The Digital Home

Say hello to the Sharp LED HDTV.

(Credit: Sharp)

Earlier this week, Sharp announced that it's bringing a new line of LED-backlit LCDs to the market.

I had the opportunity to discuss the announcements and Sharp's views on the future with the company's senior vice president of marketing, Bob Scaglione, recently. He believes that while the advancements made in this line show Sharp is making a more concerted effort to take the lead in the market, the only way to solidify its position is to fully invest in LED-backlit liquid crystal displays.

"We believe LED is the future," Scaglione said. "We have very aggressive plans to integrate LEDs (light-emitting diodes) in our entire HDTV product line. Sharp plans to be 100 percent LED. By 2011, the entire Sharp product line will feature LED-backlit displays."

It's a bold plan. While LED-backlit displays are widely considered the future in the HDTV market, so far, they're more expensive than LCD high-definition TVs that don't feature LED technology. And in today's economy, price matters.

But it seems Sharp isn't too concerned. The biggest risk it could take, Scaglione asserts, is investing in plasma. To Sharp, investing in LED-backlit displays makes sense--it's the next big thing. But plasma, on the other hand, is on its way out.

The PlayStation 3 might make a comeback.

(Credit: Sony)

When Activision CEO Robert Kotick told reporters last month that his company might stop game development on the PlayStation 3 if Sony doesn't drop the price of the console, some were wondering how Sony would respond.

We didn't have to wait long.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer told Reuters earlier this week that he has no plans of dropping the price of the PlayStation 3, regardless of comments made by developers.

"He likes to make a lot of noise," Stringer said to reporters about Kotick's statements. "He's putting pressure on me and I'm putting pressure on him. That's the nature of business."

When pressed about PS3 price cuts, Stringer was more direct. He explained that if Sony dropped the price of its console it would "lose money on every PlayStation (it) makes. How's that for logic?"

Stringer echoed comments that I've heard numerous times from Sony representatives. Although the company is cognizant that its console is the most expensive on the market, it just can't drop the price of the PS3 for financial reasons.

I get that. And although I think it was poor strategy that got the company into this mess in the first place (being the biggest and baddest console doesn't always matter, after all), I do believe that there is a way out if Sony doesn't want to drop the price of the PlayStation 3.

Doom has taught us a lot about video game violence.

(Credit: Id Software)

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Greg Zeschuk, the creative officer at BioWare, a prominent video game developer, said that the marriage of violence and story in video games isn't necessarily required to make a great game. For the most part, making good nonviolent games just hasn't been tried.

"We talk a certain amount internally about whether you need to have combat as part of the experience," Zeschuk told the site. "Folks that are used to playing games over the last ten years, they want to have those battle moments, and the fighting. But there are different audiences that would maybe just enjoy the story."

Although I can't speak for all gamers, I, for one, would be one of those folks. I love a good video game story. Immediately, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Shenmue come to mind. So do most of the Legend of Zelda games. They each offered an outstanding story that kept me captivated. The battles and the fighting were secondary.

But then again, they were still present. Without them, Zelda wouldn't be Zelda, Shenmue wouldn't be Shenmue, and a role-playing game like Lunar wouldn't be a role-playing game. The industry has made violence an integral component of video games. And it might be difficult to suddenly remove it for the sake of a story.

That said, I'd still love to see it.

Through July 11, Microsoft is offering steep discounts on Windows 7 upgrades for the Home and Pro versions of the software--but not Windows 7 Ultimate.

Windows 7 Professional: What you really need.

(Credit: Microsoft)

According to a CNET report, users can "preorder Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional at roughly half the list price, but the Ultimate version is offered at the full $219 price."

Those who currently use Windows Vista Ultimate and were hoping to switch to Windows 7 Ultimate were understandably upset. After getting little more than a few extras with Vista Ultimate, like Microsoft's BitLocker Drive Encryption software, they were hoping they'd be treated better this time around when they opted for Windows 7 Ultimate.

No such luck.

But instead of railing against Microsoft for treating its Windows Vista Ultimate customers so poorly, perhaps we should turn our focus to Windows 7 Ultimate itself. It might be the follow-up to Windows Vista Ultimate. Microsoft might have thrown every feature into it. But if we take an objective look at what it really offers, I don't think Microsoft can justify its existence as a consumer operating system.

Netbooks are helping boost the PC market as it continues to slide with the economy, but it's only a matter of time before something precipitates a market upturn.

Thanks to the announcement of the Archos 9 PC Tablet on Wednesday, there's even more evidence helping fuel speculation that touch screens can transform the Netbook experience from basic computing into multitouch bliss.

