Those of you that rent your movies from Netflix will not be happy to hear that they are increasing the prices for BluRay movie rental. The good news is that they have grown their BluRay titles by 60%. Sounds like they are capitalising on the growth of BluRay to the detriment of their customers.
Full announcement here
Video Business reports that the number of us using the digital copies of movies that come with our BluRay disks is increasing.
Average transfer rates, representing the proportion of DVD buyers who access a particular title’s embedded copy, range between 10% and 15%. That has slightly jumped from the average 5% to 13% at the end of 2008.
However I still see issues with many of these digital copies only working on PC’s and they are loaded with DRM to restrict further copying so loading on your media server is an issue, also many of these digital copies do not work on portable devices such as iPods. The iPod issue looks like it may be due to a restriction imposed by Apple as those movies that have a digital copy such as Tropic Thunder force you to download a fresh copy from the iTunes store. I’m sure this is to ensure that Apple get a cut of the movie from the studio even though the movie was not purchased from Apple.
Full article here
Sony has announced two new HDMI cables with one end set at a right angles. Aimed at the flat panel market these new cables ideal for installation where the panel is wall mounted with minimal depth behind the TV. Whereas typical connectors need 7cm clearance (so claim sony with ferrite suppressors – which are typically lower on the cable anyway) these new cables only require 28mm clearance.
Specifications;
• HDMI™ version 1.3a Category 2 rated for an all-digital, uncompressed A/V signal supporting 1080p or higher
• Support for up to 10.2Gbps signal bandwidth, 240Hz refresh rate and 48-bit Deep Colour
• 24 carat gold plated connectors for optimal conductivity and long life
• High quality OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) core wire for excellent signal transmission quality
• Triple shielding for a high level of protection from electro-magnetic interference
• PLAYSTATION® 3 and Blu-ray™ Certified, compatible with BRAVIA Theatre Sync and X.V. Colour™
Both 1m and 2m (which seem a little short for wall mounting) will be available in April
This week’s UK releases
8 Mile
Changeling
Dragon Tiger Gate
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Identity
Bourne Supremacy
Jeff Beck: Performing This Week – Live At Ronnie Scott’s
Lakeview Terrace
The Children
Of Time And The City
Saw 2 (II)
Waltz With Bashir
Based on the book by British comedian Danny Wallace ‘Yes Man’ tells the story of Carl Allen (played by Jim Cary) who following his divorce and stuck in a dead end job decides to say yes to everything.
The disc will feature Dolby TruHD 5.1 sound as well as a digital copy for portable devices.
US release is scheduled for the 7th of April wi the UK release on the 20th.
Sony has announced four new receivers. First up is the top of the line STR-DA6400ES. This new can stream audio, video and photos from a media server as well as supporting ShoutCast internet radio. Internet radio can be streamed to up to three rooms. All the usual HD audio codec’s are supported and the unit features six HDMI input and two outputs. Digital Cinema Auto-Calibration ensures final setup by fine-tuning the receiver’s 7.1 channel output to your speakers, the room itself and listening positions. The streaming is certified by Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).
Three other new receivers are to replace the existing STR-DG line-up: the STR-DH500, the STR-DH700 and the STR-DH800.
The STR-DH500 is a 5.1 channel receiver with 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output (switcher). It features Digital Cinema Auto Calibration and Digital Media Port, which allows you to release your music from your portable music players and PC via an optional adapter.
For those looking for more features, the STR-DH700 offers 7.1 channel with 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output (repeater). In addition to STR-DH500’s specification, the STRDH700 supports x.v.Colour, Deep Colour and bi-amplification. With bi-amplification, separate power stages drive the low frequency and mid/high frequency outputs. It also supports S-AIR – the wireless rear speaker solution from Sony that brings true flexibility and convenience to home cinema configuration.
At the top of the DH range is the STR-DH800, completing the specification with 4 HDMI inputs and 1 output (repeater) and High Definition audio codec’s Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio.
The STR-DH500 and the STR-DH700 will be launched in May, while the STR-DH800 will go on sale in July.
