Lost University

To celebrate the Blu-ray release of Lost: The Complete Fifth Season, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is proud to present the release's BD-Live component, Lost University. BD-Live is an interactive feature exclusive to Blu-ray and introduced by Disney Home Entertainment. Lost University is a brand new online and integrated digital experience which allows Lost fans all over the globe to participate in an education that's sweeping the United States. Borne out of a viral campaign at the North American Sci-Fi convention Comic-Con in July this year, Lost University has rapidly grown into a community thirsty for knowledge, with its site, www.lostuniversity.org receiving upwards of 3 million hits. More than 30,000 students already signed up for the prerequisite class, Lost 101.

From Lost: The Complete Fifth Season's Australian Blu-ray release on December 2nd, Aussie fans will be able to join their overseas counterparts in this worldwide interactive phenomenon. Through Science, History, Philosophy, Art, Language Studies and other electives, Lost University will take students on a journey, helping them to form a better understanding of Lost and prepare for the sixth and final season. As further incentive for all you Lost freaks, students who complete the required coursework may apply for graduation; the first 108 graduates will receive a hand-signed diploma from Lost University Presidents, series creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

Explore the introductory website www.lostuniversity.org now and bone up on the Course Catalogue; Campus Updates; letter from the Dean; Lost U teaser trailer; and Countdown to Class (December 8th). Enroll now at the website and receive Personalised Student ID; Placement test; Lost 101 (series recap piece); Lost 102 (TBD); and join study groups via message boards.

Lost University enrolment has to be on the to-do list of any Lost fanatic. Lost: The Complete Fifth Season will be available on Blu-ray from December 2nd, needless to say, will be packed to the brim with special features. Ring the bell - school's in, tuck in your shirts and fall in single-file, you so-called students of Lost!

Get Your Name on the Paranormal Activity Blu-ray

'Paranormal Activity' just hit theaters in the US will be released in Australia on 3 December 2009 with a blu-ray release currently not set. However, in preparation for the blu-ray release, Paramount Pictures is thanking the legion of moviegoers who helped to make the $15,000 movie a hit in the US by featuring their names in the credits of the film's DVD and Blu-ray editions.

To have your name listed in the DVD and Blu-ray credits for 'Paranormal Activity', register your name at Paranormal Activity Project before Monday, November 9, 2009 at 12 p.m. PST.

"The success of 'Paranormal Activity' would not have been possible without the million-plus fans who went to the ParanormalMovie.com official website and demanded the movie in their home town," says Amy Powell, Senior Vice President, Interactive Marketing, Paramount Pictures. "They demanded the movie and they got it. So now we are giving them credit where credit is due."

God of War 3 demo with District 9 Blu-ray

UPDATE: District 9 has now been released in the US and Confirmed REGION FREE. Click here to purchase from Amazon.com

"Region free" are two words which are music to the ear of anyone who endured the yoke of DVD restrictions. So we're hoping for the sake of convenience Australia (Blu-ray region "B") is treated the same as the US ("Blu-ray region "A") when District 9 makes its way to Blu-ray.

Why? Because Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced the Blu-ray disc release of District 9 will include a demo for God of War 3.

Completing the demo will unlock a making-of-the-game featurette as well. We're crossing our fingers for this to also apply to Australia - we'll update if/when we hear of local plans.

District 9 is expected to be on sale on Blu-ray December 30th in Australia.
Preorder now from Play4me to receive free shipping.


Source: http://www.gamearena.com.au/news/read.php/5028500

Warner puts the Mo in Movies

Warner Home Video is getting on board with Movember this year and doing its bit to change the face of men’s health, by helping to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer and depression in men.

In support of Movember, Warner is putting the Mo in movies through a range of Blu-ray titles. During November, thirty-one (31) Warner Home Video titles will be sporting a blue Movember moustache on their box covers, with every specially marked pack representing a $1 donation to Movember causes.

Mo Bros and Sistas will be able to enjoy classics such as The Hangover, Batman Begins, Heat and The Dark Knight, whilst simultaneously raising funds for Movember from the comfort of their living rooms. Each movie being available on Blu-ray will mean that the picture quality will be up to five times sharper than DVD and the sound will be up to three times better than DVD.

