in hand with a speed bump to 20Mb/s this is all a part of the company's ongoing fiber / ADSL2 rollout, offering three HDTV channels -- MelodyZen, Voom TV and Luxe TV -- for RUB 200 ($8 U.S.), and HD VOD movies for $4 U.S. each. Although the launch is a bit behind schedule, plans to reach 80% of subscribers by the end of '09 are still in motion, but we're left wondering why Discovery HD didn't make the final cut.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 2:04PM
What we're watching tonight:
- CW (1080i) has season premieres of Everybody Hates Chris at 8 p.m. and The Game at 8:30 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) brings the season premiere of Ghost Whisperer at 8 p.m., series premiere of The Ex-List at 9 p.m. and season premiere of Numb3rs at 10 p.m.
- MNT (1080i) has the season premiere of WWE: SmackDown at 8 p.m.
- Cartoon Network (1080i) premieres Star Wars: The Clone Wars at 9 & 9:30 p.m.
- TBS (1080i) brings MLB playoffs action with White Sox/Rays at 6 p.m. and Red Sox/Angels at 9:30 p.m.
- History (720p) has Gangland at 9 p.m. and the season finale of Shockwave at 10 p.m.
- Sci Fi (1080i) has the series premiere of Sanctuary at 9 p.m.
- TLC (1080i) has What Not to Wear at 9 p.m. and Say Yes to the Dress at 10 p.m.
- NBC (1080i) has America's Toughest Jobs at 8 p.m. and Life at 10 p.m.
- ESPN (720p) has Cincinnati/Marshall college football at 8 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 12:07PM
If you thought Sky+ HD's lower £150 set-top box
was nice, imagine the reaction to its just-extended £75 (plus £60 installation) offer. Available until the end of October, Sky's apparently hoping that in combination with an ad campaign featuring Cyndi Lauper's
True Colors will push Britons to make the jump to HDTV. That it will also cause us to relive a particularly embarrassing middle school dance is apparently of no consequence to this heartless media juggernaut. Enjoy your half price high definition boxes, no matter the emotional cost.
Read - Sky Extends Half Price Sky+ HD Deal
Read - Sky backs HD service with £10m campaign
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 8:34PM
Deciding which channel to catch the Vice Presidential Debate on tonight?
Wall Street Journal's The Numbers Guy points out that CNN's HD feed includes live analyst scorecards on the side of the screen (not included in the SD broadcast). Of course, with somewhat loose interpretations of how or when to score the debates, and a lack of explanation to viewers on what the scores the executive producer admitted there's room for improvement, but it may be worth checking out tonight and during future debates. Flip between six different VP debate HD feeds, or catch
Magic's Biggest Secrets on My Network TV? Decision '08 indeed.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 4:31PM
What we're watching tonight:
- TBS (1080i) has MLB playoffs with Brewers/Phillies at 6 p.m. and Dodgers/Cubs at 9:30 p.m.
- NBC (1080i) lines up My Name is Earl at 8 & 8:30 p.m.
- My Network Television (1080i) has WWE: WrestleMania XXIV at 8 p.m.
- CW (1080i) brings Smallville at 8 p.m. and Supernatural at 9 p.m.
- ABC (720p) has Ugly Betty at 8 p.m.
- CBS (1080i) has Survivor at 8 p.m.
- ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC & PBS have the Vice Presidential Debate at 9 p.m.
- Discovery (1080i) has Destroyed in Seconds at 9 p.m.
- A&E (720p) drops in Jacked: Auto theft Task Force at 9 p.m.
- FX (720p) presents It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia at 10 & 10:30 p.m.
- Showtime (1080i) has Comics without Borders at 10 p.m.
- ESPN (720p) brings Pittsburgh/USF college football at 7:30 p.m.
- ESPNU (720p) has Nicholls State/Northern Iowa college football at 7:30 p.m.
- ESPN2 (720p) kicks in MLS with San Jose/FC Dallas at 9 p.m.
- Mojo HD (1080i) has Getting Abroad at 9 p.m.
by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 8:14AM
Billed as a one-day summit for Blu-ray developers, marketers and producers, Blu-con 1.0 will feature "experts" (whether that includes the many people who have so thoughtfully and eloquently shared their opinions in our comments since the start of the format war we have not been able to determine) discussing the various issues and opportunities presented by the format. The $325 ticket price for the December 8 event shouldn't be much of an issue, the conference is only open to DEG members, sponsors and invited guests, we'll wait and see if anyone comes out of it with the secret to lower priced Blu-ray players or more interesting uses for
BD-Live.
