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Panasonic's DMP-BD35 / DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players hands-on
Sharp wasn't the only company showcasing a new duo of Blu-ray players at CEDIA, as Panasonic decided to whip up a couple as well just for kicks. The DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 were made official during IFA, but not until now has Panny shown them off to the wide-eyed public. As with the aforementioned Sharp duo, this pair is also hard to distinguish from one another at first glance. Unfortunately, neither are really worth sweating, but you can have a look over at Engadget HD if you just refuse to believe that.
Eyes-on with Sony's BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player
Sony's latest high-end Blu-ray player was sitting pretty at the outfit's CEDIA booth, so we did exactly what you figured we would -- stop by and snap some pictures. Though the unit wasn't exactly compact, the build quality seemed sufficient and the design was suitably simple. As you very well know by now, the gallery is over at Engadget HD.
Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player officially on the way, eventually
The Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player -- its first with BD-Live, featuring 4GB of storage -- is finally official. Blu-ray discs will have their video treated to Pioneer's 16-bit video processor, Marvell QDEO and Renesas processing, including 24p support, plus the company's Adaptive bit Length Expansion that claims it restores 8-bit color on disc to the original 16-bit studio master. The audio side is treated to eight Wolfson Audio DACs, delivering full decoding and bit-stream output for all those high-res audio formats the kids like so much in a truly superior fashion. Dual HDMI 1.3a outputs capable of splitting or duplicating the workload, RS-232C control and heavy solid steel construction just further the point -- if you'd like to pay more than the price of a PS3 for a fully featured Blu-ray player, here's a good reason. The only truly sad news is that the $2,199 price and "2008" release date remain unchanged.
Sony busts out VAIO JS, LV and RT all-in-one desktops, includes Blu-ray
We were already warned that Sony was gearing up to push the Blu-ray / HD recording abilities of its VAIO machines, and here's all the proof you need that it plans on keeping its word. Here at CEDIA, the outfit has unveiled a trio of new all-in-one desktop PCs -- not quite ready for an HTPC label, but definitely catering to the hordes of high-def junkies out there. The VAIO JS, LV and RT desktop models all boast at least an optional integrated BD optical drive, and surprisingly, each model is incredibly distinct. For instance, the budget-minded JS boasts a 20.1-inch XBRITE-ECO LCD alongside an integrated webcam and microphone for $1,000, while the LV includes a 24-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) screen, optional BD writer and built-in DVR functionality with up to 1TB of storage; furthermore, it offers an HDMI input for connecting your set-top-box or PS3. The $3,300 (and up) RT comes with a 25.5-inch Full HD LCD aimed at video editors, and there's also integrated digital TV tuners, HDMI in / out, up to 8GB of RAM and one of Intel's Core 2 Quad CPUs. The trifecta should arrive in mid-October for those interested, and there's one more luscious angle after the break.
Sony introduces $2,000 BD-Live-capable BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player
While some other manufacturers are churning out Blu-ray decks with price tags closer to the magical $200 mark, Sony's bucking that trend by aiming squarely at those with bulging wallets and even fatter egos. The November-bound BDP-S5000ES one-ups the BDP-S350 by being BD-Live-capable (as opposed to BD-Live-ready) and boasts an Ethernet jack, external flash memory port, a 1GB Sony Micro Vault Tiny (gee, thanks!), Quick Start mode for getting those BDs spinning quicker and an ultra-special 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." Infringing on Toshiba's latest playground is the highly-touted Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology, which unsurprisingly upconverts DVDs to 1080p in order to make the most of your splendid DVD collection. You'll also find niceties such as an RS-232C / IR input, BRAVIA Sync and an XMB-inspired user interface -- now, if only we could find the secret sauce that makes this package worth the $2,000 asking price. (Psst... full release after the cut.)
Sony Japan unveils latest Blu-ray recorders with CREAS upscaling
Japan has only a few weeks to prepare for the latest Sony 6X Blu-ray recorders, ready to hit the streets in a wide array of sizes and features. All pack BD-Live support as well as the company's latest "CREAS" upscaling technology -- Resolution+ vs. CREAS, fight! -- promising 14-bit "HD Reality enhancement" and "Super Bit Mapping for video" with only high end X series models seen fit to include DRC-MFv3 image processing already seen in the latest BRAVIA LCDs, plus the ability to transcode and transfer video to PSP / phone / walkman. From the high end BDZ-X100 (1 TB, ¥280,000, $2,574 U.S., September 27, pictured) to the bottom BDZ-T55 (320GB, ¥110,000, $1,011 U.S., October 10) there's a DVR to fit your 15 h.264 HD channels in here somewhere. wondering about a U.S. release? Don't hold your breath.
