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Details are admittedly scant on this one, but after Don Eklund, executive VP of advanced technologies for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, got done praising the growth of high-definition movies at HDTV DisplaySearch, he also mentioned that the PlayStation 3 was due a firmware update. More specifically, he noted that the PS3 "is expected to soon offer a firmware upgrade to boost its Blu-ray interactivity functionality," but unfortunately, he failed to elaborate. One could hope that the update would bring along at least some of the niceties waiting in Profile 1.1, but until we get clarification (or are surprised by the actual release), we'll leave the speculating to you.
Looks like it's not just the HD DVD camp that's talkin' lower prices, as now we're hearing that Sony has plans to unveil a Blu-ray reading (sorry, no burning capabilities of any kind on this one) optical drive early next year for around two Benjamins. All that was according to Bob DeMoulin, Sony's marketing manager, branded optical storage, who also stated that "a Blu-ray player at a sub-$200 price point becomes real attractive to the consumer." Of note, he also hinted at a possible external flavor of said drive, but apparently, there's been no final decision made on that just yet.
Considering that the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray is still raging, we'd really be hesitant to jump on board NME's bandwagon. Nevertheless, New Medium Enterprises' proprietary HD VMD players are starting to show up for under two Benjamins, but of course, there's only a handful of notable films available on the format (for now, at least). Those still interested in giving it a whirl can jump on the ML622S ($189) or ML777s ($199) right now, but don't blame us if the content you're dreaming of never makes its way over to HD VMD.
Just as Blu-ray gets BD-J rolling (more or less), wouldn't you know it, HD DVD gets some HDi press courtesy Universal. The UniversalHiDef site we told you about a month ago finally launched, and is all ready to bring you more extra feature goodness via the interwebs. In addition to downloadable content, the website lets you share clips with your friends and get support for any nasty error codes. But the feature that gets top billing is all about "monetization," folks. U-Shop allows viewers to shop for items they seen onscreen right from the movie, pushing product placement from an advertisement- to a catalog-model. Sure, it's a potentially gaudy bit of "progress," but maybe we'll finally be able to answer a question we've had since seeing "The Big Lebowski" -- how much would it cost to "get a toe?"
We don't know what sort of crystal ball Matsushita (parent of Panasonic) exec Kazuhiro Tsuga has, but during a briefing at the CEATEC show this week in Japan he predicted: 1) a big Q4 2007 - Q1 2008 that will put Blu-ray on a path to win the format war; 2) an end to the format war in another year's time. Toeing the Blu-ray line, Tsuga also downplayed the Paramount defection to HD DVD, noting that it "only" lasts 18 months. We're not so sure we agree with your predictions or dismissal of the Paramount deal, Tsuga-san, but we are looking forward to the aggressive promotions (read: discounts and offers) that you say the studios want to see by the end of the year. Bring those cheap Blu-ray players to market, and let's all let the market decide, ok?
Sure, it's just a prototype for now, but we can't help but feel a bit smitten with any drive capable of playing 100GB of data off a single 4-layer optical disc. The BD camp was also touting 200GB, 8-layer discs as they have since 2004 (at least) while showing off the components that will usher in 8x performance (double-that of existing commercial gear) in a more realistic timeframe. When that might be exactly, no one's willing to say.
If you're of the mind that a dual format HD DVD/Blu-ray player is the best way to hedge your bets in the format war, your choices are pretty few and far between. With any luck, Horizon Semiconductor's Hz7220 decoding system-on-a-chip will help bring more dual format players to the market. Sure, there's a lot more to engineering a dual-format HD player than just the decoding functions, but making all the decoding available in a single package makes the prospect a lot more attractive to potential ODMs and OEMs. The Hz7220 has a feature list that hits all the right marks, including: H.264; VC-1; MPEG-2; Thomson Film Grain Technology; DTS-HD; Dolby TrueHD; HDi; BD-J; DVI/HDMI+HDCP; and 1394+DTCP. To jump start the flood of dual format players we're hoping for, Horizon is also making a reference design kit available. No word on pricing, but we don't care -- just show us some dual format players!
