If you want to check it out yourself, you'll have to have a copy of the movie on Blu-ray and a Blu-ray player that supports BD-Live. If not, just check out Giz tomorrow when I give you the highlights live.

And for those who are curious as to how these director's commentary live screenings have been going, here's our Terminator Salvation liveblog in which I almost stabbed myself with a beer bottle.

Update: Here's the link you can use to sign up for the screening. [Warner Bros BD Live]

The Watchmen BD comes out July 21, then Zack Snyder will host a community screening (allowing viewers to watch the movie along with his live commentary on their Blu-ray players) during Comic-Con on July 25. Is the experience worth the price of the disc alone? Definitely not. But if you're a big Watchmen fan, the screening is certainly a nice bonus if you're already purchasing the Blu-ray on day of release. I just wonder if Snyder's bladder is heartier than Nolan's. Place your bets on pee breaks now. And remember, Watchmen is a long movie, too. [Video Business via engadgetHD]

MovieIQ pulls everything from cast lists and crew info to soundtrack data and production trivia from the Sony-owned Gracenote video database—a name that might sound familiar, since it's also one of the biggest CD databases in the world, and the one the iTunes uses to identify and name your discs. You can peruse the data manually, or wait for a (disable-able) icon in the corner or the screen, which shows up when info about a particular scene is available.

There's no way to tell how rich the database will be—meaning, how well it will compare to IMDB—but the concept is solid, if a little late. Honestly, when Sony announced in 2006 that BD-Live would bring interactive, online content to Blu-ray players, this, I think, is was most people expected from the start. [SonyInsider via Techradar]

San Francisco, CA (June 18, 2009) - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment today announced the launch of movieIQ, a new Blu-ray Disc feature powered by Gracenote® that offers viewers access to a real-time movie database. With a movieIQ-enabled Blu-ray Disc and an internet-connected Blu-ray™ player, movie fans can immediately access continuously-updated information on cast and crew and explore relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information all tied to scenes within the movie. SPHE will feature movieIQ on upcoming Blu-ray Disc titles starting in September and will offer it on all major catalog titles and new releases including Angels & Demons, Easy Rider, Punch Drunk Love, The Quick and the Dead, Silverado and sex, lies, and videotape.

"It has always been our goal at Sony Pictures to offer fans the ability to truly connect with their favorite movies using BD-Live," said Lexine Wong, Senior Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "We know many people interrupt their movie-watching experience to look up the filmography of an actor or to find out more about a song playing in the background. Now through movieIQ, movie lovers can dive into constantly-updated information about the movie they are watching without leaving their sofa, further enhancing the experience of watching movies in this always-connected age."

movieIQ takes advantage of Gracenote's Video Explore solution, which brings powerful search and navigation capabilities to connected consumer electronic devices. Video Explore allows users to search the online Gracenote video database, linking together related cast, crew, movies, TV episodes, franchises, seasons, DVDs, and Blu-rays. Gracenote's global Video database contains rich video information for North America, Europe, and Japan, including factual metadata, synopses, credits, and detailed descriptive elements.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Sony Pictures to deliver movieIQ, a feature that takes full advantage of the Blu-ray format's internet connectivity and truly demonstrates that Blu-ray is the future of home entertainment," said Ross Blanchard, VP of Business Development at Gracenote. "Now, movie lovers will have access to an incredible new service where they can explore and discover all the rich details on their favorite actors, directors and movies."

The movieIQ feature is the latest addition to SPHE's BD-Live portfolio, which also includes social networking through cinechat, multiplayer games, and a customizable music video editor, as well as soundtrack playlists, e-movie cash, downloadable featurettes, and more, available on over 100 Sony Pictures Blu-ray titles worldwide since the technology launched in spring of 2008.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Gracenote
Gracenote, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, is a global leader in embedded technology, enriched content, and data services for digital entertainment solutions within the Internet, consumer electronics, mobile, and automotive markets. Formerly known as CDDB®, Gracenote delivers a substantially improved consumer experience in digital media devices and applications, plus media monitoring and other data services to the recording industry, making it an integral part of the digital media economy. Gracenote powers leading services including Apple iTunes, Yahoo! Music Jukebox, Winamp; home and automotive products from Alpine, Panasonic, Philips and Sony; and mobile music applications from Samsung, Sony Ericsson, KDDI (Japan), KTF (Korea), Musiwave (Europe), and others. Gracenote is headquartered in Emeryville, California. www.gracenote.com/corporate/.

