From now till 9am AEST 3rd Feb, you can get Free shipping on all products at play4me. Just use the code "FREEWEEK" at the shopping cart.
* Excludes gaming hardware & large dvd boxsets
For full details & to visit Play4me, click here
The biggest Blu-ray release this week in the U.S. would have to be The Bourne Trilogy
. Containing all three films with each receiving a BD-50 dual-layer presentation with 1080p video and English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround audio. Each disc also comes with a tone of features. The Bourne Trilogy won't get released in Australia till March 4 so if you can't wait you can get this region free title from Amazon.comAmazon.com
also have a sale on right now on selected Blu-ray titles, many of them are under $15 US and all of them are under $20 US. Check it out here. As for this week's releases:Theatrical releases:
- Any Given Sunday
- The Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity / The Bourne Supremacy / The Bourne Ultimatum) Region Free
- Dead & Buried Region Free
- Death Trance
- Drumline
- Groundhog Day
- Hulk Vs. Region Free
- Lakeview Terrace
- One Piece: The Princess and the Pirates -- Adventures in Alabasta
- Open Season 2
- The Pink Panther (1964) Region Free
- Pride and Glory (+ Digital Copy) Region Free
- The Rocker Region Locked
- RocknRolla
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Zodiac Region Free
- Blu-ray Action 3-pk Bundle (Casino Royale, Black Hawk Down, Hellboy)
- Blu-ray Female 3-pk Bundle (Made of Honor, The Other Boleyn Girl, Across the Universe)
- Blu-ray Comedy Bundle (Superbad, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Talladega Nights)
- Ashford & Simpson: The Real Thing
- Ferruccio Busoni: Doktor Faust
- Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges
- Puccini: Tosca
- Stomp Live
Amazon.co.uk
For all you twilight fans out there, multiple Australian retailers are reporting that the release date for the movie twilight will be 22nd April 2009.
The U.S. will be getting Twilight on March 21st exclusively at Best Buy and Target, day-and-date with the DVD release with the remaining retailers on May 5th, after the Australian release date.
If the Australian release is the same as the U.S. then expect to see the following extras:
- Audio Commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke, and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
- 5 Extended Scenes with introductions by the director
- 5 Deleted Scenes with introductions by the director
- 3 Music Videos from Muse, Paramore and Linkin Park
- "The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen" — A seven-part documentary
- Comic-Con Phenomenon featurette
Click here to pre-order from Play4me.com.au & receive free shipping
Only the one release in Oz this week.
Tuesday, January 27
Jeff Beck - Performing This Week: Live At Ronnie Scott's Jazz ClubTo view the details of this title, click here
The stunning live performance from the legendary rock guitarist now on Blu-ray! The acclaim heaped on the performances from which this album is drawn was nothing short of over the top. This recording will be seen as a milestone moment in the career of one of the guitars all-time greatest exponents!
Includes guest appearances from ERIC CLAPTON and JOSS STONE, and features live versions of classic tracks from across Jeff Beck's stellar career including: "Beck's Bolero", "Led Boots", "Scatterbrain", "Where Were You", "Angels (Footsteps)", "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" and his now iconic version of "A Day In The Life".
Tracklisting:
Beck's Bolero
Eternity's Breath
Stratus
Cause We've Ended As Lovers
Behind The Veil
You Never Know
Nadia
Blast From The East
Led Boots
Angel (Footsteps)
Scatterbrain
Medley: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/Brush With The Blues
Space Boogie
Big Block
A Day In The Life
Where Were You
Click here to buy this title for $26.62 @ play4me.com.au
Amazon.com
Chaos.com has free shipping from now till Jan 27th. Just type in "FREEWORK" in the prmo box at the checkout. Offer excludes gaming hardware and large box sets.
Big W have the following Blu-ray specials from Jan 22 till Feb 11 2009.
