Some of the greatest movies and TV shows of all time were made right here. “Casablanca,” “The West Wing,” “Friends,” “ER,” and so many more. It occupies a huge swath of land in Burbank, California. Elephantine sound stages and a city-worth of backlot let filmmakers from all over the world create movies about everywhere in …
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Ever watch a movie, and get distracted by the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen? Ever wonder what they are, and why they’re different sizes? Wasn’t the switch to “widescreen” TVs supposed to prevent all this? Well…yes and no. The problem is there’s still often a difference between how wide a TV show or movie is, …
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I recently told you about UHD Alliance Premium Certified, a program that aims to set picture quality standards for new TVs and Ultra HD Blu-ray software. I found the idea potentially helpful for shoppers, with the caveat that it wasn’t the whole picture when it comes to image quality. Vizio, the number two TV maker in the US, is one …
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UHD Alliance Premium Certified is a rating applied to TVs that meet or exceed certain performance minimums for Ultra High Definition TVs. These specs include high dynamic range and wide color gamut, brightness and more. But…not all TV companies are in the UHD Alliance, so this isn’t as simple as it seems. Is the Premium Certified stamp something worth considering? …
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Wires are boring. I mean it’s not like anyone could write half a dozen different articles on HDMI. The future is wireless. The problem is, wireless HD is a fickle mistress. Competing standards, technological limits and cost all make it far less popular than the ubiquitous HDMI cable for conveying video and audio between devices in your home. But if …
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After countless rumors and delays, Ultra HD “4K” Blu-ray is arriving this year. The initial movies have been announced, and some have even been selling before the official March 1 date. But since most movies are shot on film or with 2K resolution for digital cinema, can these 4K discs really look better than Blu-ray? And what about the far …
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Every year TV companies come up with new terms to describe their latest, and sometimes not-so-latest, technology. Why? Because marketing works. A catchy name can do wonders for sales. But it’s also confusing, sometimes on purpose. Savvy CNET readers know that LED TVs are actually just LCD TVs, that UHD and 4K are (effectively) the same thing, and that most …
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The USS Iowa was the first ship in her class, designed to escort the new, and fast, aircraft carriers. Started in June 1940, and launched just over 2 years later, the Iowa was big, fast, and powerful. Nicknamed “The Big Stick,” she was decommissioned and recommissioned several times over the decades, fighting in World War II, the Korean War and …
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This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. At the start of this year’s CES, Oculus announced pricing and preorders for the much awaited Rift VR headset. As someone who has covered Oculus from the beginning, I was excited to be …
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The USS Midway is huge. She was the first of a new generation of carriers, referred to as battle carriers. She measures nearly 1,000 feet long. For 10 years, from 1945 to 1955, she was the largest ship in the world, and one of the largest moving objects ever made by humans. After 47 years of service, including tours in …
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