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EngadgetHD: The Marantz brand definitely has its fans, but positioning the marque against its sister brand Denon is a tough balancing act.

Many were hoping for the old Marantz flagship SR8002 receiver to get the updates (cosmetic and otherwise) handed out to the SRx003 models; but those folks will have to hope the 8-series skips generations, because the rest of the lineup has quite expectedly been upped to SRx004 nomenclature.

Convenience features take center stage on the SR6004 ($1,250 / €877) and SR5004 ($850 / €596), headed up by support for Marantz’s RX101 Bluetooth receiver that lets you beam music, sans wires, to the receiver.

These models also get Dolby Pro Logic IIz and the popular trio of Audyssey MultiEQ, Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. After that, it looks like Marantz is getting served second at the D&M feature table — 4-in/2-out HDMI ports, no Audyssey DSX, and no mention of Anchor Bay video processing. Still, true fans might still find the Marantz sound that they love in these new models.

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Electronista: Young movie store Film Fresh today launched itself as the first US-based movie store to provide downloads from larger studios in DivX form.

Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony and Warner have all agreed to include both recent and classic titles on the store and as a result have created one of the first few truly cross-platform movie services.

Although the videos are still copy-protected, the choice of DivX lets them play on Macs as well as any other device with an official DivX certification, including Blu-ray and DVD players, consoles like the PS3, and even the TVs themselves.

The approach works by requiring that users register the DivX devices allowed to play the files on the web, which prevents casual piracy but still provides room to copy movies in any form possible, including burning DVDs. Not all movies are available to download, but those that aren’t are available through Film Fresh on regular DVDs.

Prices vary widely depending on the profile of the movie as well as its original release; a slightly older movie like School of Rock costs $10 (€7), while Watchmen costs $16 (€11). The store doesn’t pose a particularly large threat to iTunes as neither iPhones nor iPods support DivX videos.

It nonetheless serves as a rare alternative to this store on Macs and is a larger risk to stores that often require Windows or are limited to very specific devices, such as CinemaNow or Vudu. Services like Amazon VOD or Netflix avoid the restriction by using streaming access on the web through Flash or Silverlight.

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Electronista: Apple’s rumored September 9th iPod event has gained credibility with a second purported confirmation on Wednesday afternoon.

The tipsters speaking to AppleInsider claim that Apple has settled on the 9th after weeks of debate and that iPods will form the backbone of the introduction. It’s now virtually certain that both the iPod nano and iPod touch will include cameras, but it’s also said that the photo and possible video functions will be “just one piece” of the iPod updates.

What this would mean isn’t said. The camera function has been heavily leaked, but virtually no other rumors have surfaced that would point to other features. Capacity upgrades have already been expected as a matter of course.

Many now also anticipate iTunes 9, many of whose features (if accurate) may be known. Alternating rumors have pointed to the jukebox app adding Blu-ray support and other movie disc playback, while others have alluded to social networking integration and possible syncing with third-party devices.

This last claim has been called into question given Apple’s tendency to block the Palm Pre. More radical introductions, like a tablet device or Mac introductions, aren’t considered likely. Apple typically restricts music events to iPod and iTunes-related products.

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DigiTimes: Despite a rapid rise in the sales of consumer Blu-ray players, a fall in their prices and an increase in the number of high-definition movie titles, Blu-ray Drives (BDs) in PC systems have been left singing the blues, according to iSuppli.

By 2013, BDs will be found in only 16.3% of PCs shipped, up from 3.6% in 2009.

“BDs won’t be replacing DVDs as the primary optical drive in PC systems through at least the year 2013,” said Michael Yang, senior analyst for storage and mobile memory at iSuppli.

“They eventually will find success, but during the next five years, that success will be limited in the PC segment.” According to Yang, the two main reasons hampering the adoption of Blu-ray drives in PCs include cost, as well as the lack of a library of movies to justify the need for consumers to move to a different drive in their PCs.

Cost, Yang said, is the primary impediment. Given the high price of the product, consumers are unwilling to pay the extra money in order to obtain a high-definition drive. “The cost issue is amplified by the fact that the library of content is so small that there really isn’t a reason for users to switch at the moment,” Yang added. And while this is changing and studios are rolling out more Blu-ray content every week, there remains a long way to go.

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EngadgetHD: Instead of offering a tour of its 3D lab as we hoped, Panasonic is bringing 103-inch plasmas and 3D capable Blu-ray players to you, planning to send around tractor trailers to promote its technology and the new James Cameron flick, Avatar.

IFA and CES will also get the full 3D experience, with the company still planning to put hardware on shelves in 2010. It expects HDMI 1.4 and Blu-ray 3D spec standardization to have the market primed and ready, and while 3D may not be for everyone, we’re sure those interested are just waiting to toss those silly two-color glasses in the trash to get with this stereoscopic solution.

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BBC: Music legend Bob Dylan is “talking to a couple of car companies” about becoming the voice of their GPS system.

The singer-songwriter discussed the possibility on his BBC Radio 6 Music Sunday show which was on the theme of street maps. Renowned for his raspy, nasally tones, the 68-year-old American gave his listeners a taster of what his directions might sound like.

“Left at the next street. No, right. You know what? Just go straight.” He continued: “I probably shouldn’t do it because whichever way I go, I always end up at one place – on Lonely Avenue. Luckily I’m not totally alone. Ray Charles beat me there.”

