We watched the whole Paramount/Blu-ray situation with interest last year, and were concerned that the ongoing war would kill public interest in HD. The Spiderwick Chronicles is released on DVD and Blu-ray in July. Thankfully, it was only six months later that HD DVD conceded defeat and Paramount announced it would again release Blu-ray discs. …

Despite industry speculation, Foxtel says it isn’t planning to launch its HD+ service on 2 June, but has confirmed that all free-to-air HD channels will be available to HD cable subscribers at launch. Industry rumour site KnowFirst said the company was planning to make the announcement in the “next few days” and will make iQ2 boxes available for AU$10 a …

As TiVo edges ever closer, local EPG provider IceTV has announced its guide will now offer suggestions based on the programs you’ve recorded previously. IceTV Recommendations puts a green star next to suggested television shows “IceTV Recommendations” are marked with a green star icon within the electronic program guide (EPG), allowing IceTV users to select them for more information. This …

Foxtel has revealed details of its new HD service to be released next year which will feature four HD channels and a custom-built box. It’s been almost three years since the original Foxtel iQ came out, and by the middle of 2008 the latest iQHD service should be available. According to Patrick Delany of Foxtel’s blog, the new box will …

We’ve received a lot of feedback recently about our review of the Samsung F8 and our take on the company’s Motion Plus technology. In order to rectify the problems F8 users have been experiencing, Samsung has released a new firmware version. But what does the firmware do, and what does Motion Plus do, anyway? In order to find out, we …

Pioneer Electronics is to cease all production of plasma panels and instead source panels from competitor Matsushita, according to Reuters. The news agency has quoted a source as saying the company is finalising plans to stop all production of plasma display panels, following a report by Nikkei business news. Pioneer President Tamihiko Sudo will be making an official announcement about …

The next-generation HD DVD format failed partly because of a lack of interest and external competition from digital downloads, according to Toshiba Australia, but what does it mean for the future of HD? Mark Whittard, general manager of Toshiba Australia said the penetration of both HD DVD and Blu-ray was way below expectations, and that the withdrawal of Warner Brothers …

In a series of moves which won’t shock anybody, several of the companies which had pledged allegiance to HD DVD have now jumped ship into Sony’s waiting arms (life buoys?). Paramount Home Entertainment, which signed an exclusivity agreement in December for 18 months, issued a statement to the The Hollywood Reporter which simply said: “We are pleased that the industry …

Toshiba has officially announced it is pulling out of HD DVD production leaving Sony’s Blu-ray the format war victor and ending weeks of speculation. In a statement on its Japanese website Toshiba says it has “decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders”. Toshiba said it will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD …

With an announcement from Toshiba imminent, the next-gen movie format war is almost at an end, with HD-DVD falling to its Sony-boosted rival, Blu-ray. According to Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei, Toshiba is expected to announce its immediate withdrawal from the HD DVD business in a press conference at 5PM Tuesday Tokyo time (7PM EST). Toshiba president Atsutoshi Nishida is expected …