The Panasonic CY-BB1000D, announced for the Japan market, is a (I call it a car stereo, as dated as that term may be) with GPS, 1seg TV tuner, 7-inch HD LCD, Bluetooth and 40GB hard drive. But the system's biggest claim to fame is the its integrated Blu-ray player (with everything but BD Live).

Save for the guy with a PS3 in his trunk, the Panasonic CY-BB1000D is the first Blu-ray player for cars. But we're guessing that natural selection will prevent this model from ever becoming all that popular following its release this fall. [Impress via New Launches]

We love to talk about calibration, but soon, our TVs and disc players will calibrate themselves. Pioneer's new sub-$400 BDP-320 and the $600 BDP-23FD sense the picture settings when it's connected to a 9G Kuro plasma, and adjusts the video output. If you want to tweak it yourself, the disc players have 13 different video adjustment options. (Most Blu-ray players have like three or four.) And if you don't have a Kuro 9G, not to worry: The same technology at work here will soon be able to sense what TV you do have, and—assuming you have the TV in some default or preset configuration—will be able to make adjustments there too. That same "Kuro Link" also lets you control Blu-ray, TV and Pioneer A/V receiver with one remote.

That's not all these higher-end models can do. When paired with a soon-to-be-announced Pioneer Elite receiver, it will also stream perfectly jitter-free surround sound audio including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. It uses the same Precision Quartz Lock System that makes Pioneer's current flagship Blu-ray player one of the greatest CD players ever made, only now it can sync up multichannel, too, so that every packet of sound data that leaves the disc player is accounted for on the receiver end before it's played.

The BDP-120 player is no slouch, with BD-Live, a 1GB flash drive, fast disc loading, USB expandable memory that includes bus-powered hard drives.

You may notice that there's no Netflix or any other video-on-demand capability like the Korean Blu-ray players have; Pioneer noticed that too, telling us only to stay tuned, and that features like that are "definitely coming" later this year. I went so far as to ask for wi-fi, and was surprised to hear that even that may happen soon. But probably for way more than $250. [Pioneer]

To refresh, BD-Live is the Blu-ray technology that allows for more interactive special features on your disc, like being able to arrange "screenings" with your friends or record commentary tracks yourself.

It all comes down to the technology. Instead of having director Chris Nolan talk into a mic and answer questions as they were asked via the website, Nolan had to do all his own typing. Or, we assume it was Nolan and not some designated typist, since the answers were slow going and contained a bunch of typos. The largest problem was that the text, displayed IRC-style with a white overlay behind it, was too small (on my PS3, at least), forcing me to sit closer than I normally would.

Smaller issues included Chris Nolan connecting and disconnecting every two minutes for the first 1/3 of the movie, which lead to the unfulfilling situation where questions were displayed but his answers were dropped. He also intentionally stayed silent or deftly evaded when certain questions on sensitive topics chosen by the moderator, such as piracy, making a third movie and any talk of money.

There were some enjoyable moments, such as when he took not one, but two pee breaks, explaining that he needed to make a shorter film next time. Fortunately, the BD-Live format let him pause everyone's movie simultaneously. He also reused the same joke three times in different formats, thanking an actor or a contributor by name when someone asked how awesome it was working with said person.

Here's how to fix the experience. Give Chris Nolan a microphone. Make whatever adjustments you have to make to the BD-Live technology to allow a low-bandwidth audio stream to reach however many players were signed on last night. Then, record the "podcast", and let people who were still at work (it was on at 6PM PST) watch it after the fact whenever they like. I stare at chatrooms all day at work, don't make me stare at another one when I'm watching Batman tearing around Gotham City.