Warner Managing Director, Roger Clarke said, “As a company, we are thrilled to be helping Movember raise funds and awareness for men’s health. We want Australia to buy Blu and Save a Bro! Our Movember collection of Blu-ray releases makes it really simple to do so through any of our outlets across Australia. Moustaches and film have a well documented and celebrated history together with leading men and their moustaches gracing the screen since film began – icons such as Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Peter Sellers, Burt Reynolds, Prince and, of course, Tom Selleck have firmly secured the Mo’s place in entertainment history.”

Movember Founder, Luke Slattery, continues, “Movember is all about doing something with your mates, for your mates. So, as well as growing a mo this year, we want all Mo Bros to get better at looking out and checking in with each other. If you haven’t seen a mate for a while, then get in touch and arrange a time to catch up. For this reason our partnership with Warner Home Video is a great fit as a night in with the boys watching a couple of Blu-ray’s is the perfect way to check in with your mates.”

Warner Blu-ray titles, supporting Movember, will be available from all leading Blu-ray retailers including JB HiFi, BigW and more.

• THE HANGOVER (25th November release date)
• ENTER THE DRAGON
• OUT FOR JUSTICE
• PURPLE RAIN
• NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
• KISS KISS BANG BANG
• BODY OF LIES
• BLOOD DIAMOND
• THE PRESTIGE
• ROCKNROLLA
• MAD MAX II
• BODY HEAT
• SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
• THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
• JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER
• SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY
• BATMAN BEGINS
• THE DARK KNIGHT
• AMADEUS, DIRECTOR’S CUT
• LED ZEPPELIN SONG REMAINS THE SAME
• SUPERNATURAL (Season 3)
• TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONOR CHRONICLES (Seasons 1 & 2)
• CONTACT (November release)
• THE POSTMAN (November release)
• SPHERE (November release)
• THE NEGOTIATOR (November release)
• ERASER
• NATURAL BORN KILLERS (November release)
• HEAT (November release)
• PAYBACK (November release)

Inside Sony's Blu-ray factory

For those that haven't already come across the photos from News.com.au that take you inside Sony's Blu-ray factory, check them out below (click to enlarge).

No Watchmen Director's Cut blu-ray or Zack Snyder Live Watchmen Screening For Australia

Paramount have confirmed that the Watchman Director's Cut Blu-ray will not be making it to Australia. Instead we will get a 2-Disc special edition. Australia also misses out on the ‘Maximum Movie Mode’ Video Commentary where director Zack Snyder uses two screens to visually show various behind-the-scenes snippets while the movie plays; as well as the Zack Snyder hosted community screening which allows viewers to watch the movie along with his live commentary on their Blu-ray players during Comic-Con on July 25. If you are still wanted all the special features, you can buy the director's cut version complete with digital copy from Amazon.com or the extra special Amazon Exclusive Nite Owl Edition. Both US versions have been confirmed as region free.



For those left wondering what special features the Australian version did end up getting, the complete specs are below. The Australian 2-disc version can be preordered from Chaos with free shipping and 5% off with the promo code "CHAOSPACK".

The Australian version hits shelves on July 30th, the same day that the complete motion comic Blu-ray will also hit shelves.

