Really Sony? Does anyone really need a 400-disc Blu-ray changer? Who in their freakin’ right mind owns this many Blu-rays, let alone needs to be able to watch any single one of them at the push of the button?

Announced today, the Sony BDP-CX960 and slightly higher end BDP-CX7000ES store and play up to 400 Blu-ray discs. Pop in any Blu-ray or CD and the changer will dial up Gracenote’s Music and Video ID service and automatically adhere box art and fun movie info you never before cared about. Both units output full HD, include a USB input for adding local storage, all the audio codecs you’d expect at this point in the game as well as BD-Live capabilities. The higher end CX7000ES on the other hand features DVD upscaling and an RS232 connection and IR-in for fully integrating the unit into your home’s automation system.

The CX7000ES will launch this August for $1,900, while the CX960 will hit sometime this fall for $800.

Also of note, Sony launched their 13th player as well today, the BDP-S1000ES. The mainstay of this unit is the built-in WiFi and is DLNA compliant, meaning you can watch photos and other content right on your TV, but still lacks the ability to stream Netflix. The BDP-S1000ES will be available this August for $700.

Full release after the ‘leap’

SONY ORGANIZES YOUR ENTERTAINMENT COLLECTION WITH NEW 400-DISC BLU-RAY DISC/DVD MEGACHANGER
Company Expands Blu-ray Disc Player Options with Three New Models

NEW YORK, July 23, 2009 – Looking to help consumers simplify and manage their living room entertainment experience, Sony today announced the new BDP-CX960 and the “Elevated Standard” (ES) BDP-CX7000ES 400-disc Blu-ray Disc™ MegaChangers.

The company also announced the BDP-S1000ES single disc ES player expanding the Sony’s Blu-ray Disc line to 13 models offering a broad set of performance and features.

The Blu-ray Disc MegaChanger models store and play 400 Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and CDs, allowing consumers to relocate their disc library to a convenient, easy-to-access location.

They also feature the ability to download information from Gracenote’s MusicID® and VideoID™ products to organize movies and music. When a disc is inserted into the device, Gracenote technology automatically downloads information across an existing Internet broadband service and saves title, director, some cast information, release year, and genre information for most titles, allowing users to easily navigate the library intuitively through the player’s xross media bar™ menu system.

“Think about all those great movie and music discs in your collection,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president for Sony Electronics’ home audio and video business. “Wouldn’t it be great to instantly play those movies or CDs — definitely gives a new meaning to the notion of a movie marathon!”

BDP-CX7000ES and BDP-CX960

Leading the MegaChanger line up is the BDP-CX7000ES which outputs full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema™. Designed to integrate with third-party automation control systems, the model features an RS232 connection and IR-in and is built to high-quality ES standards.

It offers exceptional audio quality with 7.1 channel analog output and superior video incorporating Sony’s HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technologies. The HD Reality Enhancer technology continually analyzes the original source bit by bit, sharpening edges and reproducing detail, while reducing the effects of film grain. Super Bit Mapping delivers smoother color gradation realizing true 14-bit equivalent color tone from 8-bit sources.

The model also upscales standard definition DVDs to 1080p through Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology when connected to a 1080p display via HDMI.

Precision Cinema HD Upscale uses advanced conversion and processing to detect image changes at the pixel level, rather than the level of whole scan lines. Additionally, separate algorithms are used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts.

Complementing the BDP-CX7000ES, is the new BDP-CX960. This 400-disc MegaChanger also delivers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output and Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology.

Both the BDP-CX7000ES and BDP-CX960 feature an Ethernet port for connectivity to a local home broadband network to download metadata from Gracenote, software updates and to access BD-Live™ content. There is also an external port for local storage so users can add their USB flash storage device to support BD-Live content.

The models support 7.1 channel Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding as well as bit-stream output via HDMI. It is compatible with an array of video formats, including BD-ROM/R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD-+ Video/R/RW, CD/R/RW, and MP3/JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media and supports x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology. The BDP-CX7000ES also supports Deep Color via HDMI (v1.3).

The BDP-CX7000ES is available this August for about $1,900, while the BDP-CX960 will be available this fall for about $800. BDP-S1000ES

The single-disc BDP-S1000ES Blu-ray Disc player bolsters the ES line adding built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11N/G/B/A) capability for easy BD-Live access. The model offers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema™ and upscales standard definition DVDs to 1080p through Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology.

The model can easily connect to the Internet through an existing wireless home network to download and stream BD-Live content from select titles including additional scenes, short subjects, trailers, interactive games, and more. It also enables easy firmware updates to assist in keeping your player up-to-date with the latest Blu-ray Disc media and features.

While compatible with most wireless routers, the BDP-S1000ES also supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, for a quick and easy connection to enabled wireless routers. Additionally, the player is Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) ready, allowing it to connect to other DLNA compliant devices to watch digital photos on your TV.

The model also incorporates Sony’s HD Reality Enhancer, Super Bit Mapping, and Precision Drive HD technology.

It supports Deep Color video output and x.v.Color technology. The player is compatible with an array of video formats, including BD-ROM/R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD-+ Video/R/RW, CD/R/RW, and MP3/JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media.

The model also is compatible with advanced audio codecs including 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS -HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio decoding and bit-stream output, as well as analog 7.1 channel output.

The BDP-S1000ES is available this August for about $700.