Pending you've registered,

1. Pop your The Dark Knight Blu-ray Disc into your Internet-connected Blu-ray Player at least 15 minutes before the event and log into BD-Live from the main menu.
2. Fire up your Internet-connected computer and go to wblive.warnerbros.com, sign in, and click on the Post Question button in the event to ask a question.

We have word out to Warner Bros as to exactly how we can expect to receive Nolan's end of the discussion (audio track or text chat?), and we'll be sure to update this post if we hear anything more.

From what I can tell, a similar if not identical "blueline" machine can be used to produce whiteprints. (Feel free to chime in regarding that point, builders and architects—deciphering the various printing processes has humbled my brain for at least the next week.) But any way you look at it, this Blu-ray device is pretty much the anti-digital...which is absolutely fantastic. [Thanks Justin!]

Nope, according to the press release, it's got a 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio track, which is all well and good if this were, say, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or Rob Reiner's other masterpiece, A Few Good Men. But this is Spinal Tap—er, that is, This Is Spinal Tap! No Dubbly, no dice.

I'm actually not convinced that a 1080p transfer will change the emotional tone of the movie. This is supposed to be a handheld, herky-jerky film, not some sweeping epic. How can high-def do more for those intimate moments—Fran Drescher almost not annoying, the late Bruno Kirby explaining the joy of Frank, Harry Shearer, aka Derek Smalls, trapped in his body-snatcher pod. Those don't improve with resolution.

While most of the Blu-ray's special features are identical to those from the seriously awesome DVD, the addition of a BD-Live “Create Your Own Band” game does raise an eyebrow or two. The press release provides very little about the game except that you use it to "create and customize your very own rock-star avatars," and that it will "send those other rock games back to the high-school auditorium." Bold words, MGM Home Entertainment—my only hope is that Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are on your ass right now, making sure it's the most intentionally funny thing ever to come to BD-Live.

Press release topped with the requisite "11" joke:

THE HIGH-DEF EQUIVALENT OF ELEVEN ROCKS OUT WITH THE BLU-RAY DEBUT OF THIS IS SPINAL TAP

MGM Home Entertainment Releases Rob Reiner’s Hilarious Rockumentary Starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer Debuts on Blu-ray Disc January 20th

Brand New BD Exclusive Game, “Create Your Own Band” Sends Those Other Rock Games Back To The High School Auditorium

CENTURY CITY, Calif. – Ring in the New Year with the revolutionary UK rock band as This is Spinal Tap screams its way to Blu-ray Disc January 20th from MGM Home Entertainment. Directed by Academy AwardÒ nominee* Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men), This is Spinal Tap is Reiner’s directorial debut and is the “…absolutely inspired film” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times) responsible for introducing mock documentaries to mainstream American audiences. Renowned comedy director Christopher Guest (Best in Show), Academy AwardÒ nominee** Michael McKean (A Mighty Wind) and Emmy AwardÒ nominee *** Harry Shearer (“Saturday Night Live”) star as the three members of the fictional heavy-metal/hard rock band Spinal Tap. Satirizing the wild personal behavior and musical pretensions of hard-rock and heavy-metal bands, This is Spinal Tap presents a second-rate band made up of aging band members who are desperately trying to cling onto what little fame they used to have. This is Spinal Tap also includes cameo appearances by renowned actors such as Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally), Anjelica Houston (The Addams Family) and Ed Begley, Jr. (Pineapple Express). Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2002, This is Spinal Tap has left an indelible mark on pop culture as evidenced by its numerous imitators and its esteemed spot at number one atop Entertainment Weekly’s “Top 50 Cult Movies of All Time.”

For the first time fans can own all of the special features included on the previous standard-def as well as Laserdisc versions with a brand new BD-exclusive game, “Create Your Own Band.”

This is Spinal Tap Blu-ray Disc will be available for the suggested retail price of $34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada.

