Games and movies on the iPhone and iPod Touch may be a much different experience in the months or years to come. Apple has received a patent on a head-mounted laser video display, which could make any video application on Apple’s portable devices a more immersive experience.

The patent, first reported by Gawker, has been three years in the making, it appears – and is unique from other personal viewing apparatus in that it separates the laser engine from the headgear. In other words, these could be much lighter than other simulated screen glasses. 

Of course, there’s no guarantee that Apple will move forward with the idea. The company kills more projects as it rolls out. But with so many sub-par products in the category on the market, it would be interesting to see if Apple can get them right. And what it plans to do with them. 

Microsoft is not a company of fools. It knew the Zune was going to get pummeled by the iPod – and it knows that the Zune HD will never knock the iPod Touch or iPhone off of their throne. But it also knows there are a lot of people more interested in a good personal media player than an all-in-one device – and for them, Microsoft has hit the sweet spot.

While the Zune HD isn’t quite a home run for the company, it’s a solid triple – and has quickly become the strongest competitor on the market to Apple’s PMP empire. Priced fairly at $220 for the 16GB model and $290 for the 32GB one, the device is stylish, ultra-light and ultra-powerful. It boasts a solid battery life. And, come mid-December, it could be a tough item to find on store shelves.

One of the Zune HD’s major attractions is its 3.3-inch OLED screen, which offers a sharper picture than anything you’ll find on the iPhone. Like many competitive devices, the screen is touch sensitive and offers a 16:9 (widescreen) ratio. Ironically, videos shown on the Zune HD itself do not appear in high definition.

Most people won’t realize it, though. Video on the player is crisp and clear. As with  a high-end TV, though, it’s best watched in a darkened room. The Zune HD’s highly reflective screen makes outdoor viewing (and some indoor viewing) a bit challenging – and sometimes impossible.

To get true HD from the Zune HD, you’ll need a $90 dock (sold separately). With this, users can output 720p video from the device to their HDTV. The functionality is a big selling point for the Zune device – and it’s a feature that really shines. Videos look spectacular – and the interface works surprisingly well on the big screen, despite its shortcomings on the player itself.

The player’s interface is one of the Zune HD’s more notable stumbles. It’s minimalist, but perhaps a bit too much so. Figuring out how to navigate among choices isn’t as intuitive as some competitors, including Apple.

The NPD Group, keepers and analysts of all things consumer electronics data driven, believes Blu-Ray is about to hit the big time. The recording technology should penetrate the mainstream next year, it says.

The proclamation comes after the company compared the types of people using Blu-Ray players last February to those using them last month. Last year, early adopters (those electronics hounds who will buy virtually anything new and shiny) were 64 percent of the Blu-Ray users. This summer, they only represent a 38 percent of the audience.

That’s good news for Blu-Ray, of course – especially as we close in on the holiday shopping season. And while this particular survey honed in on Blu-Ray set-top boxes, the recent price cut of the PlayStation 3 could be another momentum boost as well.

With all due respect to my friends at NPD, though, I’m less convinced that Blu-Ray will find the acceptance of its forerunner – the DVD. To take full advantage of the discs, you need a high end HDTV and the numbers for that are still relatively slim. Meanwhile, digital distribution, such as the programs offered by Netflix and Vudu, is rapidly gaining traction. Both are being carried by multiple Internet-enabled television sets and have distribution through other outlets as well (such as Netflix’s deal with Microsoft’s Xbox 360).

Blu-Ray’s not going away anytime soon – and might find some mainstream acceptance, but it has a long way to go before it becomes the default storage solution for home video. 

You won’t see Rachel Ray or Paula Deen anywhere on Hungry Nation TV, but you may learn how to make a cocktail in just 12 seconds.

Next New Networks is launching the new online video network today, with a focus on food for the common man – and frugality.

“We are always trying to identify areas that are underserved by the media and see if there’s a way to serve that audience online through video,” says Lance Podell, CEO of Next New Networks. “Much of what [cable’s] Food Network focuses on is professional, but it’s over-aspirational. … What we thought about was how much food is a part of our live and how we all enjoy talking about and sharing food stories, but in a more mundane and real way.”

Hungry Nation will launch with two shows - VendrTV and Working Class Foodies – and plans to add a third (12 Second Cocktails) next month. By December, it plans to increase that number to five.

While the tech world has been busy speculating about Apple’s forthcoming tablet, Microsoft has apparently been busy creating one of its own.

Gizmodo breaks word of the device that is reportedly in the “late prototype” stage. The system, code named Courier, is said to have dual 7-inch screens with a hinge between them. Both are touch-sensitive and designed for writing (via stylus) and manipulation by hand. On the back cover is a camera.

Leading the charge on this is Entertainment & Devices tech chief J Allard – best known as the person who spearheaded the Xbox project at Microsoft. It has been a hush hush project at the company until very recently, with only a few people aware of its existence.

