HDTV cable, satellite HDTV, up-converting DVD player, XBox 360, Blu-ray, HD-DVD, Series 3 TiVo, PCs, Macs, and more. These devices have one thing in common, to get killer results you must use DVI or HDMI to connect to your HDTV display device.

And, that's a problem for many of us, if:

1. Your HDTV display has only one (or maybe two) HD (DVI or HDMI) inputs.
2. You're perfectly happy with your current receiver setup to switch your audio and non-HD sources. However, it doesn't have HDMI or DVI switching capability.
3. You don't want to spend thousands of dollars to switch three HD devices.
4. You have a home theater receiver that does a poor job of implementing HDCP at full HD resolutions. More on that after the jump.

Bottomline: If you need a great way to switch HD video, the Gefen 4x1 HDMI switcher handily comes to the rescue.

Read more for details. 

iTunes Movie downloads debuted today with great fanfare. But how good are they? We dig in and test Apple's offering against DVDs, and provide a perspective for the entertainment tech and home theater enthusiast.

Apple is building the infrastructure for the future. However, the lack of true anamorphic DVD quality with 5.1 audio and DVD burning can leave us only hopeful until the iTV and HD movies are released.

We have split our coverage of the event to include the announcement and this review of the iTunes Movie download service.

Read on for our review with a side-by-side quality comparison between iTunes and DVDs.

We expect plenty of eye-popping product announcements which we'll cover as they happen. Look for complete show coverage here. Please tell us if there's anything specific you'd like us to cover. Use the comments below.

Movie iPods, movie download services and everything from the bizarre to the mundane have been under speculation for the last year around Apple and movie services. Some speculation has been right on; much has been wrong. Today, however, Apple took the first serious step into the home theater market.

The announcement craze started last Tuesday with a simple invitation from Apple: It's Showtime. Early this morning, the iTunes Store was taken offline with the message: It's Showtime - The iTunes Store is being updated. This culminated with an Apple spectacle in front of nearly 800 attendees that exhibited all the pomp and circumstance one has come to expect from Steve Jobs and Apple.

Today's Apple announcements include:

• Movie downloads
• Sneak peak - coming in Q1 2007 - iTV (not the final product name) set-top box
• Upgrades to iTunes and the iTunes Store
• Upgraded iPods

Check at our detailed review with a side-by-side quality comparison between iTunes and DVD.

Read on for details of announcement.

One of the worst kept secrets, TiVo has finally officially launched the much awaited Series 3 HD recorder. This is TiVo's first HD CableCard box for cable systems. Finally, we can say goodbye to the miserable Motorola or Scientific Atlanta DVR. 

Brief highlights include:

• THX certification
• Two-tuner at a time recording (over the air, analogue cable, or CableCard)
• 32 hours of HD recording (300 standard)
• Schedule recordings from TiVo.com
• TiVo broadband features: digital photos, Internet radio, podcasts
• New backlit remote

Available now for $799. 

Link

Logitech announced today the new Harmony 1000 remote control. This is Logitech's first remote destined for the home theater with this form factor, larger size and a touch screen.  Features include:

• 3.5" color LCD touch screen
• Harmony's One-touch activity control
• Built-in codes for 175,000 devices from 5,000 manufacturers, including discrete codes (like discrete on/off as opposed to just a power toggle)
• Rechargeable batteries and stand
• Infrared and radio frequency control with a wireless extender
• Home automation control capability (lights, etc.)
  

Squarely aimed at the Philips Pronto and the low end of other home theater console remote control systems, this may be a good product for those who find the home theater console remotes too daunting to program or too expensive. There's no mention of a learning mode, which may limit its capability for some users. 

Availability this fall with US $499 retail price, remote extender US $149.

Link  

The Circuit City website is showing a Series 3 TiVo with an October availability. Many have speculated a mid-September launch, which still looks likely. We'll probably see the Series 3 first available at TiVo.com - potentially this week.

 Link

On Thursday, September 7th, Amazon launched its video download service, Amazon Unbox. Amazon Unbox lets customers buy TV programs (generally $1.99) and movies ($8 - $15), or rent movies ($1.99 to $3.99). Our review of the Unbox experience comes complete with numerous DRM headaches, 5.1 that only comes out of two speakers, hidden phone-home software, and an overall service that doesn't make the grade. And no, Mac users, this isn't Showtime. Without substantial changes, we can't recommend Unbox.

Read on for our detailed experience with the new service.

Website Beta Launch Announcement

September, 10, 2006 -- Entertainment tech is a big broad category full of amazing products and dismal duds convoluted by countless setup options that can leave even the enthusiast frustrated. Our goal at TechDigs.net is to demystify the process so you can tech your digs and more importantly, dig your tech! We’ll cover the latest entertainment technology news, cutting through the hype to give you the low-down on the latest, the hottest and best in entertainment technology. Plus, you’ll find reviews, how-tos and checklists that put you in control of your entertainment tech.

So, we begin by demystifying the digital convergence of music and video, including:

• Home theater integration of computers, hardware, and software
• Movie download services
• Digital music systems and integration
• And more…
  

Use your favorite RSS news feed (including the personalized google.com home page and my.yahoo.com) to get regular TechDigs.net updates. Register now so you’re ready to post in the forums when they go live and qualify for regular giveaways. 

We want your feedback. Please send us a This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tell us what you want more or less of and how you think we can improve.

TechDigs.net will be at CEDIA Expo in Denver beginning September 14th, so look for news and views from the show.