I have to say I really like Meridian gear. I used to have a complete CD replay system but I still use a pair of awesome M60’s as my main speakers. Well Meridian have now announced the HD621 six into 1 HDMI switcher. This new device will sit in your digital Meridian system and separate the audio and video. The unit also features jitter reduction (digital noise) to further enhance the audio and video quality. The HD621 also features an audio delay circuit to make sure your audio and video are in sync.
The HD621 is available now for £1,495. One thing that seems a little odd is that the unit only has a single HDMI output, many people with high end system have a plasma or LCD for every day viewing as well as a projector for movie viewing so I would have expected two HDMI outputs.
The Register has a review of the Pioneer BDP-51FD here
OK I’ve spoken about this issue several times, you have a device with a network connection but no way of running a cable to it or it’s far away from your router in your AV stack. This is typically a BluRay player that supports Profile 2.0 or other device such as a SlingBox.
Well Buffalo Technology has the device for you, seriously. The Wireless-N Nfinity Dual Band Ethernet Converter to give it its catchy title. This little box has four 10/100 Ethernet connections and wireless 802.11n connectivity. Yes that was four Ethernet connections. So you can connect everything in your AV stack wirelessly to the internet including BluRay player, SlingBox, Internet Radio enabled receiver and XBOX360. All connected through one box.
There are a few issues. First of all you must connect it to a PC or laptop to configure it and secondly the ports are only 10/100 speeds so if the device your connecting has Gigabit ports you’re not going to get the full bandwidth, however with most internet connections being less than 10mb its not going to affect performance plus if you have a few devices connected then they will be sharing the ‘up to 300mbps’ bandwidth of 802.11n anyway. The Converter also works with 802.11g and b. 802.11g would be fine but if you are still on ‘b’ then its time to upgrade.
As far as setup goes this could not be easier. Connect the Ethernet Converter to your PC with the supplied cable, insert CD, and install the software. One of the nice things about the software is that it allows you to select which network adapter the Ethernet converter is connected to. I’ve used a few of these converters and all have not worked unless you disable your laptops wireless connection first, with the Buffalo software you select which network adapter it’s connected to and then it searches for the Converter. Once it’s found it you then hit the scan button and select your wireless network and enter its password (you have set a password haven’t you!). One word of caution the default setting of the device is to use a manual IP address, as most users use DHCP, this should really be the default, you will need to go into the ‘web address’ section of the software and change the IP address setting to automatic.
So once you have it up and running, how does it perform? Well I have to say – great. I have my PC, SlingBox and 360 connected through it and the performance is fine I hit my 10mb performance of my internet connection through it and can stream through the SlingBox with no issues. In terms of speed with a fish tank and two brick walls i’m seeing around 60% signal strength and about 144mbps speed, which is about the same as I get with by PC’s dedicated card with external antena. I’ve connected my son’s Sony BDP-S350 BluRay player through it to update it to the latest firmware and try his player on profile 2.0 and it worked flawlessly. For anyone with a few devices that have Ethernet LAN connections that do not want to run cables to then this is the ideal solution.
Pricing is around $90-100 or £60-70 in the UK
For those of you with limited space or that don’t want speakers around your room Sony has launched a range of new AV stands with integrated sound bars or multiple speakers. The new RHT-G series feature multiple HDMI inputs for HD sources such as HD Satellite and BluRay. Both the RHT-G950 and the RHT-G1550 incorporate 5.1 channel speaker arrays capable of great power, with a total output of 470W and 550W respectively. The smaller RHT-G550 features 3.1 channel audio with a combined output of 330W. All feature Bravia Sync so that they can be controlled with other devices with a single Sony remote. They also feature a special Digital Media Port is designed for accessing music held externally on a Walkman®, PC, mobile phone or iPod®.
I know I should be used to this after over twenty years in the IT industry but sometimes technology runs too fast, I should explain that I purchased an Onkyo TX-SR806 in November. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great sounding receiver but I held off until the second generation of receivers with the new high resolution audio codec’s where out and now Dolby Pro-Logic IIz is out adding two more speakers for front height information (actually I’m not sure I could get away with two more speakers in my current 7.1 setup).
Onkyo have announced April availability of the TX-SR307 (£250), TX-SR507 (£350), TX-SR577 (£400) and TX SR607 ( £500). All these new receivers feature Dolby Prologic Iiz which as explained above adds two ambient height speakers to the front soundstage. I know other manufacturers (mostly Yamaha) have had this in DSP modes in the past but as it’s a Dolby development we should see it from most receiver and processor manufacturers soon in their next range revisions.
