Details on Logitech Revue Google TV box

Logitech's Revue Google TV box is now available for pre-order for $299, revealing a host of new features—HD calling, a wide array of controls, myriad apps, and—if you order today, it'll arrive by the end of the month.

What's Inside

We now know the full extent of the box's hardware capabilities:
• HDMI 1.3 with 1080p, 60fps output
• 2 USB ports (allowing for added local Google TV storage)
• 802.11a/b/g/n wireless connectivity
• Integrated support for the Logitech Harmony remote
• SPDIF audio out
• Ethernet connectivity

How Much It Costs

The Revue box itself plus the keyboard is priced at $300, the mini controller at $130, and the smartphone apps are already available for free. (If you need another keyboard, it's $100.) The TV cam is pricey, no doubt, at $150. The Revue setup will be available for preorder from Best Buy and Amazon, shipping this month.

[Logitech via Gizmodo]

Mitsubishi Renames LaserTV, LaserVue

You might remember Mitsubishi introduced their new innovative "Lazer TV" at the 2008 CES show. It was said that it was the best looking TV that many experts have ever seen, and Mitsubishi claims that it costs less to make than plasma and LCD TV's. It's similar to DLP TV's, but uses lasers to create what Mitsubishi claims is the purest form of light.

Well Mitsubishi renamed the new sets that are scheduled to come out in Q3 to LaserVue. The picture is said to be absolutely amazing, and if you're in the market for a HDTV, you might want to wait for this one. Even HD Guru said that the LaserVue set popped colors that were "the most vivid of any display device I had ever seen" besting a Pioneer Kuro and Sharp LCD in a side-by-side.

The Pioneer Kuro is said to be the best HDTV in the world, so that's pretty high praise.

[HD Guru via Crunchgear]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars In Theaters and on Television in 2008

A new era of Star Wars entertainment begins in 2008 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars, from creator George Lucas, premieres as an all-new feature film in August, followed by the television series debut in the fall, in a partnership announced today between Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes audiences on incredible new Star Wars adventures, combining the legendary storytelling of Lucasfilm with an eye-popping, signature animation style. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in North American theaters Friday, August 15. International release dates will be announced soon.

Read the full story at StarWars.com

EA Pimp Slaps Fox News For Mass Effect Story

Certainly not to step on Malcolm's posts, but EA's Vice President Jeff Brown responds with an open letter to Fox News Live Desk with Martha MacCallum's attack of the game Mass Effect. Check out the Bullet point smack down below:

Ms VanHorn,

I’m writing to request a clarification of serious errors FNC made in a story which aired about the video game Mass Effect. (See attachment) As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect.

Errors include the following:

• Your headline above the televised story read: “New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex.“
• Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots – a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.
• FNC voice-over reporter says: “You’ll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex.”
• Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.
• FNC reporter says: “Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers.”
• Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature – appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.
• Other sources used in the segment made similar incorrect statements about the game. Judging by the inaccuracy of their comments, they have had zero experience with Mass Effect and are largely ignorant about videogames, the people who play them, and the ESRB system that governs their ratings and sales.

The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?

This isn’t a legal threat; it’s an appeal to your sense of fairness. We’re asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.

Sincerely,

Jeff Brown
Vice President of Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc

EA Takes FOX News To Task Over Mass Effect [GameInformer via G4TV]

Hackers Stage Fake Nuke Detonation On Live TV: Czech Republic Is Not laughing

I have a special place in my heart for hackers, simply because they usually come up with cool and better ways of doing things. But every now and then, they go beyond the realm of average hacking and enter the world of humor. Such is the case for 6 Czech Republic who sneaked a fake nuclear blast into a news channel’s weather webcam.

Not everyone thought it was funny, as the 6 could get 3 years each in the stripy hole for “spreading false information”. I wonder how many people crapped their pants when this first aired? I have to give it to the hackers for their creativity though.

[Crunchgear]

Bioshock Wins Video Game Of The Year Award

If you didn't get a chance to see the video game awards, you might have missed "The best video game of the year" which went to "Bioshock". That is pretty impressive considering its competition this year of Halo 3, Mass Effect, and The Orange Box.

For a complete list of winners, hit the jump.

[G4TV]

"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" Pairs Up With "24"

It looks like Jack Bauer will be getting a little company this upcoming season. Starting January 14th, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" will be paired with the show "24", possibly making Monday night a killer for Fox. The series will follow the events after "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" with Sarah and John Connor continuing their quest to stop the rise of the machines.

With Heroes showing the very same night, it should put DVR's into overdrive.

[Aintitcool.com]

Knight Rider Returning To TV

I've always hated when a TV network makes an attempt at to cash in on the trails of another hit movie or TV show. But it's really bad when they've taken two of my favorite shows and are trying to combine them both into one show. Case in point is NBC's plans to bring back the show "Knight Rider", but with transforming cars.

Yes, the plan is to have 'evil' transforming cars face off with a transforming "KITT" car. So have network producers completely run out of ideas or are they just getting lazy? Come on guys, you get paid a lot of money to come up with ideas, try to think of something new.

