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'District 9' Blu-ray Includes 'God of War III' Demo for the PS3

Fri Oct 30, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Sony, PlayStation 3 (all tags)

As previously reported, Neill Blomkamp's 'District 9' will hit stores on December 29, and the release will reportedly include a playable demo for 'God of War III.'

According to the folks at Game Informer, the Blu-ray will include the PlayStation 3 demo on the disc.

After completing the demo players will have access to a behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the game.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95.

You can find the latest specs for 'District 9' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under December 29.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
District 9 (Blu-ray)

Sony May Be Looking To Hit Entry Level Pricing

Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 04:00 PM ET
Tags: Sony, High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)

Looking for a way to strengthen their share of the market, Sony appears likely to release lower priced HDTVs

While there's a constant struggle to dominate in field of high end HDTVs, the economically priced entry level television market seems to be dominated by the likes of Vizio. Sony sees an opportunity there, and is set to launch a new B series of televisions.

According to Taiwan’s DigiTimes, Sony’s B series will launch with prices lower than their current entry level TVs in both 32” and 40” sizes. Sources say that “the price of a 32-inch B series Sony LCD TV is estimated at about NT $15,000 (US $462.96) or even lower.”

The other advantage of producing a less expensive line of televisions is that Sony would have a little more flexibility as far as production goes, something that would help the manufacturer hit the numbers it forecast earlier this year. Currently, it looks like Sony will only be able to ship 14 million sets in the 2009 fiscal year, despite a projected 17 million.

The B series is expected to launch in early 2010, and a more official announcement is expected soon.

Source: DigiTimes

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Sony Boasts 360 Degree Glasses-Free 3D

Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Sony, 3D (all tags)

The inconvenience of 3D technology makes it questionable for home adaptation, but Sony’s new glasses-free 3D tech looks good for consumers and advertisers alike.

Still in the prototype phase of course, Sony will be showing the new 3D technology at a conference later this week that they hope will revolutionize the way things are done. With a look reminiscent of a space heater, and sitting only a foot high, Sony’s 360 degree 3D display is certainly unique.

It’s not quite high definition, but the 96 x 128 pixel display uses LED lights to show a 3D image all the way around the cylindrical base. Sony states that this will be able to be used for digital signage, as well as for home use, such as in photo frames and of course, televisions. A Sony spokesman reminds us that this is still in the prototype phase and that they still need “to continue with further research and development. [We] will consider a variety of applications [for] development.”

The prototype will be shown October 22nd through the 25th at the Digital Content Expo in Tokyo.

Source: AV Watch (via Google Translate)

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Sony Boasts 360 Degree Glasses-Free 3D

Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Sony, 3D (all tags)

The inconvenience of 3D technology makes it questionable for home adaptation, but Sony’s new glasses-free 3D tech looks good for consumers and advertisers alike.

Still in the prototype phase of course, Sony will be showing the new 3D technology at a conference later this week that they hope will revolutionize the way things are done. With a look reminiscent of a space heater, and sitting only a foot high, Sony’s 360 degree 3D display is certainly unique.

It’s not quite high definition, but the 96 x 128 pixel display uses LED lights to show a 3D image all the way around the cylindrical base. Sony states that this will be able to be used for digital signage, as well as for home use, such as in photo frames and of course, televisions. A Sony spokesman reminds us that this is still in the prototype phase and that they still need “to continue with further research and development. [We] will consider a variety of applications [for] development.”

The prototype will be shown October 22nd through the 25th at the Digital Content Expo in Tokyo.

Source: AV Watch (via Google Translate)

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Sony Confirms 'Angels & Demons' On Demand Day and Date

Tue Oct 13, 2009 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Sony, Industry Trends (all tags)

'Angels & Demons' is one of four films that Sony has announced will be hitting retail shelves and On Demand services on the same day.

In an effort to test the waters for new ways to sell films, Sony confirmed that they will be releasing four titles through standard retail channels and On Demand on the same day. The biggest of these films, and expected to be the biggest seller from Sony in the fourth quarter, is 'Angels & Demons' which grossed an impressive $133 million at the box office.

Also seeing these day-and-date style releases are 'The Taking of Pelham 123,' 'The Ugly Truth,' and 'Julie and Julia.' Specific retailers and cable providers that will be participating in the test have not yet been discussed officially. Sony has said that they will be allowing a 48 hour viewing window, rather than the standard 24 hours.

Interestingly, Warner Home Video will be taking the opposite approach. While they have historically debuted DVDs and VODs simultaneously, Warner will be pushing back the On Demand release dates of both 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince' and 'The Hangover.'

Source: Video Business

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Sony Shows $75,000 TRIMASTER Quad HD Display

Thu Oct 08, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Sony (all tags)

On sale in Japan starting November 1st, the Sony TRIMASTER features a 4K2K resolution, RGB LED backlighting and more.

Sony’s 56” TRIMASTER is certainly positioned to take the wind out of the sails of Toshiba’s Cell REGZA. Rather than attempt to offer a superior slew of consumer options, Sony has concentrated strictly on the picture and is aiming towards businesses that require precise image reproduction.

