Gizmodo: blu_ray

Oppo BDP-S83 Blu-ray Player May Be First (Almost) Universal Disc Reader

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:38:54 EDT

Oppo, pimps of the upscaling DVD realm and makers of one of the best (and last) SACD/DVD-Audio capable machines out there, are moving into the Blu-ray business with the BDP-S83 player. There are no announced deets, but an AVS Forum member spotted this unit at CEDIA. And from what we can see in this image and the back shot below, the feature set is laid out clearly, and something's unusual about it. Update: Oppo got back to us with extra info, including confirmation of Anchor Bay upscaling, soon-ish shipping date and a possible price ($500-$700).

First, we can tell it's going to be a step up from the bottom rung due to the presence of Ethernet port—signifying BD-Live (Blu-ray Profile 2.0) capability—and analog 7.1 outputs. But what takes it beyond other players are the SACD and DVD-Audio logos on there. No current Blu-ray player can handle both of those formats as well as BD, DVD and CD.

OK, yes, we're thinking what you're thinking: The number of people who have collections of SACD and DVD-Audio is surely smaller than the number of people with HD DVD libraries—perhaps Oppo should have gone the full distance and put in HD DVD reading capability too. (We'll be sure to ask them when they start talking about this product.)

Given the visible feature set and Oppo's reputation in the upscaling world, we assume this will be one damn fine BD player. But I'll just say right now that it won't be cheap. [AVS Forum via Electronista]

UPDATE: Here's what Oppo confirms—no HD DVD of course, just as we suspected:

The BDP-83 will be a Profile 2.0 that features the ABT 2010 de-interlacing and scaling solution for both DVD and Blu-Ray media. The product as currently implemented supports SACD. We are investigating the possibility of DVD-Audio support.

The player will support the transportation and decoding of the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS High Resolution, and DTS HD-Master. In the current implementation only the core DD and DTS are supported, but the hardware will support the transportation and decoding of these formats in the future.

No price has been established, but we are throwing around $499~699 as the possible price points. Anticipated release is Winter (November through February)

Sony's Prototype 400-Disc Blu-ray Mega Changer Spied in Dark Corner

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:22:32 EDT

Last year at CEDIA, Sony made a splash with a refrigerator-sized Blu-ray home server with 200-disc changer. This year it's nowhere to be seen, but in its place, Sony is showing a 400-disc changer of a more sensible size. The company isn't saying much, except that it's coming in 2009, it's going to be BD-Live capable, and that it will have RS-232C controls for the home-theater hardcores. Great! Now all you need are 400 Blu-ray discs worth owning. (It will hold DVDs and CDs, too, of course, but why waste it?)

Cambridge Audio's BD640 Blu-ray Player Does it Like the Director Intended

Kit Eaton — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:00:45 EDT

A new entrant to the Blu-ray player field, Cambridge Audio's first BD machine is pretty high-end. Apparently the white-painted gizmo is all about matching "the original studio masters" in audio quality with Dolby TrueHD and DTS HR surround, and in video quality with 24 fps progressive scan True Cinema, which "allows films to be watched as the director intended at their original frame rate" if you're into that sort of thing. It also upscales DVD-resolution video to 1080p, and the back of the machine is going to be pretty crowded with analog video outputs, HDMI 1.3 outputs, ethernet, SPDIF, Toslink and separate 7.1 and stereo analogue outs. There's no word on pricing but it's expected Spring 2009. Press release below.

Cambridge Audio will release its first Blu-Ray/DVD/CD player in early 2009. Designed to be the
perfect partner to the Azur range of AV Receivers the 640BD features full HDMI 1.3 output,
including bitstream output of all the latest HD Dolby and DTS surround-sound systems plus
internal decoding of Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS HR
surround-sound. A full set of analog video outputs is supported, HDMI 1.3 video/audio, Ethernet,
SPDIF, Toslink and separate dedicated 7.1 and stereo analogue outputs.

Cambridge Audio prides itself on developing products that offer true value for money to discerning
buyers and has embraced Blu-Ray technology with enthusiasm to wring out the best possible
performance from this exciting new format.

Supporting Dolby True HD means the 640BD provides audio that matches the original studio
masters. While natively supporting up to 1080p from Blu-Ray discs the 640BD is also able to
upscale DVD discs to 1080p video resolution taking the viewer to the heart of movie action.
Meanwhile, 24 frames per second (fps) progressive scan True Cinema allows films to be watched
as the director intended at their original frame rate without conversion for the most natural jog free
panning and motion possible.

All this means the 640BD lives up to Cambridge Audio’s philosophy of providing a passion for
performance to get the best out of any movie collection.

[Cambridge Audio]

Sony Just Can't Stop Kicking a Dead, Dead Horse

John Mahoney — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:34:51 EDT

A banner year for Blu-ray, to be sure, with a 100% drop in the most important stat of all, there in yellow. All this according to "Sony Figures." They just can't help themselves.

Sony VAIO RT All-In-One PC Is A 25.5" Widescreen, HDMI-Filled, Video Editing Monster

Benny Goldman — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EDT

The VAIO RT is Sony's beast of an all-in-one PC, an "extra-widescreen" (read: 16:9) 25.5" display, created with designers and video editors in mind. It's big feature is that it not only has an HDMI-in port in order to work with HD content, but it also has an HDMI-out, for connecting a second monitor. Other features include a Blu-ray recordable drive and up to 1TB of hard drive space. It also comes loaded with 8GB RAM, a multi-card reader and a built-in digital TV tuner. Of course, you're still stuck with Vista, but with all that power underneath you should do just fine. Unfortunately, the RT has a beastly price tag to match—it starts at $3300—when it arrives this fall. Press release down below. [Sony]

Video-Editing Powerhouse
The VAIO RT High Definition Studio is a one-stop-shop handling all your high-definition video-editing needs on a single machine.
Its 25.5-inch (diagonal) LCD display, featuring XBRITE-FullHD LCD technology, and Blu-ray optical drive enables you to play, record and edit HD video in 1080p resolution.
In addition to the built-in digital TV tuners, an HDMI In port lets you connect compatible HD cable and satellite boxes to enrich your HDTV viewing experience. An HDMI output has also been included, letting you connect to an external LCD display or HDTV to expand your workspace (HDMI cable, LCD, and HDTV sold separately).
The RT series incorporates Intel® Core™2 Quad processors, up to 8GB of RAM and a terabyte hard drive. It is equipped with a high-speed eSATA port, for extra storage, and a CompactFlash® slot.
The unit comes pre-installed with Windows Vista Ultimate operating system. A wireless keyboard with integrated touchpad and mouse are included. It is also equipped with a built-in power supply enabling you to cleanly mount it to the wall.
The VAIO LV High-Definition PC/TV will start at around $1,600 while the VAIO RT High-Definition Studio PC will go for about $3,300. All three series will be available online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/aio. They will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and select retailers around the country starting this fall.

