I remember watching the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray wars closely a few years back. I wanted one to win so I could go out and buy a next generation movie player. But the battle went on and on, and by the time Blu-ray won, I had set my sights on a new frontier: digital distribution. I never did get that Blu-ray player. And now I’m quite certain I never will. The new 1080p Apple TV is here.
To be clear, because of the way it’s compressed, iTunes 1080p content is not equal to the 1080p picture you’ll get from a Blu-ray disc. It’s very close, but it’s not quite there yet. I imagine it will get there as digital compression technology continues to improve. But even if it doesn’t, this is something that won’t mean a thing to the vast majority of consumers. Thanks to the marketing of television sets over the years, they know “1080p”. They don’t know that the quality can be inconstant. Fair or not, it won’t matter. → Read More
You have an HDD/Blu-ray recorder connected to your TV but never enough space on it? Then Toshiba’s REGZA DBR-M190 might do the trick for you (if you live in Japan, at least). As with most devices at CEATEC 2011, the recorder was pre-announced [JP] by the company just ahead of the exhibition.
The DBR-M190 boasts no less than 5TB of storage: according to Toshiba, 4TB are reserved for the time-shift function, which allows users to simultaneously record up to six six terrestrial digital channels in SD for 15 days (the remaining terabyte can be used to store other programs). → Read More
Hold onto your phasers — the dream of many a Trekkie is about to come true. Star Trek: The Next Generation will be released on Blu-ray starting in 2012. Every one of the show’s 178 episodes will be released eventually, though not all at once. Why such a slow release? Well, it turns out that instead of upconverting and selling for a premium, the producers of this new version are doing it right. How right? They’re scanning the original 35mm footage, cutting together the shows from that, and re-creating the original effects in high definition.
Now that’s what I call a proper remastering. George Lucas, take note. → Read More
Once upon a time, buying a high-end audio or video device often meant sacrificing otherwise standard consumer features. Instead of a quality remote, you’d get fancy interior audio circuity. Instead of an on-screen GUI, the player would weigh 30 lbs. Such was the life of a fine media connoisseur. That trend is quickly fading, though. Onkyo just announced its latest flagship Blu-ray player: the $599 BD-SP809. This bad boy comes complete with 3D capabilities and a fancy-pants THX Blu-ray certification. It packs a USB port for media playback and an Ethernet port for local DLNA 1.5 support and online streaming services such as Netflix, Blockbuster, Film Fresh, and VUDU. Got to love that. → Read More
Plextor’s latest Blu-ray writer is of course the fastest yet. That’s a given as speed increase, not decrease. The PX-LB950UE writes at 12x speeds, which is twice as quick as the previous version. The magic comes by way of USB 3.0 and eSATA connectivity where the older models relied on USB 2.0. The drive can write both single and dual layer discs and is LightScribe enabled. All this Blu-ray fun doesn’t come cheap, though. The Plextor PX-LB950UE is available now at a $239 MSRP. → Read More
Sharp Japan announced [JP] the BD-HDW series today, which consists of three 3D-enabled AQUOS Blu-ray recorders: the BD-HDW80 (with a 1TB HDD on board/$1,290), the BD-HDW75 (500GB/$1,060) and the BD-HDW73 (320GB/$940). → Read More
In July last year, Sharp showed the world’s first triple-layer BDXL discs with 100GB capacity. While the discs were great (and enough to store about 720 minutes of terrestrial digital broadcasting), they weren’t rewritable. But the LM-BE100J BDXL Blu-rays, announced [JP] by Panasonic today, are. → Read More
The Blu-ray edition of Star Wars: The Complete Saga now has a release date: September 16 of this year. Amazon lists the collection for $90, so start saving your pennies. → Read More
Buffalo just outed their new portable BDXL Blu-ray writer, the BRXL-PC6U2-BK drive. BDXL is the new Blu-ray spec that can store up to 100 GB on three layers and 128 GB on four. The burner can operate at speeds of up to 4x using 2 USB 2.0 ports and 2x using only one. → Read More
The Family Guy adaptation of Star Wars is perhaps Seth MacFarlane’s greatest contribution to humanity — and the Blu-ray release is on sale at Amazon for only $20. Seriously, can you think of a better way to spend $20? The Star Wars Space Slug Oven Mitt, you say. Okay, well played. Besides that must-have kitchen accessory the Blu-ray set is a great way to spend a twenty spot. → Read More
Sony has won their case against LG. The more than 300,000 PS3′s that were seized will be returned to Sony. Also, all future shipments into Europe will continue without any issues. → Read More
Always wanted to get behind an obsoleting optical standard? Don’t want to buy a PS3? Here’s your chance to get a sub-$100 Blu-Ray player from Woot! → Read More
The feud between Korea’s LG and Japan’s Sony has just hotted up. LG has won a preliminary injunction against Sony in Europe, the result of which is the temporary banning of the importation of PS3s into the continent. LG says Sony infringed on a number of its patents, specifically with regard to Blu-ray playback. Hence, the preliminary injunction. → Read More
Android has been unstoppable this week — they’re railing the competition. That momentum isn’t expected to slow, especially since the Blu-ray release of Unstoppable comes with a digital version for Android. Who knows what took so long, but we’re glad it’s here. → Read More
What exciting times we live in, what with word that Sony has plans to subpoena a boatload of Web sites and individuals in an attempt to track down the members of fail0verflow and other PS3 hackers. Good luck with that. But wait, what’s this? Now LG wants to ban the sale of PS3s here in the US of A because of a patent dispute? In the words of Scott Hall, two sweet! → Read More
As we saw teased before CES, the Star Wars Trilogy (along with those other ones) is indeed to be re-released on Blu-Ray in September (you can pre-order now). The fan relationship with this franchise is perhaps the most complicated one in the entertainment world, for various reasons, and while I have no doubt that the new release will see millions of sales, it’s a legitimate question to ask whether this is the film my parents watched in 1977, and which I have perhaps never seen.
I mean, I’ve seen all the movies, but the process of keeping a movie alive for 30, 40, 50, or more years is a complicated one, especially for one that pushed the technical boundaries of filmmaking at the time. In contemplating this, I ran across this somewhat old but absolutely fascinating article about the preservation and restoration of the series. → Read More
Grab ringside seats to the death of optical media with one of three new Blu-ray players complete with 1 year of free Redbox rentals. The folks at Redbox, who are running some other kind of concurrent Blu-Ray promotion, want their business model to remain vaguely viable for at least the next few years so they want to ensure that you and yours are enjoying fine Blu-ray entertainment as streaming moves in to eat their lunch. To that end, we must insist that you read on to find out how to win. → Read More
Those Android 3D handsets aren’t the only 3D devices Sharp announced today. The company also showed [JP] the BD-HP90 today, a 3D Blu-ray player that’s just 35mm thick. Needless to say, this makes the device the thinnest of its kind. → Read More
In case you always wanted to get one of those Blu-ray recorders that allow you to store up to 100GB of content on a single BDXL disc but were put off by the high prices for these devices so far, Panasonic might have announced [JP] the right device for you today. Apart from the BDXL compatibility, the DMR-BR585 also offers a built-in 320GB HDD. → Read More
The 3D boom knows no end. Pioneer Japan today announced [JP] two Blu-ray players supporting 3D content, the BDP-LX54 (pictured above) as the high-end model, and the BDP-430. Apart from Blu-ray discs, the players are also compatible to the following formats: DivX HD, MKV, WMV, MP3, WMA, and JPEG. → Read More
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