Blu-ray player
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Blockbuster OnDemand en route to Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and home theater systems
Questionable longevity or no, Blockbuster's taking some strides to get itself firmly into the video on demand business, and this latest announcement will go a long way with that. The company announced that it's integrating its OnDemand service into Samsung HDTVs, home theater systems, and Blu-ray players starting Fall 2009. Better still, those with LED HDTVs series 7000 or above, LCD / Plasmas series 650 or above, and select 2009 Blu-ray players / theater systems can get the service later via firmware update. It's still got a ways to go if it wants to catch up to Netflix, but every little bit helps, right?
OPPO's long-awaited BDP-83 universal Blu-ray player now shipping
It's been a long (long!) time coming, but we're thrilled to finally be able to say that OPPO's multifaceted BDP-83 is shipping en masse to those willing to part with five bills (or $500, for those working without conversion tables). During our time with the player, we were duly impressed with most every aspect, and if you're still on the hunt for a Blu-ray player that can spin DVD-Audio and SACD on the side, you'll be hard pressed to find a better option than this. So, who's taking the plunge?[Via High-Def Digest]
ASUS unleashes USB 2.0 Blu-ray drive -- government denies knowledge
ASUS has taken a pretty basic USB Blu-ray drive and given it a fine veneer of high-gloss looks. The SBC-04B1S-U isn't fancy stuff -- 4.8x maximum Blu-ray disc reading, 8x DVD burning, a USB 2.0 connection, and Windows (but not OS X) compatibility. The bright blue 'X' on the side also flashes and has a dedicated app just to control its brightness. None of this will help, of course, when the strobing 'X' attracts the attention of the entire underground world of paranormal conspiracy theorists to your bedroom as if you threw up the alien Bat-Signal -- but, you know, whatever. There's no word yet on pricing or availability for this attractive, skinny dude.[Via SlashGear]
Vizio's VBR100 Blu-ray player is a $188 Wal-mart exclusive next month
We still don't know what it looks like, but during its line show, Vizio let slip that the sub-$200 VBR100 Blu-ray player announced at CES is now scheduled to come to Wal-mart only in July. For $188 (just not that cheap anymore) Wal-mart shoppers can expect a BD-Live ready (with optional 1GB+ USB thumbdrive attached) player, though no details on codec or output support. Don't shop at Wal-mart for philosophical reasons, quality concerns or fear of being trampled during an early Black Friday rush? A similar VBR110 model should follow, coming to other retailers around November/December, just in time to match with that brand new WiFi connected Netflix / Amazon / Twitter etc. widget packing LCD.
Sharp BD-HP22H takes a green approach to Blu-ray in the U.K.
The UK is getting its own taste of Sharp provided BD-Live Blu-ray playing tech with the BD-HP22H, complete with DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD and 1080p24 support. Still, to get buyers to come up with the £199.99 pricetag, its touting a 0.7W/standby 20W/playing energy rating. Buyers should be able to decide if that's worth a few quid later on this month.
Harman Kardon brings Blu-ray to America with BDP 1 deck
See that player right there? It looks really familiar, doesn't it? Aside from a power adapter that's suited for use in the United States of America, it's essentially the BDP 10 sans a zero. Shortly after announcing its first Blu-ray deck overseas, Harman Kardon has seen fit to offer up a model here in the States, with BD-Live functionality, a USB socket, HDMI 1.3a, Ethernet, IR-remote in / out jacks, optical / coaxial digital audio outputs and support for all the major audio formats. The pain? $499, and it should start filtering into retailers as early as this month.
Pioneer's Blu-ray player trio gets official in the US
Well, that didn't take long, now did it? Right on the heels of the UK announcement, Pioneer's trifecta of Profile 2.0 Blu-ray decks -- the BDP-120, BDP-320 and pictured BDP-23FD (known as the BDP-LX52 in European trim) -- got their official US intro to the tune of $299, $399 and $599, respectively. The specs from the January peek at these models remain intact, but covering three price brackets requires some points of differentiation; in this case provided by various video processing magic, onboard persistent storage for the BDP-320 and BDP-23FD, and missing 7.1-channel analog outs on the BDP-120. Oh yeah, and you just know that the BDP-23FD gets that swank Elite badging.