Sony's $2000 BDP-S5000ES Flagship Blu-ray Player: Stuck Between Pioneer and a PS3

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Sony is trying to bargain with potential buyers of Pioneer's $2,200 BDP-09FD: For $200 less, you can get yourself the BDP-S5000ES. Meanwhile, it's equally intended to regain the love of all those home-theater enthusiasts who bee-lined it for the PS3 (rather than a dedicated BD player) because of its networking and speed.

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 $3,500 AE3000 Projector: Green and Smart with Crazy Contrast

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:12:25 EDT

Some 1080p projectors are getting down below the $2,000 mark, but the real news is that insanely good projectors are appearing in the $3,000 range. On the heels of Sony's VPL-HW10 comes Panasonic's AE3000, which has 60,000:1 contrast ratio using LCD projection technology. The $3,500 system handles motion blur withsomething like the 120Hz seen in LCD flat panels: 120 frames per sec for 60Hz content; 96 frames per second for 24P content. It's smart on power consumption, reducing the drain on the lamp according to the scene's requirements. More details below:

PANASONIC LAUNCHES NEW 1080p FULL HIGH-DEFINTION LCD HOME THEATER PROJECTOR

New PT-AE3000 Provides A Bright and Dynamic Widescreen Home Viewing Experience with Crisp Motion Images Via Frame Creation Technology

DENVER – CEDIA Expo – Sept. 3, 2008 – Panasonic Projector Systems Company, Unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, announced today the debut of its newest LCD home theater projector, the PT-AE3000. With full high-definition 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) native resolution, the PT-AE3000 gives home theater enthusiasts a higher level of picture quality entertainment, producing crisp and clear images through new state-of-the-art projection technology.

As an evolution of its award winning predecessor the PT-AE2000, the PT-AE3000 delivers a captivating 1,600 lumen brightness and powerful 60,000:1 contrast ratio. To achieve sharp and detailed reproduction of fast moving motion images, Panasonic has developed and equipped the PT-AE3000 with new Frame Creation Technology optimized for large screen viewing. And for easy adjustment to different widescreen movie formats like 21:9 or 16:9, the projector is also upgraded with a Lens Memory Load feature which is capable of memorizing and restoring zoom/focus positions for multiple aspect ratio flexibility.

Higher Picture Quality with Brightness Upgrade
The dramatic increase in the contrast-ratio and dynamic range was made possible by the newly engineered Pure Contrast Plate technology that effectively blocks unwanted light from the path of projection. In addition, the polarization filter system surrounding the Pure Contrast Plates has been redesigned to achieve the PT-AE3000’s higher level of brightness.

Together with a host of carefully engineered Panasonic technologies including the high precision optical lens unit, Dynamic Iris and Smooth Screen technology, the PT-AE3000 truly distinguishes itself against its competition and as a projector solution that home theater enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy.

“Each year with advances in our AE Home Theater series, we continue to strive for the best ‘real theater’ environment for our customers,” said Rena Yotsu, home theater specialist, Panasonic Projector Systems Company. “To reach this goal, Panasonic Projector Systems Company engineers have designed many innovative technologies and have collaborated side-by-side with Hollywood colorists and image experts to manufacture our outstanding, upgraded PT-AE3000 home theater projector.”

Crisp and Clear Details for In-Motion Images
The PT-AE3000 now incorporates a Frame Creation technology that interpolates an additional frame by analyzing the characteristics of two adjacent frames, creating sharp and clear images of fast moving scenes in sports and action movies, especially for large screen viewing. For crisp motion images with high resolution, users may set their frame count preference to 120 frames/1 sec from 60 frames/1 sec for 60Hz video signal input, while 24frames/sec (24p) signals are quadrupled to 96frames/1sec by interpolating three additional frames to allow natural frame-to-frame transitions.

The new and advanced Detail Clarity Processor V2.0 allows the projectors’ digital processing engine to extract information of the low, mid, high, and even the super-high frequency components. The ability to apply these different degrees of sharpness permits the PT-AE3000 to reproduce natural, lifelike images with exceptional clarity and three-dimensionality to the smallest details.

The PT-AE3000 comes equipped with professional-level features that let users personalize the images they see on the screen. First, the projector’s Split Adjust mode allows users to split the screen into two halves; one to make picture adjustments and one to see those adjustments as a baseline reference. Second, the PT-AE3000’s waveform monitor—seen mostly on professional video and film equipment—measures the level of brightness output from a given video signal source. This feature also automatically verifies that the source device is outputting at full dynamic range, and quickly makes adjustments to optimize it for the home theater setting. Users can easily see a graphical representation of any changes made to the unit’s color settings.

Ease of Set-up and Use
Many movies come in aspects that are even wider than the projector’s 16:9 aspect ratio to match the image size 21:9 seen at movie theaters. More and more projector customers are using the 21:9 wide screens to mirror the movie theater experience. The PT-AE3000 enables users to pre-set three different zoom/focus positions and enables easy recall of those positions with the Lens Memory Load function.

Initial set-up and installation are quick and simple, as the 2.0x zoom can cast a 120-inch diagonal image from as short as 3.6 meters (about 11 feet) to 7 meters (24 feet) from the screen. The projector’s lens shift capability enables 100 percent vertical adjustment and 40 percent horizontal adjustment so that viewers can suspend the projector either close to the ceiling or on wall mounts. The lens-centered design and maintenance features such as the replaceable side filter and top lamp, make the projector easy to install and maintain.

The projector is also equipped with an abundant selection of connections; including three HDMI 1.3 inputs and two component input terminals. The three HDMI 1.3 inputs are all Deep Color and x.v.Color compliant. The Deep Color supports 10 bit (over 1.07 billion) and 12 bit (over 68.7 billion) color depths for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors, while the x.v.Color compliance realizes accurate reproduction of actual, true-to-life images.

Eco-Friendly Intelligence
In addition to its outstanding features, the new PT-AE3000 is also an ecologically conscious product. The intelligent power management system within the projector reduces the lamp power to the exact required level of brightness depending on what content is displayed. Other than in scenes where full brightness is required, the lamp intelligently determines the necessary power output by analyzing more than 3 billion different image patterns. This advanced analysis process reduces the main power consumption by as much as 10 percent when the dynamic iris function is in operation, thus saving energy.

Other ecological considerations include an off-timer that reduces wasteful power consumption, as well as an extremely low standby power consumption of 0.08 W , which is the lowest in its class.

The Panasonic PT-AE3000 LCD home theater projector will be made in Japan, available starting in October 2008 to authorized presentation systems dealers with an MSRP of $3,499. To learn more about this projector, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/projectors or http://panasonic.net/pavc/projector/.

LG Sets Price for BD300 Netflix Blu-ray Player: A Reasonable $400

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:05:27 EDT

LG kicks off the press conferences here at CEDIA in Denver. After teasing the Netflix-streaming LG BD300 Blu-ray player, a double threat if I ever saw one, they finally told us the price today: $400, well below the $500 mark LG was aiming to stay under. (Keep in mind, the Netflix box by Roku is, by itself, $100.) LG says the BD300 will be appearing in stores by end of this month or first week in October.

