Vizio Blu-ray Player Breaks $200 Price Point

The manufacturer known for low-cost HDTVs now has a $199 Blu-ray player in its arsenal

There were a handful of different Blu-ray players that reached the $200 price point during the holiday shopping season after instant rebates, though many of the players went up in price after the holidays were over. Memorex launched a standalone Blu-ray player for $199, and they'll be joined by at least one more company interested in lowering the price.

Best known for its low-cost HDTVs, Vizio has broken the $200 Blu-ray price point after introducing the VBR100 standalone Blu-ray player.

The specifications obviously aren’t as impressive as higher-priced players, but the VBR100 is Profile 2.0 compatible, has 7.1 analog audio outputs, onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-Master Audio, and also has optical and coaxial digital audio outputs.

It's unlikely the drive will have BD-Live 2.0 support, which has been reserved for more expensive Blu-ray players.

The Vizio VBR100 Blu-ray player will be priced at $199, and will be released in April.

Blu-ray player sales have been rather lackluster since Sony and company fended off the Toshiba HD DVD format in early 2008. Even though most of the new Blu-ray players announced during CES have streaming capabilities and other added benefits, Vizio hopes it’s cheaper, lower-end Blu-ray player will convince cost weary consumers to watch HD content.

-dailytech

New Hybrid BluRay DVD Disc Coming

Now this is the future in my view. Japanese disc manufacturer INFINITY has announced the first ever BluRay hybrid. What this means is a DVD and BluRay that is all on one disc. What it means is studios can put their films out on one disc and be supported by both DVD and BluRay.

The disc has one BluRay layer and two DVD layers although I am not exactly clear on why it has two DVD layers on the disc. My guess is so studios can release two versions of the film on one disc.

With this new Hybrid disc studios will now have the ability to put out a single disc rather then doing separate bluray and dvd releases which SHOULD bring down BluRay pricing. The reason I say this is if you are running one line for all your films and we all know that DVD sales are much higher then BluRay then the cost should come down. The argument right now for BluRay being so expensive is its limited market share.

Of course studios will have to consider the cost of the new Hybrid disc when deciding to switch to it but if INFINITY is smart and wants a huge market share right off the bat they should consider pricing it right. The potential here is huge and it will open the BluRay market up very quickly. Infinity, the studios and yes even movie goers will win if this new disc is as good as it is billed.

Right now BluRay is far to expensive and is the main reason that I steer clear of most BluRay titles. That said without question films like WallE and Dark Knight must be seen on BluRay to really appreciate them. According to Electronista the new hybrid format has been tested with good success on most major players.

-moviesonline

Xbox 720 vs PS3’s Blu-ray

An interesting article has surfaced on the possibilities that Microsoft have in terms of storage capacity relating to their Xbox 720 console. A recent study has found that it might be possible to fit 12TB of data on a single DVD disc.

Sounds hard to believe I know, but the scientists are still exploring this possibility and might of found a breakthrough. An article over at GamePlayer has suggested that Microsoft could be (and maybe should be) willing to try out this new method for the Xbox 720.

The article points out the fact that 12TB of storage would be 240 times the capacity of Blu-ray, so imagine the possibilities if this turns out to be true.

How would Sony and their Blu-Ray format compete with that kind of storage capabilities? It will be interesting to see what the storage options for the Xbox 720 will be.

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Sub Article on DVD storage:

Min Gu from Swinburne University of Technology

Scientists have unveiled new DVD technology that stores data in five dimensions, making it possible to pack more than 2,000 movies onto a single disc.

A team of researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, have used nanotechnology to boost the storage potential nearly 10,000-fold compared to standard DVDs, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

"We were able to show how nanostructured material can be incorporated onto a disc in order to increase data capacity, without increasing the physical size of the disc," said Min Gu, who led the team.

Discs currently have three spatial dimensions. By using gold nanorods Gu and colleagues were able to add two additional dimensions, one based on the colour spectrum, and the other on polarisation.

