Amazon.com already has a placeholder for a Limited Edition Collector’s Blu-ray Set which is rumoured to be a 6-10 disc set. Sadly it won’t be nearly as cool as this concept from Dave Delisle.

This is NOT official concept art for a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Avengers set, but this is everything we would want from such a set. Dave’s concept envisions a giant 26″ long model of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s flying Helicarrier, with storage for not just the current Avengers flick, but extra disc trays for future releases. In fact, Dave says the Helicarrier could hold somewhere between 30 and 50 discs when fully outfitted.

Each engine/wing would even snap off to provide access to a subset of the discs. If only this were the set that we were getting. Oh well, we can dream. Anyway, I’m sure this would cost a fortune. Still, I know that I would be willing to pay.

[via Geeks Are Sexy]

While Netflix caved and signed the agreement with Warner, Redbox has simply let its agreement that has been in place with Warner for a few years expire. That agreement allowed Redbox to buy new DVDs and Blu-rays in bulk at a discount directly from Warner.

By letting the agreement lapse, Redbox has done two things. The first thing is Redbox no longer has to delay the launch of new DVD and Blu-ray releases in its kiosks by the 28 days that the old Warner contract had stipulated, much less than the 56 day delay that Warner now wants. The second thing that not signing the contract has done is force Redbox to buy DVDs in bulk from retailers and wholesalers at higher prices. That could mean the rental prices at the kiosks will go up, but it should give them a competitive advantage over other outlets who have to wait if they want discounted discs for rentals. FWIW, Blockbuster made the same move with Warner recently, too.

Personally, I would gladly pay a little more money at the kiosk then have to wait two months to watch a new film that I want to see. What do you think of this move? Would you be willing to pay a little more to rent a movie if Redbox refuses to renew these contracts that force delays in getting the movies you want to see?

[via LA Times]

California illustrator Tony Hsu says that he was quite pleased with the results and that he got the chance to work on these images, which he created with Corel Painter and Photoshop. I like them all, but Yoda and Chewie’s paintings are truly impressive.

And while Vader isn’t in the collection, and you’d like to see more of the Dark Lord, check out these concept pieces that Tony also made. I definitely need to watch the movies again, post-haste. It’s the perfect way to begin the weekend.

[via Thaeger]

The rails were made-over with simple wraparound decals, but they look amazingly accurate, as if the poles had really been replaced by lightsabers. Great job of marketing the new Blu-ray release. Now please, no more changes. I just want to watch the original un-retouched versions.

[Japan Trends and Flickr via NewLaunches via OhGizmo!]

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Anthony Daniels, C-3PO himself got to push the button that activated this amazing lightsaber. While it won’t protect Earth from invading Sith or deflect asteroids, it is a great moment in geek history.

Also present at the event were Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and other characters that we all love. Hopefully this thing won’t attract any attention from a galaxy far, far away.

[via newslite]

If you grew up on the original flicks as I did, you know that many of the changes made in the refresh before the last three films were not great. I don’t care that Han shot first in the original, here in Texas we are allowed to shoot first if we feel threatened and Han had more than a little Texas in him. It bothered me that Greedo shot first in the refreshed flick as did the tiny Jabba the Hutt sliding around.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Lucas has now confirmed one of the changes to the Blu-ray version of Return of the Jedi. In the pivotal scene of the entire franchise when Vader turns from the Dark Side in the original he tosses the emperor to his death in silence surprising us all. In the tweaked Blu-ray version Vader screams, “No!, Nooooo!” before tossing the emperor over. George, what’s with easing the tension in that scene so much? Are you hoping geeks that grew up on the franchise like me will be more likely to take our kids with less tension in the films? I’d rather explain what happened in that scene than why Luke makes out with his sister.

[via NYT]

The 1 inch-tall Revo RL100 comes with a 1.3GHz Athlon processor, a 720GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, and three USB 2.0 ports. A multi-card reader allows you to read from a plethora of removable media cards. It naturally come with WiFi connectivity and an Ethernet jack if you still operate with wires.