Some added BD300 specs:
Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding
USB Media Plus - MP3, JPEG, etc.
BD-Live and BonusView
Full 1080p output including DVD upconverting
Netflix current content: 12,000 movies and TV shows streaming

Samsung: Blu-ray Will Be Dead in Five Years

matt buchanan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:40:00 EDT

We've finally gotten to the good stuff in Blu-ray: BD-Live 2.0 players all over the place, Transformers, Firefly, cheaper prices, almost everything we wanted. That's too bad, because Samsung says this party will be over in just five years.

Andy Griffiths, Samsung UK's director of consumer electronics, says that "I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10." Sad, really, since he believes 2008 is finally Blu-ray's year (we agree, by year's end, it'll have finally found its stride).

He doesn't elaborate on what he thinks will take it down, but since Samsung is moving into internet-connected TVs, it's possible he's referring to the oft-cited digital downloads specter that's been haunting the format war since the first shots were fired. Whatever happens, it'll look pretty on our OLED sets in 2010, which is when he thinks the tech will finally go mainstream. [Pocket Lint]

Sony Has Blu-ray Recorder Frenzy: Six New Models, with HDD Recording Too

Kit Eaton — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:47:00 EDT

Sony has had a little splurge of Blu-ray action, and come up with six new models of BDR-recorders/players that also sport hard drives which can record HD video. The T-series, BDZ-T55 and BDZ-T75 are the basic models, with 320GB hard drives, BD Live and memory-card ports and DLNA (on the T75). The L-series models BDZ-L55 and BDZ-L95 have 320GB and 500GB drives respectively, and a HDV 1080i/DV input, and 2 USB sockets for connecting digital cams to. The top-end X-series BDZ-X95 and BDZ-X100 models have 500GB and 1TB of drive room, Sony's Cross Media bar GUI and the new Digital Reality Creation - Multi Function version 3 chip. Full specs below.

All of the drives can play BD-RE v2.1, BD-R v1.1/1.2/1, all BD-Live content, DVD+RW/+R/+R DL/-RW/-R/-R DL, and CD-ROM formats which is handy, and all will output true 24p. The T55 and T75 will cost around $1,000 and $1,300, the L55 and L95 $1,200 and $1,550 while the X95 and X100 a huge $1,840 and $2,570 from September 27th onwards in Japan at first. [Sony Insider and Akihabaranews]

This Week In Blu-ray: Every Which Way But Loose Bolts Edition

Mark Wilson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Giz pick of the week: Transformers (Two Disc Special Edition)

It was the thorn in Blu-ray's side. Transformers, otherwise known as the '80s cartoon manifestation of geekdom, was HD DVD only. Well luckily for Blu-ray owners, HD DVD died a violent death and they got their Megatron fix after all. While this two-disc set won't offer anything extra over what was released last year on HD DVD, all of the special features have been ported to the new format along with the same, pristinely encoded video.

Here are the rest of this week's Blu-ray releases, including this week's runner up, Every Which Way But Loose:

•Black Mask (Lionsgate)
•Cirque du Soleil: Corteo (Sony)
•Eraser (Warner)
•Every Which Way But Loose (Warner)
•The Gauntlet (Warner)
•The Invincible Iron Man (Lionsgate)
•Marine Aquarium (BCI)
•Married Life (Sony)
•Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (Lionsgate)
•Outbreak (Warner)
•Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (FUNimation)
•Transformers (2007) (Paramount)
•Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (Warner)

Yeah, I just may have to be a stereotype of my demographic and pick Transformers up. [hidefdigest]

Sony's Bravia BDV-IT1000 All-in-One Blu-ray Home Theater Experience

Sean Fallon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:23:00 EDT

It was only a matter of time before Sony squeezed out an all-in-one Blu-ray home theater system, and their new Bravia BDV-IT1000 seems to fit that void quite nicely. Some of the highlight features include: 700W of total power, slim speakers thanks to finger-sized full-range drive units, wireless rear speakers, two HDMI inputs and support for Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. No word on a price or a release date, but I wouldn't doubt that this beauty will be stateside in the near future.

BDV-IT1000 at a glance

* Super-slim speakers made possible by finger-sized full-range drive units
* All-in-one home cinema system with integrated Blu-ray Disc drive
* Full HD 1080/24p picture quality with Deep Color and x.v.Colour
* Wireless rear speakers for great surround effects without cables
* BD-Live Ready: upgradable to Profile 2.0 for extra content and downloads via Ethernet port
* DVD upscaling to 1080p
* Two HDMI input terminals for connection of games consoles, HD TV decoder boxes or other sources, and one HDMI output
* Optical digital and analogue stereo inputs. Also composite/component video in
* Upconversion to HDMI for analogue sources
* Fast, perfect ‘one-touch’ set-up with Digital Cinema Auto Calibration
* BRAVIA Sync for integrated operation with other Sony components
* XrossMediaBar onscreen display for simple, logical operation of all functions
* Connectivity with Network WALKMAN® and iPod® players, Bluetooth devices and home Wi-Fi networks via DIGITAL MEDIA PORT, plus Portable Audio Enhancer
* 700W total power: 5x100W plus 2x100W for subwoofer, using efficient, high-quality 32-bit S-Master digital amplification

[Sony via Sony Insider]

Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-ray Player Is Today and Future Proof

Mark Wilson — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:31:00 EDT

With Samsung's BD-P2500, we see that Blu-ray players are finally shedding that first-gen baby weight. Sized to fit in a normal dress, Samsung's latest supports all current Blu-ray spec right out of the box and is prepared for expansion through its ethernet, 1GB of onboard memory and USB. In terms of audio, the system can handle Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD, and dts-HD HR all without an external decoder. And for $500, the BD-P2500 is offering far more features than the recently announced Yamaha player at less than half the price.

Read on for full specs.

August 28, 2008 – Samsung Electronics, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, introduces its most advanced Blu-ray player to date with the BD-P2500. Building upon key features and design elements from past Samsung Blu-ray players, the BD-P2500 is compatible out-of-the-box with the latest Blu-ray interactive features available including BD Live™. The BD-P2500 also offers breakthrough enhancements such as Hollywood Quality Video™ (HQV™) processing and 7.1-Channel analog audio outputs creating a powerful HD audio-visual experience.

- Price: $499.99

- Availability: October

Whether consumers are looking to enjoy the rich audio and video of the latest Blu-ray discs, or rejuvenate their favorite standard DVDs, the Samsung BD-P2500 is a powerful addition bringing truly impressive Full HD 1080p theater-like quality into the home.

Key Product Highlights

· Total BD Profile Compatibility

Samsung's BD-P2500 meets all of the current BD Profile requirements right out of the box, allowing consumers to instantly enjoy the latest interactive features available, including BD Live™ (Profile 2.0) and Bonus View (Profile 1.1), creating new ways to experience favorite movies. The BD-P2500 comes with a built-in, wired Ethernet connection, 1GB of internal flash memory, and a USB port for memory expansion.

· Superior Video Quality

The BD-P2500 offers Full HD 1080p playback, and features an award-winning HQV™ processing chip for the highest quality viewing of Blu-ray discs, upconversion of standard DVDs, and viewing of JPEG images. The BD-P2500 also features an HDMI 1.3 output with xvYCC Deep Color support, and a 24fps film mode, exhibiting smoother, more natural playback of film-based material.

