Jun 14

At E3 today in LA Microsoft announced a new slimmer version of the XBOX 360. While many will drool at the sleek black design and other new(ish) features including build-in Wi-Fi (about time) and larger 250GB hard disk I can’t held but think that they missed a trick by not including at least one model with Blu-ray. Many PS3 machines are used for HD movie playback and the fact that the new XBOX is much quieter (long over due, my own original 360 sounds like a 747 after being on a few minutes) could have helped. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that Microsoft wants you to download it’s much lower quality (than Blu-Ray) movies from the online store and that they do not have a vested interest or directly make money in the same way as Sony who own their own movie studio from movie sales. It could also be the ‘not invented here’ syndrome or that they don’t want to be seen endorsing a Sony technology. What ever the reason it looks like an opportunity may have been missed for Microsoft to get embedded in your AV stack, at least you can copy lots of games from that old DVD technology to the bigger hard disk

May 18

Good news for all those caught out by disk and player updates. Pioneer’s new BDP-LX53 and BDP-330 Blu-ray players will now automatically query Pioneers servers for firmware updates and prompt the user to install them. This is the way PC’s do updates so it’s about time your Blu-ray player did the same. In addition to wired internet connection both players can be upgraded to Wi-Fi wireless internet access.
Pioneer also announced that both players will be supported by their iControlAV iPod/iPhone app.

Mar 10

Below are the top stories from around the internet.

LG 3D TV line to debut in May – The Register

Samsung to bundle glasses with 3D TVs – The Register - Only two pairs?

Samsung is betting big on 3D TV  – The Inquirer

Sharp Aquos LC-52LE700E 52in LED Backlit LCD TV Review – Trusted Reviews - Dam time to upgrade

Samsung SP-A600B DLP Projector Review – Trusted Reviews

Jan 11

Available this summer, the BRAVIA XBR-LX900 series features integrated 3D functionality and screen sizes including 60 (XBR-60LX900), 52 (XBR-52LX900), 46 (XBR-46LX900), and 40-inch (XBR-40LX900). Sony is using its own active shutter glasses which fly against their recent announcement of a partnership with ReadD which uses passive glasses. The models also include integrated Wi-Fi for streaming video from the internet including services such as YouTube and Sony’s own Bravia Internet video platform. Perhaps more interesting is that these sets couple 3D with full-array LED backlighting improves contrast and dynamic range by local dimming that controls the LED backlight level by area so that detail is maintained in the dark areas

The XBR-HX900 series 3D ready (with the addition of Sony active shutter glasses and transmitter, both sold separately) full HD (1920 x 1080p) models feature Intelligent Dynamic LED backlight and Sony’s new Monolithic Design. These can be upgraded with an optional wireless adapter for internet streaming. These models are lit by edge LED backlighting.
Your new Sony TV will also watch you, with face detection the new presence sensor will detect if you’ve left the room and dim the TV to save power and if you’re out for an extended period of time the TV will turn off.

New 3D Blu-ray options

The BDP-S770 is Sony’s new top of the range 3D capable Blu-ray player. Featuring 802.11n high speed Wi-Fi and a wired Ethernet connection, this player also allows streaming on internet content. This player can also be controlled from Sony’s BD Remote iPod/iPhone application.

The BDV-HZ970W 3D capable home theatre system features S-Air wireless speaker technology to enable wireless (excluding the power) rear speakers or you can stream wireless audio to another room. With wired connections the system delivers 1000watts of power over its 5.1 channels.