Unlike some of the media centers I’ve seen, this one is quite svelte and minimal. Even if you don’t have much space, the Revo RL100 will be barely noticed. The best feature in my book is the removable keyboard, which doubles as a trackpad, and hides away when it’s not in use.

It’s available now, with the base model (RL100-U1002) selling for $499.99 (USD), but you’ll need to spend $569.99 if you want the version (RL100-UR20P) with the Blu-ray player built in.

[via Engadget via Ubergizmo]

But before we get to that let’s run down what you’ll get when you buy this collection. Each movie gets its own disc, with all six in 1080p and DTS 6.1 surround sound, and there are audio commentaries, both old and new, from the cast and crew for each movie. The deleted, extended and alternate scenes from all six movies are also included, plus other behind the scenes goodies and an unnamed “Additional Content.” Finally, one of the nine Blu-ray discs is filled with nothing but documentaries.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Awesome right? So what concerns – to put it mildly – do some fans have about this seemingly jam-packed collection? Well for one, it seems like the original theatrical releases will not be included in the collection. Another concern is that, if you look at the feature description, the deleted and extended scenes will not be incorporated in the movies, instead they’ll be on separate discs. The third major complaint is about the choice of documentaries included, one that I can’t verify because I’m not a Star Wars fan and thus have no knowledge of which docs are good and which are bad.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Are these complaints legitimate, or should fans just be thankful that their favorite franchise is coming to Blu-ray? I guess we’ll know when the set arrives this September. You can pre-order the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray collection at Amazon for $90 (USD), or get just the Original Trilogy or the Prequel Trilogy for $45 each, although I don’t know if these smaller sets will have all the extras found on the complete one. Check out the link below or the official site for a more detailed rundown of what’s included.

[via HomeTechTell]

The Blu-ray drive is called the BW-12D1S-U and it has a cool looking glossy black case with facets like a diamond. It can stand vertically or sit horizontally on the desk. The drive is the fastest 12x burner on the market and uses OTS technology for burn quality. The Blu-ray drive connects to your computer via USB 3.0.

It ships with Magic Cinema tech inside to support playback of 3D Blu-ray films and to convert 2D films to 3D on the fly. The drive not only burns to Blu-ray media, but to just about all other forms of optical media as well. It works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 machines and has includes plentiful software for burning and playback. No word yet on pricing or a release date.

She created the mosaic as a gift to her hubby, who is obviously an Avatar geek as well. She put the display together on the floor of the London Film Museum, and it reportedly took the woman only a few hours to complete. She obviously has more artistic talent in her finger than I have in my entire body.

What I really want to know is where she came up with 4,000 Blu-ray discs. I would think that many discs, even if they were blank would have cost a lot of money. I’d also like to know how she got some of the discs into different colors than the other. I would assume they are painted or printed, but I might be off.

The initial sets will come in four sizes, the 24-inch NSX-24GT1, 32-inch NSX-32GT1, 40-inch NSX-40GT1, and 46-inch NSX-46GT1. Each of the sets offers full Google TV support, which means access to web surfing, and tons of internet content. They’re all LCD sets with full 1080p resolution. And since each TV has built-in Wi-Fi, you can just plug-in and go, with no external box at all. Sony also announced a Blu-ray player with integrated Google TV, the NSZ-GT1.

For those of you living under a rock, Google TV will allow you to search both cable and satellite programming along with internet content in a single search interface. In addition to web browsing and viewing video, the TVs will have access to Android Market apps starting in early 2011. For now, you’ll have to settle for apps from Twitter, Napster, Pandora, Netflix and the NBA. Netflix and Pandora are the biggies for me. I sure wish my Apple TV supported Pandora, but I’m not holding my breath. Too much of a competitor for iTunes, methinks.

