PortableBlu-rayPlayer
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Sony's prototype glasses-free 3D portable Blu-ray player hands-on
There's not much to say here, since Sony wasn't letting us do much with its prototype glasses-free 3D portable Blu-ray player except adjust the screen angle, but we will say that the 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 parallax 3D display looked quite nice and the 3D effect was solid once we got situated. Of course, it's just a prototype, so there's no word on price, availability, or even whether this thing will ever get made, but hey -- there it is. One more pic after the break.
Philips crams ATSC M/H tuner into PD725 portable DVD player, intros PB9013 mobile Blu-ray player
In recent years, Philips has strayed somewhat from introducing products catering to the North American marketplace. We're thrilled to say that this year's spate of CES announcements signifies a stark turn from that approach. The most interesting release from the company during this year's blowout is probably the PS725 (shown above), a 7-inch portable DVD player that doubles as a mobile TV viewer. Before you bust out the yawn collector, you should know that Philips managed to stuff both an ATSC and an ATSC M/H tuner within, the latter of which just announced a major push into 20 major metropolitan markets back in November. The unit has an 800 x 480 resolution display, three hours of nonstop playback via a rechargeable Li-Polymer battery pack, a screen that swivels 180 degrees and a $299 price point. It'll ship in March, just as your FLO TV service keels over. In related news, the outfit is also outing a PB9013 portable Blu-ray player, which touts a 9-inch display, a battery good for three hours of enjoyment, a bundled mounting kit and an HDMI output. You'll also see this one ship in March, but with a $399 retail sticker. Outside of those two, we're told that the GeGear Muse MP4 player is now on track to ship in March, with the 8GB model going for $149, the 16GB edition for $179 and the high-end 32GB model for $229. For those out of the loop, it'll deliver a 3.2-inch HVGA touchpanel, an FM radio tuner, 720p movie support and compatibility with FLAC and APE lossless files. Closing things up, we've got the Fidelio DS8550 and DS9010 speaker docks. The former handles your iPod, iPhone and / or iPad, streams tunes over Bluetooth and touts a built-in, rechargeable battery; this guy's on sale now for $299. As for the latter? That one's expected to ship at the tail-end of March for $599, with the price premium netting you an aircraft quality aluminum enclosure, improved audio drivers and a proximity sensor to activate a backlit control panel. Bullet points after the break, per usual. %Gallery-112183%
LaCie ships USB 2.0 Slim Blu-ray external burner for $265
Still slinging a laptop with USB 2.0? Fret not, as that's all the bandwidth you need to handle LaCie's Slim Blu-ray burner. As the title implies, the new unit is little more than a nicely styled external BD burner, designed to tag along with your ODD-less netbook / ultraportable and provide Blu-ray burner / viewing enjoyment at a moment's notice. $264.99 gets you the device itself, CyberLink's Blu-ray Disc Suite and a two-year warranty, and if you're curious about toasting speeds, it'll write to a BD-R at 6x (dual-layer at 4x), a BD-RE at 2x and a blank DVD at 8x. The rest of the nitty-gritty, as well as a purchase link, awaits you in the source. %Gallery-109656%
Panasonic's DMR-BF200 stuffs hard drive and Blu-ray burner into one tiny, magical box
And this, friends, is why Japan is a marvelous place. Panasonic has just removed the wraps from its new DIGA DMR-BF200, which is being hailed as the planet's smallest Blu-ray recorder. For all intents and purposes, this is simply an external hard drive with a slot-loading Blu-ray burner baked in, but there's plenty more on the inside to pay attention to. It'll stream DLNA content, interface with your other VIERA Link equipment, output content via HDMI and even access acTVila (a Japanese video-on-demand service). Users can also toss in an SD card for watching flicks stored on more portable media, and most anything housed on the 320GB internal hard drive can be toasted on BD-R/RE for playback elsewhere. It should be noted, however, that neither BDXL nor Blu-ray 3D are supported, but those still keenly interested can find it on November 15th for ¥70,000 ($861) in black or white.
Buffalo serves up USB-powered portable 3D Blu-ray player in Japan
Stuck with an ODD-less netbook or laptop, but can't quite shake the urge to watch a Blu-ray Disc on your next flight? If you call Japan home (or you know a good importer), Buffalo has just the solution. The BP3D-PI6U2-BK measures 137- × 147- × 20mm, and the operation is pretty simple. Just wrangle an XP / Vista / Windows 7-equipped PC, locate an open USB socket, blow out the dust (optional, but highly recommended) and plug this guy in. Best of all, the unit also supports the boatload of 3D Blu-ray titles that are bound to show up over the coming months, but the privileged of being prepared doesn't come cheap -- it'll land later this month for ¥28,500 ($338). Update: Speaking of importers... White Rabbit Express has this up for pre-order at $350, along with a slew of other Japanese wares. Huzzah!
