Leading off the podcast this week is breaking Netflix Watch Instantly news (only to find out after recording that 5.1 and closed captioning features would be available this year, but not 1080p) before trying to figure out exactly what Comcast was thinking with its new Xfinity brand name. After that we get elbow deep in the NBC/Boxee standoff, even more Netflix numbers and Blu-ray player sales projections. Of course we've got some 3D news from the last few weeks to recap, from the HDMI spec going public to Comcast's 3D efforts, Sky's inaugural soccer broadcast and Samsung's BD-C6900 showing up momentarily on Amazon. Of course we had to dicuss Panasonic's plasma revelations, before closing out with the new (& cheap) ATI HTPC video card and a few poll results.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Richard Lawler

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
00:01:25 - 1080p, 5.1 surround sound coming to Netflix Watch Instantly in 2010? Update: No, yes (and closed captioning)
00:06:48 - Comcast smears the XFINITY brand across all its services
00:11:53 - NBC's Jeff Zucker talks about Boxee with congress, Boxee talks about The Facts with Jeff Zucker
00:19:50 - Netflix celebrates Q4 success of 1 million new subscribers and eyes bigger growth ahead; Roku too
00:30:50 - In-Stat sees Blu-ray players closing in on DVD sales in 2013
00:33:37 - HDMI 1.4's 3D spec publicly released
00:43:39 - Comcast CEO not sure 24x7 3D is in our future
00:48:40 - Inaugural Sky 3DTV soccer broadcast received warmly, hooligans opt for Michael Jackson & the Grammys instead
00:52:52 - Samsung's 3D Blu-ray player available for preorder on Amazon: $399 - Update: Not anymore
00:54:35 - Panasonic cops to rising black levels in its plasma HDTVs, but questions still remain
01:00:59 - ATI Radeon HD 5450 focuses on multimedia features, neglects gaming
01:03:48 - Poll: How did you watch Lost?
01:09:55 - Poll: Best HD sporting event this month?

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It's a sad truth experienced by too many travelers, far too many of the HDTVs installed in hotels over the last few years don't have any high definition programming coming to them. While the experienced traveler is prepared for all circumstances we've all been stranded somewhere with only stretched, blurry SD programming as our only option. The USA Today recaps the issue, with execs from Marriott, InterContinental Hotel Group (owners of Holiday Inn & Crowne Plaza hotels) and Hilton chiming in about their plans to expand HD services over the next year. That won't completely erase the horrors of our last hotel stay, but at least we can be at ease knowing a change is coming.

It isn't quite Oscar season, even though the nominations are out, so while we wait have a good laugh to Vince Vaughn in Couples Retreat. Sure, it isn't the funniest movie ever, but a movie as funny as Hang Over doesn't come out very often -- Old School is the last one we can think of.

• Couples Retreat (Universal)
• A Serious Man (Universal)
• Bronson (Magnolia)
• Serious Moonlight (Magnolia)
• Dare (Image)
• Drop Zone (Lionsgate)
• Hard Rain (Lionsgate)
• The Phantom (Lionsgate)
• The Running Man (Lionsgate)
• The Lily Town (Razor Digital)
• SGU Stargate Universe: Season One (MGM)
• The Stepfather (Sony)
• The Time Traveler's Wife (New Line)
• 36 (Tartan Video)

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape Monday the 8th at 5:30pm. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

We weren't sure exactly what Beyonce, David Goes to the Dentist and Chocolate Rain all had in common, but VIZIO squeezed them all into its Super Bowl ad. Still striving to remake its reputation from being merely a cheap HDTV manufacturer to a premium one offering lots of features, the ad (embedded after the break) shows how it's bringing "the best of the internet" with VIZIO Internet Apps. We still need to see if its picture quality will measure up and whether the widget experience has gotten any better (read: faster) in 2010 to be truly convinced, but a slick ad never hurt.

Yeah we know March has laid claim to the Madness title, but for such a short month the sports lineup for February is out of control. Kicking off with Winter X Games 14 this weekend and leading into the Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Winter Olympics there's more than enough reasons for us to stay inside and out of the cold than ever. So which event are you most excited to see?

We're still waiting for details -- sizes, dates, prices -- on Samsung's latest HDTVs, but for now all we know is it's claiming to be the first to begin mass producing 40-, 46- and 55-inch LCD models with 3D 240Hz motion technology. Whether or not you're planning to put on some active shutter glasses and take in the 3D effects, a 20% increase in response time should make even old school 2D HDTV watching a smoother experience. Find anything wrong with that?

Michael Jackson's This Is It hits Blu-ray and along with it comes an updated movieIQ Sync to help bring movie related information to your PC and iPhone. Walt Disney has the other day and date title with Surrogates. Universal has a few classics including Atonement and Pride & Prejudice, while Warner has 80's hit Fame. Roller Derby fans might want to check out Drew Barry directing ability in Whip It which has a very respectable IMDB score of 7.4.

• Michael Jackson's This Is It (Sony)
• Surrogates (Walt Disney)
• Atonement (Universal)
• Pride & Prejudice (Universal)
• Fame (Warner)
• Saw VI (Lionsgate)
• Whip It (Fox)
• Wild Ocean (Image)
• Give 'Em Hell, Malone (E1)
• Soul Power (Sony)
• Paris, Texas (Criterion Collection)
• Rebellion (Tai Seng)
• The Toolbox Murders (Blue Underground)

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape Monday the 25th at 6:30pm. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

If you can't get enough information about 3D then you're going to love this special edition of the Engadget HD Podcast. We give Bob Wilson, the VP of Network video solutions group at Motorola a call. He tells us all about what Motorola is doing to help cable companies get ready for 3D programming. Among other things, we discuss why side by side will be the initial transmission technique of choice, but that eventually full 1080p 3D should be a reality via cable. We ask him about a few other related topics like why more cable companies haven't started using H.264 and how long he thinks all of this will take to make it into our homes.

Get the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Richard Lawler
Guest: Bob Wilson, VP Networked video solutions group at Motorola

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program

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Not sure why we've been putting this off, but we'll just come right out and say it: there's no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers.

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape Now. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

CES is officially over but we're still trying to catch up on all the news, so we talk a little 3D without glasses and why it isn't ready for prime time as well as different ways 3D can be transmitted vs displayed. Although we love 3D we haven't forgotten about the basics so we discuss the Panasonic contrast demo and the little tru2way that was at the show. We finish things off with a little nostalgic HD DVD talk as well as some new movie streaming and info available when we watch movies.

Get the podcast
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace
[MP3] Download the show (MP3).

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh, Richard Lawler

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Program
01:35 - Comments from Engadget HD Podcast 172 - CES 2010 day 3
04:45 - TCL completes the no-glasses 3D trifecta at CES
12:15 - HD 101: The difference between sequential and side by side 3D
23:45 - Panasonic's 2010 plasma line has much better black levels
28:00 - Hands-on with Pansonic's tru2way set-back box
32:40 - LG Magic Motion gesture control HDTV remote hands-on
34:55 - Verizon to double ETFs on FiOS TV contracts
39:21 - HD DVD rides again: TCL brings China Blue HD & Blu-ray together for a CES face-off
41:20 - Sony Qriocity on-demand movie service coming February 2010
45:06 - This is It Blu-ray release debuts movieIQ Sync, brings more Michael Jackson info to your iPhone or PC

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We make it no secret that our favorite video podcast is HD Nation on Revision3, so you can imagine how honored we were to be invited on to record a few segments on the CES 2010 episode, which included the new Ceton and Silicon Dust CableCARD tuners as well as our new found passion for 3D HDTVs. The entire episode is great as always, but just to make things simple we've embedded the aforementioned segments after the break.

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape Now. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

Update: And we're done, thanks.