[EW.com]

NBC To Sell Shows On Amazon's Unbox

Looks like NBC is doing its best to piss in Apple's Wheaties today.

Amazon and NBC have reached an agreement to sell its shows on Amazon's Unbox video download service. Popular shows like "Heroes" and "The Office" will make its way over to the new service, pissing off Apple in the process. This most likely will happen after the current contract with Apple runs out in December.

Will this be good for the consumer? Not likely, due to the fact that they wanted Apple to raise prices in the first place, and charge more for newer content.

Greed once again wins out!!!

NBC in Deal With Amazon to Sell Shows on the Web [New York Times via Crunchgear]

Star Trek Coming Too HD-DVD

CBS announced at todays Comic-Con that the Original series of 'Star Trek' will be coming to HD-DVD. The new Star Trek - The Final Frontier as it will be called, will have a ton of extras for the Trekie fan. No release date as of yet, but eye-wittinesses say that the footage is absolutely clean, clear and beautiful.

• Updated Visual and Audio Effects
• Remastered in HD from the original negative
• Interactive Feature: Explore the exterior of the Enterprise in your own shuttle craft , going up close and personal with every inch of the famous ship.
• "Starfleet Access": Interactive pop-up icons throughout each episode offering behind-the-scenes information, trivia and lore; icon topics include: Science, Lifeforms, Technology, Ships and General Trivia
• 8mm behind-the-scenes home movies shot by "extra extraordinaire," Billy Blackburn, with his nostalgic, amusing and poignant look back on the filming of the series.
• Side-by-side comparisons between the original and the updated sequences.
• A look into the recording studio remastering the theme and episode soundtrack
• Documentaries on the remastering process

That's enough to make you want to put on a red jumpsuit and go on a mission with your friends.
Hit the jump to see more. [IGN via G4TV]

Code Monkeys

Thank you G-4. This is what they had to say about this new show.

Now if you’re a fan of brilliantly raunchy comedy, and we know you are, you’re really going to love our new animated comedy series, Code Monkeys. It’s the brainchild of Minoriteam creator and longtime Crank Yankers writer Adam De La Pena, so you know you’re in for some hilariously offensive awesomeness. The series follows Dave and Jerry, two videogame programmers whose lives are turned upside down when their Atari-esque company gets bought out by Bob Larrity, a crazy Texas millionaire. Dave and Jerry, along with the rest of the staff, must work through their own completely dysfunctional relationships with each other. There's Todd, an elf-obsessed creepy Dungeons and Dragons-loving game programmer, Benny, a ten-year old Korean game tester hopped up on sugar and cigarettes, and Clare, the busybody receptionist, just to name a few! Part Office Space, part Pitfall, Code Monkeys is a show for everyone who's ever wished they had a few extra lives in the workplace.

Watch the first episode and be prepared to be offended.

Code Monkeys Episode 1 Full - Watch more free videos

New Animated Spiderman: Coming in 2008

The CW is bringing back the animated version of Spiderman back to television, and Toon Zone got a first look. "The Spectacular Spiderman" will be on the Kids WB hour on the CW channels in 2008.

LG Sues Hitachi: 'Hands off my patent you damn dirty ape!'

LG has filed suit in Texas against television-manufacturer Hitachi, claiming that the company is violating patents LG holds. LG is seeking the big bucks and an injunction to halt the sale and production of any television sets that violate patents.

The dispute is over patents relating to plasma display panel development, which I’m assuming has to do with the displays of several TVs.

Read the entire article after the jump. [Reuters]

Whole Lotta HD Channels For Comcast

If you own an HDTV you know how frustrating it can be to only have a hand full of channels to choose from that have full HD. I was hoping someone would add some more channels to its HD lineup and apparently my wish is coming true!

The Comcast is promising up to a total of 400 HD channels by the end of this year, with more to come. By 2008, Comcast says it will offer over 800 channels of HD programming, which is absolutely nuts and awesome.

Looks like companies such as DirecTV, CableVision, and Time-Warner will have to come up with something to one up Comcast. I mean if you own a HDTV, you know damn well that non-HD programming looks like crap. I fully welcome this decision by Comcast and would even pay a premium to ensure I could access all 800 channels of HD.

Nice work, Comast. You’ve done well.

Read the entire article after the jump. [BRG]

Pirate Episodes of 24 and Jack Bauer Gets to Torture You

It seems the Feds have charged a man with a felony count of uploading copyrighted material, specifically, episodes of 24. What’s even more nuts about this guy is that he was uploading the episodes (to LiveDigital.com) well in advance of their network debut on Fox. This guy can now look for to three years of federal prison if convicted.

I'm curious how the guy got a hold of the shows before they aired (must have insider hookup), but I'm thinking it wouldn't be hard to catch him.

See, kids, piracy = bad.

Especially if your dumb about it!!!

Read the article after the jump. [AP/Yahoo!]