Blu-Ray/HD DVD Negotiations Come to an End

By Ian Bell June 20, 2005

Sony Computer Entertainment President told Nikkei Electronics that talks were over between Sony and Toshiba regarding a unified DVD format. The scenario is not new to consumers, and in the end we lose out. Let’s remember the glory days of BetaMax vs.VHS, Minidisc vs. CD’s etc. The talks between Sony and Toshiba almost seemed one-sided with Sony pushing for Toshiba to switch to Blu-Ray.

There was a glimmer of hope back in May when Toshiba and Sony were talking but it unfortunately it has come to an end. Sony will use Blu-Ray in their upcoming Playstation 3 console while Toshiba is already announcing new HD-DVD players and products. You can catch a picture of a Toshiba HD-DVD in our Toshiba Line Show Coverage (Page 3 I think).

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Black Friday deal: RayNeo Air 2 AR Glasses are a 201-inch screen for anywhere

RayNeo Air 2 XR AR glasses product image

What if you could carry a massive 201-inch screen with you everywhere you go and stow it in your pocket, handbag, or backpack? It sounds like a techie's fever dream, right? Except, it's totally possible with the RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses. Using Micro OLED technology, these augmented reality glasses allow you to view content in 1080p full HD on a 201-inch display, and all you have to do is wear a pair of eyeglasses. You can connect them to PCs, Android, iOS, game consoles, and the cloud, all to watch or play content. For Black Friday, RayNeo has shaved $30 off the full price, so you'll pay just $349. That's a fraction of the cost of an equivalent-sized TV. But when you use coupon code RAYNEOSAVE50, you'll save an additional $50, bringing the price down to $299. Wowzers.
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Why you should buy the RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses for Black Friday

Even the cost of an 80-inch OLED would be three to four times the cost of these AR glasses at their regular price. That's without factoring in the sheer portability of these AR glasses, which you can take anywhere and everywhere. It's like carrying a 201-inch OLED TV in your pocket or bag, which you can set up instantly indoors and out. While having a picnic, you can throw on a movie. At a local coffee shop, you can play some games. At your family's house for the holidays, you can play or watch whatever you want, on a massive screen, without bothering anyone else.

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Where to rent DVDs and Blu-rays as Netflix ends disc rentals

Redbox DVD rentals.

After a formidable 25-year run, Netflix has announced that it will shutter its DVD-to-mail rental service, DVD Netflix, aka DVD.com. Citing the shrinking DVD business, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told shareholders on April 18 that the rental service would be shipping its last DVD on September 29, 2023.
And while most of the 230 million Netflix subscribers won’t miss the service -- or perhaps even knew it still existed in the first place -- DVDs and Blu-rays are still a preferred method for watching movies and TV series if you really care about quality or just don't have broadband internet.
But now that DVD Netflix is out of the game, where can people turn to rent DVDs and Blu-rays?
Well, as the news hit Twitter, two of the best alternatives chimed in, reminding their followers that they, too, still existed. GameFly -- which primarily rents video games, but also has a selection of movies for rent -- tweeted at popular kiosk-rental company Redbox with a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gif and the text “Out here with @redbox like … .” The two services exchanged clever gifs and tweets (Redbox and Blockbuster even exchanged jabs) about being the last ones standing, but it still might be unclear to many DVD Netflix renters where they can go to fill the void.
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The leaks, hints, and other implications were all true. Sonos today unleashed a new soundbar, its own voice control service, and new colors for an existing speaker.

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