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You know, something deep, deep inside of us knew that this was going to happen, but with Michael Jackson’s untimely departure of Planet Earth back in the news thanks to Mr. Conrad Murray’s arraignment, it seems like the glut of This Is It-related gear is even touching the typically straightforward tech industry. The drive you’re weeping at above is the February 22nd-bound 500GB S2 Portable, complete with a paint job that can only be described as overkill. Jackson’s final film is pre-loaded on here (and likely entangled in DRM), as well as Samsung’s own Auto Backup feature that’ll keep your aged concert photos safe for a few more decades. Of course, the inclusion of a “SecretZone” service — which encrypts specific files while requiring a password to access — seems a bit tasteless given the subject matter here, but leave it to Samsung to Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.

Samsung’s S2 Portable gets Michael Jackson makeover, promises to heal the world originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix teamed up with The New York Times to produce this interactive map of the most popular movies in 12 major U.S. cities.

The map ranks the most rented movie and TV rentals for each zip code, so you can see whether the folks in your neighborhood have the same tastes as you do.

You can also see a color-coded overlay of every city for each of Netflix’s top 100 most-rented films in 2009. Do you want to know which New York borough appreciated Slumdog Millionaire the most? Looks like it’s bigger in Brooklyn than in lower Manhattan. The sharp divisions for some items — like the austere and thoughtful TV series Mad Men — are very telling, but Brad Pitt’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is red hot just about everywhere.

You can make some interesting anecdotal deductions using the map. For example, noted film critic Roger Ebert tweeted that you could make educated guesses about a community’s opinion on homosexuality based on where Milk ranks. Hardly scientific, but it’s interesting to think about. You can probably find a correlation between number of teen girls in a neighborhood and how popular Twilight is, though you’ll unfortunately need a different map tell you who’s Team Edward and who’s Team Jacob.

Reviews: twilight

Tags: blu-ray, dvd, Film, Map, Movies, netflix

Oh sigh. We’d been hearing that Warner Brothers would be pushing for month-long rental delays for mail-order services in order to boost sales, and it looks like Netflix has been pushed into submission: under an agreement announced today, Warner Brother DVDs and Blu-rays won’t be available to Netflix subscribers for 28 days after they’re released for sale. What’s worse, Netflix says it expects to reach similar deals with the other major studios as time goes on. Why would Reed Hastings agree to a clear imposition on his company’s rights under the first-sale doctrine? We’re guessing this is the only way the studios would open up and allow more movies to hit Watch Instantly — and the AP says Netflix is also getting a discount on the actual discs. Yeah, it’s lame, but honestly we’d rather take more streaming content over new releases in the mail straight away, so let’s hope all this wheeling and dealing pays off.

Netflix bends over, agrees to delay renting Warner DVDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s 6.9mm HDTV stole the show, but a bevy of the company’s other new wares were on display (and in action) at its press conference. The Mobile DTV-enabled DVD player was actually streaming live television via the temporary tower established here in Vegas, and the video quality was surprisingly good with no perceived lag or pixelation. We also witnessed a live Skype call, and while the quality was subpar due to the awful WiFi connection, the user interface and actual usability seemed satisfactory. Finally, the smattering of Infinia LCDs were downright dazzling, but given the competition, it’ll still be tough for these to break through in a world full of me-too sets. Have a peek below, won’t you?

LG’s Infinia HDTV, Skype-enabled set and Mobile DTV-lovin’ DVD player hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG just announced its first commercial products for the fledgling US Mobile DTV standard approved in October. First up is what appears to be a DTV-ified LG Lotus clamshell — a phone first introduced in 2008 but now capable of extracting digital TV from the aether with an assist from that telescoping antenna. Also set for a CES launch is that DP570MH portable DVD player that lets viewers watch up to 4-hours of ATSC-approved Mobile DTV broadcasts before heading back for a charge. LG’s also promising more ATSC Mobile DTV devices from Dell (laptops), Kenwood, and others including in-car receivers all using LG’s LG2160A ATSC-M/H tuner chip. Still, mobile antennas and DVD players… how can something so new feel so retro?

LG goes nouveau nostalgic with first US Mobile DTV devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a move that could help counter the instant gratification valley that currently separates online shopping from heading to the local retailer, Amazon is pushing a “limited time offer” called Disc+ On Demand that pairs 300 or so of its movies with a free Amazon VOD copy. That digital version pops into the buyer’s Video Library instantly after purchase and still has to play by all the usual video on-demand rules of 24 hr / 30 day windows, U.S. address, and is currently only available in standard-definition. Still, this combination of the digital and physical purchase worlds means the online giant has beaten Best Buy’s similar plans to the punch and approaches the convenience of Netflix’s Watch Instantly. Just its usually lower prices has already driven many of you to be come online only disc buyers, we’ll see if this helps Amazon grab the rest.

Amazon’s Disc+ program tosses in a free VOD with your Blu-ray or DVD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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