25
Mar
2010
Übergizmo: Forget about the Sony PS3 being the most affordable Blu-ray player in the market – if you happen to scour Amazon, the Sylvania Blu-ray Disc Player breaks all records with its $59.99 price tag. Considering this has some pretty decent reviews, it is surely madness to turn it away at such a low price point – unless you want to get some gaming thrown into the mix of course, which is where the Sony PS3 comes in.
10
Mar
2010
CNet UK: Do you dream of Blu-ray players? If the answer is ‘yes’, then we suspect the Onkyo BD-SP807 might be the player that features in your brain’s nocturnal activities. What makes this machine factor in so many happy dreams is that it offers stunning-quality hardware at a wallet-friendly price. The £600 BD-SP807 is intended to best machines that cost twice as much, and we’re very pleased to have got our hands on one for testing purposes.
The BD-SP807 has a fairly interesting appearance. Quite a large player, it’s roughly the size of early machines from the likes of Panasonic and Sony. In the BD-SP807′s case, however, the size, weight and design are all intended to produce the best picture and sound quality possible from Blu-rays, DVDs and even audio CDs. It’s not ugly either. It looks quite industrial, but that’s kind of cool. The LED display is rather basic, but we’re not too bothered about that — it’s not like you have to watch a film on it. Read more…
12
Feb
2010
CNet: Sony has announced that its new line-up of Blu-ray products will go 3D with a firmware update this year.
Sony announced a line-up of 3D home cinema products at CES in January, including the Bravia LX and HX 3D TVs.
The range of products to go 3D includes the BDV-E670W, BDV-E870, and BDV-IZ1000W. We’ve contacted Sony for a full list of which products will get the update, and when.
The big question is whether an update will be available for the PlayStation 3. The 3D Blu-ray spec was only finalised in December, so manufacturers are wasting no time. Other 3D Blu-ray players coming soon include the Samsung BD-C6900 and Panasonic DMP-BDD300.
All well and good, but what are you going to watch? Monsters vs Aliens looks set to be the first 3D Blu-ray release, with Avatar no doubt close behind. James Cameron has hinted that a 2D release will come first, followed by a 3D release towards the end of the year, if there is enough uptake of the technology. Disney is weighing in with A Christmas Carol at the end of the year.
27
Jan
2010
EngadgetHD: While Futuresource may still be sticking to its 2012 predictions of Blu-ray software dominance, In-Stat has taken a break from the tea leaves to mention it expects Blu-ray player sales to near 80 million by 2013.
In its vision of the near-future that’s not enough to overtake DVD player sales of 90 million, but with a higher average selling price Blu-ray players will own most of the dollars being spent.
Naturally, Blu-ray recorders (and, we’d expect Blu-ray/VHS combos) are most popular in Japan, while Europe produces the most revenue for players. We’re not ready to lay down $3,495 to find out more detailed forecasts, but we’ll put a pin in the calendar and ask Jeremy Toeman to save the date for our 2013 podcast about whether or not Blu-ray sales have lived up to expectations.
19
Jan
2010
Electronista: Toshiba today introduced its first products incorporating Blu-ray drives in Japan, including two HDTVs with integrated Blu-ray drives, three models of Blu-ray recorders and one Blu-ray player.
The TVs include the 26-inch 26R1BDP and 32-inch 32R1BDP; each has a side-mounted, slot-loading Blu-ray drive that lets them play HD movies at the sets’ native 720p resolutions.
While the new TVs have no built-in hard drives, they do support recording onto an external hard drive over their integrated USB connections.
The TVs also have support for BD-Live for Internet-based special features. Standard definition video gets a boost through Toshiba’s usual emphasis on upscaling to near HD levels.
The VARDIA HDD recorders, the D-B305K, D-B1005K, and D-BW1005K, record HDTV to Blu-ray and their hard disks. The entry D-B305K has a 320GB hard drive, while the middle gets a larger 1TB drive and the top model gets both a 1TB drive and a VHS tape deck to record to the aging analog standard.