The sets also include a dual-view mode which lets you watch TV and surf the web at the same time. Each set also has plentiful USB and HDMI inputs (4 each) to provide connectivity and access to your other devices for content. Later this year, they’ll also be adding wireless control from “select” mobile phones (Android-based phones only).

The sets also ship with a backlit, full QWERTY remote, which runs on RF – so no line-of-sight is required, but it won’t control your IR or Bluetooth devices from what I can tell. I would have loved it if Sony at least thought about their own PS3 if nothing else here. TheDroidGuy grabbbed some footage from Sony’s press conference if you’re interested in checking out a product demo…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Prices are very reasonable, with the 24-inch selling for $599.99 (USD), the 30-inch at $799.99, the 40-inch at $999.99 and the 46-inch selling for $1399.99. While I suppose you could buy standalone sets for a couple hundred less these days, the idea that everything is neatly integrated is very appealing. If you already have a nice HDTV, you can grab the Google TV Blu-ray player for $399.99.

Sony expects all four sets and the Blu-ray to start shipping around October 16th. You can pre-order all of the sets over from Sony Style and you should start seeing them turn up at local stores like Best Buy in time for early holiday shopping.

This awesome long-lost scene from Return of the Jedi was shown over the weekend at Star Wars Celebration V.  In it, we see Darth Vader reaching out to Luke Skywalker, while he constructs his new lightsaber.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

George Lucas also used the occasion to announce announce that the six Star Wars movies would finally be coming to Blu-ray next year (it’s about time). The only sad thing about this is that the real original trilogy, the one without the cheesy new special effects, won’t be released on Blu-ray, which kind of sucks. Honestly, I can’t stand the new CGI effects that George Lucas put in, and he never should have tampered with the originals.

Back at the end of 2009, a rumor surfaced about how the console might include Blu-ray and HD video capability. According to the guys at GirlGamersSuck (Don’t blame me for the name of the site), a “reliable source” inside Nintendo confirmed that the Wii2 (or is it Wii-Two or Wii 2?) would sport not only 1080P HD video, but a Blu-ray drive as its primary media. In addition they mentioned a “realistic timescale” would be a 2011 release date.

Now given the fact that the hardware costs for such tech continue to drop, and the market expectations for video quality continue to rise, I can’t see any reason the Nintendo won’t include the capability. That said, the Big N has been known to focus on gameplay and controller ingenuity over hardware specs, so you never know. Guess we’ll just have to wait a little longer to see what they come up with.

And yes, I know the picture above is Photoshopped – I did it myself.

[via Aeropause]

This is one area in which I think the TouchSmart software really shines, combining multiple music sources all in a single touch-based interface. At its most basic, the TouchSmart Music app can discover all of the music on your PC, and lets you easily browse through albums in cover flow, album art or text grid lists. And the software is capable of working with either the same library format used by Windows Media Center or iTunes, so you’ve got a choice if you’re migrating from an existing library.

The TouchSmart Music app can run in the background while other TouchSmart Applications are running, so you can browse pictures, surf the internet, take notes, read recipes or even watch videos while you listen to music. But the really cool thing in the app is the relatively seamless integration with both Pandora and Rhapsody, both of which give you an endless music library.

I’ll start with Pandora, as it’s the simpler of the two interfaces. Just log in with your existing Pandora account (or create a new one), and it pulls in any already existing artist mixes on the right side of the screen. You can choose to play individual artist-inspired Pandora playlist, or jump right to a QuickMix of all of your Pandora artists and related tunes. The left side of the Pandora interface features artist bios, related artist info, and is the one place you’ll see advertising in the TouchSmart interface. I kept getting ads for Wendy’s cheeseburgers, but your mileage may vary. And now I’m hungry.

On the right side of the interface, you can thumb up/thumb down and skip music. One cool thing with HP’s Pandora is that you can put the Music app in the background, and all the artist info, ads, etc, go away and all you get is a small playback control in the upper-right corner of your screen with track and artist info. Of course, you’ll occasionally hear ads on Pandora, but what do you want for free?

