GadgetReview

My roommate just watched a 3-D version of Coraline in standard definition.  I can only imagine how nice it would have looked if it were in 3-D on Blu-Ray.  Soon enough perhaps as the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA) is working on the technical specifications to bring 3-D to a higher resolution.  In case you don’t know, the BDA is comprised of major movie studios executives, consumer electronics companies, and IT firms.

Some of those specifications include the need for the Blu-Ray disc to be backwards compatible so it plays in 2-D as well as 3-D on the same disc.  The other big specification is that a resolution of 1080p would have to reach each eye, presumably through a pair of 3-D glasses.

The BDA has offered no such time line as to when the consumer might see 3-D on Blu-Ray but I’m sure the results will be well worth the wait.

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Onkyo has always held a place in my heart, but pardon me when I say that their latest Blu-ray player, the DV-BD507 is God awful ugly.  So ugly in fact that it bears resemblance to the early days of DVD.  If that isn’t bad enough chew on the price tag of $449 and you’ll surely be spitting with disgust.  Course it does include the ability to play AVCHD video clips stored on an SD card, which might make this player niche enough to have a place in every aspiring auteur’s home.  And like all good Blu-ray players that cost about half as much, the DV-BD507 can also upscale regular DVDs to 1080 and includes BD-Live (Profile 2.0).

[via iTechnews]

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Later this year Toshiba will release their very first Blu-ray drive.  Just in case you don’t remember, Toshiba was one of the few who backed the now failed HD DVD format.  As a result of Toshiba entrance into the Blu-ray player market, rumor and speculation have once again emerged pointing to Microsoft possibly adopting an external Blu-ray drive for their Xbox 360 gaming console.   After all, Toshiba did produce the 360’s HD DVD player so it seems only fitting for them to produce an external Blu-ray player for the console.

But with that all said I have a few questions:  Why would Microsoft wait this long to adopt the Blu-ray format to their gaming console? Surely, Microsoft didn’t have an exclusive contract with Toshiba stating that they could only produce external disc drives, right?  Since the Xbox 360 will soon offer 1080p movies on demand does it make sense for them to build a piece of hardware that possibly negates their business model?

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Really Sony?  Does anyone really need a 400-disc Blu-ray changer?  Who in their freakin’ right mind owns this many Blu-rays, let alone needs to be able to watch any single one of them at the push of the button?

Announced today, the Sony BDP-CX960 and slightly higher end BDP-CX7000ES store and play up to 400 Blu-ray discs.  Pop in any Blu-ray or CD and the changer will dial up Gracenote’s Music and Video ID service and automatically adhere box art and fun movie info you never before cared about.  Both units output full HD, include a USB input for adding local storage, all the audio codecs you’d expect at this point in the game as well as BD-Live capabilities.  The higher end CX7000ES on the other hand features DVD upscaling and an RS232 connection and IR-in for fully integrating the unit into your home’s automation system.

The CX7000ES will launch this August for $1,900, while the CX960 will hit sometime this fall for $800.

Also of note, Sony launched their 13th player as well today, the BDP-S1000ES.  The mainstay of this unit is the built-in WiFi and is DLNA compliant, meaning you can watch photos and other content right on your TV, but still lacks the ability to stream Netflix.  The BDP-S1000ES will be available this August for $700.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Sony Announces BDP-CX7000ES And BDP-CX960, A Massive 400-disc Blu-ray Player

Having never really grasped the allure of the Halo universe, news of a new 7 part anime series is sure to soil the panties of fanboys everywhere.  Supposedly expanding on story threads that hard core Halo fans are in dire need to know, Halo Legends will have a sneek peek on Xbox Live this fall.  Five Japanese animation houses are dealing with the visuals while Microsoft is calling the shots in regards to story lines and everything else.  Blu-Ray and DVD release is scheduled for early 2010.

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Starting with the release of The Fast & And The Furious Blu-Ray disc on July 28th, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will have companion apps that allow you to do a bunch of stuff relating to the associated movie.  For example, in F&F you can rotate cars on your iPhone or iPod touch in the “virtual garage” feature and view specs on cars.  Sounds thrilling!  Future features on other movies will include the ability to download bonus content for on the go viewing, remote control style functionality, and access to additional film detail while watching the movie.  The free companion app for “The Fast & The Furious” will be free and should appear sometime early next week.

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Perhaps taking a cue from the PS3 or Xbox 360, Asus has introduced an external Blu-ray combo drive that can stand vertically or lie horizontally.  Better yet, no external power source is needed since the Asus SBC-04D1S-U draws its power from your computer’s USB 2.0 port.  Sure, Blu-ray read times peak at 4.8X, but at least you can burn DVDs/CDs and that blue X, it glows ominously as you watch your flicks, which can either be cool or just straight up distracting.

[via TFTS]

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Unfortunately, it’s already sold out, but this is the first $100 Blu-ray player to hit the market.  I’m sure it’s slow as all getup, but if you just want to fulfill your Blu-ray fantasies sans features then Mejier has it.  It’s $99.99 + free shipping coupon (DOTMJR09) = $99.99 shipped!

Don’t forget Meijer’s Free Shipping Coupon: DOTMJR09

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Panasonic officially announced the world’s first portable Blu-ray player today.  Called the DMP-B15, it’s a full fledge Blu-ray disc player with all the bells and whistle founds on its larger counterparts.  Features at a glance include an 8.9-inch WSVGA LCD, 2.5-hour rechargeable battery, BD-live functionality, VIERA CAST Internet accessibility and an SD card slot.  The B15 is designed to operate as a stand alone player or can be plugged into an HDTV via an HDMI port for an at home movie experience.  The built-in LAN port provides an Internet connection and allows access to VIERA CAST’s select set of websites, which includes: YouTube, Google Picasa Web Album, Bloomberg, and a weather channel.  Amazon VOD will become available sometime in June.  The B15 will ship later this month and cost $799.95.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Panasonic Announces The DMP-B15, The World’s First Portable Blu-ray Player

Back in February I posted about Sony bringing Blu Ray Movie/Game Disc Combos to market.  Warner Brothers has just announced that they will be releasing a combo version of the Watchmen Film and The End Is Neigh Game.  Having neither seen the movie or played the game, will this be a worthwhile idea?  Will the Fanboys care?  No word on exact street date or price but we’ll see if this sparks the interest of other game companies and movie studios.  Any guesses on price?  $80?  I think an online service that let’s you custom combo any movie to any game would be innovative.

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