Blu-ray Disc
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Blu-ray sales surpass 2 million in Europe
After officially surpassing the one millionth sold PlayStation 3 in the United Kingdom, the PS3 has done its part once again to reach another impressive milestone. The Blu-Ray Disc Association European Promotions Committee has announced that Blu-ray disc movie sales have now sold more than two million units throughout Europe.So far this year, Blu-ray holds a 79 percent share of all high-def movies sold across Europe. "DVD-Video was first introduced into Western Europe in 1997, and the following year some 230,000 DVD players were installed and 2 million discs were sold through," the association said. "In comparison, Blu-ray Disc made its first tentative launch in Western Europe in 2006, and the following year some 3.2 million PlayStation 3 consoles and 34,000 standalone players were installed, while 2.3 million Blu-ray discs sold through." That's a lot of fancy talk for: "Blu-ray is kicking ass and taking names." The BDA said its next goal is to "move Blu-Ray Disc into the mainstream," and it appears to be well on its way to reaching that goal.
Philips launches BDP7200 BonusView-enabled Blu-ray player
Philips has announced the second generation in its line of Blu-ray players with the BDP7200, sporting 1080p/24 and Deep Color support, and BonusView (aka Profile 1.1) picture-in-picture capability. The player can also upscale DVDs to 1080p, and control connected devices using the EasyLink HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) protocols. Philips will release the BDP7200 in April for a $349 price, putting it towards the low end on the Blu-ray player price list, but the one thing we wish Philips had let us know was the level of audio codec support, with no mention at all of DTS or Dolby's high-end audio formats.[Update: Also see our hands-on with the BDP7200.]Click on for a couple more photos
Panasonic to bundle Blu-ray players with plasmas at $500 discount -- 2 new players in January
Although coy with any detail, Panasonic just put the industry on notice with its Blu-ray plans for the US. In a move to double its Stateside market share, Panny will begin bundling Blu-ray players with their plasma TVs next week. The move specifically targets Circuit City and Best Buy among other big-box retailers and "may" result in a discount. This according to Masayuki Kozuka, a general manager in charge of the company's storage device strategy. We'll take that as a confirmed discount. After all, without a price drop, why bother -- it's not like profile 1.1 support will be the cause for that huge upsurge in sales. A Panasonic spokesman also said that they would release two new "higher-end" (read: more expensive) Blu-ray players in January. We'll likely hear more on that little nugget at CES.Update: Well, here you have it: Best Buy's offering a $500 discount off their 50- or 42-inch plasmas when purchasing the DMP-BD30K.[Thanks, Travis]
Pioneer, Mitsubishi develop LTH BD-R discs
While the HD DVD camp is busy with its 51GB disc, the Blu-ray side has a new creature of its own to talk about. Co-developed by Pioneer and Mitsubishi, the LTH (Low to High) BD-R reportedly utilizes an "organic dye recording layer," and is said to be a recognized format within the Blu-ray Disc Recordable Format v1.2 standard. Additionally, the two companies boast that this disc won't require "large-scale plant investments" to manufacture, which is music to the ears of anyone who enjoys lower costs. Regrettably, it sounds like existing Blu-ray drives won't play nice with the LTH BD-Rs as-is, but here's to hoping that firmware updates could fix that. Click on for a shot of a prototype drive gettin' cozy with one of the new discs.[Via CDRInfo]
Daewoo shows off Blu-ray Profile 2 player at IFA
Straight from IFA 2007 in Berlin comes Daewoo's surprise entry into the Blu-ray camp with the company's first player, the DBP-1000. Interestingly, even though Daewoo is probably more well-known for their Trutech ODM devices -- or even their autos -- this player supposedly supports the full 2.0 Profile for Blu-ray Disc, including BD Live internet functionality, picture-in-picture, and local storage. Pricing and availability are nowhere to be found, but it won't be soon enough for Blu-ray fans to see players with that interactive functionality built-in like competing HD DVD players have. Another picture after the jump.
