 | Digital HD radio offers option -- at a price (BizJournals, 6/27/2005 4:56am) |
| Two different types of digital audio -- satellite radio and HD Radio -- are competing for listeners' ears. ... (Read Full Article) |
 | Broadcast giants join forces on HD radio (ZDNet, 12/06/2005 9:41pm) |
| Clear Channel, Infinity, other rivals strike an alliance to coordinate launch of new digital radio features. ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | Lexus Expands Standard HD Radio (TWICE, 8/07/2012 7:04pm) |
| Columbia, Md. - Lexus has expanded its selection of vehicles offering HD Radio with [...] (Read Full Article) |
 | Slacker radio support added to BRAVIA HDTVs (AfterDawn, 11/20/2008 7:06am) |
| Sony has announced today that they have added support for Slacker radio to BRAVIA HDTVs with Internet Video Link.
Users can now use their existing Slacker account to stream customized radio channels through their HDTVs. Sony did note that stations will have to be configured on a PC first.
The electronics giant also said Howcast support was being launched today giving "access to just short o ... (Read Full Article) |
| Radio-TV firm CHUM Ltd. reports Q1 profit up 13% at $24.2 million (Canadian Press via Yahoo! News, 1/13/2006 8:13pm) |
| TORONTO (CP) - CHUM Ltd. (TSX:CHM.NV.B) reported a 13 per cent profit increase in its latest quarter but warned Friday that revenue growth will slow later in the year in a "challenging environment" for its TV and radio holdings. ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | TuneIn radio app available now for PS3, next week for Vita (Joystiq, 10/29/2013 6:00pm) |
|
Are you looking to impress a love interest by setting up a candle-lit dinner in the comfort of your home? Do you need some [...] (Read Full Article) |
| Radio Shack Dropping Sylvania Blu-ray Players (Home Media Magazine, 10/06/2009 9:56pm) |
| Radio Shack is discontinuing carrying Sylvania Blu-ray Disc players, with many of its 4,450 company stores discounting the manufacturer’s BD players to $108 from suggested retail prices of $229 and above. (Read Full Article) |
 | Radio City Music Hall Sues Over LED Screen (AP via Yahoo! News, 5/04/2006 5:05pm) |
| The operators of the famed Radio City Music Hall have sued a Belgium-based media company for breach of contract over the purchase of a giant high-definition video screen they say never worked properly. ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | Slacker Radio Arrives on Xbox 360 (eCoustics, 2/26/2013 11:33pm) |
| The newly revamped Slacker radio today found a new home on the Xbox 360 gaming console. Now available for Xbox Live subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, Slacker brings millions of songs and hundreds of programmed stations to the Xbox Live [...] (Read Full Article) |
| HDTV Anti-Piracy Ruling A Blow To FCC, HD Radio Concerns Loom (FMQB, 5/09/2005 6:25pm) |
| Late last week, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down FCC antipiracy legislation that required computer and televison manufactures to install technology to block or inhibit reproduction of digital TV programs. Left undecided is an ongoing FCC inquiry into HD radio and similar piracy concerns. ... (Read Full Article) |
| XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2005 Results and Increases Year-end Subscriber Guidance to 6 (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 7/28/2005 12:01pm) |
| XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. today reported financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2005. ... (Read Full Article) |
 | TechnoConcepts Makes Historic Demonstration of Wireless Communication Interoperability Utilizing its True Software (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance, 7/14/2005 1:53pm) |
| CEOs and product engineers from leading wireless communications companies in South Korea recently witnessed an historic, first-ever demonstration of a True Software Radio receiver that can process radio frequency signals in the licensed and unlicensed frequency ranges without any of the traditional front-end analog and RF circuitry. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Sony BMG Unveils Dolby TrueHD Support with 'Dave Matthews Live' Blu-ray (High-Def Digest, 8/28/2007 2:55pm) |
| Sony BMG has unveiled full specs for 'Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City' Blu-ray, which will include the studio's first-ever support for Dolby TrueHD on a music title. 'Live at Radio... ... (Read Full Article) |
| Network LIVE Presents Madonna Live From KoKo's in London on November 15 With Simultaneous Worldwide Broadcast (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 11/09/2005 5:00am) |
| Network LIVE, a joint venture between America Online, XM Satellite Radio and AEG, today announced that the Company will produce and distribute Madonna's international album launch event for "Confessions On a Dancefloor" live from KoKo's in London on November 15th at 10 pm GMT / 5 pm ET to a worldwide audience of millions of music fans via AOL Music LIVE , XM Satellite Radio and multiple wirele ... (Read Full Article) |