* 1993: Best Picture (A Few Good Men)
** 2004: Best Music, Original Score (A Mighty Wind)
***1980: Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program (“Saturday Night Live”)

Synopsis:

In 1982 legendary British heavy metal band Spinal Tap attempt an American comeback tour accompanied by a fan who is also a film-maker. The resulting documentary, combined with powerful performances of Spinal Tap's pivotal music and profound lyrics, candidly follows a rock group heading towards crisis, culminating in the infamous affair of the eighteen-inch-high Stonehenge stage prop surrounded by dancing midgets.

Special Features:

The This is Spinal Tap BD release will be authored in BD-Java presented in widescreen format (1.78:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio.

Bonus features include:

· NEW Create Your Own Band Game – Create and customize your very own rock star avatars

· Commentary by Spinal Tap

· Commentary by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer

· Commentary by Director Rob Reiner, Producer Karen Murphy and Editors Robert Leighton

and Kent Beyda

· Deleted Scenes

· Flower People Press Conference

· Spinal Tap appearance on “The Joe Franklin Show”

· Music Videos

o Gimme Some Money

o (Listed to the) Flower People

o Hell Hole

o Big Bottom

· Theatrical Trailer

· Cheese Rolling Trailer

· Rock and Rolls Commercials

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets — from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

# # #

This is Spinal Tap Blu-ray Disc
Street Date: January 20, 2009

Pre-book Date: December 10, 2008

BD Price: $34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada

Catalog #: M113258

Total Running Time: 83 minutes

MPAA Rating: R

Closed Captioned: Yes

The Sony competes well with the Pioneer. Both are BD-Live capable with Ethernet, and have isolated audio circuitry for crazy-good sound. The Sony jacks the color depth up to 14 bits, while the Pioneer goes all the way to 16 bits. (Since no TV can display better than 10-bit color at this point, it's a funny spec race, but hey, one day your 20-bit TV will be laughing at both of them.) But like its gaming-system relative, the Sony also has a six-second startup and the famous don't-say-it-out-loud "XrossMediaBar," aka XMB, even better known as the menu system for PS3s. There's a lot more going on inside the player, as you can see below. But it's probably still not a match for the Pioneer, and it definitely won't play Resistance 2 no matter how loudly you scream at it.

SONY DELIVERS ULTIMATE A/V EXPERIENCE WITH NEW ES BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER
BD-Live Enabled Model Features New Technologies for Unsurpassed Picture Quality

DENVER, Sept. 3, 2008 (CEDIA Booth #600) – Sony today announced the new BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray Disc™ player, featuring the company’s newly developed HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technologies that deliver even sharper and more vibrant images from today’s Blu-ray Disc movies.

The model, which is fully BD-Live™ capable, features an Ethernet connection that allows users to connect to the Internet via their existing service provider to access BD-Live features and easy firmware updates. It also is equipped with an external flash memory port and includes a 1GB Sony Micro Vault™ Tiny flash storage device.

The BDP-S5000ES also features Quick Start mode, improving boot-up times to approximately six seconds, which is seven times faster than previous models.

“Sony’s Elevated Standard, or ‘ES’ products stand for the very best Sony has to offer, and the BDP-S5000ES is no exception,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics' Home Video Division. “Featuring the incredible build quality found on all Sony ES products, the S5000ES goes above and beyond traditional Blu-ray Disc players to deliver the ultimate home theater experience.”

Unique to the model is Sony’s new 14-bit HD video processor, which improves standard definition and high-definition picture quality with the help of HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technologies. HD Reality Enhancer continually analyzes bit by bit of the original source, sharpening edges and reproducing detail, while reducing the effects of film grain. Super Bit Mapping delivers smoother color gradation realizing true 14-bit equivalent color tone from 8-bit sources connected via HDMI.

Holding true to Sony’s ES standard, the BDP-S5000ES was designed to match pristine video performance with exceptional audio. The model’s analog audio circuit board is isolated from the video board to avoid interference. Additionally, the unit’s rigid frame and beam chassis helps to reduce vibration and a low-leakage R-core transformer minimizes the interference of digital noise.

Since many consumers own extensive DVD movie libraries, the BDP-S5000ES incorporates Sony’s new Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology that converts standard-definition signals (480i) to 1080p and outputs a full HD equivalent resolution signal to 1080p TVs via HDMI. The model even improves analog component video output thanks to 14-bit/297MHz video D/A conversion.

