Aug 28, 2008 19:00

LG to Launch First DivX Certified(R) DVD Player from a Major Manufacturer Capable of Playing HD Video

Innovative "Floating" Player Lets Consumers Enjoy HD Content on Standard DVD Device
SAN DIEGO & SEOUL, Korea —(Business Wire)— Aug. 28, 2008 DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ: DIVX), a digital media company, and LG Electronics, Inc. today announced the DivX Certification(TM) of a new DVD player from LG capable of playing high-definition DivX(R) video.

Incorporating a stylish and sleek design capable of being mounted on a wall, LG's new DivX Certified(R) DVD player, the DVS450H, allows consumers to play their personal libraries of high-definition digital content. With this device, consumers can enjoy high-definition DivX videos burned to DVD's or stored on USB flash drives. Typical HD video requires a considerable amount of digital storage space, but DivX HD video provides a superior media experience by maintaining the highest visual quality while significantly reducing the digital file size of the video. Using DivX technology, a full-length high-definition movie is able to fit onto a standard DVD.

"The demand for products that play DivX video has continually driven us to produce solutions that maximize this high-quality experience across a range of product categories," said Dan D.H. Koh, Head of Marketing Strategy Team in LG Electronics' Digital Media Company. "Incorporating support for high-definition DivX video on this DVD player illustrates this in a significant way. We are committed to bringing our customers the very best entertainment solutions and are pleased that working with DivX fulfills this vision."

"Bringing high-definition video to LG's newest DVD player illustrates our mission of enabling a high-quality media experience across any device," said Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer, DivX, Inc. "This new player from LG simplifies the consumer transition to HD entertainment by providing a high-definition experience on a familiar DVD platform. We are delighted to work with LG in bringing consumers a premium solution for their digital content."

Products that bear the DivX Certified(R) logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality that users expect from DivX.

LG is a major manufacturer across consumer electronics product categories who has embraced DivX Certification within a variety of different platforms, including mobile phones, digital televisions, and in-car media players.

The Price: $399

The Verdict: Video quality is as least as good if not better than the previous Oppo 981HD we reviewed, which also does 1080p over HDMI. Even better than the 981, this DV-983H adds in a USB port in the back so you can play back DivX/XviD files off of a USB drive directly, without having to burn movies/TV Shows onto a disc first.

We watched several DVDs and were impressed with the quality, and the AV nerds on avsforum seem to prefer Anchor Bay's ABT1018 and ABT102 upconverting/de-interlacting magic chips to Faroudja's. On the audio side, we only have a 5.1 setup, but what we heard sounded great as well.

At $399, it's a player we'd recommend if you have a gigantic DVD library that you want to keep even when faced with the impending Blu-ray transition. After all, there's no sense in buying a movie again if you can get a somewhat reasonable upscaler (and Oppo's is much more than just somewhat reasonable). It's their new flagship model, so you know this is quality DVD playback. It's also the last upconverting DVD player Oppo will ever make, so you might want to get in on this latest generation before it goes out of style. [Oppo]

DVD Player/Projector combo for the blissfully lazy [SCI FI]

But wait a minute here. If you're going to spend $1200 on such a device, why not just get a notebook that can do the same thing and lots more, and probably have a bigger screen and cost less? Oh, yeah, there's that rich bamboo exterior. We have to admit, the thing is mysteriously good-looking. But it's dumb. – Charlie White

Product Page [RealFleet Co. LTD, via Oh Gizmo]

These up-rezzing players claim to be able to do the digital equivalent of turning water into wine, a sort of alchemy that's not really physically possible. Keep in mind that DVDs already look pretty damn good; they're already at 480p resolution when you play them back from a progressive scan player. But this is not going to be real HDTV playback, even with an up-rezzing player such as this. But how does it look? We have one of these Oppo players in-house and we'll be testing it soon, so we'll give you the full skinny as soon as we do. The good news about this player so far is that it sells for $149, not much more than everyday progressive-scan DVD players. – Charlie White

Product Page [oppo Digital]

The navigation itself isn't anything out of the ordinary. It uses the Sirf Star III GPS Processor and has a touchscreen interface. But, the 5.6" screen allows you to watch The Fast and The Furious while you're barreling down the 101 at 5 miles an hour.

Also, the system has a built-in FM transmitter, so that means you can listen to the audio from your movie through your car's speakers. However, you can't listen to music and this at the same time, unlike in-dash navigation systems.

Available at Target.

MGX-0550: Portable GPS with DVD Player [Polaroid via Digital Lifestyle Magazine]

The player has a clamshell style, 8-inch screen that can rotate 180 degrees and has a anti-scratch layer. Anti-shock technology is built into the disc drive to prevent any kind of skippage on bumpy rides. It should be out in early June and expect to pay a few hundos for her.

Translated Press Release [Via Tech Digest]

Of course, this is not real; it's a design concept from Inventables, a concept studio just north of Chicago. But it's a nice, fanciful graphic and we thought it might give you a peek into what technology could be like a few years from now. That e-paper screen itself is actually being developed by Mag-Ink in Israel (among others), but no one is saying when we might see a product like this in the real world. This concept is a little anachronistic, though, because by the time we see screens like this, won't DVD players be a forgotten relic, long since discarded to the ash heap of history?

Origami DVD Player [Inventables, via bornrich]

Toshiba SD-P2800 Portable DVD player [New Launches]

The portable DVD player/CD burner with 8" screen [Akihabara News]

And just in case your little brat wants more techy stuff to emulate his or her techy parents, there's also Hasbro's VuGo Kids Portable Media Player and DVR unit that contains 128MB of memory.

This is apparently enough to hold an hour of video, 6 hours of music, and over 1,200 photos (you could probably add more since the VuGo has an SD slot). Not too much news on the quality of the screen and all the specs, but considering this PMP actually has built-in DVR abilities is pretty huge for a kiddie device. The VuGo is scheduled to be available later this year, for an extremely affordable $120. Hasbro will even launch an actual video download service for the VuGo, probably full of cartoons and music videos (or whatever it is the kids are into these days).

Hasbro also released four more products that we weren't too excited about but your kid might be: The VCAM NOW (a simple video camera for $79.99), the I-DOG (what sounds like a Sega iDog rip-off for $29.99), VideoNow XP (an interactive video system that plays interactive games, music videos etc. for $59.99), and a ChatNow two-way radio (with the ability to transmit text messages as well as pics, for $74.99).

Heck, for these prices, screw the kids — just get them for yourselves.

Hasbro Zoombox Toy Video Projector with Built-in DVD Player [I4U]
Hasbro VuGo Portable Video Player and DVR [I4U]
Press Release [Hasbro]