Rhapsody, the all-you-can-eat subscription music smorgasbord is also nicely integrated into TouchSmart Music. The Rhapsody store is available as an additional link in the header of the Music app, and with the appropriate subscription (currently $12.99 USD/month), you can surf and listen to all the music you’d ever want as if it were just part of your personal library. You can easily create playlists by just dragging the tunes you want from the left side of the screen to the right using your fingertip.

I had a couple of random issues with the Rhapsody service in which the album art turned up blank, but that seemed to be a transient issue, and is no longer happening. Other than that, the Rhapsody component worked flawlessly, and also supports background playback so you can do other things while the music plays. I also really like the Playlist Central area, which is great for discovering new music based on editorially-selected playlists.

One other unique feature in all the TouchSmart Music apps is the touch-based search. Just write the name of the artist, album, song or keyword with your fingertip, et voila!…

About the only thing not to like about TouchSmart Music is the fact that you can’t co-mingle playlists across your media library, Pandora and Rhapsody, but I’d definitely file that on the “nice to have” list. As is the case with video and Live TV, you can alternatively use the bundled Windows Media Center apps, but unlike Live TV, I couldn’t see any significant advantage over using the TouchSmart Music app unless you have a Zune membership. Personally, having the Pandora integration is what really made me a believer. I think I have Pandora running on some device of mine hours a day lately.

As I mentioned in the first part of this article, the TouchSmart has a completely admirable built-in audio system that’s more than sufficient for use in a small room. It won’t blow you away if you’re a serious audiophile, but if you don’t want to clutter your room with lots of wires and speakers, you definitely can get by without extra hardware. And there’s always the audio out ports if you want to use an external sound system.

Since this is the final article in my three-part review of the TouchSmart 600, let me bring it all in for a landing. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with this hardware/software combo from HP. The all-in-one form factor is great for bedrooms, offices, and larger kitchens, and if you don’t want to have both a TV and a computer in those rooms, it’s a no-brainer. With a built-in digital HD tuner, 1080p video resolution, and robust media playback and management capabilities, you could definitely live with one of these as a standalone entertainment system. And the HDMI port on the side is a real bonus, since you can hook up a gaming console or satellite receiver and use it like an HDTV too.

There are definitely areas for improvement in the TouchSmart software,  specifically in the area of Live TV, where the playback and channel-surfing experience isn’t as smooth as Windows Media Center. However, there’s enough meat in the TouchSmart app suite – especially with the addition of Hulu, Netflix, Pandora and Rhapsody – to make it a compelling interface for day-to-day operation. And lest we forget that there’s an entire (reasonably) powerful Windows 7 PC packed in this box as well. You can surf the web, run productivity apps, play games, and do everything I’ve described in this series – all in a single slim box that actually looks quite nice sitting on your desktop. And while the touchscreen interface might not really be necessary (with the mouse, keyboard and included remote control), it still is pretty cool, especially for the media playback apps.

If you do decide you want to get your mitts on one of these, you can find the TouchSmart 600 over at Amazon with prices ranging starting around $1100 (USD) depending on configuration.

Or you could just enter our TouchSmart contest, and win one for yourself

So to refresh your memory, the TouchSmart 600 features a large 23-inch 1080p BriteView LCD screen, which can also double as an HDTV. For movie playback, the system has a built-in Slot-loading Blu-ray player, which can also burn DVDs.

I put the Blu-ray player through its paces with a copy of The Dark Knight, which really looks beautiful on the wide, bright screen of the TouchSmart. The interface for movie playback is clean and simple, and lets you use the touchscreen to control the play, pause, volume and scrub controls for your discs. I also like the little visual chapter indicators on the scrub bar. I did find one minor annoyance with movie playback – when you press any on-screen control, a floating D-pad controller comes up in a separate floating window, and you have to close it separately – it doesn’t fade out like the rest of the controls. I also couldn’t figure out a way to get the advanced menu features on my Blu-ray discs to play, so if that’s important to you, you should research this further. And why the app is called “MediaSmart DVD”, even though it plays Blu-ray discs is anyone’s guess. No biggie. Still, it looks great, and if you’re looking for content to show off the screen, this is it.

