Blu-ray

ZMS-08: world's first Blu-ray quality media processor for handheld devices

By Paul Ridden

19:05 November 11, 2009 PST

With the development of the ZMS-08 system on a chip, ZiiLabs is aiming to bring high performance media processing to low power devices. As well as allowing full Blu-ray quality 1080p video playback, the chip supports simultaneous HD encode and decode, 3D and 2D image processing and advanced audio. Read More

Wii 2 details leaked – full HD support and a 2010 release?

By Paul Lester

18:09 October 30, 2009 PDT

The rise and rise of the Nintendo Wii continues unabated and we’ve seen all manner of weird and wacky accessories released over the last year. With everything from bowling balls to exercise bikes popping up to complement associated games, it’s no surprise the console is a big hit with those who like gadgets and gimmicks, but aside from the MotionPlus we haven’t seen anything genuinely revolutionary since the original motion-sensitive controls... so it looks like it's up to the next-gen successor to truly re-imagine the Wii’s potential. Read More

Philips' Wireless HDTV Link transmits up to 1080p

By Jeff Salton

19:33 October 22, 2009 PDT

Philips' Wireless HDTV Link (SWW1800/27) replaces the cables that connect the HD cable set-top box, HD satellite receiver, Blu-ray player or gaming console to a HDTV and delivers up to 1080p picture quality at a range of 75 feet. This solution should appeal to viewers who have suffered from a lack of flexibility with their set-ups because of unsightly or too short cables. Read More

Pioneer BDR-205 12x Blu-ray disc writer the fastest so far

By Jeff Salton

18:59 October 5, 2009 PDT

The Pioneer Electronics BDR-205 Blu-ray Disc Computer Writer is the industry’s first and fastest model to feature up to 12x write speed for single and dual-layer Blu-ray discs, up from previous speeds of 8x. Pioneer says that when the unit is utilized with a properly configured PC, the drive’s Low Vibration Mechanism Design improves overall writing accuracy, especially for consumers and business people who need to preserve ever-increasing amounts of critical data, making it an ideal choice for authoring providers and system builders. Read More

Five new Alienware PCs invade the gaming market with aggressive looks and specs

By Dario Borghino

17:40 September 24, 2009 PDT

Demanding PC gamers could soon see their wildest dreams come true with the five new Alienware gaming rigs — a laptop and four desktop PCs — recently presented by Dell. From overclocked, liquid-cooled Intel Core i7 processors to the latest-generation NVIDIA GeForce graphics, these machines combine the very best of the industry for blazing fast performance and an unprecedented gaming experience. Read More

Samsung releases P410M and A600 projectors

By Dario Borghino

16:42 September 16, 2009 PDT

Samsung recently added two new projectors to its lineup, both featuring high image quality and a wide range of connectivity capabilities at a very interesting price. The very portable P410M is compact and lightweight, with direct USB connectivity for games and devices, while the high-end A600 offers full HD 1080p video suitable for home theater projection. Read More

Acer Aspire Z5610 is a serious all-in-one desktop

By Darren Quick

00:20 September 7, 2009 PDT

Acer unveiled a big brother to its recently-released Veriton Z280G all-in-one desktop at IFA 2009 in the form of the Aspire Z5610. The new all-in-one unit features a larger 23-inch multi-touch display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 5ms response time and 1000:1 contrast ratio. While the Veriton Z280G is more suited to basic home and office use, the Aspire Z5610 is aimed at more demanding multimedia users. Read More

Toshiba's flagship Satellite P500 for no-compromise multimedia

By Dario Borghino

23:21 September 4, 2009 PDT

When it comes to hardcore multimedia rendering and manipulation, Apple computers are traditionally considered among the best fit for the job. But the Cupertino giant could soon see its position menaced by Toshiba's latest Satellite P500, a flagship, high-performance laptop that puts multimedia enthusiasts at the core of its target. Read More

