Heron Fidelity

Netflix: Now Streaming In HD

Until a few days ago, Mac and PC users were unable to stream high definition video from Netflix’s Watch Instantly selection of titles.  Stand-alone Netflix streaming devices including some net-connected Blu-ray players, televisions, and game consoles have supported HD-quality streaming for some time now.  Brent Ayrey, Director of Product Management at Netflix, posted a brief update on the company’s blog highlighting this recent change, and he listed some of the requirements for experiencing an HD stream on a personal computer:

• Install Microsoft’s Silverlight 3
• A “sufficiently” fast Internet connection
• A “sufficiently large screen size”

Of course, access to Netflix’s Watch Instantly selection requires a subscription package that includes video streaming.  I successfully tested Netflix’s HD streaming using a relatively powerful Windows 7-based workstation connected to a 22-inch widescreen monitor that features 1,680 by 1,050 pixel screen resolution – note the HD icon at the bottom of the Watch Instantly window (below).

Further testing using my recently completed home theater personal computer (HTPC) and its energy efficient CPU/GPU hardware revealed mixed video streaming performance.  Some HD content streamed smoothly after some initial buffering – CPU usage  averaged 30% during playback of a Lost episode.  However, all other Netflix HD video streams that I tried consumed almost twice as much CPU power (about 45%-55%) while constantly dropping frames resulting in an unwatchable viewing experience.  The majority of my Netflix video streaming tests were performed using Google’s Chrome web browser, but I did rerun the tests using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 with similar results.   I also evaluated image quality when using Netflix in Windows Media Center and found that it too had been given the HD upgrade although it lacked an on-screen indicator for when HD video was being viewed.

Microsoft’s Silverlight technology currently lacks hardware accelerated video decoding, but the Silverlight team recently demonstrated accelerated video decoding using Atom/ION hardware similar to what I used in my HTPC.  I suspect that the next Silverlight update will help soothe my HTPC’s hiccups when streaming Netflix’s HD video – I want the 600+ other titles that are currently listed to look and perform at least as good as those Lost episodes.

For anyone with a Netflix unlimited subscription, broadband service, and a computer with more raw power than an Atom/ION setup (i.e. most modern computers and notebooks), there is now another means of receiving Netflix’s streaming content in glorious HD quality.

Project: Building a Home Theater PC

The Internet is an unlimited source of personal entertainment, and a fast growing portion of this online content includes popular television shows, radio stations, and feature films.  The personal computer (PC) is an ideal platform for accessing online multimedia as its compatibility with the wide variety of content streaming technologies and downloaded file types is unmatched by any non-PC set-top box.  Ditching a cable/satellite television subscription in favor of a PC and broadband Internet service isn’t for everyone, but the potential savings for a household could add up to thousands of dollars per year.

My first decision: build or buy?  I enjoy building custom computers for clients so the DIY route was all but certain, however, the least expensive option would be to purchase a product like the Asus EeeBox PC EB1012 or Acer AspireRevo 3610 that are similarly configured ultra-compact Windows 7 computers running on Atom/ION hardware.  Measuring about an inch thick, neither device incorporates an optical disc drive (ODD) but both feature integrated 801.11b/g/n wireless networking, HDMI output, and flash memory card readers.

Acer AspireRevo 3610

My HTPC parts list ended up containing the following:

The total for the above parts list was about $740 before taxes and shipping.  I already had a spare copy of Windows 7, so that brought the bill down to about $570.  Blu-ray and CableCARD support were my primary reasons for using Windows 7 (with its integration of Windows Media Center) – these needs aside, use of a community-developed operating system like Ubuntu (running XMBC) would have further reduced initial costs.  Another somewhat extravagant part in the above list is the LG Slim Blu-ray Drive (about $170 online) – slim DVD+/-RW drives can be had for as little as $40, or just skip the optical drive altogether depending on your needs.

$800 HDTV Recommendations

Recently an HD Nation viewer asked for HDTV recommendations in the USD $800 range that would be suitable for console gaming – this person’s nephew was apparently hogging the household’s primary TV with their extended gaming sessions and it was time for a second set.

After researching the 2010 lineup, I ended up with a list of three TVs in the 40- to 42-inch range that shared some common features.