Jan 11

There were a number of announcements from LG at this year’s CES, below is a summary
LG reaffirmed its commitment to Plasma technology with the announcement of new ranges which are lighter and thinner than previous TV’s. Perhaps under pleasure from thinner and thinner LCD sets and future OLED displays weight has been reduced by up to 40% on some models and depth to two inches (5cm for those in this century). Surprisingly LG is still producing 720p models, with the industry pushing 1080p even at smaller sizes this could be simply be to keep up with lower pricing from other manufacturers. Also included is most of the internet streaming partner technologies including YouTube, VUDU, Napster and Netflix. In addition the sets have the capability to make Skype calls if you want to make video calls you will need to purchase a separate video cameras.
On the LDC front new screens where announced with sizes from 19 to 60 inches.
A summary is below:
LD650 Series (47- and 55-inch class sizes*) – A Full HD 1080p HDTV, this LCD HDTV series boasts TruMotion 240Hz performance for reduced motion blur. Other features include: NetCast Entertainment Access, USB Video DLNA, and Wireless-ready technology.
LD550Series (32-, 42-, 46-, 52-, and 60-inch class sizes*) – Also a Full HD 1080p series, these HDTVs are equipped with TruMotion 120Hz. Other features include: NetCast Entertainment Access, USB Video, DLNA, and Wireless-ready technology.
LD520 Series (32-, 42-, 47- and 55-inch class sizes*) – Combines Full HD 1080p with TruMotion 120Hz performance with a variety of screen sizes.
LD450 Series (32-, 37-, 42-, 47-inch class sizes*) – A Full HD 1080p HDTV in a variety of sizes to fit almost any room in the home.
LD350 Series (19-, 22-, 26-, and 32-inch class sizes*) – Provides smaller screen sizes for consumers in a 720p HD model.
INFINIA LE9500 Series (47-, and 55-inch class sizes*) – Full HD 1080p HDTV features uni-layer design with ultra-slim (8.5MM) bezel, Full LED Slim technology with Local Dimming, TruMotion 480Hz and THX Display Certification. Also includes NetCast Entertainment Access, DLNA, wireless broadband ready capabilities, wireless HD ready and 2 USB ports.
INFINIA LE8500 Series (47-, and 55-inch class sizes*) – Includes all the same features of the LE9500 with the exception of the 3D capability, 8.5mm bezel and the Magic Wand remote control. It also features TruMotion 240Hz technology.
INFINIA LE7500 Series (42-, 47-, and 55-inch class sizes*) – Provides consumers with a Full HD 1080p experience, TruMotion 120Hz, and LED Plus technology for local dimming capability. With NetCast Entertainment Access, Wireless HD Technology content is easier to access than ever before without the fuss of too many cords.
LE5500 Series (22-, 26-, 42-, 47-, 55-inch class sizes*) – Includes TruMotion 120Hz, LED Plus Technology, and NetCast Entertainment Access. (Except 22- and 26-inch class sizes).
LE5400 Series (32-, 42-, 47, 55, 60-inch class sizes*) – Full HD 1080p HDTV series includes LED lighting, TruMotion 120Hz, NetCast Entertainment Access, Wi-Fi ready and two USB ports.
LE5300 Series (19-, 22-, 26-, 32-, 37-inch class sizes*) – Brings the slim profile of LED technology to smaller screen sizes. Thirty-two and 37-inch class sizes are Full HD 1080p and feature TruMotion 120Hz technology, while the 19-, 22- and 26-inch class sizes provide a 720p HD picture
LG’s LE9500 incorporates a unique “Magic Wand” remote system that provides an immersive interaction with the set. This “Magic” user interface brings together menus, component controls and even embedded games, which can be accessed using a simple remote that combines minimal buttons and gestures to control the on-screen activity, mirroring a “Wii-like” experience.

LG Blu-ray – LG announced a range of Blu-ray player featuring their NetCast technology allowing streaming of YouTube, VUDU, Napster and Netflix. The top of the BD590 features 802.11n high speed wireless and a 250GB hard disk for storing streamed content. Completing the range is the LHB975 Blu-ray Home Theatre system featuring wireless speakers (yeah if you forget about the power) and built in drawer for iPod/iPhone docking. The LHB535 and LHB335 systems forego the wireless speakers with the LHB535 including a Wi-Fi connection.

Jan 08

3D systems manufacturer which created the ReadD 3D system used my many cinemas for showing 3D movies has now signed up Toshiba, Panasonic and us TV broadcaster DirectTV to use its 3D glasses system. Recently ReadD announced that they had alliances with Sony (who they have worked with in digital cinemas for a while), Samsung and JVC.  That’s pretty much most of the large TV manufacturers signed up and it looks like as previously reported that the RealD 3D system will be the default system for 3D in the home.

Jan 04

It’s looking increasingly likely that RealD’s glasses systems for 3D TV may be the default system for 3D TV. Previously signed up by Sony and JVC/Kenwood the company has now announced that its system will also be used by Samsung.  With some of the biggest players in TV technology now signed up it looks like RealD could be the dominant system for 3D in the home. This could also mean that with so many companies adopting the same technology that the price could be driven down where the expected premium for 3D over conventional 2D TV’s could be lower than expected.

Dec 18

RealD_logo_small

Sony and ReadD announced a partnership to use ReadD’s 3D technology in future Sony Bravia TV’s. The ReadD system is currently used in hundreds of cinemas worldwide. Sony will product new LCD TV’s that will work in conjunction with ReadD’s glasses, to bring 3D technology to the home. It has already been announced that the final specification of the Blu-ray 3D standard will work with the Playstation 3 so coupling this with the new Bravia 3D TV’s should be an exciting prospect.