| iPod(R) and XM(TM) Satellite Radio Capability Make Pioneer Elite A/V Receivers the Hub for Home Entertainment (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance, 9/09/2005 12:50pm) |
| New music options from iPod and XM Satellite Radio are only two of the features that make the new Pioneer Elite A/V receivers the hub of a great home entertainment center. The VSX-74TXVi and VSX-72TXV introduced today by Pioneer Electronics Inc. serve as the "brains" behind a great home theater; bringing in data from all types of sources and processing the data to enhance the audio and video ... (Read Full Article) |
| Although HD is the latest in technology, there are a few hiccups (Detroit News, 2/16/2006 9:25am) |
| If you're one of the few, the brave, the techno-geeky, and you own a high-definition radio, you know what that means. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Signal to change for better (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/24/2005 4:28am) |
| If you're having trouble receiving WRIR-FM (97.3), Richmond's 6-month-old alternative, low-power radio station, relief may be in sight. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Going after Goldilocks (USA Today, 11/22/2005 10:54pm) |
| Column: High-end hotels take personalization to new heights with rooms preprogrammed with your favorite radio stations, thermostat settings and frequently dialed phone numbers. Plus: Upgrading in-room art. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Metalink Announces Industry's First Single-Chip Real-MIMO, 802.11n Draft-Compliant, Radio Frequency (RF) IC (RedNova, 5/23/2005 2:33pm) |
| YAKUM, Israel, May 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Metalink Ltd. ... (Read Full Article) |
| 'Spectacular' minus musicians (The Journal News, 11/08/2005 11:13am) |
| Some of the usual buzz was missing at the opening of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular this year. The reason? No live musicians. ... (Read Full Article) |
| The Transforming Digital Living Room (MSNBC, 5/01/2005 4:54pm) |
| We\\\'re in the midst of the biggest transformation of living room entertainment since the radio console replaced the family sing-along. By Michael Rogers. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Panasonic HD 3D Home Theater Trucks Coming to A Highway Near You [Hd] (Gizmodo, 10/06/2009 11:40pm) |
| Parked outside Radio City Music Hall in NYC this afternoon (home this week to the World Business Forum) was Panasonic's HD 3D truck. We have seen the company's 103 inch 3D HDTV. But have you?
... (Read Full Article) |
| Bluetooth Adopts New Radio Technology (Washington Post, 3/29/2006 11:51am) |
| NEW YORK -- The Bluetooth wireless standard used in cell phones and other small devices will take a leap in transmission speed, broadening its scope to enable high-definition video and files for digital music players like the iPod. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Live 8 concerts will be online, on TV, and on radio (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 6/27/2005 7:17pm) |
| (KRT) - We've sure come a long way from Live Aid, the last super concert for a cause that musician/activist Bob Geldof and friends staged 20 years ago in London and Philadelphia - events viewed by an estimated 1 billion people that raised $100 million for African famine relief. ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | BBC To End 3D Broadcasts - For Now (About.com, 7/06/2013 4:00am) |
| In a move that seems like another setback for 3D TV, the BBC has announced it is will be suspending its 3D TV test broadcasts after the The Doctor Who 50th [...] (Read Full Article) |
| News Wal-Mart: HDTV Is Too Complicated The retailer is running a radio campaign suggesting that "big box" retailers are ... (TVPredictions.com, 12/12/2006 1:31pm) |
| Washington, D.C. (December 12, 2006) -- A man walks into a large electronics store and asks to see a High-Definition TV. The salesman, speaking with a slight accent, tells him that they have sets of all sizes, models and brands. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Universal Says 'Talk to Me' on HD DVD (High-Def Digest, 8/27/2007 5:30pm) |
| Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced an October HD DVD arrival for the acclaimed sleeper 'Talk to Me.' Based on the story of Washington D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene,... ... (Read Full Article) |
| Howard Stern Comments On Blu-ray (Format War Central, 1/17/2008 1:21pm) |
| During his Sirius Satellite Radio show, Howard Stern was asked by co-host Robin Quivers if he was getting into "HD or Blu-ray" (she meant HD DVD). Stern replied he has both, but then quickly said "I’m pretty sure one of my dvd players has Blu-ray" (view clip below for full conversation).