Cast:	Jeffrey Dean Morgan Malin Akerman Patrick Wilson Carla Gugino Billy Crudup Jackie Earle Haley Matthew Goode Stephen McHattie Matt Frewer Danny Woodburn Sonya Salomaa Carrie Genzel Jay Brazeau Niall Matter Laura Mennell Dan Payne Matthew Harrison Brett Stimely
Crew:	William Hoy
Director:	Zack Snyder
Writer:	Alan Moore Dave Gibbons Alex Tse David Hayter
Producer:	Wesley Coller Herb Gains Lawrence Gordon Lloyd Levin Deborah Snyder Thomas Tull
Format:	1080p (1 Disc)
Region:	B
Released:	2009-07-30 - Confirmed
Production Year:	2009
Distributor:	Paramount Home Entertainment
Barcode:	9324915036437
Run Time:	161 mins
Rating:	MA15+ - Strong violence and sex scene
Genre:	Action Adventure Fantasy Mystery Science Fiction
Video:	Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 16:9 Enhanced Widescreen
Audio:	English - Dobly True HD
Subtitles:	English English Audio Descriptive English for the Hearing Impaired
Features:	The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics - The Original Graphic Novel\'s Groundbreaking Impact (HD) Real Superheroes, Real Vigilantes Explores How the Saga\'s Characters Are Mirrored in Historical and Contemporary Real-Life Behavior (HD) Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World (HD) Immerse Yourself in All 11 WatchmenMaking-of Webisodes (HD) My Chemical Romance \'Desolation Row\' Music Video (HD)
Official Link:	www.watchmenmovie.com.au
IMdBLink	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/

Sony giving away free Blu-ray players with every Full HD Bravia TV purchase

Sony Australia has just announced a new promotion that will entitle 20,000 Australian homes to a free Blu-ray player when they purchase any TV across the BRAVIA LCD TV range.

Sony, the pioneer of Blu-ray technology, is offering the first 20,000 customers who purchase any Full HD LCD TV in the BRAVIA range from the 16 March, a BDP-S550 Blu-ray player valued at $649, absolutely free.

This promotion is aimed at helping new Full HD TV owners maximise the potential of their new purchase, and add a new dimension to their home entertainment experience with features such as 7.1 channel audio capability, Bonus View and BD-Live.

Toby Barbour, head of strategy and brand development at Sony Australia commented “Sony has been at the forefront of the Blu-ray format since its inception and this offer is no exception. The opportunity to combine a smoother picture with Motionflow, Full HD resolution and the latest Blu-ray content is an experience not to be missed”.

“High speed action scenes in Hollywood Blu-ray blockbusters will never have looked better. With a limited number of Blu-ray players available though – only 20,000 – the offer won’t last long.”

The BRAVIA series’ included in the promotion include: XBR, Z, E, W, ZX and EX series. All models also feature Sony’s Motionflow technology.

Kim Overall, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment managing director, commented on the acceptance of Blu-ray in Australia.

“After launching less than two years ago, the Blu-ray format has rapidly been accepted by Australian consumers as the new generation for home entertainment,” Overall said.

“At the end of 2008, over 450,000 Blu-ray players (including PLAYSTATION®3) had already been sold in Australia and an estimated 750,000 Blu-ray Disc titles. There are more than 520 Blu-ray Disc titles available for sale in Australia today, and we have already released 15 BD-Live enabled titles.”

Source: http://www.current.com.au/2009/03/09/article/UWQEWICSOY.html

Some interesting Australian Blu-ray statistics

• More than 5 per cent of Australian households have a Blu-ray player.
• Just under 1 million copies of Blu-ray movies have been sold in Australia to date
• Sales of Blu-ray players in Australia spiked from 3000 in August and September last year to 6600 in October, 8400 in November and just under 20,000 in December, market watcher GfK reports.
• sales of Blu-ray movies last year totalled $25,974,000, a 357 per cent increase on the previous year (Australian Visual Software Distributors Association)
• Blu-ray uptake has exceeded even that of standard DVD at the same point in time, which was the fastest adopted consumer technology the world had seen.
• With Iron Man and The Dark Knight, released towards the end of last year, one in five discs sold was Blu-ray.
• In the 21 months since Blu-ray was launched, the format had been taken up by 5.3 per cent of households in Australia - It took us 12 months more to hit that number with standard definition DVD (Warner Bros)
• 35 per cent of sales at Warner Bros were for back catalogue titles, indicating that consumers are replacing their libraries of regular DVDs with Blu-ray titles.
• The PS3 makes up 80-85 per cent of all Blu-ray player sales.
• A new report "The State of Home Video," by SNL Kagan claims that the current impact of Blu-ray has been relatively minor (standard DVD still comprises 97.1% of the market), SNL Kagan projects that high-definition DVD will attain 59.7% market share in 2014, with $13.1 billion in revenue. By 2017, this figure is expected to soar to 73.8%, or $15.6 billion.
• Sales of Blu-ray players are expected to grow from $255.4 million in 2008 to $1.3 billion in 2010, reaching mass-market penetration and spiking to nearly $6.9 billion in 2013.
• Sony Australia claimed that Blu ray unit sales were outperforming DVD unit sales by 2-1
• Blu-ray format is currently on pace to sell 100 million units this year worldwide. The majority of those sales would still occur in the US, which is predicted to represent 80% of total disc sales. The second largest buyer is said to be the UK, which represent 40% of Western Europe in Blu-ray units sold.
• In 2008, approximately 36 million units were sold of Blu-ray titles, an increase of over 300% from the previous year. Additionally, because of the success of Blu-ray in the US, the format has moved from the "early adopter" phase to "early majority", with sales expected to dramatically increase throughout the year.
• Sales of more than 3.5 million units in 2008, [the UK] represented over 40 per cent of the West European total
• By 2012, Futuresource predicts that Blu-ray sales will comprise 35 per cent of Western European video disc sales and half of the US market.

Sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/
http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Home_Cinema/DVD/B4B7F8D9
http://www.smarthouse.com.au/HD/Blu_ray/N2V3J8L4
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2431
http://www.theinquirer.net/

Twilight Blu-ray Australian release date

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

Panasonic OZ Forced To Raise Prices Up To 22%

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/

CES 2009: Pioneer serves up trio of new Blu-ray players

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)
  

No news yet on whether these will hit Australian shores in April 2009 as well.

CES 2009: Panasonic's latest Blu-ray products

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

Blu-ray Statistics

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

CES 2009: LG Blu-ray players stream Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube

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/

CES 2009: Panasonic Introduces World's First Portable Blu-ray Player

Innovative Player Features BD Live and VIERA CAST® Internet Accessibility

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

CES 2009: Sharp's latest blu-ray offerings

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.

52 inch LC-52BD80U 46 inch LC-46BD80U 42 inch LC-42BD80U 37 inch LC-37BD60U 32 inch LC-32BD60U 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 Box Sharp 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

CES 2009: Samsung Reveals Two Sleek New Standalone BD Players

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

Pioneer's TAD to introduce new Blu-ray audio format at CES

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

The end of the VHS era

As the Blu-ray format starts to gain motion in the home entertainment industry, an old format, VHS is winding down as the last big supplier of the tapes ditching the format, ending the long fade-out of a product that ushered in the home theater.

Pop culture is finally hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once-ubiquitous home-video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past.

After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home-entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan J. Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes.

"It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Burbank businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away."

The last major Hollywood movie to be released on VHS was "A History of Violence" in 2006. By that point major retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart were already well on their way to evicting all the VHS tapes from their shelves so the valuable real estate could go to the sleeker and smaller DVDs and, in more recent seasons, the latest upstart, Blu-ray discs. Kugler ended up buying back as much VHS inventory as he could from retailers, distributors and studios; he then sold more than 4 million VHS videotapes over the last two years.

"The DVD will be obsolete in three or four years, no doubt about it. Everything will be Blu-ray," Kugler said, anticipating the next resident at his pop culture retirement home. "The days of the DVD are numbered. And that is good news for me."

To read the full article go to http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-vhs-tapes22-2008dec22,0,5852342.story

Sharp To Unveil LCD With Blu-ray Drive At CES

Various websites are speculating that Sharp will finally show its HD LCD TV with built-in Blu-Ray recorder at CES 2009.

According to Wired, the TVs will come in 32 and 42-inches and comes with a 'multiple slot loading rig for easy transitions between Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs.'

The new models will also get an integrated HDTV tuner, bottom-mounted speaker, with the Blu-Ray drive being unmountable if there is a need for repair.

The Aquos screens with built-in Blu-Ray drives will be on sale in the US right after its unveiling in CES. It is not known yet whether the product will be sold in Australia and how much it will cost.

See: www.sharp.net.au

Source: http://www.smarthouse.com.au/CES/U5U2J6X3