• 1080p screen resolution
• 120Hz LCD display tech
• HDMI, component, and VGA video inputs
• USB music/photo file support
• Excellent energy efficiency

Modern 1080p televisions include picture size controls that eliminate detail-destroying overscan when displaying HD video sources, and 120Hz LCD display tech helps minimize blurring with fast-action video (including games).  Also, LCD televisions that operate at 120Hz (and 240Hz) can more accurately display cinema content that was originally captured at 24 frames per second (most movies).

My recommendations in no particular order:

The Masters Golf Tournament in 3D

My overworked TiVo DVR recently displayed a message indicating that there was a new addition to my Comcast cable channel lineup named COM3DTV – Comcast’s temporary 3D test channel.  Comcast’s first broadcast on this new channel will be the Par 3 contest at the 2010 Masters Golf Tournament, and approximately two hours of 3D coverage will be provided per day throughout the Tournament.

This televised 3D experiment is being offered in select markets on one of two channels depending on where you live:

Channel 897: San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Twin Cities
Channel 986: Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami and Indianapolis

The requirements to view this 3D spectacle according to the FAQ include:

• a new 3D TV like those from Samsung and Panasonic
• compatible 3D glasses for each viewer
• Comcast HD service
• HD set-top box (including Moxi and TiVo HD DVRs)
• HDMI cable connecting the set-top box to the 3D TV

The FAQ also mentions how this 3D broadcast will not automatically trigger a TV’s 3D function due to the side-by-side frame format of the video stream compared to the stacked frame format used in 3D Blu-ray movies.  3D TV owners will need to manually enable the 3D function on their sets in order to experience the Tournament in 3D.  On non-3D televisions, the broadcast looks like this:

Notice how the view in each half of the frame is horizontally squeezed – my TiVo reported the signal as a 1080i30 broadcast.  If full resolution is maintained along the vertical axis of this frame, then each eye will be presented with an image with an effective resolution of 960 by 1080 (pixels) that would be scaled (horizontally stretched) for view on a 1080p 3D screen.

The schedule for 3D Masters coverage is:

Wednesday, April 7th 3-5pm EST
Thursday, April 8th 4-6pm EST
Friday, April 9th 4-6pm EST
Saturday April 10th 5-7pm EST
Sunday April 11th 5-7pm EST

Update: The Great TiVo Reset

It has been more than a week since I performed the “Clearing and deleting everything.” function on my Series3 TiVo, and I’m happy to report that the S3 has since performed perfectly:  wireless file transfers complete with consistent throughput, Netflix HD streams are received in full quality, and overall system response has greatly improved.  One odd side-effect of the TiVo mind-wipe was the loss of a few specific digital cable channels.  Thinking that the channel loss was related to a pairing/binding issue with the CableCARDs (the S3′s lack of multi-stream CableCARD support requires the use of two CableCARDs for dual-tuning action), I contacted my cable provider and requested that they check things on their end.  After confirming the cards were paired and activated, I was still unable to receive about four digital channels.  CableCARD paring issues sometimes result in the inability to receive copy protected channels/programs but the fact that each card/tuner was able to receive the encrypted channels that I subscribe to suggested that the cards were correctly configured on my end.  Luckily, the cable tech who was dispatched to diagnose the problem (unsuccessfully) encountered the exact same CableCARD channel loss issue with another customer later that same day.  The cable-gods at this point believe the issue is on their end and they are currently investigating.  Stay tuned.

Blu-ray Movies for Less Than $10

HD Nation fan Chris C. pointed out this excellent Amazon search for Blu-ray titles that cost less than $10 each.  I already found three that I’m going to order – Thanks Chris!

A Fresh Start for My HD TiVo

For more than two years, my TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder has faithfully captured my every televised whim.  About a year ago, I upgraded the Series3′s 250GB hard drive to a relatively spacious 1TB model (thank you MFSLive!) and in no time my Season Pass list expanded to 50-some items – at any given moment there were approximately 200 standard- and high-definition recordings saved on the drive.  There is no way that I had time to watch all of that content, but it practically guaranteed that I would have something I wanted to watch available 24/7.

