3D, movies, games, players
Archive for May, 2007
PS3 Boosts European Blu-ray Sales
May 22nd
Prior to the release of the PS3 in Europe, HD DVD was comfortably outselling Blu-ray discs on a weekly basis. But now, less than two months since PS3′s release, Blu-ray has gained a 64% share on the year, and consistently outsells HD DVD weekly. Specifically, last week’s data shows Blu-ray having a weekly sales ratio 3-to-1 over HD DVD, a ratio Blu-ray in the US has only managed once (when Casino Royale was released).
Funai to produce inexpensive Blu-ray players
May 22nd
Low cost electronics manufacturer Funai (who make components for such low costs brands as Sylvania, Emerson, and Magnavox), has revealed in their latest financial report that they plan to launch a Blu-ray player. With 52% of the DVD player/recorder market in the US, it is very likely that a low cost Blu-ray player would be widely adopted, similar to the success Funai continues to have in the DVD market.
80 GB PlayStation 3 Could Land in South Korea
May 22nd
Rumors are swirling again about an 80 GB version of the PlayStation 3, reportedly to be sold only in South Korea. Sony offered no comment. What would cause the console maker to offer up a super-sized video game system only to South Korea? The answer to that could be per-capita broadband use and accessibility, where South Korea ranks near the top.
Primera Disc Publishers Burn on 50GB Blu-ray Discs
May 21st
Primera Technology has integrated Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray Recordable Drives in its Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publishers.
Both Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publishers are currently available with the Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray Recordable Drives, offering a native capacity of up to 2.5TB.
The Panasonic SW-5582 drives record onto CD-R, DVD+/-R (single and dual layer) and BD-R (single and dual layer).
Instead of manually burning and printing CDs, DVDs and BDs one at a time, the Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu automate the entire process. A robotic mechanism is used to transport discs into the built-in Panasonic recorder. After recording, each disc is individually printed in full-color at up to 4800 dpi resolution.
Emerging markets for Blu-ray Disc media include broadcast, video and film production, backup and archival, gaming and more.
The Bravo SE Blu sells for US$2995 (MSRP) and Bravo XR-Blu sells for US$5295 (MSRP). Both units are available immediately through Primera’s resellers and distributors.
Marantz releases VP-11S1H 1080p projector with HDMI 1.3, also offers upgrade
May 21st
Marantz has released a new version of its VP-11S1H 1080p DLP projector, one which adds some HDMI 1.3 goodness with 12-bit Deep Color — and the best part is that the price point is even the same as the older model. At this point, all the people who bought the previous 1,890,000 Yen ($15,700 US) device should be weeping at the thought of having their high-end projector become last year’s has-been, but Marantz has done the right thing and offered an upgrade!
Environmentalists in the UK want to tax plasmas for wasting electricity
May 21st
Plasmas don’t get any love these days, if people aren’t complaining about the theoretical possibility of burn-in or the fading of colors, it’s something else. Now some environmentalists in the UK are proposing an additional tax on plasmas TVs to reflect their “greater climate change burden”.
Hitachi to produce 200GB Blu-ray disc in 2009
May 21st
As there will still be a need for big optical discs to store those movies, Hitachi plans to offer an 8-layer Blu-ray disc capable of storing 200GB of data. While this seems like a lot today, by the time it hits the market in 2009 it might not seem like much at the rate hard discs capacity is increasing…
Panasonic Announces DMP-BD10A
May 15th
Riding the wave of huge success generated by their first Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD10, Panasonic has announced the availability of an updated version: the DMP-BD10A.
Technically, the player is exactly the same as the BD10, featuring an HDMI connection, 7.1 analog outs, and decoding for DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD. The big difference comes with the price tag; the SRP has been set at $600US…
Toshiba HD-A20
May 14th
With the first year of the format war under our belt, the second generation hardware is starting to hit the streets and Engadgethd.com had a chance to spend some quality time with the new Toshiba HD-A20. The A20 fits nicely in the Toshiba HD DVD player lineup, offering 1080p60 output, the Silicon Optix Reon chip and HDMI 1.3 without the price of the HD-XA2.
Mitsubishi launches eight 1080p LCD HDTVs
May 14th
Mitsubishi is rolling out a load of HDTVs today, starting with no less than eight thin-frame (i.e. low-profile bezel) 1080p LCD HDTVs.
133 series 1080p sets include the 40-inch LT-40133 ($2699), 46-inch LT-46133 ($3399), and 52-inch LT-52133 ($4499), and feature x.v.Color, PerfectColor, Easy Connect, and three rear HDMI 1.3 Inputs. (The 40-inch 134 series LT-40134 ($2899) also features PerfecTint, and adds NetCommand and a side HDMI 1.3 port.)
144 series sets include the 46-inch LT-46144 ($3899) and 52-inch LT-52144 ($5099), and also feature PerfectColor, a component side input, and Smooth120Hz for 120Hz refresh rates.
244 series sets include the Diamond LT-46244 ($4499) and Diamond LT-52244 ($5699), and feature Smooth120Hz, PerfecTint, CableCARD slot, TV Guide Daily, NetCommand, and a side HDMI input.
