Sharp has announced [JP] the BD-AV70 for the Japanese market today, a Blu-ray recorder that stands out with a number of features. Perhaps most importantly, the device is just 35mm thin, which makes it the thinnest out there, according to Sharp. → Read More
Panasonic today announced [JP] the DIGA DMR-BF200, which, according to Panasonic, is the smallest DVR integrating both a Blu-ray recorder and an HDD out there. The device is sized at 65×210×194mm, weighs 2.2kg, and can be placed vertically or horizontally. → Read More
Sony will release the official <2010 FIFA World Cup 3D Blu-ray documentary on November 16. You'll need a compatible Blu-ray player as well as a 3DTV to get the most out of the film. → Read More
A simple question: how many examples can you name where technology can be argued to have ruined a movie or TV show or book? I ask this because The Blair Witch Project was released on Blu-ray on Tuesday (well, widely released—it had exclusively been in Best Buy for a few weeks now), and having recently seen the movie (sometime in the summer) I can say this: in today’s world of GPS’d smartphones, like your iPhone or Android-based phone, the movie patently doesn’t work. → Read More
Sure, writing to discs seems kind of retro at this point, but it’s still a seriously effective backup technique if you’re willing to lay out the cash. The new BDX-S500U does 6X on single-layer media and 4X on dual-layer. That means you could lay down a 25GB disc in about 20 minutes. No price on the drive, yet, but you better believe those dual-layer BD-Rs aren’t coming cheap. → Read More
Once upon a time, Microsoft backed a format called HD DVD and, well, that didn’t turn out so well. But the departure from focusing on high-density physical media early on might have forced Microsoft — and the Xbox team — to look towards digital downloads for future products. UK Xbox chief, Stephen McGill, seems to agree and recently stated to gaming site Xbox Achievements that “People now recognize what a smart decision it was to keep the [Xbox 360] pricing low,” in reference to not including an advance optical format within the Xbox 360. Then he goes on to properly slam the Blu-ray format. → Read More
Sharp just announced a slick new pair of Blu-Ray players, and updated its Quattron TVs (you know, the ones with the yellow pixels in ‘em) to support 3D. The new players support Netflix, VUDU and Pandora, among other internet services and rich media-type stuff. Mainly, though, they’re really nice-looking. Pictures courtesy of Gizmodo. → Read More
You can now watch 3D Blu-ray discs on your PS3. Yes, once you load up firmware 3.50, you’ll be able to watch all those fancy 3D Blu-ray discs out there. To be fair, there may not be too many right now, but you can bet Hollywood will want to pump them out as soon as possible. → Read More
It’s 3D everywhere lately. This time, it’s PC accessory maker Buffalo, which announced [JP] a portable drive for 3D Blu-ray discs today. Just plug the BP3D-PI6U2-BK into your computer via USB to view 3D Blu-ray movies (not that there are many at this point) or other 3D content, provided you have a 3D-enabled PC or display. → Read More
Those all-in-one 3D TVs Sony announced today weren’t enough for you? Then take a look at the six new 3D Blu-ray recorders the company showed [JP] for the first time. All models support the BDXL format (discs with 100GB capacity), and according to Sony, they just need half a second to be ready after you push the “on” button. → Read More
So you say you’re a Toy Story 3 fan? Well, TGDaily reports that there’s quite the deal coming from Disney when the movie is released on Blu-ray, the collector’s edition will contain not just Toy Story and Toy Story 3, it will also contain the video game tie-in for TS3. Of course, no idea if the game will be any good, but the at least you’ll get two movies out of the deal. Now the bad part, the collector’s edition will cost $15 over the standard edition PS3 game at $65. → Read More
As if the eight 3D LCD TVs Toshiba yesterday announced for the Japanese market weren’t enough (three CELL Regza and five conventional REGZA models), the company also showed [JP] a 3D powered and Blu-ray recorder and another three that can be upgraded to 3D via a “3D upgrade kit”. All devices have an additional HDD on board. → Read More
The Doc is coming back again on October 26th. You might remember this date as being significant from the first movie: October 26th is the day that Marty met Doc Brown at the mall and traveled back to 1955. The best news is this release is all three movies on one disc in one box. The set includes two hours of bonus footage, deleted scenes, and other extras. No idea on the price yet. Now where are Star Wars and Indiana Jones? [via Gizmodo] → Read More
A recent announcement from Sony researchers revealed the development on a new type of blue-violet ultrafast pulsed laser for optical disks. Sounds like it might be time to change formats again! → Read More
LG just announced their new 3D televisions, and they look tasty. Available in multiple sizes, all of the new models include the networking features that are making TVs so much more then just a plain old display these days. → Read More
If you follow Jobs-related news closely (and I have reason to believe that you do, dear reader) then you might have chuckled with cruel mirth at that man’s recent comparison of Blu-ray to “one of the high end audio formats that appeared as the successor to the CD.” Those with extensive SACD collections will consider that a compliment, but the other 99.9% of us felt the sting. The music industry underestimated how easily its product would move on the internet, and the humbling process is well underway for them. But high-definition video is not so easily traded and stored — need Blu-ray fear the same fate?
The Blu-ray Disc Association doesn’t think so; when asked about the Jobs comment, a spokesman for them expressed optimism (naturally) and quoted figures showing that it’s seeing lots of adoption. Unfortunately for me, they expressed it in Italian, one of the many languages I do not know. Here’s Google’s translation, with a little smoothing. → Read More
Sony has been pushing for 3D more and more, and this E3 was kind of a turning point for them. The combination of the Move and 3D gaming means they actually have a unique angle on gaming now, instead of just a different controller and hardware.
But it’s not like they rolled out all the new features at once; while some 3D demos are being rolled out with a smaller-scale update, the big stuff is coming later in the year. SCEE’s Mick Hocking confirmed that 3D Blu-ray support will be coming in September, and after that, support for 3D pictures and home movies. → Read More
Been wondering exactly when you’d see a Blu-ray drive in your new Macbook or iMac? Well, if the emails that have been leaking out from Mr. Jobs have been any indication, you’re not going to see them at all. → Read More
The buzzword is 3D. Everywhere you look in the videophile forums, they’re talking about 3D. Its future is still a little hazy; glasses, no glasses, polarized, anaglyph.. no one really knows. Today, Sony has made its bets and showed a glimpse into that future by releasing its new lineup of 3D displays.
Details and full press release inside. Clicky clicky! → Read More
Not a week passes without a Japanese company announcing a 3D-enabled device lately. Today, it’s Toshiba, which just unveiled [JP] a 3D-capable notebook, the dynabook TX/98MBL. According to the company, it’s the world’s first notebook that lets you view 3D content stored on Blu-rays (next to playing NVIDIA 3D Vision games). → Read More
