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Amazon & iTunes drop digital download prices. Still cost too much
Apparently the two biggest providers of digital downloads are getting more aggressive with the pricing, but both are still far from enticing us. Obviously we're not the only ones not buying these overpriced, over-compressed videos, and for good reason. Part of the reason that this isn't enough is because we believe that the perceived value of digital delivery is actually less than packaged media. Not only do you not get something tangible to own, but also because you can't resale it and in general, there are less freedoms. But price isn't the only factor, as typically early adopters who'd be the first to jump on this wagon are also usually interested in quality. Which is only one of the reasons why Blu-ray is generating more revenue for Hollywood, instead of being killed by digital distribution. So in other words, consumers won't be willing to give up packaged media until digital downloads can deliver the same quality, value, features and selection. So yeah, a long, long time -- read as, not in the next two years.
Surprisingly, cheaper Blu-ray movies make everyone happy
According to VideoBusiness, Rentrak reports show a 10% drop in pricing on new releases to $23.47 and 1/3 lower pricing on catalog titles to $17.23. Still, that's apparently not low enough for some retailers, who hope to see high definition flicks priced just a few dollars above their DVD editions. Of course, while we're more than willing to pay $25 for Jerry Maguire on Blu-ray (love Tom Cruise, even jumping on couches) we can see how that would be problematic for some consumers. Still, an NPD analyst is quoted saying "price is a moving target" as mainstream buyers enter the market, where do you think the magic number for Blu-ray acceptance is?
Blu-ray releases on September 1st 2009
Still no new blockbusters as we creep closer to the Fall, but plenty of very solid catalogs. The top of our list is easily one of our favorite movies of all times, Bravehart. The next one, Gladiator, that might be on the top of your list is a skip though -- if you think it is a better movie than Braveheart, you're crazy -- because early reviews say it is one of the worst transfers ever and is actually barely a notch about DVD. Braveheart (Paramount) Gladiator (Paramount) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Ninth Season (Paramount) Bring It On: Fight To The Finish (Universal) Heroes: Season 3 (Universal) State Of Play (Universal) Monster (First Look) Sugar (Sony) Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner) Earth (Disney) High Crimes (Fox) M*A*S*H (Fox) The Girl Next Door (Fox) Life After People (A&E) The Crusades: Crescent & The Cross (A&E)
Goldmund enters universal Blu-ray player space in typically gaudy fashion
You knew it was only a matter of time before Goldmund jumped in on the Blu-ray bandwagon, and the result as just as ridiculous as you'd expect. The new Eidos Reference Blue -- yes, it's spelled with an "e" -- is a universal Blu-ray playback system that puts heavy (literally) emphasis on damping down all vibrations. Didn't you know that much like the needle on the old Edison cylinders you're still clinging to, those digital bits just hate to be shaken around? Well, the 180-pound Eidos Reference Blue will put a stop to that nonsense. High end decks from mere mortal companies have nothing on this player that must have been woven by especially dexterous unicorn hooves -- it's so exclusive that the 50 produced units will only be offered to Goldmund subscribers; if you haven't heard of said club, you won't be getting one. We all know the first rule of Goldmund club, right?
Poll: Will you buy a PS3 Slim to use as a Blu-ray player?
Finally, it's official and in our hands for a review. Now you decide, with the addition of HDMI-CEC, bitstreaming for the latest codecs, and in a quieter smaller case (although it might be a little slower loading, for now) the PlayStation 3 Slim is better and cheaper than ever for your home theater. So let us know, is that enough to get you to purchase one?%Poll-33905%
Australian PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit isn't as ultimate as you might expect
Sony's PlayStation 3 already only does everything, so what more could you possibly need? Australians can find out for themselves with the Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit. Don't let the name fool you, it's really just the PS3 remote and two discs, but at $60 AUD (that's $51 for US), it's only one Banjo Paterson / $10 AUD more than what the remote retails on its lonesome. Both bundles include 300 as the first film, so you're really choosing between 10,000 B.C. and Batman Begins. Not exactly a tough decision unless you already own Batman, but then again, you still might opt for a second copy instead. [Via Kotaku] Read - Batman Begins / 300 bundle Read - 10,000 B.C. / 300 bundle
The PS3 slim as a Blu-ray player covered in the Engadget review
If you've been considering making the jump to Blu-ray via a PS3 but even after the price drop you're still waiting to see how it fared as a movie player, then you should check out our review on Engadget classic. Most of the important details are covered, like its ability to bitstream the latest HD codecs or the power consumption at idle as well as while playing a Blu-ray Disc. Even the noise level was examined, which showed that the slim was about 10db quieter while watching a Blu-ray Disc -- which is actually a lot. In fact the only knock was that it was a little slower at loading discs than its older brother and the Bravia Sync wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Sony introduces five new feature-packed, confusingly-named Blu-ray DVRs
Now that Toshiba's getting in on the Blu-ray train, Sony needs to up its game. Enter a quintet of new players, each packing TV recording tech, overlapping feature sets, and seemingly nonsensical names. Starting at the low end is the BDZ-RS10, which sports a measly single digital tuner and 320GB worth of storage. Next up is the BDZ-EX30, adding a second digital tuner and a Blu-ray recorder into the action. Then the BDZ-EX50 moves up to 500GB of storage and adds PSP support, the BDZ-RX100 goes up to a full 1TB, and the BDZ-EX200 2TB. All but the lowest two support DLNA and can spin an hours worth of video to a PSP or X-1000 in under two minutes, meaning you could sync the entire Battlestar Galactica series in just over two hours and get your Cylon fix wherever you like.