Multibuy - 2 for $44 or single price from $29.78 ea
- I Am Legend
- American Gangster
- Pirates of the Caribbean 3
- National Treasure
- The Mummy
- The Mummy Returns
- The Scorpion King
- The Scorpion King 2
- Pirates of the Caribbean 1
- Pirates of the Caribbean 2
- The Golden Compass
- Underworld
- Semi-Pro
- Hostem
- Tears of the Sun
- Narnia
- The Covenant
- Rush Hour 3
- Gattaca
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Knocked up
- The 40 year old virgin
- Vertical Limit
- Miami Vice
- Casino
- Total Recall
- Happy Feet
- Ocean's Eleven
- Ocean's Twelve
- Ocean's Thirteen
- 1408
$34.93 Titles
- The Mummy 3
- Hellyboy 2
- Eagle Eye
- Indiana Jones 3
- Iron Man
- Kung Fu Panda
- The Dark Knight
- Transformers
- Tropic Thunder
- The Bank Job
- Step Brothers
- Resident Evil Degeneration
- Walle
- The Love Guru
$29.98 Titles
- 28 Weeks Later
- Broken Arrow
- Commando
- Kiss of the Dragon
- Eragon
- Fantastic 4
- Fantastic 4 - Rise of the silver surfer
- The Transporter
- Speed
- Troy
- Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut
- Cloverfield
- Shooter
- No Country for old Men
Mission Impossible boxset - $37.92
Spiderman Boxset - $74.84
The Ultimate Matrix boxset - $115
The Mummy Trilogy boxset - $84.48
The Godfather boxset - $84.48
Planet Earth - $74.84
Amazon.com
This offer is only available for today, so if the price in the box below is higher than $34.99, the offer is already over
Video Ezy's latest catalogue has some of the best blu-ray specials we have ever seen from them. Alot of titles are under the $30 price mark. Full list below.
Walle - $39.95
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $24.95
The 40 year old virgin - $24.95
Knocked Up - $24.95
Casino - $24.95
American Gangster - $24.95
Miami Vice - $24.95
Total Recall - $24.95
The Mummy 3 - $37.95
Eagle Eye - $39.95
The Polar Express - $27.95
Harry Potter - $27.95
Beowulf - $27.95
The Prestige - $27.95
Blood Diamond - $27.95
Goodfellas - $27.95
The Island - $27.95
Full Metal Jacket - $27.95
300 - $27.95
10,000 BC - $27.95
Sweeny Todd - $27.95
Natural Born Killers - $27.95
Happy Feet - $28.95
Monster House - $28.95
Rush Hour 3 - $28.95
The Big Hit - $28.95
Sword Fish - $28.95
Training Day - $28.95
Kung Fu Hustle - $28.95
xXx - $28.95
Stealth - $28.95
Layer Cake - $28.95
The Legend - $28.95
The Wrong Man - $28.95
The Matrix - $34.95
The Matrix Reloaded - $34.95
The Matrix Revolutions - $34.95
Resident Evel Degeneration - $44.95
Underworld Saga Boxset - $49.95
Batman - $36.95
Batman Returns - $36.95
Batman Forever - $36.95
Batman & Robin - $36.95
Hostel Part 1 & 2 - $49.95
Spiderman Trilogy Boxset - $79.95
We were Soliders - $28.95
30 Days of Night - $28.95
Apocalypto - $28.95
Four Brothers - $34.95
Italian Job - $34.95
Sahara - $34.95
The Lost Boys - $34.95
Tomb Raider - $34.95
Big W's Online store currently has free shipping until 0900 EDT on 22/01/09.
Just use the code NEWYEAR09 where you see the promotional box on the checkout page
Excludes large box sets and gaming hardware. Australian residents only.
Amazon currently have a special on Sony Pictures Classics
Buy 4, Save an additional 30%
Buy 7, Save an additional 35%
Buy 10, Save an additional 40%
Head over to Amazon.com
Monday, January 19
Cure, The - Trilogy (Blu-ray)Wednesday, January 21
Man On Fire (Blu-ray)Resident Evil - Degeneration (Blu-ray)
Rolling Stones: Shine A Light (Blu-ray)
Step Brothers (Blu-ray)
Transporter 2 (Blu-ray)
Thursday, January 22
Eagle Eye - Special Edition (Blu-ray)Italian Job, The (2003) (Blu-ray)
Manchurian Candidate, The (2004) (Blu-ray)
Nacho Libre (Blu-ray)
Next (Blu-ray)
Today from 10am till 6pm, CD WOW have $2 off everything + Free postage.
