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JVC Introduces $200 Profile 1.1 Blu-ray Player[teaser]At only $30 less than their BD Live capable XV-BP1, the XV-BP11 leaves a lot to be desired. [/teaser] JVC’s press release boasts that JVC’s new Blu-ray player is “popularly priced”, indicating that it falls under the $200 mark. It turns out that this may not have been the best choice of words. Touted as a “highly versatile” Blu-ray player, the XV-BP11 plays back DVDs, Blu-ray discs and the AVCHD format often used for camcorders. It supports 1080p/24 playback and the decoding of Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD. It sports HDMI 1.3 compatibility with support for Deep Color. It’s even got a USB port on the front for playback of JPEGs and MP3s. What it doesn’t do though, strangely, is BD Live. While this is sometimes seen in high end Blu-ray players created strictly for optimal video reproduction, it seems strange for an entry level product to ship without basic BD Live functionality. JVC’s XV-BP11 is available now at $199. Source: JVCPosted Thu Oct 29, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Redbox Sued Over Multi-Day Rental Fees[teaser]Redbox is in court again, but this time it’s consumers that are suing. A class action lawsuit filed in an Illinois circuit court alleges that Redbox illegally collected over $100 million in rental fees for discs that were returned after the 24 hour rental period. [/teaser] Customers upset with the fees they paid for rentals have taken Redbox to court. Based on the advertising slogan that promised “$1 a night DVD Rentals” with “no late fees… ever”, customers are accusing the company of misrepresenting the actual fees of using the service. The court document states that two classes of Redbox customers are represented. The first are customers that returned their DVDs after the designated 24 hour time and were made to pay for an additional day. These customers claim that the fee charged for an additional rental day are excessive. The second class of customers represented is made of people that were charged the maximum amount of $25. This fee is charged only when a DVD is severely late or missing. The customers claim that $25 for a missing DVD is far above what a retail DVD would cost and three times the amount of a used DVD from Redbox, and that this fee too is excessive. The suit involves counts of statutory fraud by omission, unfair practice, unlawful penalties, and violations of Illinois rental and contract laws. Source: Courthouse News (PDF)Posted Wed Oct 28, 2009 at 01:00 PM PDT by: -
Toshiba’s BDX2000 Blu-ray Player Hits Best Buy[teaser]At long last Toshiba has a Blu-ray player on store shelves, at $50 cheaper than announced. [/teaser] Toshiba’s BDX2000 isn’t an especially unique Blu-ray player, but the circumstances around its creation and release certainly were. Toshiba of course was the driving force behind HD-DVD, and a long time Blu-ray holdout. After the end of the format war, Toshiba made a lot of statements that downplayed the importance of Blu-ray, but as time went on, the Blu-ray market became too strong to ignore. That brings us to the BDX2000 Blu-ray player, spotted at Best Buy for $199.99. It features a 1080p resolution and is BD Live capable. The BDX2000 decodes Dobly True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and features 7.1 channel audio output through HDMI. There aren’t any streaming services to speak of, just what looks to be a pretty good Blu-ray player. Toshiba’s official website states a November release date, but user submitted photos indicate that at least a few Best Buy stores have this on the shelves now.Posted Wed Oct 28, 2009 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
First MoCA Certified Set-Top Box Announced by ADB[teaser]ADB’s set-top box takes advantage of networking over coaxial cable for HD streaming. [/teaser] Let’s face it, networking is a pain. Even more so is trying to get a home network set up that includes high definition streaming to a home theater. The decision on whether to mess with wireless networking or run Ethernet cables to every piece of equipment is a battle between two equally unattractive options. That’s where the Media over Coaxial Alliance (MoCA) and ADB come in. The new MoCA standard for sending signals via coax boasts speeds of up to 175Mbps, more than enough to stream high definition content. While you’ll need an adapter for your source – unless it’s MoCA compliant already – the new set-top box from ADB will be able to take signal directly from the already attached coax cable without the need for any other connections. ADB’s ADB-6882CDMX is certified for the MoCA 1.1 which allows not only the incredible speed, but improved stability over the previous