GadgetReview

Price drop alert!  Dell Home has a new low for the Vizio VBR100 BluRay Player with BD Live – $40 less than before.  This Blu-ray player does full 1080, BD Live and more.  It’s …Continue reading: Vizio VBR100 BluRay Player with BD Live – $130 Shipped

While the idea might be cooler than the product to some, just announced is the God of War 3 demo will be on the District 9 Blu-Ray when it releases on December 29th.  This is another example we’re seeing now in regards to what can and should be done with Blu-Ray discs.

Play through the God of War 3 Demo and gain access to the making-of featurette once the game releases.

Earlier this year we ran posts about the Watchmen Movie/Game Combo and the possibility of other synergistic implementations but I have yet to see this idea really fleshed to what it could be.

We’re getting there I guess…

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If the Xbox 360 is going to make it to 2015, Microsoft better have definite plans to get Blu-Ray compatibility on board on the ASAP.  In a recent interview with Gizmodo, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer is quoted saying that we will “soon” be able to watch Blu-Ray movies on the Xbox 360.

The CEO had expressed that an external Blu-Ray drive would be the best way to get the format on the 360.  I bet it looks identical to ill fated HD DVD drive from a few years back.

At the moment however, Ballmer seems to think that there is enough HD content via streaming sources (NetFlix and the upcoming Zune Video) to keep the masses happy.  Are we happy?

How about that web browser?

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In a move that is entirely all things Sony,  some featured Blu-Ray releases will contain a free digital copy for your PSP.  The catch is that you will need a PS3 to do the transfer.

For example, Sony Films will be releasing the Blu-Ray version of Godzilla on November 3rd that will be bundled with a separate DVD-ROM that provides access to the digital copy.  From there you just jam the disc into your PS3 and download the digital version of the Godzilla.  After that all you have to do is transfer it to your PSP via USB and you are good to go.

Essentially you will have all this Sony stuff to make this a worthwhile deal.  But do you really care anyway?  If you are going out and actually buying Godzilla on Blu-Ray do you really need to watch it again on your PSP?

Again, another nice move by Sony but will it go largely unnoticed?

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Dell Home has a sick price for the Sony BDP-S360 Blu-Ray Player.  Features of this Blu-ray player include a full HD, DVD upscaling, the latest audio codec support, 6 second start up and BD live.  It’s …Continue reading: Sony BDP-S360 Blu-Ray Player – $150 Shipped

Sharp has recently developed a new technique that has allowed them to stretch the capacity of a Blu-Ray Disc to 75 and 100Gb’s.  Pretty cool eh?  Through changing the way the discs are manufactured and improvements made upon the laser, Sharp is waiting for approval from the Blu-Ray Disc Association.

In an attempt to explain the tech specs in basic jargon,  Sharp has pioneered a new laser that reads a new aluminum oxynitride film (dielectric is the old one) coating that allows the disc to have up to three and four layers instead of the current two, allowing for more storage. …Continue reading: Blu-Ray Disc Capacity Now Maxes Out At 100GB

I’m about one short and curly away from pulling the trigger on a blu-ray player.  And just when I think I’ve found the one, the Sony BDP-N460, it falls short of the everything mark by leaving out the always quintessential WiFi.  That’s right, you’ll have to buy a separate WiFi dongle from Linkys (WET610N) to get this bad boy up and running on the Net with no wires.

But despite that one short coming, the BDP-N460 does offer a plethora of features that includes BD-Live, USB input, DVD upscaling, all the latest audio codecs and the ability to stream media from the BRAVIA Internet Video platform including thousands of movies, TV programs, and music from YouTube, Slacker, and, later this fall, Netflix.

The BDP-N460 will launch this fall and retail for $250.  Or you can just grab a Sony PS3, which includes WiFi but lacks Netflix integration.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Sony’s BDP-N460 Blu-ray Player Does It All But WiFi

Think about it.  The PS2 had a lengthy lifespan that spawned several quality franchises such as:  Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, GTA3, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Brothers in Arms, and more.  All these titles are totally still playable beyond a nostalgic standpoint and could have new life breathed into them if bundled together and re-released on the PS3 via Blu-Ray disc.

With the recent news of a God of War collection being re-released on Blu-Ray with a framerate increase, resolution upscaling and trophies, some rumblings have other publishers agreeing to the coolness factor of this idea, but not confirming anything.  The storage capacity of a Blu-Ray disc alone could make this a very possible scenario for down the line.  Sweet!

I think this is a great idea especially if you are a fan of a particular series and want to catch up on past story lines before you play the current title.   Hopefully we’ll here more about this sometime soon.

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Most rumors have some shred of truth to them so we’ll see where that gets us with this post.  iTunes 9 is allegedly supposed to have some sort of Blu-Ray support.  If I were to guess, I would say that it is some sort of  framework for upcoming Macs that could have Blu-Ray drives in them or for PC’s that have them already.  Other guesses could include digital copies of Blu-Ray movie purchases and or for using interactive content.

As far as app organization, there will be the ability to visually organize applications and that it will somehow integrate social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm.  My guess on that would offer the notion that it would update your status with iTunes purchases or what you’re currently listening to.

Early September should bring these rumors to light as last year introduced iTunes 8 as well as new iPod models.  That makes sense for this year because the free iPod Touch promotion ends on September 8th.  Expect Apple truth to see due diligence on September 9th.

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Probably not the best blu-ray player, but Amazon has the Samsung PN42B450 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV with the Sylvania NB530SLX Blu-ray Disc Player for $679 + free shipping = $679 shipped! Features include 720p resolution, 3x HDMI inputs, 600 subfield motion, .001 motion response time and more.

Other LCD TV and Blu-ray combos here.