The three recorders have HDMI-CEC support, or what Toshiba calls REGZA-LINK, allowing one remote to control both them and a compatible HDTV. All products are scheduled to ship in Japan in mid-February, though prices have not been revealed.
North American releases aren’t as likely for the recorders as few Japanese companies export those devices; it’s just as unclear as to whether the Blu-ray equipped TVs will reach other cou
12
Jan
2010
Engadget: While 3D is all the rage at CES this year, we learned today from the BDA that one of the biggest sources of 3D content isn’t what it could be.
The first thing that could, should, be better is the limited support for frame rates. Movies have been recorded at 24 frames per second for longer than our parents have been alive, and for about the same amount of time we’ve had to endure frame rate interpolation to make movies play back on our 30Hz TVs — you know, like 3:2 pull-down.
That changed recently with 120hz LCDs and 72Hz plasmas because those numbers share a common denominator with 24 (so the same frame is just shown three or four times).
When choosing an 3D HDTV it is important to understand how the TV displays 24 fps 3D content, don’t just asume it does it without 3:2 pull down. But honestly the worst part is that some 3D cameras can capture 3D at higher frame rates and even if the director wanted to, the new 3D Blu-ray spec doesn’t support it.
The other issue we take with the new spec is that contrary to early reports, it is possible to create a 3D Blu-ray Disc that won’t play on 2D only players. This next one isn’t a big deal, but still disappointing is that even if the creator goes through the trouble to encode the movie in both formats, depending on the HDTV, you may have no choice but to watch it in 3D — say if you lost your glasses or whatever.
Now don’t get us wrong we’re pretty excited about the new 3D technology, but the way we see it is that anything worth doing, is worth doing right the first time.
12
Jan
2010
CNet: Here at CES 2010, Samsung has announced it will be creating its own app store, but unlike its rivals, who offer applications on mobile phones, the Korean giant intends to supply apps that work across phones, computers, Blu-ray players, home-cinema systems and even TVs.
The Samsung Apps feature — essentially an evolution of the company’s Internet@TV concept — will ship on the vast majority of Samsung tellies with screens 40 inches and above, starting with the 55-inch LED 9000 series.
With these, users will be able to search and download applications even while watching TV. Some apps wil be bundled with the sets, some will become available for download over the sets’ integrated Wi-Fi free of charge from this spring, while paid-for apps will start to arrive in the summer.
Currently, Samsung says the style of applications will be pretty diverse. Some will provide basic information like up-to-date weather, sports fixtures and results, picture viewing through the likes of Picasa, plus services such as BBC iPlayer and Twitter.
Several apps will allow interaction betwen your Samsung mobile phone and your Samsung TV. In one example, the company said consumers would be able to play virtual poker using the television as the table, and their handsets to view cards and control the game.
Crucially, Samsung is making its app store an open platform, which should encourage third-party developers to create a decent number of apps and help ensure the system doesn’t become a relic any time soon. Keep your eyes on CNET UK over the coming weeks when we’ll bring you a more in-depth look at the best of these apps and the TVs they’ll feature on.
07
Jan
2010
Electronista: Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its 2010 lineup of four Blu-ray players along with new Blu-ray Home Theater systems.
The flagship Blu-Ray player includes the BD-C6900 that features built-in 3D playback and supports the new 3D Blu-ray standard, while the BD-C7500 offers what Samsung claims is the slimmest Blu-ray player in a new “nature-inspired” contemporary form factor; the BD-C6500 combines performance and speed along with affordability and the entry-level BD-C5500 delivers an eco design.
All of its players support Internet@TV, providing access to a wide range of online content.
The ultraslim BD-C7500 weighs is a mere 1.1 inches and has a “nature-inspired” wood design coated with jewel-like gloss that is designed to be wall-mounted, placed on a 25-degree angle stand or placed flat.
