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Blu-ray
Sony offers new VAIO NW laptop with Blu-ray at affordable price
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
Dell’s all-in-one Studio One 19 PC with multi-touch
By Darren Quick
20:46 March 12, 2009 PDT
Dell has embraced the migration of the PC from the study with their new all-in-one Studio One 19 system that is designed to be as home in the living room or kitchen as it is in the study. The new system features optional multi-touch and facial recognition security capabilities, the option of Intel Celeron, Dual Core Celeron, Pentium Dual Core, Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad Core Processors, either nVidia GeForce 9200 or GeForce 9400 integrated graphics and up to 4GB of RAM. Read More
OWC updates Quad Interface external Blu-ray drive range to 8x
By Matt Kennedy
22:16 February 26, 2009 PST
Other World Computing (OWC), known to many of us as macsales.com, has added an 8x Blu-ray drive to the Mercury Pro external Blu-ray/SuperDrive line - currently the only “Quad Interface” (FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, & eSATA) equipped Blu-ray drives on the market. Read More
Blu-ray licensing changes offer hope for cheaper players and discs
By Darren Quick
20:34 February 26, 2009 PST
Even though Blu-ray has claimed the honors in the format war with HD DVD, it has failed to set the world on fire in terms of widespread adoption. One of the major factors for this slow uptake can be attributed to the high prices of not only Blu-ray players and recorders, but also the discs themselves. But plans announced by Sony, Panasonic and Philips to create a simplified licensing process for Blu-ray discs could see this change. Read More
Hybrid game/movie Blu-ray discs coming to the PS3 this year
By Tim Hanlon
19:01 February 12, 2009 PST
There's a lot of space on a 50GB Blu-ray disk. So much so that many PlayStation 3 developers are padding up to 50% of it with the data equivalent of whitespace, pushing content to the outside of the disc to decrease load times. Sony plans to change this with a hybrid movie/game disc, and expects at least two titles on shelves by the end of 2009. Read More
Philips 56-inch LCD packs a 21:9 aspect ratio
By Darren Quick
02:18 February 2, 2009 PST
As all aspect ratio snobs know, the 21:9 cinema screen aspect ratio was developed to mimic our own peripheral vision and therefore provide a more immersive viewing experience. Recognizing this Philips has unveiled the world’s first cinema-proportioned LCD TV dubbed the Cinema 21:9, which features a 21:9 aspect ration 56-inch screen and Philips’ Ambilight technology to deliver what it says is the most completely immersive home viewing experience possible. Read More
Panasonic's 3D Full HD TV system
By Darren Quick
22:42 January 28, 2009 PST
With the head of LG Display recently quoted as saying that flat-panel LCD prices have bottomed, the world's electronics manufacturers are looking for the next big thing to keep the coffers ticking over. With a number of companies rolling out various 3D TV technologies over the years, it’s obvious that many think that this will be the next big thing. Panasonic is one such company that has spent a lot of time and money investing in 3DTV. The fruit of its labor: the world’s first 3D Full HD (3DFHD) Plasma Home Theater System. Read More
Cambridge Audio’s Azur 640 Blu-Ray player and Version 2 AV receiver
By Tim LeFevre
03:45 January 19, 2009 PST
On show at CES 09 this year was Cambridge Audio’s latest offering to the Blu-Ray player market, the Azur 640BD. As this is the company's first Blu-Ray offering they’ve released a Version 2 update of their Azur 640R AV Receiver that partners nicely with their new player. Read More
World’s first portable Blu-ray player
By Mike Hanlon
15:38 January 10, 2009 PST
Panasonic introduced the world’s first portable Blu-ray Disc player at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show and it’s not as lame as you might at first think. It’s already copped criticism for being pointless , but there’s more to it than being able to watch Blu-ray disks on an 8.9 inch WSVGA screen for three hours. Plug it into an Ethernet connection and you have movies on demand via VIERA CAST and BD-Live, plug it into a HDTV and you have a standalone Blu-ray Disc player, and if connected to an HD-Audio compatible AV receiver with a home theater speaker system it delivers outstanding surround sound too. As it has an SD Memory Card slot it becomes a convenient reviewer of digital photos, as well as a player for HD video recorded on an SD card. There’s even an optional headrest mounting bracket for in-car use, which makes this a mighty useful tool whether you have children or not. Read More
The Top 50 Best Selling Blu-ray Players
By Tim Hanlon
18:13 December 19, 2008 PST
If you're not too keen on the idea of using a games console as your Blu-ray player, we can help - even if your budget is less than US$180. Here's a list of the best selling Blu-ray players on PriceGrabber right now, with links to the places offering the best prices available on the net. Read More
High Definition Audio explained
By Tim LeFevre
20:28 December 11, 2008 PST
High definition TV’s and displays offer obvious visual benefits over conventional standard definition sets, but what about the audio side of things? Along with the Blu-Ray and HD DVD formats have come new high definition sound formats to match their high quality picture. To understand what these new high definition audio formats have to offer, it’s important to know how that digital information is stored and transmitted in the audio visual world. Read More
New releases on Blu-ray: December 9, 2008
By Tim Hanlon
17:03 December 8, 2008 PST
This week brings a relatively huge number of new releases on Blu-ray, including the eagerly awaited Batman movie The Dark Knight, kid-friendly Horton Hears a Who! and cult comedy classic Super Troopers. Read More
Robert Ferry
- July 3, 2009 @ 15:42 UTC