The other day, I tried the TouchSmart with both over-the-air HD broadcasts and a direct HDMI connection from my PS3. But once you pop in a native 1080p Blu-ray disc, you’ll really see this thing shine. There’s really no comparison in image quality to any other video format besides a digital 1080p file.

In addition to physical media playback, the TouchSmart software also includes applications for Hulu and Netflix. Both of these apps work great, and the TouchSmart Hulu app offers a cleaner interface than the standard web-based version. It also offers touch-based controls which make it easy to select content and scrub through scenes with just your fingertip. There’s also a nice little image thumbnail that pops in as you scrub through the scene to help you navigate. It takes a second to refresh, but once you get a hang of it, it’s pretty slick.

By comparison, the Netflix app is pretty austere. It looks very nice, and offers smooth playback of standard-def content in your Instant Queue. I still wish that Netflix would allow you to modify their instant queue in their viewing apps though. For now, you still have to surf to Netflix.com or use one of the myriad Netflix phone apps to edit your queue.

The Netflix app does have a clean, simple cover-flow like interface for selecting movies using their DVD box art, and when a movie is playing back you can scrub with your finger and see preview stills to guide you through your movie.

Video playback on both Netflix and Hulu were smooth over my 802.11n wireless network on my 6mbps DSL connection. However, I didn’t see any streamed content beyond SD resolution on these services. At least not by my naked eye. That said, the TouchSmart handles HD streamed content from sites like YouTube without a hitch – just not in the TouchSmart interface.

I didn’t get a chance to check out surround playback during movies, but the TouchSmart does offer a SPDIF optical output which should provide your surround system with what it needs to engulf you with big movie sound. The speakers inside the TouchSmart are more than capable of projecting sound in a small room, such as a bedroom or den though.

If you were just looking for a Blu-ray player and a 23-inch LCD monitor, you could probably score both of those for less than $500 total. But remember, the TouchSmart 600 is a true multi-purpose computing and home entertainment device. You can surf the web, play digital media files, listen to Internet radio (more on this in my next post), play your game consoles, and do everything else you’re used to doing with a Windows 7 PC in one box. Not too shabby in my book.

In my next post, I’ll be telling you how the TouchSmart handles your digital music collection and my conclusions on the system. Stop back by later this week to find out more. And don’t forget, if you read all of the articles, you’ve got chance to win a TouchSmart 600 too.

Since this is the first post in the series, I thought I’d take a minute to walk you through the TouchSmart 600′s hardware. The particular configuration I had my hands on was the 600-1055. The system features a beautiful 23-inch widescreen display, powered by NextWindow’s optical multitouch technology. Since the display uses an infrared touch technology, it can only handle two points of input, but that’s enough for manipulating simple media interfaces and handling gestures like flicks, pinch and zoom with aplomb. The system also has a high quality sound system built in, and the audio is certainly as good as anything you’d find built into a good television these days. It’s no substitute for a full surround rig, but it’s fine for a small room. And of course, there is an SPDIF optical output if you really do want to hook the TouchSmart to a proper surround system.

Under the hood, there’s a serviceable Core 2 Duo P7450, running a 2.13GHz, and the system has 4GB of RAM and a speedy 7200RPM 750GB SATA hard drive, perfect for recording television programs and handling other media utility work – right in the sweet spot for this machine. The system ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit edition, so they didn’t skimp on the OS, either.

My first objective with the TouchSmart was to see how well it would work as a TV/DVR. The timing for this couldn’t have been better, as my brand new 58-inch Samsung plasma died and we had no TV in our living room for the last month (eeegads!) So while I wouldn’t normally recommend using a 23-inch display as your primary television, it worked for us in a pinch. The TouchSmart’s display size is definitely better suited to a bedroom, or maybe an office or den. It’s just a little large for most kitchens, but they do offer a 20-inch model as well.