According to the company, the BD-C7500 features improved disc load and boot up times, while the 1080p playback reproduces movie images at 24 fps without need for up-conversion.
The BD-C6900 boasts support for 3D content and enhanced with multi-channel HD surround sound; it is compatible with the company’s new line-up of 3D HDTVs and recently ratified 3D Blu-ray standard.
The BD-C6900 features a slim design and a transparent cover that allows the consumer to see the disk spin as it plays. The step-up BD-C6500 offers fast 15-second disc load and 15-second boot-up time as well as features enhanced Blu-ray disc playback using Samsung’s Adaptive Servo Technology (AST). All of this is packaged in a slim and sleek design.
The entry-level BD-C5500 has improved energy efficiency by using new technologies such as loader duty control, low voltage spindle motor, and analog video detect — all of which contribute to a reduced power consumption of 13W during disc playback and just 0.1W in stand-by mode.
The company also claimed that the players are all compliant to the more stringent EnergyStar 4.0 guidelines and said that all models from the step-up BD-C6500 and above include built-in Wi-Fi support and an expanded selection of content and applications.
Finally, the affordable BD-C5500 is Wi-Fi ready — through a separate purchase of Wi-Fi USB dongle — and allows consumers to surf the content of DLNA devices or Internet@TV.
Samsung also unveiled its next-generation Blu-ray Home Theater Systems that feature new amplifier, DLNA connectivity and BD Live Profile 2.0 support: the HT-C6730W, the HT-C7530W and the HT-C6500.
All three models introduce a new retro, no-grill speaker design and Samsung’s newly-introduced immersive Crystal Amplifier Pro technology, which it says ensures accurate sound reproduction and minimal noise interference. Samsung’s new Home Theater systems now have access to the same upgraded Internet@TV service, featuring Samsung Apps — its new service that provides an expanded selection of content and applications from content and service providers, such as Accedo Broadband, AccuWeather.com, The Associated Press, Blockbuster, Fashion TV, Netflix, Picasa, Pandora, Rovi, Travel Channel, Twitter, USA TODAY, and Vudu.
In addition, the HT-C6730W and HT-C6500 will have built-in WiFi connectivity while the HT-C7530W will support Wi-Fi through the included wireless dongle. Each of the new models feature Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) connectivity for sharing content with other electronic devices on the network..
The flagship 1330-watt HT-C6730W, designed for the ultimate home theater aficionado, offers 7.1-channel surround sound using a new built-in digital signal processor (DSP) that allows for more realistic vertical 3D surround sound experience. It also supports 1080p video playback (for both Blu-ray discs and standard DVDs), Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio high-definition audio formats.
The system includes eight speakers; a wide center channel speaker, a large subwoofer, two tower speakers and four surround speakers, including wireless rear satellite speakers. It is available in a dark black, high gloss finish. Meanwhile, the 5.1-channel Samsung HT-C7530W offers a “nature-inspired” Touch of Color (ToC) design with a wood-grain texture; it is encased in a “luxurious” translucent material, according to the company.
It includes two tall satellite speakers, 2 wireless rear speakers, a center unit and an active subwoofer. The entry-level, but compact 1000-watt HT-C6500 is designed for smaller spaces and also features built-in Wi-Fi, 1GB of built-in storage, 5.1 channel surround sound and advanced auto sound calibration in a compact form factor.
07
Jan
2010
CNet: 3D television is the future. We know it’s the future because at every CES we’ve ever been to, manufacturers bang on about it like it’s the cure for cancer. This year Panasonic has turned the hyperbole into reality with its first 3D high definition Viera television, 3D Blu-ray player and 3D video camera, as well as offering the first 3D television channels.
It’s also gone and made an enormous 152-inch 3D telly. Blimey. The 152-inch plasma panel, rather prosaically named the Full HD 3D PDP, gives eye-watering 4Kx2K resolution. It won’t be in shops anytime soon, but that’s OK with us because it wouldn’t fit in our house.