Dec 17

Today the Blu-ray Association announced the final specification for 3D Blu-ray. The specification used a new version of the existing video compression currently used called H264 MVC (MultiView CodDec) this uses two separate transport streams, one for each eye. However this will mean that there will be around a 50% overhead for decoding 3D. The good news is that by decoding just a single stream existing players should be able to play the 3D disks however in plain old 2D. The specification also means that the Playstation 3 will be able to play these disks in full 3D. The new disks can also contain new 3D options for the interface in the disks menu’s which would make for some nice 3D views of scene selection a 3D version similar to Apple’s coverflow for album artwork would be a nice 3D navigation feature. As well as backwards compatibility the new specification is display agnostic meaning that any display can be used, the two video streams once decoded can be displayed by and means which stops Blu-ray 3D being tied to any specific display technology.

Dec 16

Semiconductor company Broadcom has announced two new single chip Blu-ray solution. This is great news for Blu-ray as a single chip solution can help drive down the cost of Blu-ray players, the fewer components the cheaper the player can be (depending on the quality of those components). The first new chip is the BCM7630 which supports Blu-ray optical control and decoding as well as streaming of video from the internet including BD-Live, Netflix 2.0, Pandora Internet Radio, Vudu and CinemaNow. However perhaps more interesting is the announcement of the new BCM7632 chip that has all of the above features but also includes 3D support. It supports stereoscopic 3D at full 1080p resolution. It is anticipated that the BCM7632 will comply with the Blu-ray standard for 3D disks when it’s finalised. We won’t see players with these new chips anytime soon as they are just sampling to manufacturers to design into new players but we could see them in the second half of 2010.

Dec 07

Processor and Graphics company (as well as other parts of today’s PC) AMD today announced it will demonstrate 3D Blu-ray at the CES show in Las Vegas in January. AMD is a member of the Blu-ray consortium so the demo should be close to the final release however the group has yet to release the final specification for 3D Blu-ray but it is expected to go on sale in the second half of next year.

Read the release here

Dec 02

Universal Studios Entertainment has announced that it will introduce combination Blu-ray and DVD disks with the launch of the Bourne trilogy. What sets these disks apart from the current combo disks is that they will be different sides of the same disk; Blu-ray one side and DVD on the other also known as ‘flipper’ disks. Current combination packs include two separate format disks. This was a feature the now defunct HD-DVD format offered and it was developed in response for Blu-ray but no disks where ever released. It’s hopped that these new disks will encourage people with DVD players who have not yet taken the step to HD that they can still invest in DVD’s with an eye to upgrading their player at a later day and not have to reinvest in their collection.

Oct 26

prnphotos086455-NETFLIX-INC

Already available for the Xbox 360 Netflix and Sony today announced that movies and TV shows will soon be available via Netflix streaming on the PS3. The system sounds a little weird in that users will visit www.netflix.com/ps3 and sign up for the service. They will then receive a Blu-ray disk featuring BD-Live software to enable streaming. The disk must be inserted every time they want to access Netflix. This sounds a little bit of a kludge, hopefully in time this could be made a download from the Playstation Store.
Convenient and if you’re not bothered about having the best HD experience in audio and video then OK but those that do would stick to Blu-ray.

Oct 23

ballmer

In an interview with web site Gizmodo Steve Ballmer CEO of Microsoft stated quite emphatically that the Xbox 360 would be getting Blu-ray support which threw the web into frenzy.  When asked about adding Blu-ray to Xbox 360 he said ”Well I don’t know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you’ll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories”. Well now Microsoft is now back tracking on that commitment and saying that he was talking about the PC.

Um could the cat be out of the bag or is there confusion in Microsoft and its own CEO is not on the ball? Certainly the strategy at Microsoft is around downloading movies and entertainment, we all know that they backed the wrong horse by releasing the HD-DVD drive. We wait with baited breath for the Xbox 360 Blu-ray add-on

See the full video here

Sep 06

It seems like the 3D bandwagon is well and truly rolling, following recent releases from Panasonic and other manufacturers Sony has announced that it will bring 3D into the home in 2010. Unlike some other manufacturers technologies Sony is committing to offer full HD 1080p resolution to its 3D offering. As well as announcing that it will introduce a full line up of TV’s they also announced that 3D support will come to the Playstation 3 for Blu-ray and games. Sony’s system will be based on sequential display technology where the screen runs with high refresh rates showing each eye’s frame in succession synchronised to a pair of glasses. Sony is in a somewhat unique position to drive 3D not just by owning Sony Pictures Entertainment but also in producing Cinema equipment as well as home hardware and being a driver in Blu-ray technology