RCA BRC3108 portable Blu-ray ships to Target, seriously undercuts Panny's DMP-B15
Remember Panasonic's DMP-B15? You know, that "world's first portable Blu-ray player" that was introduced at CES and just started shipping last month? With an $800 price tag, there's a good chance you never even let the thing enter your stream of consciousness, but we can only wish you the best of luck as you try to ignore this one. RCA has quietly started to ship its BRC3108 10-inch portable Blu-ray player, which is equipped with a rechargeable battery, integrated stereo speakers, a headphone jack, 1080p HDMI output and bundled car / AC adapters alongside a carrying bag with headrest attachment for in-car use. The mini player lists for $349.99 on Amazon, and it's already starting to appear in select Target locations. You'll notice that Amazon still shows the device as being available for pre-order, and even the Target model didn't have a shelf tag yet. That said, we're sure someone in the back can pull some strings if you wave your credit card around long enough. Update: Looks like it's listed at $299.99 at Target -- image is after the break. Thanks, Thomas! [Thanks, Scott]
Plextor ships PX-B120U USB-powered Blu-ray drive for $100
We aren't saying your nifty new netbook can actually handle the stresses of playing back a Blu-ray Disc, but if your USB-equipped laptop has the oomph, Plextor has a new device to bring the spoils of BD to your previously lackluster machine. The new PX-B120U is a USB-powered BD-ROM drive, which not only plays back Blu-ray flicks but also burns DVDs and CDs of the blank variety. The standout feature, of course, is the ability to function entirely off of USB power, with no extra AC cabling needed. Furthermore, the device can be converted into a living room player when connected to the forthcoming PlexMedia, and while we wouldn't expect a wealth of extras, the $99.99 MSRP is shockingly tempting. %Gallery-97832%
Panasonic DMP-B15 hands-on
While we got a quick look at the thing a few months ago, we were finally able to get our mitts all over Panasonic's new DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player. With its bigger-than-a-laptop size and wild pricetag (for a consumer device), it's obviously a niche product, but that's not to say there aren't hints of consumer friendliness in here. Overall the hardware is light and strong, and while we felt a bit of heat venting out the sides, it's not uncomfortable, and the disc operation is virtually silent. Startup time and disc load times are comparable to most dedicated home Blu-ray players -- certainly not best in class, but passable -- and we couldn't get the player to skip despite our best efforts. The screen is really great, with a good amount of viewing angle and brightness for the category and plenty of resolution to differentiate HD content. We spotted a bit of pixel crunch in menus and stills, but once the motion started we could barely differentiate pixels. Sure, it's hard to imagine a reason for most people to pick up a DMP-B15 over a cheapish Blu-ray playing laptop -- the thing is monstrously thick, and can't even handle a traditional laptop-style screen orientation, only everything but -- but the hardware is reliable enough for kids to handle on the road, and the single-use makes it a good home Blu-ray player for plugging into that second HD-starved TV. Still, we're guessing most will wait to see what next year's (sure to be flush) crop has to offer.
Panasonic's DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player: $800, ships this month
It'll definitely run you less here in America than it would if you chose to import straight from Japan, but the planet's first BD-Live-capable portable Blu-ray player still ain't cheap. Today, Panny announced that its DMP-B15 -- which originally broke cover at CES -- will be shipping later this month in the US for $799.95. That nets you an 8.9-inch WSVGA display, VIERA CAST internet accessibility, an SD card slot, 2.5 hour rechargeable battery, HDMI output and BD-Live (Profile 2.0) functionality. Oh, and quiet kids on the next road trip to Gramps' pad, which is totally priceless.
Panasonic makes it official: Profile 2.0 DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player
Hard to say just how well this thing will or won't sell, but honestly, we see the value here being the portability and not necessarily the inbuilt display. The DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player is fully Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) compliant and features an 8.9-inch WSVGA screen, VIERA Cast support, an HDMI output and an SD card. It'll ship this May for an undisclosed price -- so, do you (or your child) plan on picking one up?
Panasonic's CES 2009 wrap-up
Panasonic just shocked us good fashion with some pretty incredibly HD-related releases at its CES 2009 press conference, and we figured we'd round 'em all up so you don't miss anything. Have a look below at the shots -- we'll be working to get more details (price, availability, that sort of stuff) as soon as it's ready.Read - Hands-on with Panasonic's 0.33-inch thick Neo PDP Eco plasmaRead - Hands-on with Panasonic's DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player at CES 2009Read - Panasonic introduces wireless, 1-inch thick TC-P54Z1 VIERA plasmaRead - Three new Blu-ray players from Panasonic: BD60, BD80 and BD70V
Hands-on with Panasonic's DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player at CES 2009
We didn't have high hopes going into Panny's press conference today, but the company still managed to unveil a few surprises here in Vegas. One of those shockers was the world's first portable Blu-ray player, the DMP-. Said device supposedly includes the ability to pump out 1080p content, and while we're not terribly enthused about the design, we suppose we'll give it a pass being that's a world first.%Gallery-40916%