Pioneer brings more affordable Blu-ray options to UK
Pioneer has introduced a familiar trio of Blu-ray players to the British market -- entry-level, midrange and a high-end LX model. The company is going to kick things off in the middle in June when the BDP-320 (pictured) shows up on shelves wearing a £400 MSRP, followed in July by the appearance of the £550 BDP-LX52 and £270 BDP-120 for those who need more luxury or cash, respectively. All models are Profile 2.0 and lossless codec support, but it doesn't look like the UK-spec models of the BDP-120 and 320 don't seem to carry the 7.1-channel analog output thats the US models do, so it's either pony up for the LX52 or go the Bitstream route, friends. Persistent storage is handled by an 2GB USB flash drive for BDP-120 buyers, the other two models have onboard storage.
Pioneer BDP-V6000 is a Blu-ray player for the pros
Filling your need for 1080p sources in digital signage, museums, video walls, houses of worship, public displays, nightclubs, opium dens and broadcast, Pioneer has taken the wraps off of the BDP-V6000 professional Blu-ray disc player, complete with RS-232C support, "enhanced search" through a disc's menus and time code, Pro GUI, BD-Live and rack mount kit. No price, though interested buyers should expect a September launch, though you can get an in-person demo at Infocomm later this month. If you prefer your high res video from SD/SDHC cards, Pioneer's also announced the HD-V9000, ready for stand alone operation or control via RS-232C or over a network for high end applications, no price tag or final specs on that one, though it is due in early 2010.
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.
LG's HR400 Profile 2.0 Blu-ray recorder gets outed
So, why can't Yanks get ahold of these Blu-ray recorders again? All pent-up rage aside, what we're looking at above is LG's yet-to-be-formally-announced HR400, a Blu-ray recorder that will evidently be aimed initially at the European market. Packing BD-Live (Profile 2.0) support, a built-in DVB-T TV tuner and YouTube compatibility, this deck also arrives with 160GB of internal hard drive space for holding OTA recordings. Heck, this thing can even play back DivX HD files, stream media clips from other places on your network and upscale DVDs to 1080p. Is all that worth €599 ($852)? We're saying no, but you and your wallet can make your own darn decisions.
Samsung BD-P1600 Blu-ray player review
Samsung's sixth generation player is close to what some would call a complete player. It features support for all the audio codecs Blu-ray supports as well as internet streaming services such as Netflix and Pandora. The really interesting new feature is the fact that it supports a Wifi dongle, which to most means they can actually take advantage of the included internet features as well as BD Live -- this is because most don't have wired internet connections behind their TV. Of course the main point of the device is to play Blu-ray discs and we're happy to say that despite all the new features, the player doesn't lose focus on its core functionality.
LG's WiFi-enabled, DivX-friendly BD390 Blu-ray player now shipping
LG continues to up its game in the Blu-ray department, first shipping the planet's first Netflix-enabled BD deck and now shipping the planet's first DivX HD 1080p certified player. Yep, the BD390 -- which was originally unveiled back at CES this year -- is now making its way out to eager consumers, boasting an 802.11n WiFi module and support for DivX streaming from a DLNA server. The pain? $399.95, but at least that includes BD-Live support, 7.1-channel audio output, 1GB of inbuilt memory and a USB 2.0 socket.
Flight Display Systems shows off the first Blu-ray player for planes
With Blu-ray coming to our automobiles it's only proper that we should enjoy the same accoutrements in the air. Currently on display at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE)Flight Display Systems has been shipping these out since April -- sorry for the delay in noticing, but we had to ditch the Engadget Force One for flight sharing, you know how it is -- to all those willing to pay the $4,879 price tag. For that price you can expect this beauty to slide in right where a DVD player used to fit, providing up to 1080p Blu-ray and DVD playback, an interface to Flight Display Systems Cabin Management System controls, IR remote or RS-485 control, plus Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio decoding. If discs aren't up to par for your Gulfstream, check after the break for the Jet Jukebox HD media server, sending up MPEG-1, -2 and -4 encoded video at up to 1080i resolution for $6,055.[Via Flight Global]
Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray player casually arrives at Best Buy
One of our tipsters spotted Sony's latest Blu-ray player on a local Best Buy shelf sporting a $299 price tag. The BDP-S360 adds the DTS-HD MA decoding you were missing from the previous model, plus improved DVD scaling and out of the box BD-Live support. Of course one has to ask themselves if, in 2009, a player lacking the Netflix streaming or Amazon VOD features of competing hardware, or the DLNA streaming and integrated WiFi of the upcoming BDP-S560 is really worth braving these H1N1-infested streets, but we'll leave that choice up to you.[Thanks, RyanD]
Philips announces US availability for 2009 home entertainment line (with hands-on!)