Pioneer's BDP-LX80 Blu-ray player supports HD audio bitstream output
Pioneer just announced that Blu-ray Disc player with "HD audio bitstream output" they alluded to with the launch of their BDP-LX70. In what appears to be an industry first for BD players, the new BDP-LX80 supports bitstream output of both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD high resolution audio output over HDMI 1.3. Sorry, no DTS-HD Master Audio this time. Still, a worthy update from the LX70 assuming your home theater gear is properly matched to decode that signal. Something you'll want to check, and double-check, before dropping the tax inclusive roll of ¥210,000 or about $1,768. We could be wrong, but the move from the LX70 to LX80 appears to be a firmware change only so why all the fuss with a new model Pioneer? If true, then don't be surprised to find a hacked version of the firmware for the LX70 on the Internets soon enough. No word on a global launch -- Japan-only for now with a local release scheduled for October.[Via Impress]
Hitachi's DZ-BD70 and 30GB DZ-BD7H hybrid Blu-ray camcorders: global in October
In case you didn't believe 'em the first time, Hitachi is back with more, much more, on the world's first Blu-ray Disc camcorder. First off, we're looking at an August 30th launch in Japan (rest of world, October) of two models: the DZ-BD70 and DZ-BD7H hybrid which packs both an 8-cm BD writer and 30GB disk are priced at ¥160,000 (about $1,347) and ¥190,000 (about $1,600), respectively. As we heard, each packs a 5.3 megapixel CMOS sensor delivering 2.07 megapixel videos or 4.32 megapixel stills. That translates to about an hour of 1,920 x 1,080 MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video on a single-sided, single-layer 8-cm BD disc or 4 hours to disk -- more if you dial-back the resolution. Both feature HDMI and Firewire USB 2.0 jacks while the hybrid packs a convenient one-touch dubbing function to share your vids with all those gaming grannys with Blu-ray players of their own.%Gallery-5430%[Via Akihabara News, thanks MB] Read -- Press Release Read -- DZ-BD7H / DZ-BD70
Hitachi's world's first Blu-ray camcorders coming this year
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Meet the Blu-ray video cameras from Hitachi. Sure, at this point they're just non-functional mock-ups, but later in the year we can expect to see a series of camcorders featuring Hitachi's new 8cm BD/DVD drive bundled with a biggie, 5.3 megapixel CMOS sensor capable of recording at full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. In fact, Hitachi claims that their Wooo-branded camcorders could be introduced as early as Fall. The cams would record up to 7GB of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video on 8cm BD-RE/R media or 5 times less on 8cm DVD-RAM/RW/R discs. Uh, Hoozah? Picture of the actual drive mechanism after the break.[Via Impress]
Sharp's BD-HP20S: a (cheap?) no-nonsense Blu-ray Disc player
Somebody, somewhere has to get their hyperbole under control when calling this Sharp's "first" Blu-ray player. Fact is, we've already seen the Sharp BD-MPC70, BD-HD1000, BD-MPC10, BD-HP1 (hint: BD = Blu-ray Disc) devices. Now if what they mean is that it only plays Blu-ray discs (no recorder, no receiver, etc), well, why even bother? Regardless, their new BD-HP20S is expected to ship in the fall and features HDMI 1.3 output in support of Dolby TrueHD's raw bitstream form. It will also feature a "Quick Start" option which plays newly inserted discs in just seconds. As a stand-alone player, we do expect it to be Sharp's cheapest -- now that's noteworthy. [Via Blu-ray.com, thanks Dave]
Sony's BDP-S300 Blu-ray player now less than a PS3
Prices on next-gen optical HD players continue to plummet today with Sony's announced price drop on their new BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc player. At $499 list, it's now priced for $100 less than the Playstation 3 which currently reigns supreme as the cheapest (and noisiest) BD player on the market. In fact, the move might even cannibalize PS3 sales now that BD buffs have a cheaper source for HDMI 1.3 playback from a unit offering a traditional remote control and A/V stylings. It's still $100 $200 or so more than Toshiba's cheapest HD DVD player which recently shed a Benjamin in time for Father's Day. But hey Sony, Toshiba... it's not the price that's holding back interest. It's the uncertainty you've created by launching two essentially equal but incompatible formats onto the world of consumer electronics. If you don't get your houses in order soon, your problems won't be with each other. Rather, it'll be be those traditional and not-so-traditional CE players offering set top boxes with big disks and HD video on demand that form the roots of your demise.