Because nanoparticles react to light depending on their shape, it was possible to record information in a range of different colour's wavelengths at the same physical location on the disc.

Current DVDs record in a single colour wavelength using a laser.

The fifth dimension was made possible by polarisation. When light waves were projected onto the disc, the direction of the electric field within the waves aligned with the gold nanorods.

"The polarisation can be rotated 360 degrees," explained co-author James Chon.

"We were, for example, able to record at zero degree polarisation. Then on top of that, were able to record another layer of information at 90 degrees polarisation, without them interfering with each other," he said in a statement.

The researchers are still working out the speed at which the discs can be written on, and say that commercial production is at least five years off.

They have signed an agreement with Korea-based Samsung, one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers.

Last month, US technology giant General Electric said its researchers had developed a holographic disc which can store the equivalent of 100 standard DVDs.

Sky's 3DTV Technology To Have A Costly Star

Sky's 3D endeavour could be a costly bet if they don't bring down the initial investment price for the viewers who want to experience the ultimate in three dimensional viewing.

Mitsubishi, LG and Philips, notably, have been at the forefront of 3D television; Panasonic has already proposed a new Blu-ray standard for 3D imagery and Japan already has 2 hours of 3D programming every day.

However Sky wants 3D to be available as early as next year but will have some important drawbacks. Firstly, the user would require both a Sky+ HD set top box as well as a special 3D television to view the programme.

Then, there's the price of the television set, around than £2500 according to some estimates, which is more than five times the price of comparable television sets (based on £500 for a 42-inch LCD TV). The Philips 42-3D6W02, a 42-inch 3D display, still cost a whopping £6266 two years after its launch.

And to make things a bit more complicated, you will still need 1960-style bi-coloured polarised glasses to truly appreciate 3D motion pictures.

Old content will still be displayed as "flat" content and only new content that have been recorded using special equipment (including twin side by side cameras) will be 3D ready. It will also add more layers to an already complex setup. Some programmes are already available in standard and HD version. Will 3D programmes be made in HD and non HD formats as well?

Pocket-lint, which was at the demo of 3DTV, was told by Sky's top brass that more than 60 movies will be released in 3D by 2012 and there is a very good chance that the 2012 London Olympics will be in 3D (although that will depend on how many people are actually equipped with the right telly).

Sony is also understood to be preparing a stereoscopic 3D set in the next 12 months with an exclusive display scheduled at the International CES in January 2009. But it is still early days and there's already a number of 3D standard groups which have been setup to make sure that the ugly battle between Bluray and HDDVD standards does not come to 3D.


itproportal.com

Blu-ray versus Digital Distribution, is it even a contest?

Even with digital distribution still on its early stages, for many it already poses a serious threat to other traditional distribution mediums. Be it music, videos, software or even books, among the young there's likely as much people preferring digital over hard copies.

But with such a broad topic, let's just touch on the video part of the equation. A great deal of TV shows and movies are already being (legally) distributed over the Internet and it's proven successful on certain markets, yet still lacking the widespread appeal that could put companies to make billions on monthly sales. There's also the video on demand (VOD) option which unlike Internet-based services only offers a limited catalog and relies on local cable services. VOD also resembles better a rental business model, while true digital distribution services are meant to replace retail sales with content that can be downloaded multiple times as needed by its virtual owner or licensee. The most unpleasant side of digital distribution can be resumed in three letters, however: DRM. Digital Right Management

Digital rights management (DRM) refers to access control technologies used by publishers, copyright holders, and hardware manufacturers to limit usage of digital media or devices.

At the other side of the fence is Blu-ray (and old fashioned DVDs as well). In short, you get your hard copy, virtually no restrictions to do away as you wish over time, and in the case of Blu-ray, high resolution playback in all its glory. It probably lacks the 'push a button' comfort of digital but still stands as the traditional trusted model for most.