Philips may be dodging the North American sector with its flashiest of products, but it's still showing the Yanks in attendance a little love on the home entertainment front. Today in a meeting in NYC, the outfit revealed US pricing and availability for its entire 2009 family, most of which was quietly introduced in January. Starting things off are the 6000 and 7000 Series of HDTVs, which just so happen to pick right up where the previous models left off in 2008. The 6000 Series will arrive in 32-, 42- and 47-inch flavors for $799, $1,399 and $1,699, respectively, while the 7000 Series goes 42-, 47- and 52-inch for $1,499, $1,799 and $2,299, also respectively. While checking these very sets out, we noticed that the factory settings left the colors a bit blown out and overly sharp -- though, this practice is far too common in HDTV companies anyway. Nothing like wowing those Best Buy shoppers at first, only to sear their retinas at home, right? All kidding aside, the panels looked superb, and the A-B comparison mode made tweaking the settings a breeze. Hop on past the break for the rest of the details, and give our gallery a glance for a closer look at the whole lot.
Samsung's slim BD-P4600 Blu-ray player gets reviewed
Samsung's new BD-P4600 Blu-ray player certainly impresses on first glance and, according to the folks at CNET, it has quite a bit more going for it than just good looks, even if it's not entirely without its share of faults. On the upside, the player and its HQV like image processing can apparently hold its own when it comes to the all-important question of image quality, and it packs no shortage of non-Blu-ray features as well, including Netflix and Pandora support, a bundled WiFi USB dongle, 1GB of on-board memory, and support for media streaming off a connected PC. Unfortunately, that protruding USB dongle does cramp the style of the player somewhat and, while the PC streaming is certainly welcome, it can apparently be a bit of a chore to get set up properly. Of course, there's also the small matter of the $500 price tag, although CNET says Samsung's cheaper BD-P3600 model should provide an adequate, if slightly less slim substitute for those looking for some more bang for the buck.
Vizio's VBR100 Blu-ray player delayed until August
Ruh roh -- bad news for those holding tight for Vizio's entrance into the Blu-ray world. After April came and went with nary a hint of the firm's VBR100 Blu-ray player shipping, we decided to inquire about its status. The outfit's primary press contact informed us that it now "looks more like August at this point" in terms of a ship date, and we're still waiting to hear back on the whos, whats, wheres and whys. We're crossing our fingers that late summer will bring more features and a lower price point in exchange for our patience, but we aren't getting our hopes up too high just yet.Update: According to Vizio, there won't be any changes made in the unit while we wait. Bollocks.
Panasonic updates firmware for discontinued DMP-BD35 BD player
Just because it's dead and buried doesn't mean the DMP-BD35 isn't lingering in the minds of Panasonic engineers. Don't believe us? Have a look at the latest firmware update to emerge from its labs, dated 3/31/09 and meant for the aforementioned BD35/BD35PC. Of course, the 28MB download doesn't do an awful lot -- it just improves stability for decoding HD audio and all around playback -- but it's definitely not bad for the grand total of $0.00. If you're ready to stop being mad and start updating, give the read link a look.[Thanks, John]
Samsung's 2009 Blu-ray player lineup officially priced
When Samsung's 2009 Blu-ray player lineup was outed at CES this year, all pricing and release date information was conveniently omitted. At long last, Sammy has pushed out the details we've been waiting for at its Spring Fever event in New York City. Granted, the BD-P3600 and BD-P1600 are already on store shelves for $399.99 and $299.99, respectively, but we figured it prudent to pass along those official numbers straight from the source. Of note, we're also told that the ultrathin BD-P4600 will indeed be coming in April for $499.99, and if Best Buy's website is to be believed, it'll be April 19th if we're talking specifics.