So if "The King [...] ... (Read Full Article) |
| With a PC's Power, That's Entertainment (New York Times, 4/21/2005 2:16am) |
| Personal computers increasingly fill home entertainment needs. And why not? They are already the repositories for digital photos, music and video collections. With an attached TV or radio tuner and digital video recorder and encoder, they can replace nearly every entertainment device in the house. (Read Full Article) |
| Emmis Announces Additional HD2 Formats for Phoenix and St. Louis Radio Markets (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 4/25/2006 9:04pm) |
| Emmis Communications Corporation unveiled its next wave of High Definition Digital second channels in its Phoenix and St. Louis markets. ... (Read Full Article) |
| World Series more accessible than ever (Republican American, 10/23/2006 9:13am) |
| How will you follow the World Series? On TV, in wide screen, high definition with surround sound? Or on XM satellite radio, pitch by pitch on your computer screen, cell phone or BlackBerry? ... (Read Full Article) |
| AVerMedia Internal DVB-T TV Tuner (BIOS, 12/01/2005 1:35pm) |
| AverMedia's latest product lets you watch digital terrestrial free-to-air TV and listen to digital radio on your PC. Once installed into a spare PCI slot, the DVB-T 777 automatically scans the frequency spectrum to deliver all Freeview digital terrestrial channels ... ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | 'The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernández' Blu-ray Available Now! (High-Def Digest, 4/30/2013 8:00pm) |
| The final performance of Academy Award-winner Ernest Borgnine is in stores now. Indican's 'The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernández' is now available for purchase on Blu-ray. Retired radio [...] (Read Full Article) |
| Bluetooth to get faster (Pioneer Press, 4/03/2006 11:56am) |
| The Bluetooth wireless standard used in cell phones and other small devices will take a leap in transmission speed, broadening its scope to enable high-definition video and files for digital music players like the iPod. The industry group behind Bluetooth said Tuesday it would boost transfer speeds in the next few years by incorporating a new radio technology, known as ultra-wideband, or UWB. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Union for Verizon workers criticizes company's cable TV plans (phillyburbs.com, 5/10/2006 10:08pm) |
| NEWARK, N.J. - Phone and cable companies are battling to be the sole link between New Jersey households and high-definition television, high-speed Internet and high-quality phone service. The latest front, however, has been opened on an older medium, radio. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Big Things in Small Spaces Clear Channel builds an HD mobile production pocket rocket By Charlie White (Digital Video Editing, 6/20/2005 7:19am) |
| (6/20/05) Clear Channel, one of the largest media companies in the United States, owns 40 television stations, over 1200 radio stations and also includes television entertainment and sports production divisions. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Conexant Introduces World's First Dual-Channel 8PSK and DVB-S2 Advanced Modulation Satellite Tuner (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance, 6/20/2005 12:01pm) |
| Conexant Systems, Inc. , a worldwide leader in semiconductor solutions for broadband communications, enterprise networks and the digital home, today announced the world's first dual-stream radio frequency satellite tuner. ... (Read Full Article) |
| MTV Names Content Hunter - 6/16/2005 9:11:00 AM - Broadcasting & Cable - CA608787 (Broadcasting and Cable, 6/16/2005 4:31pm) |
| The retail and management vet, most recently President of the Retail Group for Cablevision Systems Corp., will head business development teams creating unique MTV Networks Music and Logo content (its gay-targetted net launching this month) for other platforms including DVDs, video games, consumer products and publishing, radio and HDTV. ... (Read Full Article) |
| SnapStream announces Beyond TV 4; upgrade to include HDTV, DivX, FM (Engadget, 7/28/2005 7:06pm) |
| If you’re looking for a PC-based DVR and want to go above and beyond MCE’s onboard functionality, SnapStream’s recently announced upgrade to Beyond TV may be the answer. Beyond TV 4 will include support for recording FM radio, DivX encoding, and HDTV. Of course, to get HD, you’ll need a compatible tuner card, but the SnapStream boys are working hard to test this with as many tuners as th ... (Read Full Article) |
| NTT DoCoMo Achieves 1Gbps Packet Transmission in 4G Field Experiment (PhysOrg, 6/23/2005 8:55pm) |
| NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that it achieved 1Gbps real-time packet transmission in the downlink at the moving speed of about 20km/h in a field experiment on fourth-generation (4G) radio access. The experiment took place in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture on May 9, 2005. ... (Read Full Article) |