So, back to the TV/DVR thing. There are a few ways to slice and dice this on the TouchSmart, and that’s part of the beauty of this thing. You can watch live television using the computer’s built in Digital ATSC tuner, and using either the included TouchSmart software or Windows Media Center, you can view live programs, and record them for later playback. I personally preferred the Windows Media software for this, as it works with the bundled remote control, and was a bit zippier than the TouchSmart interface. That said, the TouchSmart version does work well if you plan on primarily the touch screen for input, so maybe it would be good in a small room where you will be right by the screen all the time.

I recorded several programs in both the foreground and background, and didn’t run into any problems with playback quality, even for 720p and 1080i HD broadcasts. Oddly enough, I did run into some stutter on HD content in the TouchSmart app during live TV though, but it’s possible some sort of background task (maybe anti-virus or system updates) was hogging resources. This only occurred once or twice in my experience. The recording worked fine, even in the background while other tasks were going on, although since there’s only a single tuner, you won’t be able to record two programs at the same time like you can with some DVRs. However, I couldn’t figure out a way to pause or scrub that program while the program was recording using the TouchSmart software. It works fine with a live program that you’re not currently recording, though, so go figure.

That all said, I felt that the program guide interface for the Windows Media side of the house was much easier to read from a distance and found more APG program data than the TouchSmart version managed to muster. That said, the system includes both interfaces, so its your choice. Here’s the TouchSmart running Windows Media Center Live TV for comparison:

In addition to over-the-air television, the TouchSmart software includes apps for Netflix and Hulu, both of which performed admirably, and featured touch-enhanced interfaces with bigger buttons, and nice scrub bars for jumping through content. I’ll be covering the DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming video capabilities in more detail in my next post.

But what if you’ve got a satellite or fiber-optic receiver? With most desktop PCs, you’d be out of luck. There’s an S-Video input and an IR blaster output if you want to use a set-top tuner with Windows Media Center. And while you can’t use the built-in media or touchscreen software to watch from one of these devices in high-def, the TouchSmart has a handy HDMI input on the side, which lets you flip out of computer mode, and use it just like a regular HDTV.

I tried it with both my DirecTV HD DVR and my Sony PlayStation 3, and it worked great with both. My only issue with this input is that there’s no decent cable management for it, whereas all the other ports on the computer are neatly tucked behind a cover, this cable ends up sticking out of the side of the display. That said, It’s a minor complaint. More computers need to include this feature. There’s also a component RCA and stereo audio input there too, but I’m not really looking forward to watching crappy old video signals on a beautiful 1920 x 1080 LCD, are you? On the other hand, God of War III looks mighty nice.

Overall, I’d say the TouchSmart 600 is a fine performer for watching and recording television programs, and there are numerous choices for how you get your digital content into the system. I wouldn’t say it’s an ideal living room system because of the relatively small screen size, for a bedroom or office, it’s perfect. And while the TouchSmart software itself may not be as refined as Windows Media Center for TV viewing, the hardware is quite capable, and it’s your choice which interface to use.

Over the next few days, I’ll be talking about my experiences with movies and streamed content, as well as music and audio on the system. Be sure to swing by again for more details. And if you’re really attentive, you’ve got a chance to win a TouchSmart 600 for yourself.

How’d you like to get your hands on a brand spankin’ new HP TouchSmart 600 computer for free? Well, all you’ve got to do is keep an eye on Technabob for the next week for your chance to win.

Over the next week, I’ll be posting three more articles documenting my experience living with the HP TouchSmart 600 as an all-in-one media/entertainment PC. All you need to do for a chance to win is to read all three articles, post a comment on each one for a chance at the loot.