Additionally, the model adds Sony’s new Precision Drive™ HD, which helps to detect and correct wobbling discs from three directions, stabilizing playback of bent or scratched Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.
The model offers 7.1 channel Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS® -HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio decoding and bit-stream output, as well as analog 7.1 channel output with Advanced Current Segment Audio D/A converters for legacy AV receivers and decoders.

The BDP-S5000ES supports Deep Color video output and AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology. The players also feature compatibility with an array of video formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media.

The player also features Sony’s XrossMediaBar™ (XMB) inspired graphic user interface for easy menu navigation, Sony’s BRAVIA Sync™ for Theatre that connects select Sony home theater and television products for easy operation and a backlit remote control. For custom installation, the model also features RS-232C and IR input.

The new BDP-S5000ES will be available in November for about $2,000 at Sony Style stores, online at sonystyle.com, and at authorized retailers nationwide. ###

[Panasonic]

As you probably guessed, Pioneer finally accepts the need for 2.0. This will come with Ethernet and be fully capable of BD-Live playback, no firmware updates needed at the get-go. Unlike other BD-Live players, which require SD cards, this one comes with 4GB of internal memory for downloads.

The thing is a Mack truck, 45 or 50 lbs. of steel and aluminum with everything mounted carefully to eliminate vibration. The bottom layer of the aluminum-housed chassis is a quarter-inch plate of solid steel, and it's even got feet from a Japanese company called TAOC, supposedly the most vibration-free platform you can get. There are no wires inside either; all connections are physically mounted from the circuit board to the walls to reduce noise.

Pioneer says all of the engineering is so that this can be a single box that replaces some home theater snob's high-end CD player, DVD player and previous-gen Blu-ray player, blowing each in turn out of the water.

In the audio department, Pioneer recommends using this for decoding all music and movie soundtrack, and going analog out with those gold-plated 7.1 RCA jacks. It's decodes all known codecs from DTS and Dolby using a separate digital-to-analog converter for each channel. This is a little like having a separate motor for each wheel of your car. Combining this with some crazy audio engineering, they created a way for "completely perfect noise-free signal" to come through RCA jacks instead of the costlier old-school XLR jacks. "It's far better than what you find in most receivers," says Pioneer's Chris Walker. In fact, everything, including speaker preferences and other receiver-like tweaks, are adjustable from inside the player.

It's also got that crazy CD-playback technique first seen on Pioneer's summer models: When used with certain Pioneer receivers, it produces jitter-free disc playback.

In terms of video, it has 1080p/24 for Blu-ray and DVD content too, as you might expect, with a best-on-the-market image processor also found in Meridian's crazy 10-megapixel projector.

The 09's next-level achievement is that it upconverts color information to 16 bits, previously unheard of because nobody had a system that could handle 16-bit color data. (Pioneer had to build their own for this mission.) That means that each picture can have up to "2,800 trillion" (um, 2.8 quadrillion??) colors, which the processor interpolates by looking at each frame of the Blu-ray's 8-bit color movie. Though most TVs only process 10-bit, Walker says that it's better to send over a richer signal that the TV has to tone down, than letting the TV upgrade the Blu-ray data itself. When TVs hit 16-bit, this sucka will be ready.

Cooler to me are the two HDMI jacks on the back. It's a first for a Blu-ray player (or PS3), and it means you can hook up the same player to both your projector and your flat-panel display without a splitter or some on-the-fly rewiring. You can even split it up so that HDMI 1 only does audio, while HDMI 2 does video, freeing up more video bandwidth, especially in those pesky longer cables that might get a bit choked. The HDMI can detect the source, and automatically determine what audio and video to send over.