| IBM develops fast wireless chip for content sharing (InfoWorld) (InfoWorld, 2/06/2006 4:57pm) |
| ( InfoWorld ) - Scientists at IBM Corp. have developed a chipset that they claim is capable of allowing wireless devices to operate more than 10 times faster than today's advanced Wi-Fi networks. The chipset, using silicon germanium, is designed to operate in the 60GHz band, an unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum that can be used to transport data-intensive formats such as HDTV (high ... (Read Full Article) |
| Network LIVE Presents Keith Urban in Exclusive Live Concert Performance for Millions of Music Fans Worldwide (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 11/09/2005 5:00am) |
| Network LIVE , a joint venture between America Online, XM Satellite Radio and AEG, announced today that the Company will produce and distribute via the Network LIVE platform an exclusive performance by multi-platinum artist Keith Urban. ... (Read Full Article) |
| Howard Stern and iN DEMAND Networks Reach Agreement for Subscription Video-on-Demand Program (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance, 8/03/2005 1:30pm) |
| Howard Stern has entered into an agreement with iN DEMAND Networks, the world's leading aggregator and supplier of Video-On-Demand, Pay-Per-View and HDTV content, to provide a new TV home for the popular radio pioneer in a subscription-only format. ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | Why the Xbox 360 Won't Get the Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection (Kotaku, 5/02/2013 12:00pm) |
| Remember when Metal Gear Solid 4 was launched? And how it was such a big deal that the game wasn't coming to the Xbox 360? Remember that?
On his online radio show, Metal Gear creator [...] (Read Full Article) |
| Sirenza Microdevices Reports First Quarter 2005 Results (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 4/19/2005 8:05pm) |
| Sirenza Microdevices, Inc. , a leading designer and an ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System and ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System certified supplier of high performance radio frequency components for the commercial communications and aerospace and defense markets, today reported its financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2005. (Read Full Article) |
| Pioneer VSX-74TXVi and VSX-72TXV iPod-ready home AV receivers (MobileMag, 9/10/2005 3:25pm) |
| Pioneer has just released a pair of XM Satellite Radio and iPod compatible A/V Receivers for the home. Their Pioneer Elite A/V VSX-74TXVi and VSX-72TXV receivers act as the brains behind your home theater. ... (Read Full Article) |
| MRC High Definition Wireless Camera Systems Deliver Non-Stop World Series Action (BriefingRoom on BroadcastEngineering, 11/12/2007 4:54pm) |
| Enitre Series Broadcast Using MRC Airborne & Ground Links North Billerica, Massachusetts- Microwave Radio Communications (MRC) today announced that its Link High Definition (HD) Wireless Diversity camera systems powered FOX-TV Sports’ state-of-the-art, high resolution coverage of baseball’s American League Championship Series, ... (Read Full Article) |
| Sirenza Microdevices to Exhibit at the 2005 International Microwave Symposium (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 6/08/2005 9:28pm) |
| Sirenza Microdevices, Inc. , a leading designer and an ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System and ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System certified supplier of high performance radio frequency components for the commercial communications and aerospace and defense equipment markets, today announced that the company will be exhibiting at the 2005 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave ... (Read Full Article) |
| Yamaha's Newest 7.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver Delivers Enhanced Features Including HDMI and iBiquity's HD (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 4/06/2005 1:06pm) |
| Yamaha Electronics Corporation, the innovator in home theater and digital audio and video reproduction, today introduced the RX-V4600, a new A/V digital home theater receiver with HD Radio technology, HDMI, Dual i.LINK, and YPAO technology. (Read Full Article) |
| TechnoConcepts Announces Second Agreement with China Electronics Corporation for Development of Telecommunications (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance, 9/15/2005 1:00pm) |
| TechnoConcepts, Inc. , developers of a patented technology that converts radio frequency signals directly into digital (RF/D) and vice versa through proprietary digital signal processing software which replaces conventional analog hardware front-end signal processing circuitry currently in use, today announced its has signed an agreement with China Electronics Corporation to collaborate on the ... (Read Full Article) |