This means you can get the Matrix on blu-ray for $32.95 posted, all the discounted Sony titles for $21.95 posted, Mummy 3 for $36.95, Batman returns for $32.95.
Head to CD WOW now to check out all the titles
Retail outlets
Big W - $32.77
Target - $34.99
K-Mart - $34.99 (lowest price guarantee - will match price)
JB HiFi - $35.99
Online Stores
JB HiFi - $32.98
Big W - $36.35
CDWOW - $34.95 + Free Postage
Play4Me.com.au -$36.35 + Free Postage when 2 or more items bought
EzyDVD - $39.97
Sanity.com.au - $39.99
Import (Region Free)
If your looking at getting all three titles without the bonus discs that come in the Ultimate Matrix set, then your cheapest option is to import the Trilogy set from the UK.
For a limited time at Amazon.com, you can save at least 36% on selected Blu-ray discs. The list of titles that work with region B players are below.
Offer expires January 31, 2009.
Retail outlets
Target - $35.79 (till Jan 21)
Big W - $37.96 ($31.93 in some states)
K-Mart - $39.99 (lowest price guarantee - will match price)
JB HiFi - $39.99
Online Stores
Big W - $37.86
JB HiFi - $39.98 + bonus Walle cube
CD WOW - $42.95 + Free Postage
EzyDVD - $49.97
Sanity.com.au - $49.99
Play4me.com.au -$45.01 + Free Postage when 2 or more items bought
Import (UK - REGION B)
* Prices were correct at time of writing
Wow Sight & Sound currently have a 2 for $50 sale on Blu-rays on now till Feb 2nd
The full list is unknown, but some of the titles reported are below.
- 1408
- Juno
- AVP2
- Kill Bill 1 & 2
- Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2
- Sweeney Todd
- Matrix 1, 2 & 3
- The Rock
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Knocked Up
- Simpsons Movie
- Alvin & the chipmunks
- Horton Hears a Who
- American Gangster
- Ratatouille
- National Treasure
If any reader knows of any other title in this deal, feel free to post it in the comments of this post.
Wednesday, March 04
American In Paris, An (Blu-ray)
Gigi - 50th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Thursday, March 05
Finding Amanda (Blu-ray)
Wednesday, March 11
Black Sheep (2006) / Severance - Double Feature (Blu-ray)
Butterfly Effect, The / The Butterfly Effect 2 - Double Featur...
Disaster Movie (Blu-ray)
Donnie Brasco - Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray)
Doors, The - Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray)
In Bruges (Blu-ray)
Saw (Blu-ray)
Saw II (Blu-ray)
Saw V (Blu-ray)
Shrooms (Insomnia) (Blu-ray)
Wrong Turn / Cabin Fever - Double Feature (Blu-ray)
Wednesday, March 18
Gandhi (Blu-ray)
Pretty Woman (Blu-ray)
Quantum of Solace (Blu-ray)
Wednesday, April 08
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Blu-ray)
Over at oo.com.au, they currently have some good deals on blu-ray boxsets.
Firefly - $59.95 ($66.98 at JB HiFi Online)
Heroes Season 1 - $79.95 ($95.99 at JB HiFi Online)
Heroes Season 2 - $79.95 ($95.99 at JB HiFi Online)
Heroes Season 1 & 2 - $149.95 ($171.99 at JB HiFi Online)
They also have some blu-ray movies at various prices including Terminator 2 priced at $29.95
Click here to see the full list of titles available and the ones mentioned above.
MGM Home Entertainment in conjunction with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have offically announced that they will bring the latest James Bond box office hit 'Quantum of Solace' to Blu-ray in Australia on March 18th, day-and-date with the DVD release. Australia will be one of the first regions in the world to recieve the release.
