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Sony Unveils BDP-S770, S570, and S370 Blu-ray Players
Wed Jan 13, 2010 at 04:40 PM ETTags: Sony, Product Announcements (all tags)
Sony opened the floodgates this year, debuting their new monolithic designed home theater line, including a trio of Blu-ray players.
This coming spring brings us a pair of new Sony Blu-ray players; the BDP-S570 and the BDP-S370. Both of the new BD Players feature Sony’s BRAVIA Monolithic design – which is much more evident a difference in their televisions – and full 1080p playback of Blu-ray discs. They decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and can play a variety of audio and video files from networked sources thanks to DLNA compatibility.
They differ mainly when it comes to internet content. They both have access to an increasingly impressive assortment of content providers that includes Netflix, Amazon, NPR and Pandora. Only the S570 can get there wirelessly right out of the box. The S370 simply sports an Ethernet port, but a wireless adapter can be added.
The BDP-S570 also offers a feature that was extremely popular at CES 2010. It’s got a different name from each company, but everyone seems to be offering noise reduction for online content. Blowing up a YouTube video or even HD content from Netflix to a size it wasn’t originally meant to be viewed at can be detrimental to picture quality. The S570 should clean that up a bit.
Sony’s BDP-S770 Blu-ray player will be coming out in the summer and offer all of the features of the S570 but with the addition of Blu-ray 3D playback. Like the S370 and S570, it’s got quick start and fast loading options and can be controlled by both the iPhone and iPod Touch with the addition of a free app.
Pricing is not yet available for Sony’s new Blu-ray players.
Source: Sony
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Streaming Video Featured on Sharp’s Aquos Blu-ray Player
Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 02:00 PM ETTags: Sharp, Streaming Content, Product Announcements (all tags)
Retailing at $379, Sharp’s BD-HP52U features Deep Color, BD-Live, and a streaming video service yet to be announced.
There’s a bit of mystery around the details of Sharp’s BD-HP52U. The latest Blu-ray player announced by the company, the HP52U is touted as having a great many features including premium streaming video. However, the “premium streaming video provider” is yet to be announced.
The BD-HP52U isn’t a bad BD player on its own, featuring 1080/24p output and x.v. color. The player also supports Deep Color for a superior color quality.
From an audio standpoint the BD-HP52U is fairly capable as well, featuring HQ Audio Circuits that deliver 7.1 channel sound through HDMI. The player supports HD audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio as well as Dolby Digital Plus.
The player launches in October and has, as of now, no announced streaming service. Sharp is quick to mention that they will be naming a service by the end of the month.
Source: Press Release
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Yamaha Unveils a Pair of BD Players
Mon Sep 14, 2009 at 01:00 PM ETTags: Yamaha, Product Announcements (all tags)
Yamaha’s new BD-S1900 and BD-S1065 offer top shelf features, but lack streaming services.
Boasting high quality picture and sound, Yamaha’s new players are set to impress. They feature 192kHz/24-bit Audio DACs, and support Deep Color. BD Live capable and offering support for high definition audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio, the BD-S1900 and BD-S1065 have everything that a high quality Blu-ray player should have, and little else.
Surprisingly absent is the now expected addition of streaming services. Yamaha’s new players don’t do Netflix, Last.fm, Pandora, or even YouTube. They do however, provide excellent playback of Blu-ray discs at 1080p/24Hz.
Yamaha’s players are priced at $599.95 for the BD-S1065 and $699.95 for the BD-S1900 – which includes a RS-232C port.
Source: Yamaha
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Sherwood’s Slick Looking NetBoxx A/V Receiver
Fri Sep 11, 2009 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Sherwood, Product Announcements, Streaming (all tags)
Sherwood’s R-904N NetBoxx is a media portal and 7.1 channel receiver in one.
Featuring a great number of options for media streaming such as Cinema Now, YouTube, SHOUTcast and MediaMall’s PlayOn service, the feature set is quite impressive.
The look is slim and stylish, not like a typical A/V receiver at all. The change in look, according to Sherwood’s Marketing VP Jeffrey Hipps, was inspired by a move by consumers. “Use of physical media is declining and being replaced by content obtained through streaming or downloads,” said Hipps. “This led to our taking a fresh look at what an audio-video receiver should be, from its function to its form factor.”
The NetBoxx may look different, but its feature set sounds familiar. Supporting audio formats such as Dolby TruHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as myriad other audio and video codecs, the Netboxx is a very capable device. The NetBoxx features seven 100 Watt RMS amplifier channels and 24-bit D/A converters. On the video side, a digital media processor based on DaVinci technology processes the picture.
When it hits retailers later this month, the Sherwood NetBoxx will be priced at $649.95
Source: Sherwood (.doc file)
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Panasonic’s Blu-ray Home Theater in a Box
Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 03:45 PM ETTags: Panasonic, Product Announcements (all tags)
Blu-ray player, sound system and media streaming in one.
Announced yesterday and shipping this month, Panasonic offers up their newest home theater in a box -the SC-BTX70. Entering into an increasingly crowded category, Panasonic hopes to one up the competition with quality components and a robust feature set.
The SC-BTX70 is a 2.1 system that delivers virtual 7.1 surround sound via a pair of rather visually unimpressive looking speakers. Panasonic boasts that the new top mounted speaker design expands the listening area, while low-density bamboo cones enable a pure and crisp sound.
Panasonic’s new HTib also integrates digital media, allowing SD cards, USB devices and iPods to be connected for listening to music and watching videos. An Ethernet connection not only allows the use of BD-Live, but lets the viewer browse and watch videos on YouTube and Amazon Video-on-Demand.