The folks at HP were kind enough to loan me a TouchSmart 600 for the last couple of weeks, and they’re providing the prize for one lucky Technabob reader too. The TouchSmart 600-1055 we’re giving away features a glorious 23-inch widescreen 1080p display, and has built-in Blu-Ray player too. The system has a 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 CPU, 4GB of DDR3-1333 RAM, and an NVIDIA Geforce GT230M graphics chipset. It’s also loaded up with an over-the-air digital HDTV tuner, and even has an HDMI input for connecting your video game systems. The system also includes HP’s touch-based TouchSmart suite of media and home productivity apps, as well as Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit edition.

I won’t give away all the system and software details until I post my articles later this week, but I think anyone who gets their grubby little mitts on one of these will be very happy with the prize.

Berg encountered a couple of problems while modding the G4, the first being the proprietary connector that the iMac monitor uses to connect to its controller. He remedied it by installing a shelf on the back for the new connectors. He then installed a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, saying, “its high resolution does not distort the image at all.”

The second problem was the lack of real estate in the base of the iMac: “I initially wanted to make it a Core 2 Duo all in one. Unfortunately, there is a lot less space in there than you think. Its very impressive how Apple constructed it. because it was convection cooled, the parts literally stacked on top of each other. They fit together like a puzzle. The disk drive alone probably takes up 70% of the volume in the base.” He states the solution to this problem more vaguely though: “I decided to keep the computer separate.”  But if it’s proof you need, don’t worry, Berg’s got it all on camera:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Although we all know that a conventionally oriented desktop touchscreen monitor would be a pain to use for more than a few minutes, I think Berg still deserves a round of applause. And major plus points for the Blu-ray drive. But wait!

He had some leftover parts and decided to use them to build a “big touch screen remote equipped with Windows 7 Media Center and a convenient blu-ray player hooked up to my HD TV.” This time he used a 17-inch HP monitor and painted the whole thing black. The touch screen is resistive, which according to him is less sensitive and operates at a lower resolution, but that’s okay Mr. Berg. You turned a white iMac G4 into a black touchscreen Windows Media Center remote control. If that’s not modding then I don’t know what is.

[via Hacked Gadgets]

For those of you out there who have put their PlayStation 3 at the center of their home entertainment system because of its stellar Blu-ray player, you know what a pain it is to control both your PS3 and your other A/V devices because of Sony’s choice of Bluetooth instead of IR as their remote communication protocol.

The new Blu-Link remote combines both Bluetooth and infrared capabilities in a single remote control. While it’s not as full-featured as higher-priced universal remotes, the six-device remote does have built-in support for hundreds of brands of consumer electronics, plus it can “learn” infrared commands from other devices as well. It’s also got all of the specialized controls for interacting with Blu-ray discs, as well as dedicated PS3 control buttons. With one of these in hand, you really can think about throwing your Sony Bluetooth remote out in the trash bin.

Priced at just $49.95 (USD) it’s really a great deal if you want to finally pare down from multiple remotes to a single control. You can order the Blu-Link now over at Interlink Electronics.

This ginormous disc changer lets you load up to 400 Blu-ray discs (or for you hillbillies out there – DVDs and CDs). In addition to playing a ton of discs without ever leaving the comfort of your BarcaLounger, the player can automatically download Gracenote MusicID and VideoID data over an Ethernet connection, saving all of the information (including cover art) that you need to easily navigate disc titles onscreen. Plus, navigation is easy, thanks to the familiar Sony “Xross” media bar interface that’s made its way onto the PS3, PSP and recent Bravia TVs.

The bad-boy of a player features all of the high-end features you’d expect to find on a top-of-the-line Blu-ray player, including full HD 1080p video and 24p support for optimal playback of movies shot on film. The changer also sports an advanced upscaling system for those rare occasions when you have a crappy old DVD lying around. The Cinema HD upscaler dynamically adjusts image quality at the per-pixel level, which is a rarity in cheap Blu-ray players. Audio support includes Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 channel sound.

You can get your hands on the Sony BDP-CX7000ES Mega Disc Changer over on Amazon with prices between $1798 to $1899 (USD).

[screenshot via Engadget]