This single BD-50 release will feature a 1080p AVC video transfer accompanied by a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
Extras, which are presented in high definition, include:
- "Bond on Location" 24-minute special feature
- Start of Shooting
- On Location
- Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase
- Director Marc Forster
- The Music
- Crew Files
- “Another Way to Die” Music Video
- Theatrical Trailers
The worldwide release date for the title is as follows:
- AUSTRALIA – March 18
- UK – March 23
- NORTH AMERICA – March 24
- NETHERLANDS – March 25
- SWEDEN – March 25
- SPAIN – March 25
- ITALY – March 26
- GERMANY – March 27
- MEXICO – March 27
- SWITZERLAND – March/May
- FRANCE – May 13
- JAPAN – June 16
- BRAZIL – June 24 (retail)/ March 23 (rental)
The following blu-ray specials are running at K-mart from Jan 15th to Feb 4th.
Man on Fire - $32.99
The Matrix - $34.99
Stones Scorsese: Shine a Light - $36.99
The Mummy 3 - $36.99
Wall-e - $39.99
Eagle Eye - $39.99
The Mummy Trilogy boxset - $89.99
And don't forget about K-Mart's lowest price guarantee that states that if you find a cheaper price on the same product in stock at another store, when you buy it from K-Mart they will match the price and give you 10% of the difference.
Panasonic Australia is blaming the Australian dollar's poor performance against the yen and US dollar as it announced plans for increases of up to 22 percent on its current range of consumer electronics products, from February 1 2009. Late last year Sony announced price increases of up to 30% for 2009.
Paul Reid, Director, Consumer Electronics Group, Panasonic Australia, explained: "Panasonic's Australian operation buys in Japanese yen and the US dollar, and the market has seen the Australian dollar weaken against these currencies by over 30 per cent since July 2008. As a result of these factors, prices are set to increase across the Australian consumer electronics marketplace in 2009."
As a result, from Feb 1 Panasonic expects to see an average increase on products in-market of 9.5 per cent, with the highest average increase in a single category being around 22 per cent.
"We have worked particularly hard to ensure that our popular Home Entertainment range remains as affordable as possible," said Reid. "For example, in our most popular category of Plasma and LCD panels, we expect to see an average increase of around 9 per cent on the current range, a figure lower than market predictions."
Other Home Entertainment categories including DVD Recorders, Blu-ray Recorders, DVD players, Blu-ray players, home theatre systems and hi-fi products will also be affected, with an average price increase of approximately 10 per cent.
"We have notified our consumer electronics retail partners today of the expected increases and will commence working with them to advise of the effect on individual models," Reid said.
Full article: http://www.smarthouse.com.au/
CD WOW currently have 30 Sony titles in their blu-ray bargain basement section priced at $23.95 AUD. All items include free shipping and you can even get some free coupons to use by signing up via the express signup.
Titles are:
- Tears of the Sun
- Seven Years in Tibet
- A Knight's Tale
- S.W.A.T.
- Perfect Stranger
- Stealth
- 50 First Dates
- Big Fish
- Big Hit
- Black Hawk Down
- Click
- Exorcism of Emily Rose
- Flatliners
- Gothika
- Hitch
- Hostel
- Identity
- Into the Blue
- Kung Fu Hustle
- Layer Cake
- Monster House
- Open Season
- Reign over me
- RV: Runaway Vacation
- Secret Window
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
- Ultraviolet
- Underworld Evolution
- Vertical Limit
- xXx
Click here to visit CD WOW's Blu-Ray Bargain basement.
For those looking at buying Disney's Wall-E on Blu-ray, Target will be selling the title for $35.79 starting this Thursday and running until close of business 21st Jan.
Keep an eye out for our full price roundup from the major retailers for this title later this week.