Panasonic’s SC-BTX70 is up against some pretty stiff competition, and a dual speaker setup just doesn’t look as good as 5.1 or 7.1 systems at the suggested $999.95 price. Expect Panasonic’s new HTiB in stores later this month.
Source: Reuters
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Philips Announces New Blu-ray Players
Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Philips, Product Announcements (all tags)
Berlin’s IFA expo saw the unveiling of a new flagship player from Philips.
The BDP9500, featuring a Qdeo video processor and stylish aluminum frame is set to deliver “a cinematic experience to all consumers,” says Philips.
The BDP9500’s processor helps to eliminate noise as well as enrich colors and bring depth to pictures, helped along by Burr-Brown analog to digital converters. The BDP9500 and its little brother, the BDP7500 both offer 7.1 channel analog outputs for sound and support all HD audio formats.
Philips also lifted the veil on their newest budget line player, the BDP3000. Offering standards like Full HD playback and BD Live support, the BDP3000 is geared towards customers looking to jump into Blu-ray for the first time.
Pricing and availability for these models have not yet been announced.
Source: Philips (PDF)
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Philips Announces New Blu-ray Players
Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Philips, Product Announcements (all tags)
Berlin’s IFA expo saw the unveiling of a new flagship player from Philips.
The BDP9500, featuring a Qdeo video processor and stylish aluminum frame is set to deliver “a cinematic experience to all consumers,” says Philips.
The BDP9500’s processor helps to eliminate noise as well as enrich colors and bring depth to pictures, helped along by Burr-Brown analog to digital converters. The BDP9500 and its little brother, the BDP7500 both offer 7.1 channel analog outputs for sound and support all HD audio formats.
Philips also lifted the veil on their newest budget line player, the BDP3000. Offering standards like Full HD playback and BD Live support, the BDP3000 is geared towards customers looking to jump into Blu-ray for the first time.
Pricing and availability for these models have not yet been announced.
Source: Philips (PDF)
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$299 PlayStation 3 Slim Officially Announced and Detailed
Tue Aug 18, 2009 at 04:45 PM ETTags: Sony, PlayStation 3, Product Announcements, Industry Trends (all tags)
Smaller, lighter , and less power hungry, the new PS3 has finally been announced.
Available in the US in the first week of September, Sony has officially announced the PS3 Slim. It’s smaller, it’s lighter, and it’s cheaper, at an MSRP of only $299. Kaz Harai, who announced the price cut, says the PS3 Slim won't have capabilities that the normal PS3 doesn’t have.
The price cut, which will affect standard PS3s starting tomorrow, may be a big announcement, but perhaps more important for home theater buffs is the power consumption, which has been cut by 34%. Less power consumption means less heat, and less heat means a quieter fan, which makes the PS3 slim preferable to it’s bigger brother for Blu-ray watching.
The PS3 slim does not have the ability to install an OS like Linux, something expected by many. There also does not appear to be a simple way to remove the hard drive, meaning that an upgrade from the on board 120GB drive will be difficult at best.
More images and full specs are available at video game site Destructiod.
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Netgear’s Powerline Home Theater Kit Now Available
Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 02:30 PM ETTags: Product Announcements, Netgear (all tags)
Ethernet connection to home theaters made simple!!
It seems every new home theater component is internet and network capable, but there’s one problem: very few components have built in wireless cards. The choice has been to either to run cables to your home theater system, buy wireless dongles for each component or go without the new features. Netgear offers a simple solution for wired internet connections in their recently announced Powerline Home Theater Internet Connection kit, which turns an electrical outlet into a four port switch.
The Poweline kit installs simply, just as a normal networking switch would, with the big difference being that the kit sends the signal through electrical wires rather than through an Ethernet cord. The kit also has several features that make things a bit easier to use, including the ability to set higher priority to individual devices and LEDs which indicate performance.
Netgear’s new connection solution was priced in their press release at $179.99 with expansion units available separately.
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Atlona Takes Things Down a Notch With AT-HD530 Down-converter
Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 03:00 PM ETTags: Product Announcements (all tags)
Here's a story sure to frustrate proponents of top flight TV!
With companies racing for the finest upconversion available, Altona sees a market going in the other direction. Their newest creation, the AT-HD530 takes HDMI and DVI signals from game systems computers, and camcorders and sends them out in either SD or Composite video with audio.
While buying a $299 device to lower video quality may seem insane, and home users may find that the AT-HD530’s lack of HDCP compatibility makes it less than attractive. For businesses that aren’t planning on shelling out for new televisions and computer monitors, something like this could be a useful and less expensive option.
The AT-DH530 will output in either PAL or NTSC, and in addition to composite and Svideo outs, features an HDMI/DVI passthrough for video, and a digital coaxial passthrough for audio.
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MORE BLU-RAY NEWS TAGGED "PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS":
- Sharp’s New Aquos Line Features Built In Blu-ray Recorder Aug 10, 2009
- Onkyo’s $450 Profile 2.0 Blu-Ray Player Jul 30, 2009
- Lexicon Launching THX Certified Blu-ray Player Jul 27, 2009
- Sony’s New ES Line Blu-ray Player Adds Wi-Fi Capability Jul 27, 2009
- New Line of Marantz Blu-ray Players Launching In August Jul 17, 2009
- New Line of Marantz Blu-ray Players Launching In August Jul 17, 2009
- DVR and Blu-ray In One, It’s The LG HR400 Jul 09, 2009
- Oppo’s Budget High End Blu Ray Player Now Shipping Jul 07, 2009
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