Bad news from Samsung today: the high-end BDP-2400 Blu-ray deck has been cancelled, and the dual format BD-UP5000 has been delayed. The linked article speculates that the BDP-2400 has fallen victim to the transition to BD 1.1 spec, which occurs on October 31. Worst of all, mum's the word on when/whether Samsung plans on making a 1.1 spec player available. For those who didn't have their heart set on Blu-ray, the bad news is that Samsung has delayed their dual format BD-UP5000 player until December. The silver lining to this December delay could be twofold: the unit will be at least up to BD 1.1 spec conformance; and now this unit's arrival might coincide with your holiday wishlist.
Just a week after the DVD CCA approved an unexciting (and incredibly restrictive) download-to-burn scheme, DataPlay has unveiled what it calls the "world's first CSS-managed recording DVD burner." Of course, this isn't the first time we've heard about this type of setup, and as it turns out, DataPlay is actually "participating in the Qflix technology and IP licensing program." The aptly-named MovieWriter is an external USB 2.0 device that is "capable of writing CSS encrypted content for playback on standard DVD players," but alas, you'll be forced to pick up the presumably expensive CSS-MR pre-keyed recordable discs through Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden before any burning can take place. Currently, no pricetag is being listed, but we are told that the outfit is already planning an internal version for OEMs to integrate into pre-fabricated machines. [Warning: PDF read link]
It's been nearly a year to the day since Toshiba unleashed a slew of VARDIA updates -- the RD-A600 notwithstanding -- but recently the firm got official with four new combo recorders. Starting things off is the October-bound RD-W301 (¥90,000; $785), which is the only newcomer to record to HDD, DVD and VHS, and it also includes a 300GB drive, HDMI / S-Video / composite outputs and a hybrid TV tuner. The RD-E301 (¥80,000; $698), which is also slated to ship next month, shuns the VHS crowd but maintains the other features already mentioned. As for the RD-S301 (¥90,000; $785), it keeps the 300GB hard drive but doubles the amount of built-in hybrid tuners and tosses in an Ethernet jack for good measure. The flagship RD-S601 ups the ante even more with a DV input, i.LINK connectivity and a 600GB HDD, and should be available for ¥120,000 ($1,047) when it lands alongside the S301 in November.
Nah, Pioneer's DV-800AV won't play back HD DVDs or Blu-ray discs, but it should make those vanilla DVDs look an awful lot better. This fairly high-end device sports HDMI / component outputs and optical / coaxial digital audio ports, and it plays nice with a plethora of file types including WMV, DivX, JPEG, MPEG-4, AAC and WMA. For those still clinging to the fledgling music format, there's even support for SACD, and the Burr Brown 24-bit / 192kHz PCM1796 DAC should impress, too. The unit is all set to launch late next month for ¥70,000 ($611).
TV junkies rejoice, Sharp just announced their new 1TB, Blu-ray recording slickster. The ¥300,000 (about $2,611) AQUOS BD-HDW20 ships December 1st packing a 127-hour slab of silicon heroin to sooth your full HD television jones. Sharp's high-ender brings gold-plated HDMI output supporting 1080/24p video and DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD HRA, and high-def bitstream audio. We're also looking at IrSS infrared, 2x Firewire, recordings to 50GB dual-layer BD-RE/-R discs, and a lickity quick TV recording fix in just under a second. A 500GB model BD-HDW15 is also available for a bit less but really, why would you?
Denon has loosed a pair of new semi-HTIBs on the world, with the compact (and admittedly stylish) 2.1 systems catching most of our attention. These additions to the S-series both tout DVD playback (sorry, no Blu-ray action here) and 1080p upscaling via HDMI, but the higher-end S-302 adds WiFi for streaming audio and a slightly more powerful amplifier. Reportedly, the DVD player within is the same drive found in the firm's DVD-2930 player, and while both units reserve 100-watts for the subwoofer, the S-102 pushes 35-watts to its satellites while the S-302 cranks out 50. Both sets are scheduled to land soon for $1,699 (S-302) and $999 (S-102).