Theatrical releases:
- Appaloosa
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
- Mirrors
- My Best Friend's Girl
- Swing Vote
- Superhero Movie
- Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling
TV releases:
- Living Landscapes: Costa Rica
- Living Landscapes: Bali
- Living Landscapes: Sacred Canyons of the American Southwest
- Living Landscapes: Pacific Coast
- Living Landscapes: Olympic Rainforest
- Living Landscapes: California Redwoods
- Living Temples
Monday, January 12
Bellini - I Puritani (Metropolitan Opera) (Blu-ray)Berlin Concert, The - Live From The 'Waldbuhne' (Blu-ray)
Jules Massenet - Manon (Blu-ray)
Mozart - Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (Blu-ray)
Opera Gala, The - Live From Baden Baden: The Complete Concert ...
Rossini - Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (Blu...
Spartacus - Carlos Acosta: The Bolshoi Ballet (Blu-ray)
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin (Metropolitan Opera) (Blu-ray)
Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker (Blu-ray)
Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake (Blu-ray)
Verdi - Aida (Blu-ray)
Wednesday, January 14
WALL-E (2 Disc Set) (Blu-ray)Thursday, January 15
Elf (Blu-ray)Matrix Reloaded (Blu-ray)
Matrix Revolutions, The (Blu-ray)
Matrix, The (Blu-ray)
Wedding Crashers - Uncorked Edition (Blu-ray)
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. recently unveiled their new series of BD-Live Blu-ray Disc players at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). An overview of their features are below.
Key features of the Pioneer BDP-120:
- Profile 2.0-compatible
- Onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding
- 1GB USB flash drive included
- April release date, pricing TBC (US)
Step-up features of the Pioneer BDP-320:
- Deep Color support
- Picture control suite (13 additional video adjustments)
- Three noise reduction circuits
- 7.1 analog audio outputs
- Precision Quartz Lock System (jitter-free audio transmission for CD)
- 1GB of internal memory
- April release date, pricing TBD (US)
Step-up features of the Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD
- RS-232C input
- Designed for custom installer market
- April release date, pricing TBD (US)
As well as the Panasonic portable blu-ray player we reported on earlier this week, Panasonic have some more conventional Profile 2.0 compatible blu-ray players as well as one very unique hybrid VHS - Blu-ray player that they announced at CES.
Panasonic DMP-BD60
All three of the new Profile 2.0 compatible Blu-ray players – DMP-BD60, DMP-BD80, DMP-BD70V – combine high quality images with enhanced networking functions, including VIERA Cast’s improved internet functionality that provides access to Amazon VOD’s huge selection of titles as well as YouTube™, Google’s Picasa™ Web Album , Bloomberg and a weather channel. The 2009 line of Blu-ray Disc™ players continue to incorporate VIERA Link™, allowing the consumer to operate their audio/video components, via HDMI, with one remote. All three 2009 Blu-ray Disc players feature a high definition audio decoder featuring Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Essential to take advantage of Blu-ray's 7.1 surround sound as well as featuring an SD Memory card slot and USB slot, making it easy for the consumer to view and share both digital still images and HD video recorded with an HD camcorder in the AVCHD format.
Panasonic's DMP-BD70V
The the Panasonic DMP-BD80 differentiates itself some the other players by providing 7.1 analog audio outputs at the back of the unit. Very handy for those not wanting to fork out top dollar for a surround sound receiver.
Panasonic DMP-BD80
No word yet on whether these players will be heading to Australia or what their prices will be.
Source: Panasonic Press Release
Here are some interesting Blu-ray Statistics that came out of the Blu-ray Disc Association Press Conference held at CES.
- In roughly two-and-a-half years on the market, Blu-ray has sold over 10.7 million players in the United States market. This number includes PS3 systems that make up approximately 65% of the players reported with standalone players making up the remaining 35%. PC drives are not included in these numbers.
- DVD had only sold 5.4 million players by the end if the format's third year on the market compared to Blu-ray's 10.7 million
- Blu-ray is now installed in over 8% of all US households. After three years on the market, DVD had found its way into slightly over 4% of US households, CD was in less than 2% and HDTV in 1% of homes during the same period.