Touch screens are undoubtedly popular in the mobile market, but they have yet to break through in the computing space. Will they be as revolutionary for PCs as they have thus far been for smartphones?

Should the Wii stick with its current price?

(Credit: Nintendo)

More rumors have been surfacing about the possibility of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 price drops.

According to reports, the Xbox 360 Elite might be reduced to $299 from its current price of $399. The possibility of a PlayStation 3 Slim is also causing a stir. Sony hasn't made any confirmation that it will, in fact, release the PlayStation 3 Slim, but it could help the company appeal to those who have balked at buying its expensive console.

Rumors have even surfaced that Nintendo might be planning a Wii price cut to maintain price leadership in the market.

But are any of those price cuts necessary? We need to consider each console on its own merit to determine if it's time for a price cut.

The new Windows 7 packaging.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Before Microsoft announced Windows 7 pricing, the company detailed earlier this week how it plans to package the operating system.

Microsoft claims that Windows 7 packaging "has a 37 percent weight reduction, and the econometrics score has improved by 50 percent over its predecessor." Instead of forcing customers to read instructions on how to open the box, Windows 7 packaging will open just like a DVD case.

"We've reduced the number of elements in the package down to three: the plastic case, the paper sleeve, and a simple Getting Started Guide," Microsoft wrote in a blog post. "The plastic case opens easily like a standard DVD case, and it will have a single easy-to-remove seal at the top--and that's it!"

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, packaging accounts for a third of consumer garbage. And as CNET pointed out on the Green Tech blog, "plastics comprise 12 percent of U.S. waste each year, but are rarely recycled, while some scientists fear that irresponsible dumping is making a plastic soup of the world's oceans."

Although software arguably should not require any packaging, instead relying purely on Internet downloads, and plastic packaging could (and should) probably be avoided altogether, Microsoft's reduction of packaging materials corresponds with a trend that I think is better for all of us.

The Netbook is looking more like a notebook nowadays.

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

According to a study released on Tuesday by market research firm NPD Group, Netbooks are confusing customers. Sixty percent of the nearly 600 adults surveyed said they bought a Netbook instead of a notebook because they thought they had the same functionality. Had they known that they didn't, many of those respondents would have purchased a notebook instead.

"We need to make sure consumers are buying a PC intended for what they plan to do with it," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. "Retailers and manufacturers can't put too much emphasis on PC-like capabilities and general features that could convince consumers that a Netbook is a replacement for a notebook. Instead, they should be marketing mobility, portability, and the need for a companion PC to ensure consumers know what they are buying and are more satisfied with their purchases."

Baker makes a fine point. Netbooks aren't notebooks. They're not nearly as powerful as their larger counterparts, they're cheaper, and they're typically more suitable for those who want to go mobile. But that line between Netbooks and notebooks is quickly blurring. And it's starting to backfire.

The Entertainment Merchants Association, an organization that represents North American entertainment retailers, reported in the latest edition of its trade publication, Inside EMA, that point-of-sale video game activations could help save the industry "billions of dollars" in lost sales due to theft and piracy.

Will benefit denial be coming to your video games?

(Credit: Sony)

Dubbed Project Lazarus, the organization's initiative plans to determine "the feasibility of deploying 'benefit denial' technology on retail optical discs."

According to the EMA, its study has found that benefit denial, the "concept of denying a shoplifter or internal thief the ability to use stolen goods," could lead to reductions in theft and piracy.

The study isn't complete, and associated costs still need to be analyzed. But the EMA says benefit denial could substantially improve the process of buying games.

According to the organization, games should be shipped to retailers in a "locked state and then automatically 'unlocked,' based on a point-of-sale transaction." So if anyone attempts to play a locked game on a console, it won't boot up. Only after the sales transaction is complete will the game be activated. It can then be played on the game machine of their choice.

The EMA thinks that this is the future. I think that the plan is a loser.

Howard Stern won't be coming to the Sirius XM iPhone app.

(Credit: Sirius XM)

When Sirius XM released its iPhone application last week, one of the conspicuous omissions was Howard Stern. After fielding a call from a fan on Monday, Stern discussed why his channels won't be featured on the iPhone app.

"It was a rights thing, a contractual-rights thing," Stern told listeners. "It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing. So, we're not on it. Maybe one day, we will be."

Stern sidekick Artie Lange chimed in, saying, "Apple shouldn't profit off Howard Stern."

After trying to find the words to answer Lange, Stern responded with a simple, "Yeah, that's it."

Stern's production company is paid $100 million each year by Sirius XM. I guess that fee just isn't enough to include his channels in its iPhone app.