Dreamer, L2Digital team up to bring interactive TV, VOD to BD-Live Blu-ray players
While we haven't seen many truly inspired uses for BD-Live yet, we'll see if Dreamer's partnership with disc authoring house L2Digital can turn that around. L2Digital plans to use the Biddle platform to deliver video on-demand, social networking and "interactive TV" to any BD-Live enabled Blu-ray player. We're not sure if the company's envisioned end-run around your cable or satellite provider will be realized but we'll be happy to see someone try.
Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-ray player packs familiar specs, price
Samsung's upcoming BD-P2500 Blu-ray player promises BD-Live support out of the box when it ships in October, with its IFA announcement revealing identical specs and price ($499) to the Best Buy-exclusive BD-P2550 already on sale. Of course, with HQV video processing and a wealth of audio support including 7.1 analog output and PCM or bitstream audio for Dolby Digital, Digital Plus, TrueHD or dts soundtracks, and DTS-HD HR (after a firmware update) and DTS-HD MA bitstream support, that's not an entirely bad thing. Samsung, Panasonic, it's taken you this many generations to get a satisfactory spec sheet, now what about the price?
Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players officially official, still unpriced
Say hello to the successors of the short-lived Panasonic DMP-BD50, the new DMP-BD35 (above) and DMP-BD55 (after the break) check off every feature we can think of for a new Blu-ray player, complete with a slim profile (49mm high on the BD35) and hopefully low, low price thanks to a 45nm 3rd-generation UniPhier processor. Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD MA audio support, with internal decoding or bitstreamed output in full 7.1 (plus 7.1 analog audio outs on the DMP-BD55) on top of fully BD-Live / Profile 2.0 compatible hardware finally promise no-compromise hardware for Blu-ray buyers. Release dates and pricing information? Your guess is as good as ours, for now.
The Incredible Hulk Blu-ray brings Green Ray, BD-Live October 21
The Incredible Hulk Blu-ray is definitely getting a more thorough treatment than its barebones Hulk HD DVD distant cousin, packing U-control picture-in-picture and interactive features as well as a standard definition digital copy on a second disc. The 50GB Blu-ray disc includes the 1080p MPEG-4 encoded flick, a DTS-HD Master Audio track as well as BD Live chat, and scene sharing. Hopefully there's room for the hour+ additional footage hinted at by the director in previous interviews, but we're sure that won't stop fans from preordering to get the limited edition "Green Ray" 3D packaging.
Wall-E Blu-ray details seep out, it's unsurprisingly getting the royal treatment
To say that Wall-E was a hit for Disney would be grossly understating it, and that's evidenced by the robust Blu-ray release that's being primed for a November 18th release. Unsurprisingly, Disney and Buena Vista Home Entertainment will be releasing this one just before the holiday shopping season really gets going, and we have a hunch it'll probably do some record smashing of its own. The 3-disc BD package will include Digital Copy, Burn-E with Boards (PiP), Cine-Explor with director Andrew Stanton, Axoim Arcade: retro suite of video games with a twist and a few Blu-ray exclusive features including at least one that taps into BD-Live. So, are you going to hand over $40.99 (MSRP) to hear that sweetheart utter "EEEEEVVVAAAAAA!" once more?
Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player leaks out
Pioneer's last batch of Blu-ray players wasn't exactly earth-shattering, but if you're in the market for the highest of the high-end, it sounds like the upcoming Elite BDP-09FD might be worth waiting for. The first Pioneer unit to support Profile 2.0 and BD-Live, you'll also be getting 4GB of internal storage, eight independent D/A converters for each 7.1 channel (which means there are tons of receiver-caliber adjustments possible from the player), and 16-bit color output over two HDMI jacks. Should be out soon, for a whopping $2200.
Big Buck Bunny Blu-ray disc busts out 3 PiP streams, BD-Live
After giving HD DVD a proper send-off with Terminator 2: Ultimate HD-Edition, the Imagion AG team has thrown itself fully into the b's like Paul Pierce, preparing the Blu-ray release of Big Buck Bunny, another open source creative commons-licensed movie from the creators of Elephants Dream. How do you top being the first to do PiP on Blu-ray? With three separate picture-in-picture tracks give us a look at the original storyboards, 3D renders or the original rough renders from the production team's Blender software. The dynamicHD-live portion should be familiar to fans of the T2 release, using BD-Live access to TuneHD.net for constantly updated news, Big Buck Bunny-related websites and calibration settings. The disc packs in both BBB and Elephants Dream and should be shipping soon.