- 5.6 million Blu-ray movies were sold in 2007 compared to 24.9 million in 2008. The 4th quarter was instrumental in Blu-ray's success in 2008: 2.3 million copies were sold in October, 3 million in November and a whopping 8 million copies in December alone
- Nearly 1,100 BD titles now available
From December 26th till January 31st, 2009, Amazon (UK) have Buy Two Blu-ray Discs, Get One Free
LG Electronics forges ahead with its initiative to meld streaming content with Blu-ray playback. At the Consumer Electronics Show today, the company introduced two Blu-ray players that offer access to on-demand streaming content from Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube. LG also took the wraps off three new Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Systems.
The new players are the LG BD370 and LG BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Players, which are follow-ups to the BD300 released last fall. That player let you access streaming content from Netflix; the new players all feature LG's "NetCast Entertainment Access" for on-demand streaming content from Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube. Millions of YouTube videos can be accessed via the players and the nterface makes it easy to search, preview, and watch YouTube videos.
All of the new models support BD-Live. Among the standalone players; the BD370 requires you to bring your own 1GB flash memory drive for use with BD-Live, while the BD390 comes with 1GB of on-board memory. Both of these models support Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential; and both have a USB port for viewing multimedia files via a mass storage drive. The BD390 adds wireless networking and discrete 7.1 channel audio outputs. No pricing as yet, but the BD370 is expected in the second quarter of 2009, while the BD390 is due out in the third quarter of 2009.
The new home theater systems are the LG LHB954, the LHB977, and the LHB979. The LG Network Blu-ray Home Theater System LHB954 features BD-Live support, a 1000W 5.1 channel spherical speaker system, as well as NetCast Entertainment Access, Netflix streaming, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential, and iPod Direct Docking. This system is due in the second quarter of 2009.
The LHB977 adds two HDMI inputs; and the LHB979 bumps the 1000W speakers up a notch thanks to two wireless rear satellite speakers and an overall loudspeaker design by Mark Levinson.
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/156549/lg_adds_to_connected_bluray_player_lineup.html/
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic, a major developer and contributor to the success of the Blu-ray format, introduced the world's first portable Blu-ray Disc player at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. The DMP-B15, designed to provide the ultimate high definition Blu-ray experience for those on the go, features a high quality 8.9-inch WSVGA LCD screen and includes the unique VIERA CAST® internet accessibility and BD Live functionality. The DMP-B15 will be available in May.
The DMP-B15 provides all the technology found in its stand alone brethren, the DMP-BD60, DMP-BD80 and the VHS-Blu-ray dual player DMP-BD70V. Image quality is of the highest level, thanks to PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.
"As a pioneer in the development of DVD and Blu-ray expertise, Panasonic has always been in the forefront of cutting edge, consumer friendly technology. Panasonic was the first company to bring to market a portable DVD player and stand alone Blu-ray players to feature Bonus View and BD Live," said Richard Simone, Director, Entertainment Group, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Blu-ray technology came together with HDTVs to bring exciting High Definition viewing into the living room. With the introduction of this unique portable Blu-ray Disc player, the consumer can take this HD entertainment experience when they travel."
The PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus is a high quality image-processing technology that precisely processes each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc(TM) video signal in the vertical direction. It reproduces color data with twice the accuracy of conventional systems, resulting in faithful and sharp colors.
Ease of use is an important element in Panasonic's products and the DMP-B15, with a three hour rechargeable battery, is designed with that in mind. In addition to its use as a portable player, the consumer can connect it to an HDTV via HDMI cable, and use it as a standalone Blu-ray Disc player. The player can also be connected to an HD-Audio compatible AV receiver with a home theater speaker system and enjoy movies with outstanding surround sound. To accommodate the traveler, the DMP-B15 offers an optional headrest mounting bracket for in-car use. Like all Panasonic Blu-ray players, the B15 features an SD Memory Card slot that allows the consumer to view and share digital photos, as well as HD video recorded on a SD card.