The Viera Plasma V series 3D telly will be on sale this year. It offers a 1080p picture for each eye, flicking between the two high definition images 120 times per second, so fast that our brains build a three-dimensional image.
It comes in 50-inch, 54-inch, 58-inch and 65-inch flavors, and includes Infinite Black Panel Pro technology for deeper blacks, with a whopping 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Each 3D Viera comes with funky-looking Eyewear glasses. But what will you watch? Get yourself a PP-BDT350 Blu-ray player with HDMI 1.4 and Wi-Fi. and you’ll be watching films like Avatar in three dimensions.
The press conference even wheeled out Avatar producer Jon Landau, who compared uptake of 3D to our embracing of stereo sound, and even predicted 3D on mobile devices, the big nutter.
Panasonic has also partnered with DirecTV and will launch two 3D, HD channels and a third, on-demand 3D HD channel. A firmware upgrade to existing DirecTV settop boxes will allow consumers to plug in their new 3D tellies and start watching. US consumers, that is, as these things won’t be in Europe any time soon.
You’ll even be able to make your own 3D movies with the Full HD 3D camcorder. It boasts lenses in one unit and records to SD or SDC card. It’s smaller than professional camera units, and frankly we can’t wait until autumn when it’ll go on sale. We suspect some saving up may be required, however, as it’s made to order and will cost about $21,000 (€14,615).
Panasonic also announced the Plasma G series television and DMP-BD85 Blu-ray player in boring old two-dimensions. The 3D V series and 2D Plasma G series boast Wi-Fi and Panasonic’s IPTV system, Viera Cast. Panny has partnered up with VoIP giants Skype to offer Skype video calling on all Viera televisions, including the 3D V series. Forget 3D, making free video calls on your telly, that’s the future.
05
Jan
2010
Electronista: LG today hinted at its CES plans with word that it will update its Blu-ray players.
The Korean company provides no details of the hardware inside but says they should have significantly expanded online features beyond the existing CinemaNow, Netflix, Pandora and YouTube options.
It’s hinted in particular that the players may let users download movies and music and create their own media library searchable by metadata like the album name.
Existing players already have built-in Wi-Fi and support BD-Live in addition to the Internet-only content. More information is expected at LG’s CES keynote in mid-week as well as at the show itself, which begins on Thursday.
22
Dec
2009
Wired: The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced the final specification for 3D versions of Blu-ray, and there’s good news for PS3 owners and those of us with large collections of 2D Blu-rays.
3D discs will deliver full HD (i.e. 1080p) resolution to each eye, and will do so using a codec supported by all current Blu-ray players. That means that the new discs will be backwards compatible – you’ll be able to play 3D discs in 2D Blu-ray players and still get 1080p resolution.
Film buffs who have upgraded their collection from the non-compatible DVD to Blu-ray disc will therefore not face another expensive upgrade in the near future.
Sony has now confirmed that 2D discs will also work in 3D Blu-ray players. The announcement brought good news for gamers too, confirming that 3D Blu-ray content will be compatible with the Sony PlayStation 3.
The Blu-ray Association has already stated that 3D Blu-ray products will play on any compatible 3D screen, whether LCD, plasma or something else.
Along with the 3D film content, the specification will allow content providers to create 3D graphic menus and 3D subtitles. The complete spec will now be available to manufacturers and content providers, so we can expect an array of 3D Blu-ray announcements next year.
03
Dec
2009
CNet: Universal has unveiled the first Blu-ray/DVD ‘flipper discs’, packing both Blu-ray and DVD versions of a film on the same platter.
A flipper disc is a single, dual-sided disc that has Blu-ray on one side and DVD on the other, so you can watch a movie on your fancy Blu-ray player, and then go for a walk and watch it on your laptop or at a friend’s house.
Friends who are too poor to have a Blu-ray player, that is. The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum will be the first films to benefit from the new technology.
Hopefully, Free Willy, Jaws and other sea-life-related films will follow soon. Flipper, y’see. Oh, never mind.