The models will be available at Sony Style stores, online at www.sonystyle.com, and at authorized retailers nationwide.

Earphones. Now that the MP3 fully dominates we are seeing more and more products associated with them. As a result earphones are being manufactured by a countless number of companies in an attempt to capture even a fraction of the MP3 accessory market. Although I’ve never heard of Maximo, they reached out and asked us to review their iM-590 earbuds. I happily obliged.

The first thing I noticed about the 590’s was they were very feature intensive. They sport a cord clip, several rubberized inserts, a 2 foot extension cable, an airline dual plug adapter, a 2.5mm adapter, and a circular carrying case that holds the inserts and lets you wrap the cable around the inside. Out of the box the 590’s should have most any scenario covered, minus the 6.3mm adapter.

The clip while functional was a bit ‘chintz’ and a bit too small and slippery for my liking. Either way a clip is a dire necessity and it does work to provide adequate slack. The cord is comprised of a braided fabric that is slightly malleable and lends itself to crimping, especially at the base of the input jack. I would have preferred the cord to have been a little thicker as it still falls into some of the rubber/plastic trappings. It does have a nice feel, though and is lightweight.

The box states that the 590’s are Enhanced Definition Isolation Earphones. Listening to them as I write this review, I can still hear incoming messages in iChat on my computer, but I cannot hear my dog’s toenails scraping against the hardwood floors upstairs. I use earphones for about 30 hours a week when riding my bike or working out at the gym, so active travel and exercise scenarios are my main testing grounds. The 590’s dealt with wind noise well due to its tiny design and the farther you jam them in your ears the more sound they blocked out. That leads me to my main problem with the 590’s. None of the inserts fit me very well and they needed constant adjustment. They seemed to fit better for a moment if I rotated them, but eventually they would slide out. Sitting still they stay in fine, as they are right now. So to reiterate, they’re not great for exercise and moving around, but good for fixed postures and sitting still.

On to the good stuff. The sound of the 590’s is a well rounded spectrum that did well with the majority of my MP3’s. I listen to mostly high production value metal and the 590’s didn’t leave me hanging. They did not distort when cranked and presented better bass than expected. Never shrill, the 590’s had buttery smooth mids and highs. So if you don’t buy (i.e steal) your music you’re probably going to end up with a collection of MP3’s of varying bit rate and as a rate varying sound quality. The 590’s feel like they are tailored to this type of digital soundscape and really shine in the audio reproduction department.

So, even though they don’t really work for my type of lifestyle (e.g bike riding, running), I can wholly recommend the Maximo iM-590’s to anyone looking for high quality sounding earphones for under $50. I see so many suckers with crap earphones (I’m not going to mention any one company name) out and about, and I just chalk it up to them not caring about sound quality. What would I do if I didn’t care about sound?

Pros:

• Exemplary sound
• Lightweight and Small
• Lot’s o’ features

Cons:

• Not good in active scenarios
• Clip could be better
• Cord crimps too easy

Pros:

• Reproduced from the actual screen worn visor prop in the X-Men movies.
  
• Red iridium polarized sunglass lens.
  
• Comes with a certificate of authenticity and visor blueprints.
  

• Metal case feels kinda cheap.
  
• Visor plastic also feels a little cheap.
  
• Very narrow, does not fit well on adult-sized head.
  

Conclusion

Microsoft officially announced the Zune HD today:

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.

• Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
• The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480x272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
• The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
• Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
• Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.

This is all very exciting, although it's hard to see how Microsoft is going to even come close to Apple's iPod Touch as a gaming platform. That is of course until you get to this part of the press release:

Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.

Some say Sony greatly underestimated the power of Xbox Live when bringing online gaming to the Playstation3. Could Xbox Live integration into the Zune HD be the Trojan Horse Microsoft needs to properly take on the iPod touch as a gaming handheld? Looks like we'll find out next week!

Zune HD |Zune.net

Microsoft Announces the Expansion of the Zune Entertainment Service to New Platform and Markets; Confirms New Zune HD Portable Media Player

Remote control robots are cool. Remote control robots that fly? Even cooler. RC robots that fly, shoot attack beams from their chests, AND play cinematic battle music while flying? Drool.

Silverlit R/C Skybot Attack | Play-Asia

UFO's are seen everyday by all kinds of people and the majority of the sightings can be easily explained away. (We are pretty sure we sparked panic of a mass invasion when we reviewed our own UFO in 2005.) There are, however, a small percentage of UFO sightings that are never explained. HowStuffWorks has put together a very nice write up on how UFO's work that briefly covers all aspects of UFO encounters from MIB's to alien abductions. For those looking for more information Richard M. Dolan has written a history of UFO's from 1941 to 1973 and is currently working on the second volume of his work. Read with an open mind, and decide for yourselves if UFO's exist or if educated professionals and pilots have been just seeing "swamp gas" for the past 50 years.

How UFO's Work | HowStuffWorks

UFOs and the National Security State: Chronology of a Coverup, 1941-1973

Unless you were asleep all day you're probably aware of the big announcements from Apple at the WWDC 2009. While Steve Jobs was noticeably not present the new iPhone 3GS was announced, as well as a $99 iPhone 3G and a new 13" MacBook.

So what's the big deal about the iPhone 3G S? "Improved performance," better battery life, a better 3MP camera with video capability, voice control, and a compass. Wait...a compass?

Apple iPhone 3G vs 3G S Smackdown Chart