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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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
BDXL is now entering the computer market, too. Pioneer Japan today announced [JP] the BDR-206MBK, the world’s first Blu-ray burner for PCs supporting the new format. The internal device is compatible to BD-R XL discs with three (100GB) or four layers (128GB) and BD-RE XL discs with 3 layers (100GB). → Read More
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… → 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… → 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
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