These new receivers also feature new surround modes for playing games. I have to say I’m an advocate of surround gaming as a Warcraft player (yes I admit I have another habit other than AV) I run a Creative Extreme gamer card in 7.1 mode (even though you have to buy the special cable direct from Creative). But there’s nothing like doing a 25 person dungeon run in full 7.1 surround cranked high, most of the time I leave the receiver in THX Game mode. However it would be interesting to see what these new game modes can do with the Dolby Digital from an XBOX 360 or PS3.
All these receivers also feature lots of HDMI inputs as well as compatibility with the new DS-A3 iPOD/iPHONE dock.
More details visit Onlyo here or Dolby here
Due for release on September 15th is season 5 of Grays Anatomy. Currently showing on ABC in the US and Living TV in the UK. Expect this to be a popular disk. No word yet to specifications.
Price expected to be $69.99 US
Are those racks of more special editions?
Due for release in the US on March 31st is The Matrix 10th Anniversary Blu-ray™ Book. This is a 10th anniversary special featuring the original movie plus a 37 page book.
There will be extensive features unfortunately in standard definition including;
• In-Movie Experience
• Commentaries
• Written introduction by the Wachowski brothers
• Philosophers commentary by Dr. Cornel West, Ken Wilber
• Critics commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers, David Thomson
• Cast and crew commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta
• Composer commentary by Don Davis with music-only track
• The Matrix Revisited
• Behind The Matrix
• Making The Matrix The Dance of the Master: Yuen Wo Ping’s Blocking Tapes
• The Bathroom Fight and Wet Wall
• The Code of the Red Dress
• The Old Exit: Wabash and Lake
• Agent Down
• But Wait- There’s More
• Take the Red Pills
• Follow the White Rabbit
• Audio
• The Music Revisited
• Marilyn Manson Music Video Rock is Dead
• Trailers
• The Matrix teaser
• The Matrix trailer
• The Matrix TV spots
US price will be $34.99. As usual no word on a European release, expect Eurpoeans to be short changed as usual (the European box set was missing the animated movies and the extras disk)
Boasting unrivalled sound quality that rivals a movie theatre (um well have to see about that claim) Panasonic has unveiled two new all-in-one BluRay systems. Both feature 7.1 speakers. The BT200 supposedly has 1,000 watts (they don’t say but I expect is across all 7.1 channels) and the BT300 has 1,250 into an optimistic 3 ohms. The speakers feature the material of the moment in Bamboo diaphragms which is extremely rigid. Both feature BD Live but in order to use it you will need to add at least a 1GB SD memory card (with the price of memory these days I can’t see why this was not built-in, we are talking less than £5 or $7 for a 2GB card on the open market.
Prices are expected to be $599 and $699 with availability in April nothing yet from Panasonic Europe.
Panasonic has today introduced the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 players, as well as presenting the world’s first Blu-ray-VHS dual player. All three of the new Blu-ray players — DMP-BD60, DMP-BD80, DMP-BD70V — combine high quality images with enhanced networking functions, including VIERA Cast’s improved internet functionality that provides access to Amazon video on demand service. The 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray line will be available in April. The DMP-BD60 will have a SRP of $299.95; the DMP-BD60 $399.95; the DMP-BD70V $399.95.
Each of the three models employs the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus. Developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, this high image processing technology reproduces clear, vivid colors that are faithful to the original film. All three 2009 Blu-ray Disc players feature a high definition audio decoder (Dolby(R) Digital Plus, Dolby(R) TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio). The DMP-BD70V distinguishes itself as the world’s first dual deck VHS-Blu-ray player, providing the consumer with a video product that features multi-format playback allowing the user to play VHS, CD, DVD and 1080p high definition Blu-ray Discs. The BD70V allows for premium 1080p up-conversion for all video formats.
Complimenting the HD audio codecs the three Blu-ray players feature 96 kHz surround re-master, a function that enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources, and even improves the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.
I’m having a hard time thinking why they would make a VHS-BluRay combi player it has to be the worst picture quality coupled with the best. Maybe a few dealers could use it for demos?