For 2009, Panasonic's entire line of Blu-ray players includes VIERA CAST functionality. This unique application gives the consumer access to select entertainment sites, including Amazon Video-on-Demand, a streaming video service that gives the consumer access to more than 40,000 titles; YouTube(TM); Google Picasa Web Album; Bloomberg and a weather channel.
Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090107/ny56492.html?.v=1
Today Sharp announced a number of New products. Sharp spoke about Home theatre in a box 5.1 with built in Blu-ray, TV's with built in Blu-ray players. Environmentally friendly seemed to be the under tone of much of Sharp's press conference today.
“BD-Live gives consumers access to downloadable features for an interactive home theater experience,” said Bruce Tripido, associate vice president, Entertainment Products Division, Sharp Electronics Corporation “Additionally, these new models raise the bar for image quality with features that display full high-definition content in its purest form.”
Two new set top Blu-ray players were announced, which are Sharp's third generation Blu-ray players.
BD-HP22U
Full HD 1080p24 digital output
Profile 2.0 (also known as BD-Live) via a wired Ethernet connection.
Low energy consumption in both the standby and power on modes.
HDMI 1.3 digital output with x.v. color support.
Sharp's proprietary Quick Start feature for quick disc loading including 2GB of USB memory.
Dolby® TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio via HDMI digital output. The player also decodes Dolby Digital Plus
Available in May for a MSRP of $299.99
BD-HP16U
Full HD 1080p24 digital output
Low energy consumption in both the standby and power on modes.
HDMI 1.3 digital output with x.v. color support.
Sharp's proprietary Quick Start feature for quick disc loading the memory capacity is unknown at the time of posting.
Dolby® TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio via HDMI digital output. The player also decodes Dolby Digital Plus
Available in March for a MSRP of $279.99
Sharp's TV's the AQUOS BD series.
The 52 inch and 46 inch units will be available in February 2009, all the other units will be available in January”. No prices have yet been quoted. All TV's come equipped with a multi-slot loading for Blu-ray, DVD and CD. The TV's have numerous features that are also included with the Sharp Stand alone TV's as well as unique features such as automatic switch on when a BD disc is inserted. Sharp's Home Theatre In A BoxSharp have released 2 units. Both have a Blu-ray player included in the main unit. These are 5.1 surround systems. It seems the only difference between the two models is the color. The BD-MPC40 is a high gloss black whilst the BD-MPC30 “allowing for limitless design and décor options that complement any room of the home” your guess is as good as mine as to what that means. The blu-ray player specifications appear to be similar to those of the BD-HP22U Blu-ray player. Source: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2253 |
Samsung Electronics America, Inc., has announced two new players at the 2009 CES, including the BD-P4600, a wall mountable design which, at 1.5 inches, is also the world's slimmest BD player. This mounting capability garnered the 4600 model a 2009 CES "Best of Innovations" award at this year's show. At just over 2 inches tall, Samsung's second unveiling, the BD-P3600, sports a similarly svelte exterior.
Both players include support of full 1080p video and all the latest high definition audio formats. One of the most notable new features is the players' new internet and wireless networking abilities. Each come with a BD-Live (Profile 2.0) standard, and in addition to Ethernet ports, the players are wi-fi ready, with the use of an included 802.11b/g/n dongle device. If subscribed, one can use streaming capabilities from both players to access over 12,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix and Pandora music services. Their fast loading mechanism ejects a disc in approximately one second, and the sleek black design, with new versions of Samsung's groundbreaking Touch of Color™ accents, is equipped with a touch-sensitive control system.
No news yet on whether these players will be heading to Australia.
The Samsung BD-P3600
The Samsung BD-P4600
The Samsung BD-P4600, shown with its optional stand.
Source: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2256
The Mummy 3 - Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
JB HiFi - 39.99
Big W - 34.93
K-Mart - 36.99
Target - 39.99
Mummy Trilogy
JB HiFi - 97.99
Big W - 89.93
K-Mart - 89.99
Target - 99.99
Technical Audio Devices (TAD), a subsidiary of Pioneer Electronics, will be demonstrating a new audio-only Blu-ray format at their booth at CES this year. This format, which will provide uncompressed 24bit 192kHz stereo audio, has not been named, though it sounds like this may be the first Blu-ray Profile 3.0 (Audio Only) demonstration.