· High Definition Soundtrack Support and Output

Providing a truly immersive HD home theater experience, Samsung's BD-P2500 is capable of decoding the latest high-resolution digital multichannel audio soundtracks available. Out of the box, the player can output Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD™ and dts as an uncompressed PCM signal, as a bitstream, or via the 7.1 analog outputs for cinematic sound that is comparable with the latest movie theaters. Additionally, dts-HD HR® (High Resolution) decoding will become available with a firmware upgrade in the fall. The BD-P2500 will also pass these and dts-HD MA (Master Audio) as a bitstream output to a separate, external surround sound decoder.

· Easy Upgradeability

To keep consumers updated with the latest features and improvements, Samsung's BD-P2500 offers three convenient ways to receive new upgrades: via the embedded Ethernet connection, USB port, or on a CD/DVD/BD.

"The BD-P2500 Blu-ray player represents the very best technology the industry has to offer," said Reid Sullivan, Vice President of Marketing, Audio/Video & Imaging at Samsung Electronics America. "Consumers will enjoy a truly immersive, Full HD viewing experience that delivers the broad spectrum of high definition sights and sounds that can now be experienced with the combination of Blu-ray and the latest HDTVs."

Specifications

BD-P2500 Blu-ray Player

Design

· Piano black with chrome accents and touch pad controls

A/V Features

· Compatible with BD Profile 2.0 (BD Live), Profile 1.1 (Bonus View), and Profile 1.0 interactivity features

· 1GB internal flash memory for BD Live

· Award-winning Hollywood Quality Video™ (HQV™) processing

· 24fps film mode

· xvYCC Deep Color

· Selectable DVD upconversion (720p / 1080i / 1080p)

· Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD™decoding

· dts-HD HR® decoding via firmware update in the fall

· Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD™, dts-HD HR / MA® bitstream output

A/V Connections

· 1 HDMI version 1.3 output with CEC (Anynet+)

· 1 component output

· 1 composite output

· 7.1-Channel analog audio outputs

· 1 optical digital audio output

· 1 Ethernet connection (for interactivity features and firmware upgrades only)

· 1 USB connection (for memory expansion and firmware upgrades only)

Playable Media

· BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R(V mode only), DVD-RW (V/VR mode), Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW, AVCHD disc

Estimated Selling Price

· $499.99

Availability

October 2008

Panasonic Drops Sleeker DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Blu-ray Decks

John Mahoney — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:39:23 EDT

We just saw the DMP-BD50 a few months back, but now at IFA Panasonic has made official two new BD-Live 2.0-compatible players, the BD35 and BD55. The only discernible difference between the two, at the moment, is the BD55 supports analog 7.1 channel audio output. On top of that, they both share a slimmed-down chassis (just 4.9 cm high for the BD35, 5.5 cm for the 55), Uniphier image processor just like in the BD50, SD-slots, all the audio formats you would expect, and of course Blu-ray profile 2.0. No pricing or availability for the US yet. Check out a full spec chart comparison after the jump.

[Panasonic]

Live from the Sony Press Conference at IFA

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:52:00 EDT

Hookai. I'm lining up to get into Sony's press conference. They have some things under wraps, including a mega-TV with super-smooth video action and what could be some Walkmen. Hmmm, I love the smell of new plastic in the morning. More info and photos following up shortly. Keep watching this space.

We are in, first row. This place is full of pretty Germans boys and girls. I feel like I want to escape Colditz or take off my pants. I can go either way.

I'll keep the pants on, because that TV under wraps looks absolutely pantsable.
Ok, this has started. Video on screen about all the cool things Sony does.
Like... OLED, PS3, cameras, PS3, TV, PS3...

President of Sony Europe on stage: Fujio Nishida

Biggest booth in IFA. Sony to take over the world.

Stringer now on stage.
Stringer talking about Sony. Saying size matters.
Clearly, we like Sir Howard.
Now he's talking about how great Sony is, with Bravia and OLED.
He keeps talking about growing and market sizes. He's making me nervous, yet strangely aroused.
Talks about Blu-ray victory. Lots of nyah nyah nyah, we won.

They want to make 90% of their products network enabled.
PS3 is their central hub.
Now he's talking about emerging markets.
And doubling size by 2010.

Did he wink at me? I don't know.
He keeps talking about financial and market growth. Please someone wake up Steve Jobs and bring him here. Then wake me up.
Ok. He seems to be wrapping up now.

New global Sony ads
With James Bond.
At last some action. Where's my martini?

Fujio back on stage.
First, TVs. They are bringing the OLED TV to Europe.
Wheeee. Come on Fujio, give us some news.

Bravia EX1, new TV.
Full HD, completely wireless.
New Motionflow technology
200hz Bravia z4500
Interpolated frames for super-smooth action.
A world first too.

A new world wide first coming.
ZX1. 9.9mm thick. Available in December.
It's quite amazing, they got rid of the fluorescent lamps.
Incredibly bright.

Now Blu-ray players.
S5000es. Matching with new receivers.
All in Darth Vader black.
They look good, but the ZX1 really steals the show.

New Cybershot with 720p video recording

New Walkmans
Thinnest Walkman ever, with sensing technology that apparently knows your mood and adjust the music.

My mood now is "pissed off the Wi-Fi is not working" Fujio.
I'm liveblogging with the iPhone.

Taking ebooks now.
Nothing new, except the fact that they are going to further open it in terms of format support. They must be feeling the Bezos heat.

Talking now about ODO products running on kinetic energy.
Just prototypes, but we will get our dirty kinetic hands all over them.

They are talking Blu-ray now.
Loads of marketdrone corpospeak now. Hannibal, stop all this jibbajabba!
The Blu-ray guy is talking about BD live.
Chatting in the Blu-ray.
Great, as if it wasn't enough to tell people to shut up in real life.
On the screen.
Blu-ray networked.
They've shown a BD Live title—Starship Troopers 3—that allows you to replace a face of your character with your own, for endless cheesy laughs. Hahaha. Ha.
Blu-ray show'n'tell is over.

Fujio is back, like the kung-fu warrior he is, to wrap up.
I'm out of here, people. Hands on coming up.

This Week's Blu-ray Releases

Mark Wilson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Giz Pick of the Week: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Disney DVDs have a history of top-notch A/V transfer, and Tim Burton's masterpiece of stop-motion animation should take full advantage of Blu-ray's higher resolution. On top of that, you get a slew of bonus features—everything from the original DVD set along with a few more, including a feature-length commentary by directors Tim Burton and Henry Selick and composer Danny Elfman. Also, you can (legally) transfer the film to your iPod via the bundled DisneyFile Digital Copy—you know, for if you need to watch the movie at all times and all places.