TOOB dome screen delivers IMAX experience at home

By Jeff Salton

23:12 August 27, 2009 PDT

Alexander McDonnell, founder of TOOB (Think Out Of Box) confesses to a fascination with the Mugar Omni Theater in his hometown, Boston – so he decided to build a mini-version for himself. The result is much smaller plastic half-dome screen that’s big enough for a couple of people to sit in front of to watch a movie or enjoy a video game. Read More

Sony Playstation fights back with the smaller, cheaper PS3 Slim

By Mick Webb

18:37 August 24, 2009 PDT

In a move set to shake things up in the ongoing gaming console war,

Sony has unveiled the overhauled Playstation 3. Dubbed the PS3 Slim, the unit features a revised cell processor, 120GB hard drive and is smaller, lighter and – yes – cheaper than its predecessor. Read More

Pioneer's new Elite AV receivers target high-end home theater

By Tim LeFevre

04:46 July 6, 2009 PDT

Pioneer Electronics US recently announced four new receivers to add to its Elite line-up, bringing greater clarity, detail and response to the high definition audio that Blu-Ray and HD DVD offer. The Elite SC-25 and SC-27 feature a Direct Energy HD Class-D amplifier, employing Pioneer’s ICEPower technology to ensure the levels of performance they expect from HD audio soundtracks. Read More

Sony offers new VAIO NW laptop with Blu-ray at affordable price

By Michael Mulcahy

06:34 June 22, 2009 PDT

Sony has released its new VAIO NW laptop, which comes with an optional Blu-ray player. The 15.5-inch widescreen display features Sony’s XBRITE-ECO LCD technology for sharper viewing but, helpfully, the notebook also has an HDMI output, so it can directly connect to a TV for that big-screen, high-def experience. But perhaps the laptop's most impressive feature is the price. Read More

Maingear Axess-HD Gamer: Get your game on in the living room

By Darren Quick

21:34 June 21, 2009 PDT

Maingear has added some gaming grunt to its line of high end Home Theater PCs (HTPCs) in the form the Axess-HD Gamer. Just like its stable mates, the Axess-HD and HD PRO, the HD Gamer sports a low profile design with aluminum case and optional OLED Front Panel Display that is designed to blend in with other home theater components. However, behind that stylish exterior lies a system built for gaming, an intention made more obvious by the inclusion of the Phantom Lapboard as standard. Read More

Bigger night in with Sony movieIQ and cinechat

By Paul Best

20:26 June 21, 2009 PDT

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment hopes to give BD Live – the feature that puts Blu-ray Disc (BD) players in touch with a web-load of online extras – a shot in the arm with the launch of movieIQ and CineChat – and one to its bottomline, as the blue-laser video platform begins to gain some traction, with US hardware sales ballooning 400 percent in first-quarter results. Read More

Media streamers – the future of home entertainment

By Paul Lester

19:00 June 21, 2009 PDT

In the not too distant future, the most essential set-top box for the modern home will not be the Blu-ray player, freeview box or even a satellite or cable receiver, but the home media streamer. While still at a relatively early stage of development, a streamer offers a similar service to the humble MP3 player in its ability to support playback of digital media formats, most notably video. So what exactly do these devices do, why are they so special and what do you need to look for before making your purchase? Read More

World’s first portable Blu-ray player claims a second first

By Darren Quick

03:16 June 17, 2009 PDT

The Panasonic DMP-B15, the world’s first portable Blu-ray player that first caught our interest at CES 2009, can lay claim to another first. It is also the world’s first Blu-ray player with DivX Certification. DivX compression technology enables over six hours of high-quality DivX video to fit on just one DVD without sacrificing visual quality. So even if your Blu-ray library is a little undersized, you might have to go for the optional 6-hour battery over the standard issue 3-hour job to make the most of your programming options. Read More

Bang & Olufsen announces the BeoVision 7-40 with Blu-ray

By Mick Webb

18:43 June 6, 2009 PDT

Bang & Olufsen has announced the release of the BeoVision 7-40 flat-screen LCD TV, incorporating a Blu-ray player and double-frame-rate technology. Read More