The normally reclusive Dylan, whose hits include Blowin’ in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone, admitted he does not normally like telling people what he is doing.

His Theme Time Radio Hour is on Mondays at midnight. Comedian John Cleese is one of several celebrities who have already lent their voices to sat-nav devices.

Other sat-nav voices include Susan Skipper, who appeared as Nigel Havers’ posh girlfriend in the 1980s sitcom Don’t Wait Up; and Eve Karpf, who voice-dubbed the famous line: “Monsieur, with these Rocher you are really spoiling us” in a chocolate commercial.

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Engadget: We’re willing to bet Wacom’s nextbeat NXT-1000 would feel right at home in a mockup spacecraft console (think Starfleet, not NASA), but more importantly, if you’re one of those “creative DJs” who simply must employ this alongside the rest of your audio equipment, it’s gearing up to put moves on you the likes of which have never been seen before.

Launch dates are September 18th in Japan for 169,800¥ (€1,256) and September 25th for Europe, price probably comparable. No word on US release, but surely our Puritan heritage won’t discount us from joining the party eventually.

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TechDaily: A test has been developed that should improve the performance of smudge- and glare-resistant touch-screens.

“Surfaces are particularly important in consumer products. This work investigates how products can be modified to reduce smudging and reflections. These modifications can offer improved resistance to fingerprints, anti-reflection properties or enhanced physical resistance,” Steven Carlo told the American Chemical Society.

The basis of anti-smudge coatings is a compound called perfluoro alkyl ether, a derivative of Teflon with added ether groups to enhance its repellent effects. Anti-reflective materials use alternating layers of material, including silica and aluminum layers, to bend and diffuse light to reduce glare.

Since traditional chemical techniques could not be used on these super-thin coatings, Carlo and his team used depth profile X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The data allowed them to compare chain length, degree of branching and the hydrocarbon and fluoroether content of various samples.

The fluoroether content has a key effect in enhancing efficacy. Anti-reflective coatings need alternating layers, which have differences in their refractive index, a measure of how fast light travels through a material. Fluorocarbons in general have low RI and they offer anti-smudge properties.

XPS allowed the scientists to visualize the multi-layer structure and the chemical species present in each layer. In general, the greater the number of layers there are in a coating, the greater the anti-reflective properties. Carlo and his team also discovered that more silica and aluminum layers led to better glare reduction.

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NaviGadget: There’s a new video out about the TomTom car kit that we’ve been waiting for.

As you already know the car kit is an optional hardware add-on to the TomTom GPS navigation app for the iPhone – however it should enhance your GPS navigation experience by a lot.

First off the car kit brings in its own GPS receiver – a GPS receiver better than the one in the iPhone. Secondly it includes a microphone and a speaker for hands free calling.

Third, it lets you charge your phone as you’re driving, and fourth – it lets you stream your music to your car stereo.

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Video Business: Pioneer and Sharp have formalized their plans to jointly create Blu-ray Disc players, among other products, starting in October.

The two companies’ venture, dubbed Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Corp., should help the companies improve efficiency through sharing resources.

Operations are scheduled to kick off in October, but the companies haven’t specified when the first products will reach shelves.

Blu-ray players are high on the venture’s to-do list, as well as such other optical-disc products as disc drives and recorders.

Pioneer Digital Design expects to generate 38 billion yen (approximately $400 million) between Oct. 1 and March 31, 2010.

Pioneer controls 66% of the venture, and Sharp has 34% ownership interest. PDDMC will have 450 employees, to be based within Pioneer’s Kawasaki Plant in Japan.

Toshihiko Kurihara has been tapped president of the joint Pioneer/Sharp entity. He’s currently general manager of Pioneer’s components business division of the home entertainment business group.

Earlier this year, Pioneer management said it was joining forces with Sharp in product development in order to remain competitive in the marketplace. At the same time, Pioneer said it was slimming expenses by exiting its in-house plasma display production business.

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JCNNetwork: The world’s No.1 plasma TV maker Panasonic Corp reported a net loss of 52.98 billion yen ($559 million) in April-June 2009, down from a 73 billion yen profit a year earlier.

For the year to March, the company kept its net loss forecast of 195 billion yen (US$2.0 billion), half of last year’s 379 billion yen loss (US$4 billion), but worse than analysts’ estimate of a 185 billion yen loss (US$1.5 billion).

Revenue for the April-June quarter fell 26% to 1.595 trillion yen (US$16.8 billion) from 2.152 trillion yen (US$16.7 billion) a year earlier, partly because of slow sales of digital cameras and flat-panel television sets.

Panasonic is still targeting TV sales of 15.5 million units this fiscal year, up from 10.05 million last year, to lift its market share to 12%. As part of its TV, Panasonic will aggressively push plasma TV sets greater than 50-inches diagonal in the U.S., Europe and China given such screen sizes earn higher margins. It also will seek to cut production costs

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EISA: The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) have announced the winners of the prestigious EISA Award. Here’s the full list.

Among the winners are:

• Best plasma TV: Panasonic’s TX-P42V10E
• Best Blu-ray disc player: Pioneer’s BDP-LX91
• Best audio amplifier: Harmon Hardon’s HK 990
• Best speaker: B&W’s CM9
• Best home cinema system: LG’s HB954PB
• Best in-car navigation/multimedia system: Kenwood’s DNX9240BT
• Best high-end component: Pioneer’s DEX-P99RS
• Best car stereo: JVC’s KD-AVX77

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