standard and support for up to 16 devices on one network. This is one of very few devices that work via the MoCA standard, but with the increased industry focus on home network streaming, expect to see more in the future. Source: ITVTPosted Wed Oct 28, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Roku Launches Netflix Players – Leaks Pandora, Flickr[teaser]Netflix streaming is a feather in the cap of any piece of hardware that includes it, and the industry has been quick to adapt. Still, for those that don’t yet have a simple solution to access the highly popular movie streaming service, Roku introduces a pair of Netflix players. [/teaser] The Roku SD is just what it sounds like. As a standard definition player, it certainly won’t garner a lot of interest from video and audiophiles, but for $79, the Roku SD offers access to Netflix, Amazon on Demand, MLB.com and a few other sources to customers that might otherwise not have it. The SD isn’t complicated; it offers an Ethernet port for a wired internet connection and a composite output. Roku’s higher end player, the Roku HD-XR, is capable of high definition streaming and offers both component and HDMI hookups. The biggest addition to the HD-XR though is the 802.11n standard WiFi that’s built right in to the device. There is also an included USB port which Roku says is “for future use.” The Roku HD-XR is available for $129. In a recent reveal of the Roku players’ ability to play content direct from Revision3, a few more additions became apparent. While the screenshot centered on the Revision3 menu option, selections for both Pandora and Flickr services were clearly visible. Whether this will be announced as official or not is still unknown. Source: Press ReleasePosted Wed Oct 28, 2009 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Blu-ray Players Getting Cheaper - $49 Black Friday Deal Not Out of the Question[teaser]The price of Blu-ray players has decreased significantly since last year, with even brands like Panasonic and Samsung getting in the sub $200 range. Analysts say that a $49 Black Friday deal isn’t out of the question. [/teaser] In response to the question of holiday sale prices, “It’s conceivable we could see a $49 Blu-ray player on Black Friday” says Ross Rubin of the NPD. “Anything is possible.” The NPD Group is one of the organizations that tracks pricing and sales data for consumer electronics in the retail environment. Their recent analysis shows a sharp increase in the number of lower priced Blu-ray players on the market. In between January to August of 2008, not a single sub $200 Blu-ray player was on the market, but in the same month range of 2009, 14% of all Blu-ray players cost less than two bills. Interestingly, there were fewer players in the $200-$299 range in 2009 than in the previous year, but more in the $300-$399 range. This data supports the idea of a further polarized market, with low end gear on one side, high end gear on the other, and not too much in between. Ross adds that one of the main features that seems to be selling Blu-ray players is streaming services, and that it’s no longer common to see big sales for players that don’t offer audio or video streaming. Source: Video BusinessPosted Tue Oct 27, 2009 at 01:00 PM PDT by: -
Sony Adds Netflix Streaming To PlayStation 3[teaser]Sony has announced that PS3 users will soon have access to the popular Netflix streaming service through the use of BD-Live. [/teaser] Fans of the PlayStation 3 just got another bragging point, as Sony has announced that Netflix will be available as soon as next month. There’s a bit of a catch though. Rather than being able to access the service through the systems menu thanks to a system update like the rival Xbox 360, PlayStation owners will need to access the service through BD-Live. Netflix will provide Blu-ray discs free to subscribers who can reserve the discs now at Netflix.com/PS3. Streaming will be available at the standard $8.99 price. Netflix is hoping to echo the surge in memberships seen after the addition of the service to the Xbox, but with a few extra dollars tacked on to each one for Blu-ray rentals. Sony’s press release states “Initially, watching movies instantly streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system will be enabled by a free, instant streaming Blu-ray disc that is being made available to all Netflix members.” This wording may indicate that a firmware update or installation disc may be in the works and that the BD Live streaming may only be a temporary solution. Source: Press ReleasePosted Tue Oct 27, 2009 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Samsung Creates World’s Thinnest LCD[teaser]At 3.9mm thick, Samsung beats the competition by a full 2mm. [/teaser] There