Sharp readies world's smallest blue laser for BD and HD DVD
Sharp -- the company behind the world's largest LCD panel -- just introduced the world's smallest blue laser for next current generation optical players. Right, as in Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats -- your choice OEMs. Measuring just 3.3-mm in diameter, the GH04020A4G semiconductor will be available in ¥12,000 ($99) sample quantities starting June 13th before ramping up for mass production later in July. The device will suck 10mW from your laptop's battery while offering at least 10,000 hours of operation before giving up the ghost. [Via Impress]
Newest AACS circumvented: The Matrix Trilogy set free
Just in case you didn't already piece it together, many (if not all) of the new HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles set for release on May 22nd will feature the latest revisions to AACS. Right, the update hinted at by those forced user updates to the WinDVD and PowerDVD software. Yeah, well no worries... it's cracked. That's right, a week before the disks have even hit the shops, the kids over at Slysoft have already released AnyDVD HD 6.1.5.1 (beta) which kicks AACS MKB v3 swiftly to the curb. Thus you can continue to rip all your newly purchased HD DVD and BD flicks for playback any damn way you like. The update has already been demonstrated to work with an early-shipped release of The Matrix Trilogy on HD DVD and will likely work for Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest when it arrives on Blu-ray. Come on AACS LA, you're gonna have to at least try. Better yet, why not just give up this silly charade.[Thanks, Garth M.]
AACS patch for WinDVD, HD DVD and BD players: update or never watch movies again
In case DRM hasn't caused you -- the honest consumer -- enough pain already. Check it, you've got some required software updating to do now that Corel has introduced a patch to their cracked InterVideo WinDVD software. Best do it pronto too. According to Corel, "failure to apply the update will result in AACS-protected HD DVD and BD playback being disabled." That means no more hi-def movies for you, Mr. assumed criminal. Thing is, this is no ordinary patch since WinDVD exposed the hardware specific device key to video pirates. So not only are you required to update their janky WinDVD software, you also have to track down and install the paticular AACS patch for the HD DVD or BD player you own. Of course this only patches one flaw in the massively compromised DRM boondoggle. And just think, you can repeat the whole process again after hackers circumvent this latest attempt at "content protection." Isn't DRM nice?[Via Impress]
Optiarc unveils first Blu-ray players -- HD DVD says "uh oh"
The Optiarc mashup between Sony and NEC has spawned a new brood of DVD and Blu-ray Disc drives. For HD DVD lovin' NEC already seen dabbling in dual-format underpinnings, the addition of Blu-ray Disc drives to their product roster is a notable development in the format war and yet another possible sign of Blu-ray's emerging dominance. No less than four new Blu-ray devices for laptops were launched at CeBIT: the BD-5710S, the BD-5600S, the BD-5500S, and the BD-5500A. The BD-5500A (pictured above) writes at 2x to both single- and dual-layer BD-R, 2x BD-RE DL, 4x DVD-R DL and reads BD at 2x. Also notable is the AD-7191A 20x DVD burner which is also capable of 12x DVD-RAM, 8x DVD±R DL/+RW and 6x DVD-RW. With Sony owning 55% of the joint venture, we're not holding our breath for Optiarc HD DVD drives anytime soon. All the drives are expected to hit in the July timeframe.
Samsung's M55 laptop steps into the Blu
If you've been looking for a laptop big enough to hide behind then check this, the Samsung M55. Yeah, we've seen it before, only this time it comes packing Blu-ray not HD DVD. Otherwise, it's still the same ol' 17-inch laptop with 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, up to 120GB of disk and 2GB memory, 256MB of GeForce Go 7600 graphics, Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11a/b/g WiFi, and HDMI out for sharing the HD love with your XXL flat panel at home. Only this time, it's Blu-ray discs you'll be spinning to the bemusement of Toshiba. Yeah, "into the blue" Sammy... yuk yuk, we get it.
