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Sony's blazing fast BDX-S500U Blu-ray drive tests USB 2.0's true transfer chops
Here's a lesson in actual vs. theoretical. Sony Optiarc America has announced the new BDX-S500U external USB 2.0 Blu-ray drive capable of burning single-layer BD-R discs at smoking speeds of 6x or dual-layer discs at up to 4x. If you do the math, those specs imply transfer speeds of 27Mbps for single-sided 25GB discs and total burn times of roughly 20 minutes. That's great news for folks with PCs looking to use the high-storage medium or watch 3D Blu-rays -- except for one tiny hitch. See, USB 2.0's theoretical maximum transfer speed is 60MBps, but in the real world most are lucky to get even half that rate. According to tests by Techworld, those with certain USB 3.0 chipsets can even experience USB 2.0 rates as low as 11MBps. In that light, the BDX-S500U's impressive speeds -- just like Paul Walker -- may be too fast and too furious for its computer counterparts to keep up, making it a different kind of bag of hurt for buyers. While no official pricing has been offered the drive will go on sale later this month and online retailers are already listing prices in the range of $214 to $240. For full specs and details, check out the PR after the break.
Panasonic's new DMP-BDT100 is a cheaper, slimmer choice for Blu-ray 3D playback
Panasonic's not letting us know exactly how cheap it's going with the new DMP-BDT100 Blu-ray player, but with an existing lineup that starts at $399 for the DMP-BDT300 it's not hard to see why it would need a mainstream option to compete with Samsung, Sony and the rest. The DMP-BDT100 still promises high quality playback and Viera Cast features including Netflix, Amazon VOD and Pandora access, but it does it in a smaller, energy efficient package as Panasonic's first single-HDMI out 3D Blu-ray player. It will ship in August, but we'll have to wait for any pricing info or possible new Blu-ray 3D pack-in deals (c'mon Avatar.) Press release and one more pic from HDTV.com.pl are after the break.
Samsung's BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player reviewed: speedy, but noisy
Most buyers of Samsung's first 3D Blu-ray player will probably be picking it up as a pack-in with their new television, but what exactly will they be getting? According to BigPictureBigSound, the claims of "Ultra Fast Play" are right on target for the BD-C6900, with a PS3-beating bootup time of only 41 seconds on Saw IV, and 23 seconds on Underworld: Evolution, same as the LG BD570. Unfortunately that slick see-through top may contribute to a higher than average noise level, so beware the tradeoffs for a 3D Blu-ray experience. As far as that goes, the reviewer was impressed by the 3D menus and the quality of the packed-in Monsters vs. Aliens disc, though there were a few issues that popped up on test discs for regular 2D content. As usual, adopting the first generation of a new standard isn't without its drawbacks, but with limited content currently available and additional competition on the way in the form of both firmware updated existing players and new hardware you should probably hit the read link and give it a careful once-over before jumping in.
Sony's Blu-ray players do 3D in 1080p even with HDMI 1.3
More than a few commenters were confused to see Sony's first 3D Blu-ray players sporting HDMI 1.3 outputs when they were announced recently. Rumors circled that we would see some sort of lower res, even "3D-Lite," experience (similar to the quality of DirecTV's side by side compression) as a result of a lack of bandwidth in the connector. We went straight to the source to find out what buyers can expect from the BDP-S470, BDP-S570 and other hardware when they receive those MVC encoded discs later this year. Luckily, Sony's Greg Belloni has responded and informed us that will definitely not be the case: "The 3D-ready models mentioned in the release will be fully capable of 3D playback of Full HD 1080p for each eye. The players and theater systems support the HDMI 1.4 spec for 3D playback, but may not support all of the qualifications of spec (which is why we haven't labeled it specifically 1.4 at this time)." We're not sure if that's enough to make the buying decision on your next player easier (the BD-C6900 does have that ever enticing window) but we have yet to hear from any manufacturer that when it comes to 3D, buyers will be limited to lower resolution playback because of player bandwidth issues. Our only quibble is why DivX playback is limited to the Canadian editions of these players (check the manual after the break,) but if there are any remaining questions, let us know and we'll get them answered.
Sony's $200 BDP-S470 is company's first 3D-ready Blu-ray player
And the flood gates are now officially open. Just hours after Panasonic introduced its newest 3D Blu-ray recorders and players, along comes Sony to brag about its first 3D-ready standalone deck. The BDP-S470, which is slated to ship later this month for $200, arrives with the ability to handle BD, DVD, CD and even SACD, with a 3D Blu-ray upgrade (via firmware update) planned for this summer. You'll also find BD-Live support, BRAVIA Internet Video, a USB socket for playing back media stored elsewhere, 1080p DVD upscaling and TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. If you were planning to snag a BDP-S570 BD player or one of the BDV-E770W / BDV-E570 Blu-ray Disc home theater systems, you'll be elated to know that those systems will also get a gratis 3D update in just a few months, with exact pricing and release details tucked down there in the source. Time to pick up a pair of 3D Gunnar Optiks, don'tcha think?
Samsung's 3D Blu-ray player available for preorder on Amazon: $399 - Update: Not anymore
It feels like we just left our shutter glasses behind at CES, but already a few of Samsung's new 2010 Blu-ray players (all featuring Internet@TV and Samsung Apps features) have popped up for preorders on Amazon, including the 3D playing BD-C6900. The company just announced 240HZ 3D LCDs have begun mass production and isn't waiting for the competition before diving in, issuing the first price we've seen for one of the new players at a penny shy of $400. Moving down the line the super slim and woodgrain textured, but 2D only, BD-C7500 is also $399.99, while the speedy BD-C6500 and its promised 15 second bootup time is set for $299. The entry level and eco-focused BD-C5500 is still unpriced but instead of asking whether you can afford the price of a 3D Blu-ray player, ask yourself if you can afford not to own a Blu-ray player with a hole in the top. The answer should be obvious. Update: Whoops, and now they're gone, disappearing from Amazon as quickly as they came. Will that pricing information stick? We'll wait for an official announcement, but they all seem probable from here. %Gallery-82060%