PC-in-a-vase does compute

By Darren Quick

02:40 June 4, 2009 PDT

Here at Gizmag we've covered some unusual gadgets over the years, but a computer hidden in a vase? What at first might sound like a joke, actually makes sense when you consider the once-humble PC is arguably more at home in the living room than the study as digital content and media have grown. Computer manufacturers have obliged by producing PCs designed to blend tastefully with the décor – but none of them blend as seamlessly as the PC-in–a-vase from Taiwanese manufacturer ECS. Read More

Panasonic's world-first portable Blu-ray player hits US shelves

By David Greig

00:48 June 3, 2009 PDT

The world’s first portable Blu-ray disc player, the Panasonic DMP-B15, showcased at this year's CES bash in Las Vegas, has finally it made it onto US shelves – with a price tag of USD$799.95. Read More

Hands-on: LG's BD370 Blu-ray player

By Loz Blain

01:12 May 27, 2009 PDT

LG clearly has a vision where home entertainment is going and it is pressing ahead into the connected TV world by making sure that even its affordable entry-level products are shipping with some very cool new features. We've just spent a week with the LG BD370 Blu-ray player, which features LAN and USB connectivity, YouTube video streaming, Netflix downloads and BD Live content downloads. It's a fair swag of add-ons for a simple Blu-ray player, but perhaps the BD370's greatest strength is how well it does the basics. Read More

LG's Wi-Fi enabled BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player

By Darren Quick

23:36 May 21, 2009 PDT

At CES earlier this year LG signaled its intention to release stablemates for its first entry into the Blu-ray player market, the BD300. Having already delivered the BD370 earlier this year, LG continues to expand its Blu-ray offerings with the BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. The new player includes all the bells and whistles of the BD370 and adds expanded online content, wireless connectivity and 1GB of built-in storage to the mix. Read More

China launches rival to Blu-ray

By Paul Best

19:23 April 29, 2009 PDT

Chinese electronics manufacturers TCL and Shinco have launched the first generation of players for China’s own newly developed high-definition video format, China Blue High Definition (CBHD), which is set to rival the existing Blu-ray disc (BD) technology and galvanize the local market. While CBHD and BD have features in common – both use a blue-violet laser to read 12cm high-capacity optical discs – the main difference is centered on price. In China, CBHD players are expected to retail for up to 40 percent less than the cost of BD players. Read More

GE develops 500GB disc using holographic technology

By Darren Quick

22:05 April 28, 2009 PDT

Many pundits proclaimed Blu-ray would be the last optical disc based storage medium we would see before the seemingly inevitable move towards Flash-based drives and online storage. Apparently GE isn’t buying into that prediction, forging ahead with the development next generation optical storage technology that can store a massive 500GB of data before Blu-ray has even gained widespread adoption with consumers. Read More

Timeline series notebooks lead Acer's product avalanche

By Darren Quick

01:10 April 9, 2009 PDT

Looks like Acer’s product developers have been slamming down the Red Bulls with a raft of new products being announced including the Timeline energy-efficient series of notebooks, the first small-form-factor PC based around NVIDIA’s Ion platform, a new netbook, and a notebook or three. Let’s get to it. Read More

LG's 2009 Audio/Visual range: connectivity, convergence and clean, clear interfaces

By Loz Blain

23:16 April 2, 2009 PDT

LG's latest Audio/Visual offerings are moving down the path of connectivity and convergence, and delivering some very nice user interfaces. LG's new "Technology Design Centre" made its debut at the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix on the weekend where the Korean company introduced its PS80 big-screen plasma "Time Machine" TV, with built-in hard drive and digital video recording, its YouTube-capable super-fast BD370 Blu-ray player, its HB954WA 1000w home theatre 5.1 system, tuned by Mark Levinson and featuring wireless rear speakers, and the LH50, an ultra-quick 200hz LED-backlit LCD TV that intelligently adjusts picture controls according to the ambient light conditions in the room. Read More