Sharp's AQUOS BD-HP1 Blu-ray HD recorder
The Blu-ray Disc camp just unrolled another: the BD-HP1 AQUOS hi-vision recorder from Sharp. Yes, it records, to single-layer (only) BD-R/RE in MPEG-2 format with AAC audio for about 2-hours and 10-minutes of 1080p video at 24Mbps. Of course, it will also playback DVD±R/RW and DVD-RAM discs as well. It comes packing 1x HDMI (presumably with Familink support), Japanese D4, S-Video, and composite video outputs; optical/coaxial digital audio; and support for 7.1ch sound. It also brings 2x Firewire allowing the BD-HP1 to augment your existing hard disk recorder set-up for BD dubbing. Hitting Japan like a mutated lizard for ¥150,000 (about $1,238) starting March 20th. [Via Impress]
We destroy a Blu-ray Disc
When we saw via Game|Life that some IGN forums goers had taken steel wool to a Blu-ray disc with no apparent damage, we thought, "we can do better than that." So we gathered up some convenient implements of destruction and saw how our free copy of Talladega Nights would stand up to a ballpoint pen, a pizza cutter and a butcher's knife (unfortunately, the disc broke down before we could rub crunchy cereal all over it.) Check out the video below, and keep watching to the end for some pyrotechnic bonus footage.
I-O Data's Rec-POT HVR-HD800R: add 800GB to your Blu-ray recorder
If you bought into a first gen Blu-ray Disc / HDD recorder you're probably feeling a bit shortchanged on the disk space what with that 1TB HD DVD/HDD recorder available from Toshiba. Don't sweat it, I-O Data's got your back with their D-VHS capable, 800GB Rec-POT HVR-HD800R which can augment the storage of either the Panny DMR-BW200 or Sharp BD-HD100 when connected over one of the 2x Firewire in/outs. No BD recorder? No problem, this Rec-POT is more than capable of taking care of the recording biz all on its own when snuggled up to the TV over HDMI. It even plays nice with your Firewire digital video camera as you'd expect. Hitting Japan in December for ¥89,000 (about $754) for the 800GB model, a bit less if you're only looking for another 250GB.[Via Impress]
Sony VAIO L gets Core 2 Duo and Blu-ray burner
The CEATEC show generated some more Sony next-gen optical news this AM with the announcement of the VAIO L, now with Blu-ray player and burner. While they were tinkering, Sony went ahead and slapped in a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo T7400 processor and gave the graphics a needed bump with an nVidia GeForce Go 7600. These additions to Sony's all-in-one PC with integrated TV-tuner will drive the cost up to ¥359,800 or about $3,058 when it hits the shelves in Japan starting November 6th. What, you do want Blu-ray don't you? [Via Impress]
Sony's VAIO R Master splits the tower
Come young grasshopper, it's time to meet the Sony VAIO R Master. Now, instead of looming over your desktop as a giant tower of yore, Sony has wisely spilt the VAIO R's innards into two smaller slabs connected via some USB/PCI Express magic. This allows you to arrange the clutter to your liking with up to 1.8-meters (about 6-feet) of tethered separation. The smaller of the boxes contains the most frequently accessed components such as BD drive and various memory card, USB, and Firewire slots while the fatter base holds the rest of the computing guts configurable with up to 4x 500GB SATA disks, a 2.96GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU, 256MB nVidia GeForce 7600GT graphics, a suite of analog and digital TV tuners, up to 3GB DDR2 RAM and plenty of PCI/PCI Express expansion slots to get you through a couple of product release cycles. All that and a bundled 24-inch, 1920x1200 pixel LCD connected over one of the base unit's two DVI outputs, one of which is HDCP-enabled, and plenty of software from Adobe and Sony to make the most of this multimedia powerhouse. And if you're quick, you can snatch the new R from the hand of Sony Japan starting October 28th for ¥192,000 (roughly $1,632) or more than ¥555,000 (about $4,717) fully equipped.[Via Impress]
