HDTV Podcasts

We understand that many of our listeners don't have the space for a full blown home theater system. However, those same listeners don't necessarily want to listen to their movies through the TVs tiny speakers. For them a single unit solution is what the doctor ordered. The ZVOX 575 (Buy Now $699) is such a system that takes all of 10 minutes to un-box and start enjoying fuller richer sound from your home theater.

We talk about DRM quite often. Technically it stands for Digital Rights Management, but we did have a listener recommend we try to change that to Digitally Restricted Media. The point of DRM is to protect digital media files from piracy. The actual result of DRM is a lot of frustration for those who just want to watch movies and listen to music.

Last week Braden wrote that Cablevision is planning on rolling out network DVR functionality in April. This technology has got us excited because it shows that Cable is pushing itself to compete with Satellite, FiOS and U-Verse. One area that cable still falls a little short when compared to these other services is the number of HD channels they offer. A new technology called Switched Digital Video is being deployed that will allow cable companies to increase the number of HD channels they offer. But not every is happy about it.

Rumors surfaced earlier this week, but it has been confirmed by official press release that Wal-mart is planning to acquire Vudu, a pioneer in the instant movie service market. Wal-mart has tried to get into the online video game once before. Does this mean the death of what otherwise was a great technology, or is it a huge step in the right direction?

We receive emails from listeners all the time asking us which HDTV we recommend. That list will vary depending on the use case and budget of the emailer. On today's show we'd like to tell you what our picks are for a typical use scenario for low to medium budgets.