Here are the rest of this week's Blu-ray releases:

• Action Starter Pack (Universal)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Warner)
• Afro Samurai: Season One (FUNimation)
• Blue Man Group: How to Be a Megastar Live! (Rhino)
• Dude, Where's My Car? (MGM)
• End of Days (Universal)
• Heroes: Season One (Universal)
• Heroes: Season Two (Universal)
• Miami Vice (2006) (Universal)
• Pale Rider (Warner)
• Postal (UMVD)
• Redbelt (Sony)
• U-571 (Universal)
• What Happens in Vegas (Fox)

Anything you'll be picking up? [hidefdigest]

Universal Pees On Our Rug With The Big Lebowski 10th Anniversary Edition

matt buchanan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:40:00 EDT

On Sept. 9, Universal will release an amazing 10th Anniversary Limited Edition of The Big Lebowski that's packed inside of a mini-bowling ball. A goddamn bowling ball. And it'll have all-new bonus features, which I hope/suspect is filled with John Goodman screaming various permutations of "fuck" a lot. For only $24. Why so cheap? Because it's only on DVD. WTF, Universal?

Where the hell is the Blu-ray edition? How can you ask us to buy it a fifth time—after VHS, two earlier DVDs and the beautiful-looking HD DVD—without a version on Blu-ray? Do we really have to hang onto our Xbox HD DVD module just so we can enjoy the Coen Brothers' masterpiece, with classic sequences like The Dude's post-roofie hallucination, dripping with oddball 70s sleaze, in high-def? Who are you, George Lucas? This will not stand. [Amazon via CrunchGear]

Yamaha BD-S2900 Blu-ray Player Should Not Be Your First, Second or Third Choice Purchase

Mark Wilson — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:40:00 EDT

We were pretty easy on those early gen Blu-ray players, but now that the format has had some time to blossom, there's no excuse for a unit like the Yamaha BD-S2900 or its $1,200 asking price. Lacking BD-Live or an Ethernet port to upgrade the firmware should be enough to keep you away from this already outdated machine, but you may want to note that it's also lacking a way to decode TrueHD and Master Audio (you'll need a fancy Yamaha receiver for that, surely) along with standard luxuries like gold-plated connectors. If you go with this new, pricier Pioneer (or heck, even this older, cheaper Pioneer) you're getting more features, and the PS3 is still a pretty solid choice, too. Read on for the back shot and the full press release.

YAMAHA’S NEW BD-S2900 BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER FEATURES INDUSTRY-LEADING HD AND MULTIMEDIA CAPABILITIES
— Model Offers RS-232C Interface and IR In/Out Ports for Seamless CI Integration,
12-Bit Deep Color, HD Audio Bitstream Output, Picture-in-Picture and Virtual Package Multimedia Features —

BUENA PARK, Calif.—Yamaha, the innovator in home theater and digital audio and video reproduction, today introduced the BD-S2900, an innovative Blu-ray Disc player that gives home theater enthusiasts a front-row seat at the leading-edge of high-definition entertainment. Featuring performance enhancements such as 12-bit Deep Color and HD Audio Bitstream output, engaging BONUSVIEW Functions that leverage the Blu-ray format’s next-generation multimedia capabilities and a stylish design to match the company’s high-end receiver line, the BD-S2900 ($1199.95 MSRP) delivers on the promise of all the excitement the home theater experience can offer.
Delivering the highest picture quality, the BD-S2900 can output 1080p via HDMI. Although these signals are generally sent at 50 or 60 frames per second (fps), the BD-S2900 can output them at 24fps, the same frame rate at which movies are shot. This results in a much sharper picture with smooth motion, truer to the original motion picture production. With 12-bit Deep Color compatibility, the BD-S2900 can deliver 4096 shades of each of three primary colors for an astronomical total of 68.7 billion possible colors. This gives viewers inspiringly rich and deep color experiences with incredible color fidelity, smooth tonal transitions and ultra-fine gradations between colors. It also enables many times more shades of gray for a higher contrast ratio.

The unit’s high-quality video processing offers Chroma Upsampling, precise pixel detection and 16-step motion video detection. In addition to providing 1080p output from Blu-ray Discs, the BD-S2900 also offers 1080p output for DVD discs, photos and personal video data, delivering an HD experience from a broad range of today’s popular content sources.
The BD-S2900’s magnificent audio performance is achieved through the incorporation of the latest HD technologies. High bit-rate audio signals (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio) are output directly from the player to the receiver (via an HDMI cable) without conversion to PCM. With the BD-S2900 and an appropriately equipped AV receiver, users can experience pure, direct and unadulterated audio exactly as it was intended to be heard. The device also offers superb analog audio output with a 192kHz, 24-bit converter.
With the incorporation of BONUSVIEW features, the BD-S2900 delivers next-generation capabilities for the Blu-ray format. Home theater aficionados can take full advantage of the latest features, such as Picture-in-Picture and Virtual Package. Using the BD-S2900’s remote control, users can instantly view a secondary picture inside the main picture, with compatible Blu-ray Discs. In addition, the BD-S2900 can output the secondary audio, giving viewers truly multi-dimensional experiences. Virtual Package lets viewers combine information from a Blu-ray Disc with content on an SD card to enjoy additional multimedia and interactive possibilities as they become available.
The BD-S2900 features a full complement of connections including an HDMI output, component, S-Video and composite video outputs, as well as optical digital, coaxial digital and 5.1-channel analog audio outputs.
The BD-S2900 is designed to perfectly complement high-end home theater installations. The unit has an RS-232C interface that can be used for touch controllers, as well as IR in/out ports that make it easy to integrate into any environment. The BD-S2900 also has a well-designed graphical user interface for menu and feature display on your HDTV. Its front panel design is not only clean and uncluttered, but also matches Yamaha’s top-class receivers to give your system a neat, uniform appearance. Bright, dim and auto display brightness modes minimize viewing distractions.

LG's N4B1 Network NAS Auto-Backs-Up Your Files to Blu-ray Disc

Kit Eaton — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:10:00 EDT

Though it sounds more like a droid-designation than a useful product, the N4B1 from LG is a combined network HDD bay and Blu-ray disc recorder: Much better than pairing a BDR-recorder with a VHS drive. It's got space for up to four HDDs inside (supporting up to 4TB total capacity) and three USB ports and an extra e-SATA connection so you can presumably bolt on even more storage. The BDR recorder can burn data to disc on request, or automatically back up your files for extra security against data loss. There's no info on when it's out or how much it'll cost, as yet. [Akihabaranews]

Panasonic's DMR-BR630V Blu-ray Disc Recorder Does VHS Tapes Too

Kit Eaton — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:26:00 EDT

A Blu-ray disc recorder and a VHS video tape machine may seem unlikely bedfellows, but that hasn't stopped Panasonic from wrapping them up together in the same box for the DMR-BR630V. The 630V can write BDRs at six times speed, has digital and analog tuners, new second-gen MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoder chips as well as all the standard HDMI and analog connections and Panasonic's Viera link for device interconnectivity. It also records to DVD. There's even a 320GB hard drive inside, capable of recording video and later letting you dub it onto BDR or VHS. You'll have to wait until October 1st for its Japanese release, though, if you're absolutely desperate to get your collection of low-res, blurry Friends VHS tapes safely transferred onto spiffy high-res BDRs. And it'll cost you around $1,450 for the privilege. [AVWatch]