-techspot.com

Sharp introduces LCD TVs with built-in Blu-ray

Japan's Sharp has launched what it billed as the world's first liquid crystal display television with a built-in next-generation Blu-ray DVD recorder.

The latest in Sharp's Aquos line of televisions will hit the market in late November with prices between Y170,000 and Y500,000

"At a time that competition is tough and the atmosphere bad, we want to differentiate ourselves by offering customers products that are of great quality but simple to use," Sharp chief executive Mikio Katayama told reporters.

The new Aquos DX series means a customer does not need to buy a separate DVD player or recorder, although the DVD unit can still come out of the television if there is a need for repair.

Sharp was at the forefront of LCD televisions. Blu-Ray, backed by Sony and other electronics makers, has beaten out Toshiba's HD DVD as the next-generation standard.

Sharp said it would not immediately release the new Aquos overseas. Japan has been the key market for next-generation DVDs, which allow better quality images and more interactive features than traditional DVDs.

-gamefocus

Blu-ray Player Prices Are Falling

To boost sales in a weak economy, makers of the high-def video players are lowering prices and adding movie-download capabilities.

Blu-ray player manufacturers, faced with increasing competition from movie download services and a weak economy heading into the holiday shopping season, are dropping prices across a range of current and older models, a market researcher said Friday.

While manufacturers originally expected to get a premium for the high-definition movie devices, many Blu-ray players today are available for less than $200, such as a Samsung model bundled with four movie discs that's available on Amazon.com, ABI research said. Holiday season prices may be in the $150-to-$200 range.

"Blu-ray vendors and dealers are starting to realize that for Blu-ray to become the next DVD, they need to lower player prices in order to generate interest and build volumes," ABI analyst Steve Wilson said in a statement.

Helping to drive prices down is increasing competition from movie download alternatives. Examples include Microsoft's video game console Xbox 360, which is also capable of downloading and playing films; broadband-connected TiVo digital video recorders; and Netflix's recently launched $100 Roku player, which streams movies from the Netflix Web site to a subscriber's digital TV. The device can connect to the site through a wired or Wi-Fi connection. Other options include Apple TV, which connects to the computer and iPod maker's online iTunes store to rent or buy movies for streaming to a television.

Along with lowering prices, Blu-ray player makers are meeting the competition head on. LG and Samsung, for example, have recently announced agreements with Netflix to offer players that can download and play content directly from the download service. "The more the Blu-ray players adopt these download capabilities, the better they will be able to differentiate themselves from standard DVD players," Wilson said.

Netflix's flat monthly fee approach in offering movies and TV shows is expected to dominate the purchased/rented video market in the next few years, according to In-Stat. The online video market is expected to rocket to $4.5 billion in sales by 2012 from $1.2 billion this year.


By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek

Sony hopes flatscreen giants win living-room battle

With bigger TVs, the triumph of the BluRay format and plans to provide exclusive content, Sony is taking the fight to its rivals, writes Mike Butcher

IN GRAHAM Greene's classic screenplay for The Third Man, the hero Holly Martins goes in search of an old friend, Harry Lime (played by Orson Welles).

In a ravaged, post-war Vienna, he finds Lime waxing philosophically about the products of war: "In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

It's just as well that the chief executive of Sony, Howard Stringer, collects first-edition books by Greene. The products of the wars between Sony and its competitors, from Apple to Samsung and even Amazon, may not need to be quite up to Michelangelo's standard, but to succeed they will have to be good. Very good.

South Korean electronics leviathans - Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics - are battling in Asia for Sony's market share. Simultaneously, the credit crunch in the US means the consumer electronics war is shifting from its US battlefield towards Europe.

Market researcher GfK estimates the size of the flatscreen TV market in Europe will reach €24.6 billion this year, from €10.9 billion in 2007. Key product sizes - 30-inch and 40-inch TVs - will account for 62 per cent of the total. In the year to March, around 75 per cent of Sony's sales came from Europe, the US and Japan.