Obviously, some people are going to be content with their PS3s for the time being (after all, they are only $500, a small price by comparison). And Walker acknowledges that speed is always going to be the saving grace of the game console. ("If we were to build a Blu-ray player around an Intel or Cell processor, we'd have those kinds of speeds too.") But as far as picture and audio output, nothing quite resembles this "super duper" machine. And on top of all that, we can stop bitching about Pioneer ignoring BD-Live, and getting on with the future. Now, seriously, why would ANYONE buy Pioneer's last batch? Save your money, home-theater snobs. This badass will be out soon. [Pioneer]

Jason Chen: I'm Batman!
Mark Wilson: I'm Batman!
Jesus Diaz: I'm Batman!
Matt Buchanan: I'm Batman!
John Mahoney: I'm not that guy from Frasier! [DVDTown Thanks Eric!]

Panny's player can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD 5.1-channel audio on any 5.1 surround system without a hitch, while the $400 S350 will only do this with HDMI-based receivers (it downconverts the audio otherwise). In addition, the Sony player isn't equipped with BD Live features out of the box—it'll take a software update, not out yet, to bring it up to profile 2.0.

If you're looking for a Blu-ray player in the near future, the HD Guru suggests you should spend the extra Benjamins on the BD50. (Or you know, get a PS3.) Hit the link to read the nitty gritty. [HD Guru]

Also worth factoring in is the step-up S550 available this fall for $100 more, which adds on-board DTS-HD audio decoding and a bundled 1GB flash storage device for BD-Live. So what'll it be, the PS3's power consumption of 8 refrigerators or a sleek green dedicated Blu-ray deck that can't play games?

SONY’S NEXT-GENERATION BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER NOW AVAILABLE AT SONY STYLE STORES AND RETAILERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
New BDP-S350 Delivers Full Promise of Blu-ray Disc with New Features, Technology

NEW YORK, JULY 16, 2008 – Sony’s next-generation Blu-ray Disc player, model BDP-S350, is now available across the country at Sony Style retail outlets, sonystyle.com and other authorized Sony retailers.
The BDP-S350 supports BonusView (picture-in-picture), which is featured on select new Blu-ray Disc home video releases, and is also BD-Live ready, with an Ethernet port for easy firmware updates and access to Internet-based interactive content features. A firmware update enabling BD-Live is planned later this year.
It also features quick start up mode improving the player’s boot up time to approximately a few seconds and offers an external port for local storage for BD-Live, allowing users to add an optional flash storage device (sold separately).
“We leveraged our expertise in film production and digital technology to build a machine that movie fans would truly love,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division. “An advanced Blu-ray Disc player like the BDP-S350 is a must for every HDTV owner because it delivers the ultimate video and sound quality, while unlocking features you can’t find on DVD, downloads or video on demand.”
Since many consumers own extensive DVD movie libraries, the BDP-S350 incorporates Sony’s new Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology that converts standard-definition signals (480i) to 1080p and outputs a full HD equivalent resolution signal to 1080p TVs via HDMI. Additionally, the model also adds Sony’s new Precision Drive HD, which helps to detect and correct wobbling discs from three directions, stabilizing playback of bent or scratched Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.
Not only does the new BDP-S350 model deliver enhanced performance, it is easier on the environment. Compared to Sony’s previous BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc model, the new BDP-S350 model reduced the overall unit size by 55 percent, reduced packing material by 52 percent and reduced the unit’s total weight by 38 percent. The compact size of the finished package allows Sony to reduce the C02 emissions related to shipping by approximately 43 percent.
In addition, the unit features 21 percent less power consumption in playback mode and 43 percent reduced power consumption in stand-by mode. It also features lead-free solder, all-paper packing and the user guide is printed on 70 percent recycled paper with Volatile Organic Compound-free vegetable oil based ink.
The model offers 7.1 channel Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby® Digital Plus decoding and bit-stream output, as well as DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio and Master Audio bit-stream output.
The BDP-S350 supports AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology, an international standard for wide color space reproduction. The standard expands the current data range of video by about 1.8 times, allowing the players to output more natural and vivid colors similar to what the human eye actually sees in the natural world. The players also feature compatibility with an array of video formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on DVD/CD recordable media.
The new BDP-S350 is now available for about $400 at Sony Style stores, online at sonystyle.com, at military base exchanges, and at authorized retailers nationwide.