Sony To Drop Blu-ray Player Price $100, Others to Follow

Adrian Covert — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EDT

HD Guru is reporting that Sony will drop the price of their BDP-S350 Blu-ray player $100 and sell it for $300 beginning in September. As a result, manufacturer Funai plans to drop the price of its players (under the Philips/Magnavox, Insignia and Sylvania brands) down $50 to $250 in order to stay competitive in the market. Sony also plans to release a higher end Blu-ray player, the BDP-S550 for $399 beginning in October. [HD Guru]

Pioneer Sneaks Out $2200 Elite BDP-09FD; First Blu-ray Player That Crushes the PS3

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:05:48 EDT

Last May Pioneer told us that autumn would bring a "super duper" Blu-ray player—the most powerful Blu-ray player ever built. It makes up for the current crop, which are lower in price but are missing key features like BD-Live for internet-based content. Well, not a leaf has fallen off a tree, yet here it is already, the $2,200 Elite BDP-09FD. Feature-wise, the best Blu-ray player on the market has been the PS3—turns out, an extra $1,700 will buy you something that kills Sony's game console as far as Blu-ray and other media are concerned.

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]

Firefly Series Comes to Blu-ray November 11

Jason Chen — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Firefly might have been the best thing Joss Whedon has ever done in our opinion, but it's also one of the shortest things he's ever done. In just 14 episodes, the space western was able to surpass both Buffy and Angel (and all of his smaller creations) in our minds as his work, which is why we cannot wait to get this thing on Blu-ray. If you're rating this box set on an purely dollar-to-hour ratio, the $90 price tag ($62 on Amazon) would be absurd. But you know you're going to watch and re-watch this thing many times over, if only for the scenes with Inara and the other companion. We'll be in our bunk. [Amazon]

Toshiba XD-E500 Upscaling DVD Player: Their Plan to Not Fight Blu-ray

matt buchanan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:01:30 EDT

Don't get me wrong, Toshiba's XD-E500 is a decent 1080p/24fps upscaling DVD player—it toasted one of their own upconverting players in the demo, and they've gotten pretty good at doing it. It's got three different intelligent processing modes, two of which are really solid—sharp (which only sharpens where it's needed, not the whole picture), color (dials up blues and greens plus sharp mode), and contrast (deepens blacks, probably the worst mode because you lose some dark detail).

It's $149 and most people still just own DVDs—hell, even if they own an HDTV more than half don't even know what Blu-ray is. And for them, this will make their DVDs look better, and that's good enough. So it's not a bad business decision, either. It's just that it feels like a little bit of a cop-out, even if Toshiba openly admits it's not meant to battle HD, just be a bridge to it for normal people. What I really want to see is a Toshiba Blu-ray player, and I want it to be totally awesome. [Toshiba]

Windows Storage 1.0 Feature Pack Adds Blu-ray Burning, Smart Card Drivers

Jason Chen — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EDT

Microsoft's prepping a "Storage 1.0" feature pack for Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 that adds a few useful storage options for people who really love storing things. None of these are groundbreaking, but they are fundamental to those of you who would like to master Blu-ray discs natively, or read/write ICCD/CCID smart cards. It's one of Microsoft's "feature packs", which are more than just updates in that it pushes new features out inbetween major Service Packs or even Windows iterations. [ZDNet]

Casino Royale Special Edition Is The First Second Blu-ray Double Dip

Jason Chen — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Casino Royale, a film from Sony Pictures, is going to be the title to hold the dubious honor of being ~~first~~ to double-dip on "Sony's" Blu-ray format. We're honestly surprised that it took this long. The $39 October 21 release will have seven hours of extras that weren't in the original Blu-ray or DVD release, which may or may not be enough to get you to buy the same movie twice. Those of you hoping the already more expensive Blu-ray format would have gotten studios on the "release once" method should really tone down your optimism a little bit. [Hollywood Newsroom - Thanks Christopher!]

Update: adaorardor points out that Full Metal Jacket was actually the first to double-dip. Thanks!

The Criterion Collection's Reference Blu-ray Player: The PlayStation 3

Adam Frucci — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:20:00 EDT

The folks at the Criterion Collection know a thing or two about movies. They restore classic films for release on DVD and, starting later this year, Blu-ray. So when they set up their screening rooms, you'd expect them to have some crazy $1,000 Blu-ray player, right? Nope. The Criterion Collection people rock a PlayStation 3 for use as their reference Blu-ray player. If you needed further proof that the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player out there, now you have it. [CNET]

Funai (Sylvania, Symphonic and Emerson) Will Sell HDTVs With Blu-rays In 'Em

Jason Chen — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:20:00 EDT

Funai, whose subsidiaries are more familiar to us as Sylvania, Symphonic and Emerson, is planning on selling LCD HDTVs with Blu-rays on-board starting summer 2009. The company's previous successes in recent years with combo units (TVs with VCRs and TVs with DVDs) totaled up 40% and 20% of their sales in the US respectively. So how much will this low-end brand charge you for the all-in-one experience? CrunchGear says the target price for a 42-inch will be between $1100 and $1300. Keep in mind that's a price for something launching a year from now. [CrunchGear]

Update: Funai also took over the Phlips TV brand in the US, which means you might be seeing this under their name as well.

Indiana Jones 4 Blu-Ray Details Released With Cool Extras, Movie Still Poop

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:20:20 EDT

The Blu-ray edition of the biggest letdown in movie history, also known as Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Whatever Crystal Something will be released on October 14, just in time not to buy it for this holiday season. The two-disc Blu-ray comes in the obligatory 1080p and comes loaded with extras that don't make the movie any less crappy:

The Special Edition Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with THX Certified English 5.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The two-disc set includes the following special features:

Blu-ray Disc 1:

Indiana Jones Timelines— Explore the movie through interactive timelines that include video featurettes, in-depth information and unique imagery. Your adventure begins with one of these three timelines:
Story Timeline: Showcases the key events of the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” storyline.
Production Timeline: A Making-of chronology for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Historical Timeline: Dives into the real-world historical influences that are referenced in the film.
The Return of a Legend—The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators. (HD)

Pre-Production—Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage. (HD)

Disc 2:

Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.
Shooting Begins: New Mexico (HD)
Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut (HD)
Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii (HD)
On-Set Action (HD)
Exploring Akator (HD)
Wrapping Up! (HD)
Warrior Makeup (HD)

The Crystal Skulls (HD)

Iconic Props (HD)

The Effects of Indy (HD)

Adventures in Post Production (HD)

Closing: Team Indy (HD)

Galleries

The Art Department
The Adventure Begins
Cemetery and Jungle
Akator
Stan Winston Studio
Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies
Aliens & Crystal Skulls
Production Photographs

Portraits

Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

[Latino Review]

Triple Format Hitachi DZ-BD10HA Blu-ray Camcorder Also Writes to HD and SDHC

John Mahoney — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:45:00 EDT

For folks who smartly don't want to be locked into any particular format, the DZ-BD10HA adds the option to record 1080p videos and stills to its built-in 30GB hard drive or an SDHC card, on top of mini-Blu-ray discs. A dubbing feature also promises to dump footage from the SD card or HD directly to mini Blu-ray for archiving, without a PC. On top of that is a 7-megapixel CMOS sensor, face recognition and optical image stabilization. Hitachi's first Blu-ray cam, the DZ-BD7HA, was a bit of a stinker image quality wise according to reviews, so we'll see if the new sensor performs better this time around when it ships in the U.S. next month for an even $1,000.