The folks over at HDGuru managed to spend a few quality minutes with Samsung's forthcoming hybrid player, and initial impressions look to be pretty positive. Granted, their BD-UP5000 was a pre-production sample, but they were mighty impressed with the BD-Java / HDi support, HDMI 1.3 functionality, and the Reon scaler chip within. During limited time with the player, the assortment of HD DVDs and Blu-ray films that they got to view "all looked spectacular, with every image appearing clean, crisp and sharp as a tack," and the "faster chapter changes and quicker entry into other menu functions" compared to previous generation units were highly praised, too. Overall, it seems that we've got a respectable combo player on the horizon for those not willing to choose a side, so be sure and give the read link a visit if you're too impatient to wait for a full-on review.
Chicks and dudes -- the Korean electronics maker Savit Micro wants to make you the talk of the town. How will they do such a thing, you ask? Well, for starters, they're serving up the Cinedisk CD26HD pocket-sized, HD media player that can handle MPEG2, WMV9HD, or DiVX video formats, plays MP3, WMA, and OGG audio, and does AC3 and DTS audio processing. Your precious, friend-making files are stored on a 2.5-inch, 120GB hard drive, and you can hook the miniature-media-center up to your favorite HDTV via its component outs for 1080i playback. The player also comes with a remote control, so you can really show off your movies like a champ, though it won't mix your cocktails or make charming small talk. Available now if you can get to a Korean dealer for 219,900 KRW (around $235).
Looks like it's not just the HD DVD camp that's talkin' lower prices, as now we're hearing that Sony has plans to unveil a Blu-ray reading (sorry, no burning capabilities of any kind on this one) optical drive early next year for around two Benjamins. All that was according to Bob DeMoulin, Sony's marketing manager, branded optical storage, who also stated that "a Blu-ray player at a sub-$200 price point becomes real attractive to the consumer." Of note, he also hinted at a possible external flavor of said drive, but apparently, there's been no final decision made on that just yet.
We don't know what sort of crystal ball Matsushita (parent of Panasonic) exec Kazuhiro Tsuga has, but during a briefing at the CEATEC show this week in Japan he predicted: 1) a big Q4 2007 - Q1 2008 that will put Blu-ray on a path to win the format war; 2) an end to the format war in another year's time. Toeing the Blu-ray line, Tsuga also downplayed the Paramount defection to HD DVD, noting that it "only" lasts 18 months. We're not so sure we agree with your predictions or dismissal of the Paramount deal, Tsuga-san, but we are looking forward to the aggressive promotions (read: discounts and offers) that you say the studios want to see by the end of the year. Bring those cheap Blu-ray players to market, and let's all let the market decide, ok?
If you're of the mind that a dual format HD DVD/Blu-ray player is the best way to hedge your bets in the format war, your choices are pretty few and far between. With any luck, Horizon Semiconductor's Hz7220 decoding system-on-a-chip will help bring more dual format players to the market. Sure, there's a lot more to engineering a dual-format HD player than just the decoding functions, but making all the decoding available in a single package makes the prospect a lot more attractive to potential ODMs and OEMs. The Hz7220 has a feature list that hits all the right marks, including: H.264; VC-1; MPEG-2; Thomson Film Grain Technology; DTS-HD; Dolby TrueHD; HDi; BD-J; DVI/HDMI+HDCP; and 1394+DTCP. To jump start the flood of dual format players we're hoping for, Horizon is also making a reference design kit available. No word on pricing, but we don't care -- just show us some dual format players!
Bad news from Samsung today: the high-end BDP-2400 Blu-ray deck has been cancelled, and the dual format BD-UP5000 has been delayed. The linked article speculates that the BDP-2400 has fallen victim to the transition to BD 1.1 spec, which occurs on October 31. Worst of all, mum's the word on when/whether Samsung plans on making a 1.1 spec player available. For those who didn't have their heart set on Blu-ray, the bad news is that Samsung has delayed their dual format BD-UP5000 player until December. The silver lining to this December delay could be twofold: the unit will be at least up to BD 1.1 spec conformance; and now this unit's arrival might coincide with your holiday wishlist.
