Aug 31
THX have revealed that having your TV correctly calibrated can actually reduce its energy consumption by between 15%-50%. Most TV’s are shipped configured for display in a store with bright fluorescent lights which is usually a totally different environment then home viewing. While THX recommend professional calibration I think even using a test disk such as video essentials or the THX optimiser that is included on a number of DVD’s and also available separately can help mot just improve your picture quality but also reduces the energy used and can help prolong the life of your TV as you will not be driving the electronics and back lights as hard as if you use the manufacturers settings.
The THX study says you could save between $40-$50 per year, that’s a couple of extra movies.
Aug 24
Video Business reports that UK prices are declining. With online prices down by up to 33% and catalogus releases down 15% on average. Great news for those of us in the UK if Blu-ray is closing the gap on DVD. Lets hope that everyone starts to see the benifits of Blu-ray
Read the full story here
Aug 24
Mitsubishi is teaming up with video games and entertainment web site IGN in a great competition. The promotion showcases 3D games with over 400 being compatible with the system.
The prize consists of;
Mitsubishi 65-inch 3D-Ready Home Theater TV – WD-65737
Aspen Media Server – Velocity Micro Edge Gx335 Desktop PC (2.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Processor, 6 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard Drive, 20x DVD burner, Vista Premium)
Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB GPU
Emitter – GeForce 3D vision USB controller/Infrared emitter
3D Glasses (two pair) – Custom engineered active shutter glasses with built-in electronics
For full details and to enter the competition visit here
There is no real standard for 3D displays at the moment so promoting these TV’s as ’3D Ready’ is a little premature which is probably why the focus is around games with 3D Blu-ray still some way off
Aug 21
Tech On reports that Mitsubishi has announced a new line of TV’s in Japan that include integrated Blu-ray recorders and HDD recorders, some also include a 320GB hard disk capacity. The TV’s will range from 32” to 37” screen sizes. Whereas Sharp has integrated DVD players into the side of screens in the past Mitsubishi has integrated the Blu-ray recorder into the stand, so great as long as you don’t want to wall mount them. They also announced two new Blu-ray recorders. The DVR-BZ330 features a massive 1 terabyte capacity while the DVR-BZ230 has a 500GB hard disk.
Full story here
Aug 20
Typical I take a few days off and Sony unveil a new Playstation. Well the worst kept secret is out. Sony announced the new Playstation 3 ‘Slim’. This new Playstation will be $299 US and is currently advertised for £249 in the UK. It will also feature a 120GB hard disk. However as with the current machine the hard disk on the slim will be upgradeable via a panel on the bottom. I purchased a 60GB just after release which was a very easy upgrade to 250GB. The new slim PS3 also consumes less power, there are rumors that its new version of the Cell processor is also more powerful, however this is probably not the case as the new processor is based on 45nm process technology, opposed to the 65nm technology of the old version. It’s likely that rather than use this reduction and usual reduction in heat from moving to a smaller process Sony will keep the processor at the same speed which will mean is can run at lower energy consumption which is what they are claiming. There are also unsubstantiated rumors that there has been s similar shrink on the RSX graphics processor (it had already gone from 90nm to 65nm). It would be good to see a side by video comparison on Blu-ray to see if there any quality changes in the video output. Sony also announced firmware version 3,0 is coming soon most of the changes with the Playstation store being pimped at every opportunity in every menu as theme changes, there’s no word on anything directly video related but we’ll keep you posted.
Aug 15
The complete six disc box set of TV series Supernatural will be released in the US on September 1st. The set features all 22 episodes with three pivotal shows having commentary by writers and producers. There will also be unaired and extended scenes. All episodes will also feature 5.1 channel sound. The set is expected to retail for $79.98
Aug 14
Cult TV series The Prisoner will get the Blu-ray treatment on September 28th in the UK. Prices around £60 the set will feature six disks spanning the complete series remastered with full 5.1 surround. Lots of extras will be included including unseen behind the scenes footage.
Any excuse to put a Caterham 7 on the site, yes I know it was a Lotus 7 then just happens I was born in Caterham.
Aug 12
Following research by Disney the company has decided to make more Blu-ray releases combo packs which include a standard definition DVD of the same movie. 77% of families questioned in the research carried out by by the studio and Lieberman Research Worldwide said the packs would give better value than buying a standard DVD or Blu-ray. The first release already announced will be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Future releases will include Hannah Montana The Movie, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Up and Santa’s Buddies.
Aug 10
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment have acquired the rights to the hundreds of hours of footage from the rehearsals of the Michael Jackson ‘This is it’ concerts with proceeds going to the Michael Jackson estate. As well as interviews and features about the entertainers life. The feature will also contain some sequences in 3D. Most of the footage was filmed in June this year shortly before the singer’s death in preparation for the series of concerts due to be held in London’s O2 arena. The release will commence from October 30th.
I can just see an Easter Blu-ray release (pure speculation on my part)
Aug 10
After admitting defeat some 18 months ago Toshiba has applied to join the Blu-ray disk association. In a press release issued today following a few days of speculation Toshiba announced that due to the market growth and demand from customers it has requested to join the BDA. Toshiba intends to release disc players, notebooks featuring Blu-ray drives this year. Specific details will be released later.
It may be that as prices for DVD players and laptops decreased Toshiba has realised that being stuck with DVD technology is hurting them; most of their competition has been offering Blu-ray in these devices for some time. The laptop market specifically has seen average prices plummet since the introduction of netbooks and those people that are looking for high-end products with entertainment capabilities with a choice of standard DVD or Blu-ray would probably go for the Blu-ray option cutting Toshiba out of consideration.
Aug 06
CNet has an interesting article on the 40 most wanted movies that have yet to be released on Blu-ray. While I agree with most there are a few I could live without and I think I will wait for the extended version of Lord of the Rings, full article here