Popcorn Hour C-200 launch nearly upon us, preorders start tomorrow
As you may have noticed, the new Popcorn Hour C-200 media box didn't quite make its anticipated July launch, but the company now says that as of 12 a.m. PST August 27, pre-orders will open allowing the willing faithful to put in a request for the first batch, anticipated to ship September 3 or thereabouts. Don't remember the June announcement? The $299 Sigma powered box takes HDD, Blu-ray discs, USB or network inputs of nearly any video or audio codec available and brings them to your living room. Since then, pics and video of the units guts and interface have leaked out on the forums, check after the break or beyond the read link for a better look.[Via MediaSmartServer.net]
The next Batman flick could be all-IMAX
It's absolutely no secret that The Dark Knight director Chris Nolan is a big fan of IMAX, the latest rumors indicate his third Batman flick could make the jump from part-time to full time. The IMAX scenes fom The Dark Knight came home in frame filling 16x9 to the delight of some and the ire of others, but perhaps a movie that didn't switch between aspect ratios would have a more universally positive response. Of course, Ain't It Cool News reports this could all fall through despite the best of intentions, but, are you excited by the potential of 100% IMAX feature films?[Via Splash Page]
Blu-ray releases on August 25th 2009
This post gets harder and header to write each week. We mean what is there really to say about a few old catalogs and a few TV shows. It's not that we don't think anyone is going to get excited about the latest season of Smallville on Blu-ray, it's just that we don't get excited about it. That's okay though as there is plenty left to watch in our queue as we wait for the fall, which not only brings with it lots of great new movies on Blu-ray, but new HDTV shows and football as well. Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season (Warner) Adventureland (Miramax) Duplicity (Universal) Fighting (Universal) The Informers (Sony) Rudo Y Cursi (Sony) Lie To Me: Season One (Fox) Children of the Corn (Anchor Bay) Sunshine Cleaning (Anchor Bay) Water Life: Planet Water (Questar) Water Life: The Big Blue (Questar) Water Life: Water's Journey (Questar)
Blu-ray rental availability lagging in Japan
A Reuters blog posting from Japan reports that even with strong Blu-ray DVR sales, discs are still tough to find on rental shelves and suggests that Japanese makers have been reluctant to commit to the format so far. We're Redboxing and Netflixing it up on this side of the Pacific so the (likely lonely) inside of a video rental store even in the U.S. is foreign to us, but perhaps some of our overseas living or traveling readers can tell us how the HD battle is going from their perspective? http://www.flickr.com/photos/chronovore/ / CC BY 2.0
The Wizard of Oz HD comes back to theaters September 23
Ahead of its remastered 70th Anniversary Blu-ray release, The Wizard of Oz is returning to the big screen in high definition. September 23 at 7 p.m. over 400 theaters will be showing the remastered version for the first time, plus the "To Oz! The Making of a Classic" featurette. If you go, take someone who thinks old films can't benefit from high definition.
Panasonic taking 3D, Avatar on world tour this fall
Instead of offering a tour of its 3D lab as we hoped, Panasonic is bringing 103-inch plasmas and 3D capable Blu-ray players to you, planning to send around tractor trailers to promote its technology and the new James Cameron flick, Avatar. IFA and CES will also get the full 3D experience, with the company still planning to put hardware on shelves in 2010. It expects HDMI 1.4 and Blu-ray 3D spec standardization to have the market primed and ready, and while 3D may not be for everyone, we're sure those interested are just waiting to toss those silly two-color glasses in the trash to get with this stereoscopic solution.