Though the name could certainly use a bit of work, Sony says the moniker was assigned because of the trio of factors decided to be most important in making the display: “Exact Color”, “Accurate Picture”, and “Reliability”.

The TRIMASTER also features three individual display modes. The first is of course the standard 4096 x 3840 full screen display mode. The second, as we’ve seen with 4K2K televisions in the past, is a Quad View mode, which allows up to four Full HD signals to be displayed simultaneously. The final viewing mode is a zoom mode, which allows standard 1080p signals to be blown up to fill the whole screen.

There’s no word yet on a US date, but we can expect to hear more as Japan’s CEATEC expo continues.

Source: Sony Japan (via Google Translate)

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Sony Demonstrates Wireless Power Supply System

Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Sony (all tags)

Sony is doing away with power cords, enabling true wireless displays.

Saying that a product is wireless always came with an understood asterisk. Your laptop has wireless internet, but still needs to be plugged in after a few hours of use. Your cellular phone has to be charged in most nights, and those wireless surround sound speakers clearly have cords going from them to a base that receives signals wirelessly. The guys at Sony are planning to put an end to all this silliness.

According to a press release put out by Sony Japan late last week, the company now has a working prototype “Wireless Power Supply System” capable of powering a 22” LCD television up to a distance of 50cm. Admittedly, it’s not an incredible amount of distance, and the addition of a repeater only ups the range to 80cm, or just over two and a half feet.

Sony does make it a point to mention that these devices are currently in the experimental phase and aren’t intended for retail release. Distance is a key problem, with the other being wattage. The WPSS can only send 60W at the moment, though with the increasing focus on energy efficient televisions, this may be easier to achieve.

Source: Sony Japan (via Google Translate)

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Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over PS3 Failures

Tue Oct 06, 2009 at 03:15 PM ET
Tags: Sony, PlayStation 3 (all tags)

Sony is now facing a class action lawsuit based on the allegation that a recent patch to the Playstation 3 has created hardware failures.

We reported last week that a not insignificant number of PS3 systems have experienced optical drive failure after installation of a recent patch. Today it was reported that a PS3 owner named John Kennedy has filed a class action suit against Sony for the failures. Among the accusations are complaints for breach of warranty, negligence, and negligent misrepresentation.

The 3.0 firmware update for the PS3 was a mandatory upgrade, and is viewed as responsible for causing systems to freeze while playing games, and even stopping the system from recognizing the optical drive. Sony confirmed that the 3.0 firmware affected systems on its blog shortly after the update, though no specifics were given, stating “SCEA is aware of reports that PS3 owners are experiencing isolated issues with their PS3 system since installing the most recent system software update.”

A further firmware update is alleged to have caused even more problems. What prompted the suit though was Sony’s statement that the plaintiff in this case would need to pay $150 to have his system fixed.

Sony has not yet released an official statement regarding the suit.

Source: Courthouse News

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PS3s Reportedly Not Playing Blu-ray Discs after Firmware Update

Tue Sep 29, 2009 at 02:25 PM ET
Tags: Sony (all tags)

Forums and blogs across the internet are abuzz with reports that the newest PS3 update has broken the system, rendering the Blu-ray drive unusable.

The long awaited 3.0 firmware update for the Playstation 3 integrated a wide variety of improvements, such as upgraded friends lists, trophy sharing, and a bit more personalization. Unfortunately, it also appears to have caused some problems with the Blu-ray drive.

Customers are reporting that both games and Blu-ray discs will play fine for around ten minutes and then just freeze up. The increasingly common story is echoed by countless posters on the Playstation blog such as JohnnyAstro who says that he “upgraded to 3.01 3 days ago, and in the middle of playing a game a day later, the game locked up, and that was it. The drive cannot recognize any disc now. Tried putting in games, Blu-ray movies and DVD’s. Nothing.”

Reportedly, Sony customer service is stating that this is likely a coincidental hardware issue, and customers are being asked to pay $150 for repairs on their systems. While this issue does appear to be widespread, it definitely isn’t happening to every system. If you’re using your PS3 as a Blu-ray player though, it may be wise to avoid the update until this all gets straightened out.

Source: Playstation Blog

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Sony Introduces Internet Video Streaming BDP-N460

Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 05:00 PM ET
Tags: Sony, Industry Trends (all tags)

Sony’s newest Blu-ray player embraces internet streaming.

Featuring an Ethernet port that’s used for more than just BD-Live, the latest addition to the Sony family offers a wide variety of options for net streaming.

The BDP-N460 is a fairly capable Blu-ray player, delivering full HD 1080p/60p and 24p True Cinema output. It decodes HD audio codecs and is BD-Live capable. It supports Deep Color, x.v. Color, upconverts standard definition signals and does everything else a $250 Blu-ray player should, and then some.

Slacker Radio, a less often heard of service, will be streaming in Sony’s new BDP-N460 when it ships to retailers in October. The player will also be enabled to stream YouTube videos right out of the box, and Netflix in an update in the late fall.

“Whether its Full HD 1080p or streaming video and audio from the Internet, entertainment comes in so many flavors that consumers want choice” said Sony’s Chris Fawcett. “Sony brings the best of both worlds together in one player that offers more content than other stand-alone devices on the market.”

Source: Sony

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