For those who have been attending CES regularly over the past few years, you would’ve seen Toshiba advertise their HD DVD format through banners and bags, but we could be looking at Blu-ray ads from Toshiba from next year onwards as the company ditches the HD DVD format by coming up with the BDX2000 Blu-ray player. This new player can even hook up to a REGZA LCD TV through HDMI, displaying full high definition content using a solitary remote control thanks to the REGZA-LINK function. Other features of the BDX2000 include :-

• BD-Live (Profile 2.0)
• 1080p/ 24 fps Full HD Video Output
• AVCHD Playback
• Toshiba REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC)
• Support for enhanced audio formats from Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio
• Bonus View
• SD Card Slot
• ENERGY STAR Certified

Expect the Toshiba BDX2000 to arrive at all good electronic stores near you this November for $249.99. At that price point, would you rather fork out another $50 and settle for a PS3 Slim instead?

Press Release

Mitsubishi is back with a new range of flat panel TVs for its Diamond Unisen line, where these models will ship with built-in VUDU support in full High Definition glory. The integration of VUDU ensures consumers will be able to experience the seamless delivery of thousands of high-definition movies and TV shows on-demand, although we’re pretty sure this still won’t stop people from flipping channels whenever they’re bored. At least you don’t have to time your TV schedule to a station’s programming, since you will definitely be free whenever you pick up the show that you think would tickle your fancy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Who says that we are in a flatscreen age with the TOOB? The TOOB allows a user one of those domed theater experiences, but in your household.

It is powered by a projector from a home theater, and allows the user to plug anything into it, such as a video games system or DVD player. I am guessing that the user lays down in front of it and feels an immersed experience.

I’m guessing that this experience is limited to the amount of people lying down in front of it. I don’t really know if these photos do it justice for what it can really do. I mean, just imagine being right in front of that alligator.

Read the rest of this entry »

Marantz has released a couple of new Blu-ray players which will feature DivX HD 1080p playback. Both the BD7004 and BD5004 Blu-ray players are readily available in the US and Canada, enabling users to playback their 1080p DivX HD videos in a jiffy. DivX format videos boast the advantage of offering a superior media experience without taking up an insane amount of hard drive space, where a full length high definition movie is able to fit onto a standard DVD instead of the usual Blu-ray disc. No idea on pricing of the BD7004 and BD5004 Blu-ray players, although if you’re willing to invest good money in them, they ought to offer a decent playback experience especially if you’re an avid Torrent downloader – just keep a close eye on your door for RIAA officials to bust into your pad and arresting you for illegal downloading activities. Don’t say you have not been warned!

Press Release

If you love recording shows from your TV, then you might want to reconsider upgrading your current DVD recorder into something else, where this upgrade will comprise of a new TV as well in the form of the Sharp Aquos DX2 series. This is the first HDTV line in the world that will feature a built-in Blu-ray recorder, where other specifications include a variety of displays ranging from 26″ all the way to 52″, 15,000:1 contrast ratio, the ability to store up to 30 hours of high definition video on a dual-layer Blu-ray disc, where it will transcode and compress to MPEG-4 format without the need for external boxes or wires. Depending on the screen size, you will have to fork out anything from $1,740 upwards.

Source: Engadget

Samsung has recently unveiled their latest LCD HDTV to the world, and in the flagship model, no less. The all new 8500 Series of HDTVs will bring together superb picture quality without sacrificing style, where the thinness of Samsung’s older LED HDTVs alongside all the latest networking and interactive features are still retained in order to keep TV connoisseurs happy. Samsung has also thrown in the Medi@2.0 suite for a higher level of immersion when it comes to viewing movies and shows on the 8500 Series. More on this line right after the jump, especially if you’re looking to upgrade your current flat screen TV.

Read the rest of this entry »

LG is an old hand when it comes to flat screen TVs with High Definition capability, and it is nice to see them introduce yet another improvement to their new line up of HDTVs in order to go one up against other competing brands. This time round, the Korean consumer electronics giant has rolled out broadband-capable HDTVs that are able to access the instant high-definition (HD) movie service from VUDU Inc. The HDTVs that fall under this purview will include LG’s LH50 1080p LCD series and PS80 Plasma 1080p series, where they will be come with “NetCast Entertainment Access” from next month onwards. This unique partnership between both companies will see consumer obtain access to thousands of HD movies at the touch of a button without having to go through the usual motion of flipping through a catalog at a video store as of yore.

Read the rest of this entry »

The fact that the Sonos CR200 is about to hit the market is a very real and apparent one, where we’ve covered news of its FCC approval earlier this month. Well, the time is ripe for the Sonos CR200 to hit the market, making this one state of the art music Controller for the home, bringing a full color display alongside an ultra-responsive touchscreen display which enables you to literally find and play your entire digital music collection in a jiffy, all with but a subtle touch of the finger. Sonos has taken their cumulative years of experience (7 in total) when it comes to designing wireless music systems for hundreds of thousands of customers in over 60 countries, culminating in the CR200 that is touted to be the most innovative and intuitive way to find, play and control music anywhere in the home, although some other folks might argue that the iPod’s interface is still more intuitive.

Read the rest of this entry »