Gizmodo reports that Microsoft is currently developing the user experience for the system and has recently started showing design concepts to outside agencies.

The move towards a proprietary tablet is a big step for Microsoft, which has traditionally stayed very much on the software side of the PC business. While it has not been shy about creating entertainment-focused hardware, this would be the first device from the company that competes with its PC manufacturer partners – even if that competition is indirect.

There’s no known timeline for Courier at this point – and it could be some time before the company officially acknowledges its existence.

Then again… with the Apple tablet reportedly nearly ready for prime time, we may hear more about this sooner than we expect.

(Image credit: Gizmodo)

Despite my digital home here at Variety, I’m a pretty entertainment-agnostic guy. I like movies. I like music. I like video games. Heck, I even like books – both the old fashioned kind and in electronic form.

I’m not a big fan of fan alienation, though – which the music industry is up to once again.

After waging war with their fan base for years over digital music (and offering no viable legal ways for fans to use their MP3 players until iTunes came around), the industry is finding new ways to look ridiculous.

Music royalty groups ASCAP and BMI are reportedly trying to strong-arm online music stores into paying royalties for the short previews that people listen to as they mull whether to buy a song.

I’ll say that again, since I had to read it two or three times to believe it myself. The music industry wants users to (ultimately) pay for 30-second song samples.

That’s akin to tacking a surcharge on to movie tickets to watch the trailers. Or asking broadcast networks to pay a royalty for music used during a commercial to promote the CD itself.

What’s particularly sad is this inane cash-grab is wrapped up with a legitimate grievance – that composers receive no royalties for music used in movies and TV shows that are downloaded.

Guys, if you want people to pay attention to real problems, you need to stop making a fuss about non-existent ones. It’s hard to get any public backing when your customer base hates you. 

The Zune HD, Microsoft’s redesign of its portable music player, has finally hit store shelves, right on the heels of Apple’s new line of iPods.

The features are pretty well known by this point:

• Built-in HD Radio receiver
• HD video output capabilities (720p)
• OLED touch screen, allowing you to flip through music, movies and other content
• Wi-fi
• Internet browser optimized for multi-touch

There’s also the addition of an advisor AI called Smart DJ, which will make suggestions for others songs or artists you might enjoy. Imagine if Pandora and Apple’s “Genius” had a love child.

Simply enter an artist’s name and it will build a playlist around that artist – pulling suggestions not only from your own music, but from the 6 million tracks in the Zune marketplace. (If you’re not a Zune Pass subscriber, you can still see the songs it suggests, in case you’d like to buy them a la carte.)

Apple has never given Apple TV a whole lot of public marketing support – and, as a result, the product has never been a runaway hit for the company. The marketing is still lacking, but there seems to be some movement occurring with the device.

Apple has quietly discontinued the 40 GB model of the set top box and cut the price of the 160GB model by $100 to $229.

There are several possible reasons behind the move… Apple could be slowly shuttering the division (it has, after all, referred to Apple TV has a “hobby” many times in the past). It could be a proactive move to distract attention away from tomorrow’s launch of the Zune HD by Microsoft. Or the company could be dumping inventory as it gets ready to unveil a new product.

Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster would probably argue the later. He accurately predicted the price cut over a week ago and has also speculated that Apple is planning to add DVR capabilities to the device.

If that turns out to be true, it could make Apple TV a potential player in the digital hub battle that Microsoft, Sony and the cable companies are fighting right now. Apple made no secret of the fact that it’s going after game companies in its press event on Sept. 9. Perhaps an upgraded Apple TV, with enhanced television offerings and the ability to incorporate selected apps is the next step in that attack.

The first high definition 3D TVs are now on store shelves – and if the lack of content for them doesn’t scare people away, the price tag just might.

JVC announced U.S. availability of its 46-inch 3D LCD HDTV at CEDIA, the trade show focused on home cinema going on now in Atlanta.

The flagship GY-463D10 model has an impressive 2000:1 contrast ratio, three HDMI inputs, is only 1.5 inches thick and comes with two sets of specialized 3D glasses.

It also comes with a $9,153 price tag.

3D HD may or may not be the future of television. It’s an extremely impressive technology that does make the viewing experience much more interactive – but the most important component of this – broadcast networks  - hasn’t made any sort of commitment. That means there’s very little 3D content on the horizon right now. Blu-Ray discs with 3D films are only going to attract so many people.

JVC is first out of the gate, but Sony and Panasonic are hot on its heels, with systems due out next year. Panasonic’s hoping that the home release of James Cameron’s “Avatar” will be the big driver for early adopters. Sony seems to be preparing to lean on its PlayStation 3 for an advantage.

But in order to get any sort of significant installed base for these sets (which could be the motivator networks are waiting for), the price tags are going to have to come down – a lot.