While most Blu-ray users are familiar with Profiles 1.0, 1.1 (BonusView), and 2.0 (BD-Live), very few are aware that Blu-ray has yet another profile which allows for an audio only experience. Basically, the same audio codecs can be used (PCM, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio) to provide users with a lossless/uncompressed audio experience at the highest fidelity, but without any requirements for video interaction. Much like CDs or SACDs, the disc would only have to be inserted into the player before it would automatically begin playing. All current players would be capable of playing the disc, but the spec allows for other, audio only players to be released as well.
The new ultra high-end audio format, currently unnamed, will be presented by two world famous recording legends Bill Schnee and Doug Sax at the Technical Audio Devices booth during all three days of CES. Most importantly, however, the technology unquestionably claims to "rival 2-channel analog sound," which for discerning audio enthusiasts will aim to restore the reminiscent sound quality of direct-to-disc recordings which can now be mastered in high resolution for digital replay on the Blu-ray Disc.
During CES, Pioneer's Chief Speaker and Designer Andrew Jones will work closely with the recording legend duo and will play a series of hand-selected tracks through TAD Compact Reference monitor speakers and a 24-bit/192Hz audio DAC with crystal definition that surpasses what current audio equipment is capable of reproducing.
To define a central purpose for the new format, Bill Schnee states that "while the industry has made a steady shift toward compressed audio, [Pioneer] believes that home audiences deserve a richer listening experience and there is a tremendous opportunity with emerging high definition technology to develop a medium that can successfully maintain the integrity of an original recording."
The full press release from Pioneer can be found here
Article source: Blu-ray.com & Fudzilla
It has recently come to my attention that the comments feature of the blog isn't working. This has now been corrected and any reader can leave a comment on any of the blog posts using a variety of ids (google account, openid, name/url or Anonymous.
Also remember you can use the bargain spotters box on the right on the blog entries to leave details of any spotted blu-ray bargains you may have come across. This feature uses the new Google friend connect interface and will require you to log in with the sign in box located above the bargain spotters box.
If anyone has any other comments, suggestions or feedback regarding this blog, please comment on this blog post and I'll do my best to accommodate them.
From now untill January 11th, JB HiFi are offering 20% off all CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs so now is a good time to stock up your blu-ray library or grab one one the many new releases this week.
Offer is available in both their physical stores and online store. Only items in stock at their online store have the 20% discount applied to them and offer isn't available on preorders.
UPDATE: As of writing (8/1/09), the JB HiFi Online store have further reduced the price on the majority of it's blu-titles, and it looks like they have reduce items that are out of stock and available for preorder.
Some of the highlights include:
Batman - $26.38
Hellboy - $18.39
300 - $19.98
So I Married An Axe Murderer - $20.79
Their are a ton of titles under $20 so head to jbhifionline.com.au to check them out.
Sanity are giving you the chance to win one of 10 exclusive RE:D figurines when you preorder either the DVD or Blu-ray from them before Jan 21st and answer in 25 words or less “who is your favourite resident evil character & why?"
Head over to the Competition entry page here or go straight to the DVD or Blu-ray product page.
Head over to the Competition entry page here or go straight to the DVD or Blu-ray product page.
Some Australian online retailers have started listing the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace for release on March 18th 2009. That means theirs less than 3 months till you could be watching Quantum of Solace in all it's blu-ray glory.
Tuesday, January 06
Wednesday, January 07
Batman & Robin (1997) (Blu-ray)Batman (1989) (Blu-ray)
Batman Forever (Blu-ray)
Batman Returns (Blu-ray)
Lost Boys 2: The Tribe - Uncut Version (Blu-ray)
Thursday, January 08
Mummy Trilogy, The (Mummy / Mummy Returns / Mummy: Tomb Of The...Mummy, The - Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (Blu-ray)
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