will eventually come a time when we’ve all got ultrathin OLEDs stuck to our walls receiving wireless information from a base unit, and the thin wars will be over. This is not that time. Samsung recently announced their newest display, nicknamed the “Needle Thin LCD”, which measures an amazingly thin 3.9mm. Over 2mm thinner than a standard #2 pencil, the new display sets a new record for the world’s thinnest LCD display. The new Samsung LCD features LED backlighting, though whether it is edge lit or features local dimming is as of yet unstated. The display does offer a 120Hz refresh rate and a contrast ratio of 5,000:1. Pricing and availability are unknowns at the moment, though Samsung is expected to get this display out as soon as they can. Source: Trading MarketsPosted Tue Oct 27, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Wal-Mart Offering Home Theater Installation[teaser]In an attempt to position themselves as an alternative to Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Wal-Mart steps up their offerings. [/teaser] Wal-Mart is the absolute last place that a home theater enthusiast thinks of when they’re looking for a new TV, speakers, or Blu-ray player, but it’s one of the first for many consumers. Wal-Mart takes the all-in-one store concept a step further today by announcing their new home installation service. For a cost of anywhere from $99 to $339, customers can have their new television, computer, network or home theater set up by Wal-Mart’s team. The service includes a pre-purchase consultation and a tutorial on how to use the newly purchased equipment once it is set up. So when you’re standing under the bright glow of Wal-Mart’s overhead lights this holiday season trying to decide between the Sylvania and the Westinghouse display and mulling over whether or not to shell out the extra few hundred dollars for a HTiB, you can take solace in the knowledge that a Wal-Mart associate will happily assist. Source: ReutersPosted Tue Oct 27, 2009 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
HD Advisor 33 1/3Editor's Note: Each Friday, High-Def Digest's own HD Advisor will answer a new round of questions from our readers. If you have home theater questions you need answered, send an email to [email protected]. If you've already sent a question and don't see it answered yet, please be patient as we work our way through them. To browse through previously answered questions, visit the main HD Advisor page. Answers by Joshua Zyber Deep Color and 36-Bit Playback Q: Can you explain what they mean by Deep Color and 36-bit playback for Blu-rays? I have a Pioneer Elite plasma TV and a Panasonic Blu-ray player that also output these features, along with HDMI 1.3 cable and Marantz 8002 receiver hooked up for 5.1 surround sound. I was told they don't even make Blu-ray disc at 36-bit. Is that true? Will we ever see discs made this way? If we did, would it make the picture look that much better? A: The Blu-ray format does not support Deep Color or other forms of extended color bit depth (such as x.v.Color). Blu-ray discs are encoded with 8-bit color, the same as DVD. Although some newer HDTVs support the display of more colors, those extra colors are not contained on the Blu-ray disc. Any Blu-ray player that claims to output Deep Color or x.v.Color will simply upsample the color channel on the disc. Your TV may do this for you anyway, if the Blu-ray player doesn't. The point of extended color depth is to eliminate the banding artifacts found on some video content (even Blu-rays at times). Upsampling the color channel on a video signal is not the same as having true Deep Color in the source, but may or may not have similar results. Generally, this is a subtle improvement. If you plan to perform this color upsampling in the Blu-ray player, both the player and the TV must support the higher color depth, as must any intermediary device in between, such as your A/V receiver. Zoom on a Blu-ray Player Q: I have just upgraded my TV from a Panasonic Plasma TH-50PZ0B to a Pioneer PDPLX6090. When I watched Blu-rays on the Panasonic, I was able to zoom in to remove black borders without stretching the picture. But with the new TV, the only way I can do this is to stretch the picture, which for me is unwatchable. So my question is can this be resolved with a Blu-ray player with a zoom function? If so could you recommend a model? I use a PS3 as my Blu-ray player. A: Some Blu-ray players have zoom functions, and others don't. Of those that I've personally used, I can verify that the OPPO BDP-83 does offer this function. Not to be rude about it, but I suggest that you learn to overcome your phobia about the black bars. As I explained in my Why Don't the Black Bars Go Away? article, the letterbox bars