I’ve never been satisfied with my TiVo’s network performance using the TiVo Wireless G Adapter – file transfers were inconsistent (i.e. slow, halting, or failed altogether) and I’ve yet to successfully view an HD stream from Netflix’s Watch Instantly service (SD streaming was fine).  My PlayStation3 using the same wireless network from approximately the same location in the room has never had an issue streaming Netflix’s HD content.  In a effort to diagnose my Series3′s sluggish network performance, I’ve decided to start clean by “Clearing and deleting everything.”  From there I plan to reinstall/retest the wireless adapter and compare the results to using a wired connection.  I’ll post my findings as soon as possible.

The Sub-$100 Blu-ray Player Has Arrived!

My local Wal*mart had a stack of Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray Disc Players ready for purchase at a non-sale price of $98 USD.  The NB530MGX’s sub-$100 price is a historic first for a brand new Blu-ray disc (BD) player, and I’m looking forward to writing up a full review of this value priced player in the coming days.  In the mean time, here are the player’s specs as taken from the Magnavox website:

Blu-ray / DVD

• Plays BD Video, BD-RE (Single/Dual), BD-R (Single/Dual), DVD Video, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, Audio CD, DTS-CD, HD JPEG
• BD Profile 1.1 (BONUSVIEW)
• HDMI Full-HD 1080 24p / 60p Output
• HDMI 1080p Up-Conversion Output
• Progressive Scan Video Output
• HDMI 1.3a – Deep Color Processing
• HDMI Audio Output: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD,DTS, DTS HD, Linear PCM

Convenience

• FL (Fluorescent) Display
• Trilingual On Screen Display (English / Spanish / French)
• Parental Lock
• Remote Control

Input/Output

• Composite Video Output
• Component Video Out
• RCA Audio Output (L+R)
• Digital Audio Output (Coaxial)
• Digital Audio Output (Optical)
• HDMI Output
• SD Memory Slot

Some notable items from the above list includes an SD card slot for simplified picture browsing, coaxial and optical digital audio outputs, and 1080p24 output (via HDMI) – not bad at all for the least expensive BD player around.  However, the NB530MGX lacks network support (Ethernet or otherwise) for simplified firmware updates and it is a Profile 1.1 BD player so it supports picture-in-picture but not the online interactive features of BD-Live – considering the poor quality of most BD-Live content, this missing feature may be a non-issue for most shoppers.

Stay tuned.

Update for Sony W4100/Z4100 LCDs

I’m currently reviewing a new 240Hz Sony Z5100 series LCD television that features some terrific Internet-enabled capabilities including the ability to perform online firmware updates with the press of a button on the remote.

I know a number of people who own the 120Hz Sony W4100/Z4100 series televisions (I reviewed a Z4100), and Sony recently released an update for the these TVs that fixes a number of issues including one I uncovered (note the PC Mag reference below :

• When tuned to some digital channels you may experience a brief (about one second) interruption of the picture and sound when the scene changes, between programs and commercials, or between commercials. This may occur during either programs or commercials.
• White dots or sparkles intermittently appear on the TV screen when displaying the menu or playing a DVD.
• The television freezes momentarily, then powers off and then on. This can occur when the TV is tuned to a digital channel, or when auto-programming.
• Note: This issue only occurs with some broadcast channels due to incorrect formatting of service data on the channel.
• Problems selecting an HDMI input on a CEC device using the XMB™ Menu.
• Problems resolving the finest detail issue of some 1080i 60hz film-based content (mentioned in a recent PC Magazine article).
• Intermittent audio on HDMI Input 4.
• Photo Mode issue that may occur when performing slideshow Butterfly – The same picture sometimes continually displays, and the slideshow no longer transitions through the other pictures.
• XMB sometimes does not display.

To insure owners download the correct file, I suggest entering the specific TV model (ex. “kdl-46z4100″) into the search bar field at the top of the Sony eSupport page and then select “drivers and software” from the navigation links on the left.

Or, here are some direct links to the related Sony support pages:

• KDL-40W4100
• KDL-46W4100
  
• KDL-52W4100
• KDL-40Z4100
• KDL-46Z4100

Cheers to Sony for making this update publicly available.

Bargain Hunt: LCD HDTVs

There is an article on PCMag.com that highlights the good deals that can be found for some the the better LCD HDTVs I’ve reviewed recently – including a couple LED-lit models.  I often suggest people shopping for a new HDTV save up the cash first as waiting a little longer often results in a lower price for the particular model they were interested in, or the same amount of cash will afford a larger sized screen.