Although it expects a slowdown in the overall consumer electronics market in the second half of 2008 in western Europe, it sees double-digit growth in the television market. Sony is the world's second-largest LCD TV maker, behind Samsung Electronics. Its goal is to achieve the number one position in LCD TVs globally and in Europe by 2010.

Large-sized flatscreen TVs with high-definition or full HD are invading the living rooms of Europe in large part due to new HD-quality DVD players and the proliferation of HD-TV programmes, many of which, increasingly, are free.

Sony's opening salvo at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin this year didn't disappoint. The Bravia ZX1 40-inch TV was revealed at an ultra-slim 9.9mm - the thinnest in the world.

The Motionflow 200Hz Bravia Z4500 TV sent a whopping 200 frames a second across the screen, giving an extremely crisp picture - and the XEL-1 OLED 3mm screen (organic light emitting diode) TV will go on sale in Europe for the first time after launching in Japan.

OLED TVs, which are thinner and more energy-efficient, offer brighter colours than LCD and plasma sets and are expected to be a promising next-generation flat TV. There were new BluRay Disc players capable of full HD. It was the triumph of the BluRay high-definition DVD format over Toshiba's HD DVD format that first signalled Sony could be on the comeback trail. The key moment came last December when Warner Bros threw its weight behind BluRay. It was the culmination of three years of work by Stringer to break down the distinction between the console and the DVD divisions of Sony.

But crossing barriers is part of Stringer's make-up. Born in 1942 in Cardiff, Wales, he went to Oxford University, and then moved to the US with $200 in his pocket. Despite not being a US citizen at the time, he accepted the draft and served in Vietnam. Afterwards, he joined broadcaster CBS and rose to become president, eventually joining Sony as chief executive in 2005 as the first foreign-born chief of a major Japanese electronics corporation.

However, being billed as the man to deliver a BluRay victory was no certainty. "It went down to the wire," says Stringer. "It became clear through movies like Harry Potter that people were buying movies and games for the PlayStation 3, which made it clear to Warners. The PS3 was the deciding factor."

Jokingly, he adds: "You guys would have written my obituary if BluRay had failed. You would have said Howard Stringer, BetaMax 2. RIP!"

The PlayStation might be a BluRay player, but it took its time arriving, and at considerable cost. Sony spent over $3 billion (€2 billion) to get the PS3 to market. Stringer says PlayStation 3 is now profitable, although Sony is still losing money on the hardware.

Another key component for Sony's war on competitors will be its Bravia televisions. The Bravia internet link enables the TV to stream content direct to the home. "We'll be delivering Hancock [the movie] directly onto TV sets before the video release," he says.

"That's the beginning of a dual strategy - PlayStation is downloading, Bravia is a streaming strategy. These are tributaries of the same river. We'll be making sure the TV is the centre of the home more than the PC and, of course, we're in direct competition with Microsoft and Apple."

How important is it to own the content companies, as Sony does with Sony Pictures and Sony BMG? Surely other electronics firms have managed without?

"I'm always surprised when people ask me why we own content - if we hadn't, we couldn't have won the BluRay format war. Content is central to everything we do now . . . If you have content, you can steal a march on your competitors because you can get early access to the content that drives the market and uptake."

To bolster his argument, Stringer refers to Apple's relationship with Pixar and Disney. But for the content rivers to flow, there needs to be a channel. Thus, Sony's target for 2011 is a product portfolio in which 90 per cent of the devices will be capable of networking and connecting wirelessly, allowing the content to pass between their devices.

But there is no shortage of competitors: Canon on cameras, Amazon with the Kindle electronic book and the ever present Samsung. Have they opened too many fronts on which to compete?

"Yes, you can have too many businesses, but those businesses protect us on the downside. A relationship between the hardware and the content is totally key . . . with the exception of Apple, there is no other company that is going to have as many networked devices over the next two years - and the more they talk to each other, the more unique they will become