are there to preserve the viewing experience that the director of the film intended. Zooming the image to remove the black bars will also remove picture information that you're meant to see, and destroy the compositional balance of the photography. It's just as bad as stretching the picture. Once you learn to accept that the black bars are supposed to be there, eventually you will come to appreciate them. Calibration Discs vs. THX Optimizer Q: Are calibration tools like 'Digital Video Essentials' much better than the THX Optimizer found on all THX DVDs? Do these appear on any Blu-ray (or HD DVD) discs yet? A: Off the top of my head, both Blu-ray editions of 'Terminator 2' sport the THX Certification seal and include THX Optimizer test patterns. I will always recommend a good dedicated calibration disc over the THX Optimizer patterns. In my opinion, THX's approach to calibration with their Optimizer program is inherently flawed. The Optimizer test patterns on any given disc are intended for use only with that disc. In theory, the same patterns on any two different discs could yield different results. The assumption that the company makes is that disc-to-disc variances are severe enough that every single movie you watch will require its own separate calibration. I don't buy it. I believe that calibration should be a set-it-and-forget-it activity. Viewers don't want to be fiddling with their brightness and color settings for every new movie they watch. A good calibration disc will allow you to find your display's best settings for all discs you watch. With that said, in most cases, Optimizer winds up with the same results as other calibration patterns, or at least very close. If you don't currently own a dedicated calibration disc, THX Optimizer is an adequate "quick and dirty" calibration tool that will get you in the right ballpark until you can obtain a more comprehensive calibration disc. Audio Bit Depth and Sampling Rates Q: I noticed that a lot of the reviews on this site aren't mentioning whether a soundtrack is 16 or 24-bit, and 44 or 48 Hz. I'd really like to know this technical info, and would be great if all reviewers would be willing to post the info in their articles. A: The Info screens on most Blu-ray players do not display the bit depth or sampling rates of the movie's soundtrack. It's very rare that the studios provide this information on the disc packaging or in the press release for the movie, and rarer still that the information they do give is accurate. Unfortunately, not all of the reviewers on this site are equipped with Blu-ray drives in their computers and the necessary software that will obtain this data from the disc. As I have said many times before, technical stats like this are just numbers. They tell you nothing about how the disc actually looks or sounds. If the technical specs alone were enough to guarantee that a disc looks and sounds perfect, there'd be no need for reviews at all. It's the reviewer's job to analyze the content on the disc and describe how it fares during actual playback. I recommend simply not obsessing about these numbers, which are basically meaningless anyway. Homework Assignment: You Be the Advisor Some questions that the HD Advisor receives are best answered with a consensus of opinions from our readers. If you can help to answer the following question, please post your response in our forum thread linked at the end of this article. Your advice and opinions matter too! Rear Speaker Popping Sound Q: I own a Marantz SR5003 AV receiver and I have a PS3 and DVD player all connected using HDMI cables on a 5.1 speaker setup. The receiver is also connected via HDMI to my LCD TV. Recently, I have begun experiencing a slight pop sound at the left rear speaker every time the receiver changes source or audio format (e.g. from multi-channel 7.1 to stereo), or when I switch the source from DVD to Blu-ray input. The pop isn't loud, and the AV receiver still works in all of its 5.1 glory. It's just annoying and distracting because it even happens when the DVD changes from the first layer to the second layer of the disc. I looked behind the receiver thinking it's a loose wire, or a rogue wire touching the system's back, but I couldn't find any. I tightened all speaker terminals and checked the HDMI connections, but they are all there. Is it a static electricity problem that I am experiencing, HDMI cable fault or something more sinister like a faulty chip inside? I only just bought the receiver for 5 months. Check back soon for another round of answers. Keep those questions coming. Joshua Zyber's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of this site, its owners or employees.Posted Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 11:45 AM PDT by:
