The Super bowl is over, the ads have aired, and now we're trying to fill a football-sized hole in our TV schedules. Luckily there's a few new shows airing that may help us get through the winter, unless of course we get more Glee clones that push us outdoors into the harsh, unforgiving elements. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

The Walking Dead
AMC's hit show is back for the second half of its second season Sunday night, and we're... actually anticipating it? Stranger things have happened, and now that the little girl we never really got to know or care about is gone maybe they can leave the farm to go places where things happen. There's a quick preview trailer embedded after the break.
(February 12th, AMC, 10PM

Smash
It's another show that's a lot like Glee. These words have either filled you with dread or uncontrollable excitement. Schedule your DVR and plans for this evening accordingly.
(February 6th, NBC, 10PM)

Doomsday Preppers
We know, we said we were against the quirky reality TV shows (on a slightly related note, the second jousting reality show of the season also premieres this week -- how has jousting become a thing?) but this one is crazy enough to pique our interest. Doomsday Preppers goes inside your neighbor's underground vault to see just what he's got stocked in there should the worst happen. Don't wait for the air-raid sirens to go off to find out, just tune into National Geographic tomorrow night, or check out the trailer embedded after the break.
(February 7th, National Geographic, 9 & 10PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (February 6th - 12th)

Must See HDTV (February 6th - 12th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's Monday, and almost as regular an occurrence as the day itself, we're here to help by letting you listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 5:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat as you listen in.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lillyhammer (or: 'Paulie in Norway') now streaming on Netflix originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It once was a rumor but now it's real: Verizon and Redbox are joining forces on what is said to be the "best of both worlds" -- a service that will offer both physical media and streaming content for subscribers. Details are slim at this point but the supposed "Project Zoetrope" will offer DVD and Blu-ray media in addition to on-demand streaming plus downloadable content. The Netflix-like service is said to be launching in the second half of this year and, while support for "devices" is mentioned, it's not stated whether any of those will be non-Verizon. We'll have to wait a few more months to find out.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Continue reading Verizon and Redbox team up to launch streaming and physical media service later this year

Verizon and Redbox team up to launch streaming and physical media service later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Considering that Hugo was a flick capable of earning 4 out of 4 stars from noted 3D hater Roger Ebert, it will be interesting to see how it's received upon its home release February 28th. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards and currently rocking a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the fantasy tale of a boy who crosses paths with legendary filmmaker Georges Méliès in 1930s Paris may be the best example yet of how an artist can make use of the effect. The two hour six minute flick will be available in Blu-ray 3D combo pack, and 2D Blu-ray editions, with a 7.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack and special featurettes on the making of the film and the real magician/director who inspired the story.

The release date is two days after the Academy Awards, and if this flick can snag Best Picture or Best Director it could become a turning point for 3D. New 3D movies are already on deck from other high-profile directors like Ridley Scott (Alien prequel Prometheus) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby), while big budget conversions like Star Wars -- coming to theaters next week -- and already-sold-out-for-Valentines Day Titanic test the waters for older movies. Add in sports broadcasts planned including UFC 143 tonight and the London Olympics in the summer, and 2012 is shaping up to be an especially rough year for 3D haters -- you have our deepest sympathies. Those on the other side of the fence can check after the break for a press release with more details and (2D) theatrical trailer.

Continue reading Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' Blu-ray 3D set for release February 28th -- 3D haters beware

Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' Blu-ray 3D set for release February 28th -- 3D haters beware originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Netflix teams with eyeIO to lower bandwith use on movie night

Netflix teams with eyeIO to lower bandwith use on movie night originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The thing about the American civil court system is you can almost never stop looking over your shoulder, even when you thought you won. Things get appealed and what was a favorable ruling can become your worst nightmare five years later. That's what the folks at Kaleidescape are facing if the latest tentative judgement in its case vs the DVD Copy Control Association, which licenses DVD's defunct copy protection, CSS. Last time around Kaleidescape was on the other side of the ruling with the Judge agreeing that there was no violation of any terms of service. This time around? Not so much. It would mean a shift in legal DVD servers, but we'd imagine Blu-raytakes up most of the market by now anyway. Currently Kaleidescape's Blu-ray products authenticate the disc is in the vault before playing, and its CEO has testified modifications could be made to the DVD products within a few months. So with Managed Copy being DOA and UltraViolet being anything but disappointing to anyone, days without keeping track of discs to watch the movies you own seems like a fairy tale -- legally anyways.

Latest Kaleidescape tentative judgement could mean the end of untethered disc servers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony already revealed Kazuo Hirai will take over for Howard Stringer as CEO and President April 1st last night, and with the big shocker out of the way it's time for the fiscal Q3 reports. After posting a net loss of $346 million last quarter, Sony is now expecting a bigger loss for 2011 than it had previously estimated, as well as lower sales. It's currently showing a net loss for the quarter of 159 billion yen ($2.08 billion), blaming a larger than expected effect from the flooding in Thailand, strong yen and weakness in cellphones. Sales for the quarter were about $23 billion, down 17.4 percent from the same quarter last year. The consumer products and services division (HDTVs, PS3s, etc.) in particular caught a brick, with an operating loss of over a billion dollars on sales that dropped 24 percent from last year. It recorded a loss on its sale of shares in the S-LCD venture with Samsung, LCD TVs sold for prices lower than its cost reductions, and the PlayStation 3 had the killer combo of higher marketing costs and lower unit sales. Check the PDF and slides linked below for more bad news. We'll let you know what we hear on the earnings call in a few, but until then, Kaz, may we suggest bringing in Jimmy Rollins for tips on breaking out of a slump?

Continue reading Sony's Q3 earnings are in: wider than expected full year loss, lowered sales projections

Sony's Q3 earnings are in: wider than expected full year loss, lowered sales projections originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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