| SnapStream Media Announces Launch of Beyond TV 4 DVR Software Featuring Support for Recording HDTV, DivX, Browse by (PR Web, 11/10/2005 10:32am) |
| SnapStream Media, Inc., a leader in digital home entertainment products, announced today the launch of Beyond TV 4, a completely new version of its award-winning DVR software that supports DivX, FM Radio, recording of over-the-air (OTA) digital and HDTV content, and a new browse by category feature, as well as numerous stability and performance improvements. [PRWEB Nov 10, 2005] ... (Read Full Article) |
| China Digital Media Corporation Launches High Definition Television Broadcasting Service Trial (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance, 9/07/2005 12:00pm) |
| China Digital Media Corporation announced today that the company is cooperating with Nanhai Radio And Television Network Company to launch a high definition broadcast television trial program in Nanhai, Guangdong Province. ... (Read Full Article) |
| (Unranked) | Kotaku Holy Hell, This Guy Re-Created All Of Baldur's Gate In 3D | Gawker NYC Couple Who Hosted Self (Kotaku, 6/05/2013 9:15pm) |
| Kotaku Holy Hell, This Guy Re-Created All Of Baldur's Gate In 3D | Gawker NYC Couple Who Hosted Self-Help Radio Show Found Dead [...] (Read Full Article) |
| New Blu-ray player Ratings: Lower prices, more features (Consumer Reports, 10/09/2009 4:03pm) |
| In our largest test of Blu-ray players so far, we found that satisfying picture quality has become almost a given, while features and price vary considerably. You can pay as little as $160 for a recommended model or as much as $500, depending on the capabilities, bells and whistles you’re willing to pay for. Portability commands top dollar. The first portable Blu-ray player we’ve tested, the Panasonic DMP-B15, is priced at $700. Our latest Blu-ray player Ratings (available to subscribers) include 27 models that have a few features in common. All have BonusView, a picture-in-picture feature that lets you view additional content in a smaller window while a movie is playing, and all can upconvert standard DVDs to quasi-HD resolutions. Only a handful of the players, mostly priced at $300 and up, have BD-Live, a feature that allows the player to access directors’ commentaries, deleted scenes, games, and more from the movie studio’s servers. Other models are BD-Live-ready. These players, all priced at $200 and up, have the required Ethernet connection, but need additional memory (typically a 1GB USB flash drive, which costs $10 to $15) for the BD-Live feature to work. Another feature showing up on some of the higher-priced models is the ability to stream movies from online services such as Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand, or receive music streams from Internet radio stations such as Pandora. And more players now have USB ports or SD card slots, so you can play digital photos, music and even videos on your TV. One model, a Panasonic, has a built-in VHS player, a space-saving option for those who still watch tapes. Again, you’re not likely to find these features on the lowest-priced players. We expect prices to drop over the next several months, especially during November’s Black Friday shopping period. Rumors suggest we’ll see the first $100 model. So keep checking back here for updates. —James K. Willcox (Read Full Article) |
| NEWS: WD TV Live HD media player launches (Pocket-lint, 10/13/2009 1:25pm) |
Networked drive offers 1080p support
Western Digital has announced the launch of the WD TV Live HD media player, a revamp of a previous product this time round with networking capabilities as well as support for Full HD 1080p resolution.
WD says the new drive makes it easy to play HD videos stored on USB and network drives, from PCs and Macs, as well as stream content from websites on big screen HDTVs.
Boasting a "more responsive" interface than the previous WD TV HD media player, the Ethernet- and Wi-Fi-enabled new player comes complete with remote control, boasts internet radio, two USB ports, one HDMI port and SPDIF digital output.
The WD TV Live Media Player is available now on the high street, online, and at www.shopwd.co.uk for ?119.99.
Tags:
Hardware Storage Western Digital Networking NAS Home Cinema
WD TV Live HD media player launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:25:53 +0100 (Read Full Article) |
| WD intros WD TV Live HD Media Player (AfterDawn, 10/13/2009 6:04pm) |
Western Digital has officially launched its WD TV Live HD Media Player today, offering full HD playback from external drives via your HDTV.
Full specs are very interesting:
Full-HD video playback and navigation - up to 1080p -
This is the real thing; Full-HD 1080p playback. Sit back and enjoy the spectacular picture quality of brilliant high definition video and the crystal-clear sound of digital audio. Use the included remote control to make your entertainment choices using our crisp, animated navigation menus.
