blu-ray

Fifteen worthy Blu-ray movies for less than $15

We've been producing a "cheap" Blu-ray movie list for several months and it's time for another update, especially since a number of our earlier picks on the list crept over the $15 mark.

As we like to note, cheap is popular these days and, not surprisingly, a lot of these bargain-price titles end up on the best sellers list on Amazon.com. But when it comes to owning discs, most people have become fairly discerning, and don't just buy anything because it's cheap. With that in mind, we've culled down the list of … Read more

Toshiba BDX5200 review: Less expensive, but slow

Toshiba isn't the first name you think of when it comes to Blu-ray, but the former backer of the now-dead HD-DVD format currently offers a full line of 11 Blu-ray players. The BDX5200 is one of the company's midrange models, offering built-in Wi-Fi, 3D compatibility, and a modest suite of streaming-media services, including Netflix, Pandora, and Vudu. It's also currently available at a bit of a discount compared with other midrange Blu-ray players, with a street price under $140.

That will save you some extra cash compared with our top-rated midrange players like the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 and … Read more

'Big Lebowski' cast reunites for Blu-ray release

Mark it here, dude.

Yes, after a long wait, "The Big Lebowski" has finally coming to Blu-ray, and it looks really good.

To promote and celebrate the launch, cast members reunited last night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where a crowd of over 1,500 fans greeted them for an onstage press conference that featured Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, and Julianne Moore reflecting on the film that was released in 1997 and has since turned into a cult classic (see photos of the event below).

Here's the quick skinny on the Limited Edition release:

Available for a limited time with an all-new 28-page companion book featuring an exclusive interview with Jeff Dowd--the real-life inspiration for The Dude--Jeff Bridges' personal, on-set photography, a film timeline, trivia and much more. In addition to all-new features exclusive to the Blu-ray release, The Big Lebowski Limited Edition Blu-ray also offers a digital copy of the film that can be viewed anywhere at any time on the consumers' choice of devices including laptops, tablets, smartphones as well as Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes.

It's also worth noting that the bonus features include "The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story," which takes an "in-depth look at the popular Lebowski Festival," which co-sponsored the cast reunion along with Universal. Check out our photos (click on image to start slideshow).

LG, Sony come to terms in patent spat, report says

The bitter patent-infringement battle between LG and Sony has come to an end, Reuters is reporting.

Speaking to Reuters today, an LG spokeswoman said that the two companies have dropped their lawsuits and signed a "cross-licensing deal." The terms of that deal were not disclosed.

The dispute between the companies started late last year when Sony filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission, requesting it ban the sale of LG phones in the U.S. Sony alleged that LG violated patents in the company's Lotus Elite, Neon, and Rumor 2 phones, among others.

Related … Read more

Early-access app teases Star Wars Blu-ray set

We're a little more than a month away from the arrival of "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray, and Lucasfilm is continuing the recent Comic-Con buzz by offering the most detailed sneak peak of the set to date with Star Wars Blu-ray: Early Access App.

September 16 will bring the nine-disc Blu-ray set to store shelves, and Lucasfilm publicity poobahs have effectively been hyping the set since CES in January. Most recently, they made a buzz at Comic-Con by unveiling a trailer of the restored deleted scenes included in the set.

The free early-access app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch offers an early look at the more than 40 hours of bonus footage and other material included in the Blu-ray collection.… Read more

Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78 review: Big-screen 3D and Blu-ray in a very large laptop

In stark counterpoint to small, fast systems like the MacBook Air, big-screened, heavy, packed-to-the-gills desktop-alternative laptops are still alive and well, although sometimes a little hard to justify. Toshiba's Qosmio line of laptops has been a well-known example of that type of massive machine for years, and 2011's update to the Qosmio largely continues the trend with a new design. The $1,899 Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78 is bulky, heavy (8 pounds), and expensive, but it's also got top-of-the-line features. A quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 graphics, and dual hard drives with a … Read more

Redbox hits 1.5 billion DVD, Blu-ray rentals

Redbox is seeing strong demand for its disc rentals, the company announced yesterday.

According to the rental firm, which is owned by Coinstar, 1.5 billion DVDs and Blu-ray discs have been rented from its kiosks since it launched its service in 2004. Moreover, the company has rented 4 million video games.

To help build upon that success, Redbox said yesterday that it's rolling out game rentals to 5,000 more kiosks around the U.S. starting August 1. With those additions, consumers will be able to find games at 27,000 kiosks around the country, Redbox said.

Redbox … Read more

Get a Sharp Netflix-ready Blu-ray player for $42.99

This is an updated version of a deal I posted a couple months back.

Need an inexpensive set-top box that can sling Netflix movies and TV shows? The refurbished Sharp Aquos BD-HP24U will hook you up for just $42.99. That's after redeeming a $20 mail-in rebate (PDF). Shipping adds $9.48, bringing your grand total to around $53.

Oh, by the way, it's also a Blu-ray player.

Funny how priorities change, right? Think about it: if I showed you, say, an Apple TV for $43, you'd probably snap it up. Admittedly, the BD-HP24U doesn't have … Read more

What are Netflix and Hulu users watching, and how?

What are all those Netflix and Hulu viewers watching, and how are they accessing that content? A new study out yesterday from Nielsen offers some answers.

Among Netflix subscribers, 53 percent watch movies, 11 percent tune into TV shows, and 36 percent catch a mixture of both. But among Hulu viewers, only 9 percent are streaming movies, 73 percent are watching TV episodes, and 18 percent grab both equally.

Those results aren't surprising since Hulu isn't exactly known for its vast movie library, focusing instead on providing current and past seasons of popular TV series. In contrast, Netflix … Read more

MacBook Air: What's still missing

The latest MacBook Air laptops are here, and as was widely expected, they include not only Intel's current second-generation Core i-series processors, but also the same Thunderbolt port found on the latest MacBook Pro and iMac systems.

Even better, both the new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air laptops have backlit keyboards, the No. 2 most-requested new feature in a recent CNET poll.