Transformers 2 Blu-ray packs special features inside & out October 20
The original Transformers saw feature packed releases on two different HD disc formats, so it's no surprise Paramount is planning a few new wrinkles for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Before even opening the box, Video Business notes an "augmented reality" box will let buyers use their webcams to access a special Transformers-related website, beating the Star Trek release with a similar feature to the shelves by a few weeks. Not impressed by that type of gimmickry? Actually inside the box is a DTS-HD MA soundtrack and two discs including plenty of Blu-ray exclusive bonus features like The ALLSPARK Experiment, Transformers Data Hub, Gian Effing Movie and The Matrix of Marketing. Michael Bay and the rest of the Blu-ray fans can enjoy it (including The Dark Knight-style IMAX sequences) on October 20, MSRP is $29.99. Read - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray Details and Cover Art Read - Transformers 2 first out with augmented reality
PS3 Slim bitstreams Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA audio, at last
Slowly, ever so slowly we're beginning to learn about the internal differences between Sony's new PS3 Slim and its chubby ancestry. We already knew that it supported BraviaLink while talk of "faster gaming" was introduced (suspiciously) yesterday; something that remains very much in doubt until we can confirm. Now we hear that the fatboy gone slim supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream output to your receiver. Hear that audio nerds? Bitstream. See the HDMI chip on previous generations of the PS3 didn't support bitstream output of the new(ish) high def codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. As such, the PS3 had to decode it internally before sending it over to your receiver via LPCM. A process that could garble the lossless audio depending on your setup. Even though the vast majority of people will never notice the difference (or even care), PS3 Slim owners can still kick back in smug satisfaction each time the TrueHD or DTS-HD MA indicators light-up on their receivers.
McIntosh sneaks MVP881BR universal BD player into its lineup
You didn't really think that McIntosh would let its sister company, Denon, court all the well-heeled Blu-ray shoppers, did you? The company that has long stuck by blue lighting has added the MVP881BR universal Blu-ray player (Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-A, DVD and CD) to its lineup; a perfect match for the company's Blu-ray ready MX150AV controller. As you'd expect from McIntosh, the specs are top-notch without being tech-laden, with Profile 2.0, onboard lossless decoding, analog outputs and 32-bit DACs making the cut. No word on bitstreaming support, but we'd be shocked if the McIntosh unit went missing a checkmark that the Denon flagship deck hits -- in fact, given the engineering that was poured into the Denon, we'd be surprised if the McIntosh wasn't a variation (including chiclet buttons) on the DVD-A1UDCI. No pricing info, but if you make it past the McIntosh velvet rope, money's not a problem.
Mitsubishi unveils REAL line of Blu-ray burning, super upconverting LCDs
Providing some competition for Sharp's DX series, Mitsubishi has taken the wraps off of its REAL Series LCD HDTVs, including a set with built-in hard drives and Blu-ray recorders, plus a few more that lack the recording, but throw in super resolution upconversion that claims to make even the worst SD look better than ever. Even if that's just hype, we hope it fares better than the company's ill-fated 120Hz processing. The 37- (1080p) and 32-inch (720p) BHR300 models feature their disc drives in the stand, rather than back-mounted approach of the AQUOS, plus 320GB HDDs, SDHC slot, plus i.LINK and USB connectors that let owners edit video from a camcorder on the TV before saving to disc or hard drive. The MZW300 models are all 1080p, in 40-, 42- and 52-inch sizes, with Diamond Engine Pro IV HD super resolution tech, the latest and most power efficient Diamond panel with 20,000:1 contrast ratio, built in 5.1 Dolby Digital decoder, virtual surround speakers and a talking program guide feature. These hit shelves in Japan in late October ranging in price from ¥350,000 ($3,705) for the LCD-52MZW300 to ¥200,000 ($2,117) for the LCD-32BHR300.
Panasonic in-dash HD nav system & Blu-ray player ready to ship, are you ready for the price?
Don't think you can sell the kids short anymore, keeping the Blu-ray copy at home and taking DVD rips on the road, now that Panasonic is ready to deliver its in-dash Blu-ray player and 7-inch HD screen packing nav unit in September. We got a good peek at these back in April and the specs haven't changed, with the Profile 1.1 Bonus View compatible CY-BB1000D taking care of Blu-ray duties and featuring the same UniPhier guts as the company's line of living room Blu-ray players. The CN-HX3000D is a WXGA 1280x720p 7-inch LED backlit widescreen display ready to play back media via standard HDMI, iPod connector, SD card or its digital TV tuner, powered by Windows Automotive with navigation duties assisted by Google Maps and Yahoo! Japan. The CY-BB1000D is ¥99,750 ($1,057) and the CN-HX3000D is ¥365,400 ($3,872), and both arrive September 10 in Japan. We'll let you decide if around 5 grand is a good price for the in car HD experience (might want to look at custom mounting a DMP-B15, $800 and you can take it with you.)Read - CYBB1000DRead - CN-HX3000D
Mitsubishi's new Blu-ray DVRs have you covered, from super resolution to VHS
Mitsubishi has always tried to take a different tack with its Blu-ray recording DVRs in Japan -- see its DVR-BF2000 model for evidence -- and we're sure someone's glad to see them going the extra mile with these latest three models. The DVR-BZ330 combines a 1TB hard drive with the super resolution upconversion that promises to pull additional information from low res video via its Diamond HD chip. If that bit of video magic isn't impressive(or believable) there's always the similar DVR-BZ230 sans-Diamond HD and half the hard drive space, while true back compat freaks should opt for the DVR-BV530 with VHS playback (no recording, we know you had an LP tape you've been saving.) Expect these to hit the streets in October from ¥180,000 ($1,915) for the high end DVR-BZ330 to ¥120,000 ($1,270) for the DVR-BV530.