Hitachi Debuts Three Format Hybrid Blu-ray Disc Camcorder

— Hitachi proudly presents the next generation HD camcorder able to record onto the next generation HD format, Blu-ray —

CHULA VISTA, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. continues to introduce state-of-the-art consumer electronics with its next-generation Blu-ray Disc Hybrid Camcorder with the ability to record onto the next generation HD format, Blu-ray.

A step above from its predecessor announced last year, the DZ-BD10HA from Hitachi’s Consumer Group contains several new features and improvements. A newly developed 7 mega pixel CMOS image sensor, which captures rich and vibrant videos and stills in FullHD (1920 x 1080) High Definition. The new DZ-BD10HA can also record up to 4 hours 20 minutes of 1920x1080 video or 8 hours 40 minutes of 1440x1080 video onto the built-in 30 GB HDD. Additionally, the built-in SDHC card slot provides added flexibility by allowing for Full HD video and still recordings.

The new DZ-BD10HA also offers a dubbing function that allows Full HD video to be transferred with the single push of a button from either the HDD or SDHC card to the BD drive, all within the camcorder, without having to connect to a PC. Editing functions such as split, splice, delete, merge, and transitions can also be performed within the camcorder before dubbing for additional functionality. The Transcoding feature allows for the camcorder to transfer full HD videos off the HDD or SDHC card to standard definition DVD discs for the sharing of videos with friends and family who may not own a Blu-ray player yet.

Another new feature added to this year’s camcorder is face detection, which automatically detects and focuses on faces to provide the most true to life color accuracy and clarity. Additionally, Hitachi has developed a compact, low power consumption, quiet and highly reliable 8cm BD/DVD drive, which results in a 20% reduction in overall volume compared with last year’s DZ-BD7HA Blu-ray hybrid camcorder.

“Hitachi is well known for having introduced the world’s first DVD camcorder, the world’s first Hybrid camcorder with a DVD drive and a Hard Disk Drive and the world’s first Blu-ray camcorder,” said Daniel Lee, Vice President of Marketing at Hitachi Home Electronics, America. “Hitachi continues to improve upon and deliver cutting-edge and innovative products, and is pleased to offer the latest upgrades in camcorder technology to its customers and consumers. The new DZ-BD10HA underscores Hitachi’s commitment to developing original technologies that consumers can easily embrace.”

While keeping the same core design as the previous Blu-ray camcorder, the DZ-BD10HA has several added features and an ameliorated design. These features include:

Three Format Hybrid Compatibility

This camcorder has the versatility of being able to record HD video onto three separate formats (Blu-ray Disc, Hard Drive, SDHC) and provides the flexibility and ease of playback and long recording time all in one camcorder.

7 Mega Pixel CMOS Image Sensor

The CMOS image sensor in this camcorder is designed to record the highest resolution video with effective 4.67 mega pixels while minimizing distortion and artifacts to ensure the most clear and vibrant high definition picture. The camcorder is also capable of capturing 6.22 mega pixel stills onto an optional SD or SDHC card.

One-Touch Dubbing

With the push of one button the user can transfer HD video from the SDHC card or hard drive to a Blu-ray disc all within the camcorder; this eliminates the need to turn on a computer.

Face Detection

This feature automatically detects and focuses on the face to provide true-to-life color accuracy and sharp picture quality to the user.

O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization)

O.I.S. automatically detects and cancels camera shake by accurately stabilizing the lens to produce the most sharp and vibrant picture possible.

Pricing and Availability

The Hitachi model DZ-BD10HA model Blu-ray Hybrid with built-in 30GB hard disk drive (HDD) is priced at a Manufacturers Advertised Price (MAP) of $999. The camcorder will be available in Japan on August 9th and will be available in North America in September 2008.

ABOUT HITACHI

Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc., Consumer Group subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., markets high-definition plasma and LCD flat panel televisions and monitors, as well as Blu-ray Disc™, DVD and HDD camcorders.

Hitachi has a unique position in the marketplace by manufacturing and developing its own core technologies to provide consumers and businesses with optimal product performance in each of Hitachi's product categories. For consumer products, please visit www.hitachi.us/tv. For Business products go to www.hitachi.us/digitalmedia.

Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information, visit www.hitachi.us.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 390,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2007 (ended March 31, 2008) consolidated revenues totaled 11,226 billion yen ($112.2 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials, logistics and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.

Iron Man Blu-ray Packs a Stark-Worthy Arsenal of Bonus Features

Mark Wilson — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

The Blu-ray version of Iron Man has been available for preorder on Amazon for quite a while now, but no one knew exactly what they were buying (other than, you know, the movie itself). Now we know that the Ultimate Edition will be released September 30 and contain two discs packed with all sorts of good stuff, including the ability to check out Iron Man's full suit in crazy-explicit detail:

On the DVD and BD "Ultimate" versions of the film:

The sets offer the ultimate IRON MAN experience with extensive explorations of the origins of the character in a six-part featurette, as well as a seven-part in-depth look at the making of the film, a revealing documentary on the stellar visual effects, Robert Downey Jr.’s original screen test, deleted and extended scenes, a photo gallery of concept art and behind-the-scenes images on the set and more.

The Blu-ray edition will feature these extra goodies:

One of the most anticipated releases of the year, the IRON MAN Blu-ray presentation offers even more exclusive content for an incredible entertainment experience including a “Hall of Armor” that allows fans to enter the Stark database to zoom in on any of the three Iron Man suits — or Iron Monger. They can then activate the digital 3-D schematics to check out every weapon and the full high-definition renders let users fly around each suit to explore each of the armors in comprehensive detail.
The “Iron Man IQ” is a user-friendly web application that lets users create and share new multiple choice quizzes based on clips from the film. Fans can also download other users’ challenges via BD-Live.

Fully-controllable Iron Man porn, at last. Sign us up. It should be noted that there will also be a single-disc, standard DVD release as well, but not on Blu-ray. [Hollywood Newsroom]

Ultimate Blu-ray Database for Movie Geeks

matt buchanan — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:20:00 EDT

If you're a total movie geek who wants quick access to every sliver of minutae about every Blu-ray disc out there—release date, studio, IMDB rating, disc size, codec, audio encoding and price comparisons—Blu-ray Statistics has them all in a neat table that you can sort by any of those criteria. It's not a pretty site, but damn handy if you wanna know every Fox movie released on a BD50 disc with MPEG-2 encoding, thereby averting bloodbaths with pasty white dudes arguing about codecs or Dolby vs. DTS. [Blu-ray Stats via Crave]

Rumor: The Dark Knight Could Coax Warner into BD-Live Release

Mark Wilson — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Warner Bros, along with plenty others, has been skeptical about BD-Live. WTF is BD-Live, you ask? It's that feature in the Blu-ray spec allowing, among other internet-based functionality, people seated on couches across the US to watch movies simultaneously and chat about them. Now rumor has it that the company is considering The Dark Knight as their first BD-Live disc release for the coming holiday season. We can't wait for two and a half straight hours of:

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!]