Best Buy unveils the Samsung BD-P2550
We've heard for some time that Samsung planned to have two Blu-ray players in its lineup, but it's been well over a year since there's even been a peep about the BD-P2400, now out of nowhere the BD-P2550 shows up at Best Buy stores all over the country for the premium price of $499. According to Best Buy's website, the new model has many of the missing features from Sammy's latest BD-P1500, like 7.1 analog outputs and the sought after Silicon Optix HQV video processing. What does appear to be missing though, is the elusive BD-Live, but with the included network connection and USB port, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine that either Best Buy failed to mention it, or it's coming in a firmware update. Although $500 Blu-ray players aren't for everyone, it's good to see Blu-ray manufacturers offering multiple models for those in need of premium features.[Via Format War Central]
Corel WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray Update Pack ready for download
Ooh, goodie! A full five months after Corel released its WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray application, the first major update pack has arrived. The unimaginatively named WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray Update Pack checks in at just under 50MB and size and promises to resolve the "Enable S/PDIF Out" / "HDMI output to speaker" issues while expanding the list of compatible commercial titles and enhancing compatibility for a slew of VGA chipsets within Windows Vista / XP. There's no direct mention of BD-Live support, but for those who purchased the original, why not give the update a go and report back?[Thanks, Tyler]
Panasonic prepping DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players?
This one sounds like little more than pure speculation, but word on the street has it that Panasonic will be following its recently released DMP-BD50 with two new players at CEDIA 2008. The DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 will purportedly feature a revamped UniPhier video processor and an Ethernet port for BD-Live compatibility. As for the latter, it'll also boast 8-channel analog audio outputs and isolation feet to reduce the effects of vibration. Obviously, no pricing details have been announced, but let's hope Panny shocks the world with a couple somewhat respectable stickers in just a few weeks.[Via CNET]
Neil Young's Archives Blu-ray collection gets November 3rd release date
Neil Young's Archives project, which will see his entire music collection from 1963 to 1972 spread out over a 10-disc Blu-ray / DVD box set, finally has a release date. After being announced at the JavaOne Conference this May, we've now learned that the set will hit shelves on November 3rd. Interestingly, a price is still eluding us, but we'd just go ahead and assume that 10 Blu-ray Discs won't be exactly cheap. Something to tide you over is waiting just past the break.
007: Casino Royale Collector's Edition first Blu-ray Disc to double-dip
Studios just love to re-release older titles just before a follow-up film hits the silver screen, and Sony's making darn sure it milks the 007 franchise for every dime it's worth prior to Quantum of Solace landing in theaters. Not only are six Bond classics slated to hit Blu-ray on October 21st, but now one of Sony's best-selling 007 BD titles will be joining 'em. Yep, 007: Casino Royale will be re-released in a Collector's Edition with seven hours of new material, free e-Movie Cash to catch the aforesaid QoS in cinemas, Bonus View picture-in-picture visual commentary with Director Martin Campbell and Producer Michael G. Wilson and a "Know Your Double-O" BD-Live-enabled multi-player trivia game. To our knowledge, this is the first Blu-ray title to double-dip, as we're not counting the whole Fifth Element fiasco as a true double release. Prepare to spend $38.96 for the 2-disc Blu-ray set or $29.95 for the 3-disc DVD package.[Thanks, Chris]
The Dark Knight Blu-ray to kick off social BD-Live features for Warner?
Batman and Sleeping Beauty might have something in common pretty soon, as DVDTown reports Warner Bros. is considering making The Dark Knight its first release with BD-Live features. If they're planning on testing for synchronized watching among groups with chat running alongside the movie, the summer's biggest flick (and w/ IMAX sequences already coming home) seems like a good place to start. All we can hope is that it comes out sooner rather than later, apparently some people have too much time on their hands.[Via MovieWeb]
LG's BD300 Netflix & Blu-ray box lightly stroked
Need some early impressions of how LG's BD300 Blu-ray / Netflix combo player feels from the couch? Crave got some seat time in front of the device last night, finding its handling of Netflix streams basically the same as the Roku Netflix Player, unfortunately with a much larger price tag. The remote's home button may also link up to music and photos from a PC or the USB port, while BD Live support is present and accounted for. Hit the read link for a few more details ahead of the September launch, and hope "well under $500" is more like $399 at most.