Play a wide variety of file formats -
WD TV Live supports a wide variety of the most popular file formats. No need to spend time transcoding.
Play videos, music and photos from the Internet on your big screen TV -
Explore and watch YouTube videos and Flickr pictures on the big screen. Rock out to thousands of radio stations via Live365 and discover new music with Pandora radio.
Access files anywhere on your home network -
Play movies, music, and photos from any PC or drive on your home network. The Ethernet port connects this player to your home network through a wired connection or via popular, supported WiFi adapters (sold separately).
Turn your USB drive into an HD media player -
Play content from most popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices. Optimized for My Passport portable hard drives.
Collect without limits -
There's no limit to the size of your media collection; just add more USB drives for more space.
Play media seamlessly from multiple USB drives -
Two USB ports on the player let you connect multiple USB storage devices and access them simultaneously. Our media library feature collects the content on all the drives into one list sorted by media type.
Transfer files easily -
Copy, move or delete files stored on a USB drive, a network drive, your camcorder, or a camera to the attached USB drive using the on-screen menus.
Show photos and movies directly from your digital camera or video camera -
Works with digital cameras, digital video cameras, in fact, any digital imaging device that supports Picture Transfer Protocol.
File Copy
Copy files between USB drives
HDMI 1.3, composite video and component video output -
The HDMI port lets you connect to the highest quality HDTV or home theater. Additional composite (RCA), and component outputs ensure compatibility with virtually all television sets.
SPDIF digital output -
The optical audio output sends digital signals to your AV receiver for the best surroundsound experience.
Access media files on your home network -
WD TV Live supports a direct Ethernet connection or a USB attached wireless connection to your home network. Click here to view compatible wireless-ready USB adaptors.
Ultra-compact design -
Fits easily into your entertainment center.
The player retails for $120 USD.
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| New Ratings: Blu-ray players now on CRO (Consumer Reports, 8/05/2009 3:30pm) |
| We’ve just posted our latest high-def Blu-ray Ratings (available to subscribers), and we’re happy to report that almost all the models tested can provide excellent HD and DVD picture quality. In fact, all the models in our Ratings offered excellent high-definition performance, though we did see some differences in how well players handled upconverted film-based programs from standard DVDs. In addition to models from familiar brands, such as LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony (whose products we’ve previously reviewed), our latest Ratings include the first Blu-ray players from JVC, Sherwood, and Oppo (pictured), a smaller company whose upconverting DVD players earned strong word-of-mouth among the A/V enthusiast community. Check our Ratings to see how well these newcomers did compared to second- and third-generation models from other brands. With satisfying HD picture quality now almost a given, it’s primarily features that differentiate one player from another. For example, while almost all the new models in our Ratings are BD-Live (or BD-Live-ready) players—meaning they can connect to the Internet to access extra content, such as outtakes, additional directors', or actors' commentaries, or even video games, from a movie studio’s servers—some older models lack this feature. All the players in our test have BonusView, a picture-in-picture feature that lets you view additional content in a smaller window while the movie is playing. We’re also seeing more Internet-connected players that can now directly access instantly streaming movies from services such as Netflix or Amazon Video on Demand, or music from streaming Internet radio services such as Pandora. Some models offer wireless access to a home network so you don’t need to have a wired Ethernet jack near the player. Although we have seen Blu-ray prices fall since our last test, the addition of these new features has tempered the types of price drops we initially envisioned. As a result, you can still expect to pay $350 to $500 for a top-rated, BD-Live model from a major brand. A less expensive option is to choose a “BD-Live-ready†model; prices typically start at about $250. These players come with an Ethernet connection, but require you to purchase additional memory (typically a 1GB USB flash drive, which costs $10 to $15) to activate the BD-Live feature. But if you can live without BD-Live, you can save money by choosing one of the BonusView-only players, which typically sell for $200 or less. But we do anticipate prices dropping this fall, even on full-featured models from major brands, as manufacturing efficiencies come into play and brands compete for market share. We’ll be tracking Blu-ray prices over the next several months, especially during November’s Black Friday shopping period, when rumors suggest we’ll see the first $100 model. So keep checking back here for updates. Also, we recently changed our Blu-ray testing protocol, adding scores for Blu-ray disc load times and remote control operations. With so many players offering excellent picture quality, we’ll continue to adapt our Ratings to include new features or attributes that will help buyers differentiate among the choices.—James... (Read Full Article) |
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