NEC Packs All Blu-ray Functions on Single Chip, Smaller Players to Come

John Mahoney — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

The EMMA 3PF is the first large-scale integration (LSI) chip to pack all of the necessary Blu-ray controllers onto a single piece of silicon. The new chip performs all audio and video decoding, analog to digital conversions, and HDMI output. It supports the Blu-ray 2.0 profile and will start shipping in September 2008, allowing player sizes to continue getting ittier and bittier. [Tech ON]

Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution Blu-ray Set Comes Out Nov. 4

Elaine Chow — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Nothing says “A swingin' good time” like a Planet of the Apes marathon, and come Nov. 4 you'll be able to watch all that monkey madness in Blu-ray when 20th Century Fox releases its Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution disc set. Each Apes film will be presented in widescreen 2.35:1 1080p video and newly remastered 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Like any good disc set, this one comes with a crapload of extras:

• Eight extra minutes of footage in the unrated version of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
• Beyond the Forbidden Zone Adventure Game
• Science of the Apes: scientists, anthropologists and sociologists discuss the first film
• Evolution of the Apes: HD featurette that traces how the Planet of the Apes went from book to screen
• Impact of the Apes: HD featurette about how the story became a pop culture phenomenon
• HD “Making of” features for each sequel
• Commentary by composers, actors and make up artists.
• A Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary
• The original theatrical trailers
• Behind the scenes galleries

... and much much more! The five disk set will retail for roughly $160. [The HD Room]

First Pics of LG Netflix Blu-ray BD300 Player

Benny Goldman — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:26:10 EDT

LG's Netflix-streaming, Blu-ray 2.0 playing BD300 made its public debut tonight, and we're impressed. The box is slim and it won't take up more space on your shelf than any other player. An LG exec confirmed a September launch for the sub-$500 player, so check out the gallery and start lickin' your chops. [LG]

Dish Network Will Broadcast in 1080p, Streaming Blu-ray Quality Video Now Possible (But Unlikely)

Benny Goldman — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Dish Network is upgrading their boxes' firmware to display 1080p resolution. Given the lack of 1080p network source material, the existing 720p/1080i compressed HD signals, and the fact that there's no standard limiting the compression quality—1080p can be compressed to crap like any other picture—it's tough to believe this is going to be really useful for consumers. But maybe we are mistaken, because the company actually thinks that their 1080p quality is on par with Blu-ray discs:

Starting August 1, the recent blockbuster "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith will be available in Blu-ray™ disc quality 1080p resolution, only on DISH Network's VOD service, DISH On Demand, at a discounted price.

Yes. Dish Network is actually promising I Am Legend in "Blu-ray™ disc quality 1080p resolution" over Video on Demand. Presumably streamed in real time, it would be a technological feat even if not part of normal programming. And while we bet Dish will make the image look as good as possible under the pressure to show off, whether or not it's truly as stunning as a Blu-ray disc or meets some minimum 1080p prerequisite is yet to be seen.

In other news, Dish Network is soldiering on with their promise of 150 HD channels by the end of the year, and tomorrow will add 17 must-see HDTV channels including Lifetime Movie Network HD and Starz Edge HD. Read the presser for all the details. [Dish]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – July 31, 2008 – DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) today set the bar for the next-generation HD standard by becoming the first in the pay-TV industry to offer high definition programming in 1080p, the highest and best HD resolution available.

This new functionality is part of DISH Network's latest and unprecedented expansion in HD services, which includes the rollout of TurboHD, the industry's first 100 percent, all-HD suite of programming packages. As previously announced, DISH Network will also launch 17 more national HD channels tomorrow, surpassing its goal of reaching 100 national HD channels five months ahead of schedule. DISH Network now plans to nearly double its national HD channel count in less than one year and offer up to 150 national HD channels by the end of 2008, made possible by the recent launch of Echo XI, the most powerful satellite in the company's fleet.

"Over the years, DISH Network has maintained a very competitive HD offering in the marketplace, providing customers with a premium HD product including the best technology, signal and experience – at the best value – that no other pay-TV provider can come close to matching," said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, CEO and President of DISH Network. "Our latest system upgrade coupled with the introduction of TurboHD further strengthens our position as the leader in digital television and high definition television, platforms we look forward to enhancing even more with mobile and portable options."

DISH Network's new HD services are supported by a proprietary "turbo-charged" system upgrade that, starting August 1, is being rolled out to all MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers. The upgrade activates a unique feature of the set-top boxes, improving the current standard of HD delivery used by pay-TV providers such as the ability to output 1080p programming. By early August, all DISH Network customers with MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers will have the only set-top boxes in the nation enabled to display 1080p content, allowing them to maximize the full potential of their 1080p-compatible HDTV sets.

To celebrate this new era in the HD viewing experience, DISH Network is offering subscribers a special deal in August to enjoy the unparalleled picture and sound of 1080p HD programming. Starting August 1, the recent blockbuster "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith will be available in Blu-ray™ disc quality 1080p resolution, only on DISH Network's VOD service, DISH On Demand, at a discounted price. Subscribers may order the movie on DISH Network Channel 501. This marks the first time in history a pay-TV provider offers movies in 1080p, the highest resolution format available for HD video enthusiasts.

Consumers can sign up for the best HD programming and service in the industry with DISH Network's new TurboHD programming packages, the only all-HD packages on the market, starting at $24.99 per month. TurboHD is available in three separate tiers and includes DISH Network's award-winning and industry-leading HD technology, advanced equipment enabled to display 1080p programming, and the most-watched HD channels that may be viewed on any TV – analog, digital or HD.

Current DISH Network customers with MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers are being automatically upgraded and will have their systems "turbo-charged" by early August with all the features and benefits of TurboHD. DISH Network customers looking to add the industry's best HD experience can get a "turbo-charged" HD package for as little as $10 more per month.

The latest national HD channels added to DISH Network's programming line-up are: ActionMax HD (DISH Network Ch. 313), CBS College Sports HD (Ch. 152), Lifetime HD (Ch. 108), Lifetime Movie Network HD (Ch. 109), Planet Green HD (Ch. 194), Encore HD (Ch. 340), HBO 2 HD (Ch. 301), HBO Comedy HD (Ch. 307), HBO Family HD (Ch. 305), HBO Latino HD (Ch. 309), HBO Signature HD (Ch. 302), HBO West HD (Ch. 303), HBO Zone HD (Ch. 308), Starz Comedy HD (Ch. 354), Starz Edge HD (Ch. 352), Starz Kids & Family HD (Ch. 356), Starz West HD (Ch. 351).

For more information about DISH Network's 1080p programming, new HD channels and TurboHD system and packages, visit www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).