HDTV Lounge

We recently wrote about Samsung’s new third generation blu-ray the Samsung BD-P1400, but it now seems as if there are two new blu-ray players being released. The Samsung BD-P2400 blu-ray player can black back BD at native HD resolutions of 1080p / 1080i and 720p and can up-convert standard DVDs to 1080p over HDMI. Read more

Samsung’s third generation Blu-ray player the Samsung BD-P1400 is set to make it’s grand debut on August 31st in Berlin at the 2007 IFA. The BD-P1400 is rumored , but not confirmed to support Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD and Dolby True HD, along with a built in Ethernet port. Read more

The Sharp BD-HP20S has been called Sharp’s “first” Blu-ray player, but we know this is not true, as there are always a number of sharp’s blu-ray players already on the market. So we must assume that the BD-HP20S is sharp’s “first” Blu-ray only player, as their other models included receivers and recorders. As the Sharp BD-HP20S is simply a real Blu-ray (BD) player only, it should keep prices down which we all like to see. Read more

Now is the time where we see second generation Blu-ray players appear, and Panasonic’s addition is the DMP-BD10A. Panasonic have also dropped the price tag on it’s new player to make it that even bit more tempting at just $600. The new Panasonic DMP-BD10A also includes 7.1, Dolby True HD, and DTS-HD built in and Panasonic’s EZ-Sync for “one touch opperation” of your home theater setup. Read more

Okay, so the Sony VAIO FZ laptop is not a HDTV, but it does have a nice selection of HD features including a Blu-ray drive and HD output. The Sony VAIO FZ can but used to watch HD Blu-ray movies on the go on it’s widescreen XBITE display via it’s GeForce 8400M graphics card. Or it can also output to your HDTV via HDMI, VGA or s-video, using the HDMI Read more

The Pioneer BDP-LX70 Blu-ray player comes nearly a year since the first players, but we are not sure if it is a second generation player or not. The Pioneer BDP-LX70 is very similar the the first gen HD1, and even looks similar. Read more

Sony has joined into the cheaper, more sensibly priced market for Blu-Ray players, the BDP-S300 will cost $599 but will have all the same features as their BDP-S1 which will cost nearly twice as much and will also be much smaller, very similar to standard sized DVD players. The S300 will be able to output at the full HD 1080p resolution and also play back standard DVDs and CDs. I believe this player is a winner as it offers a better sized unit, all the features of the more expensive players and has full HD output for under $600.

The LG GGW-H10N is a standalone combo drive for computers with can read both HD formats, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs. The GGW-H10N can also write to Blu-Ray, DVD and CDs, but not HD-DVD. The drive will also support all iHD functions for HD DVD films. The SATA drive will be out in January for $1200.
newlaunches

The Pioneer BDC-202 “combo” Blu-ray drive is a smaller drive for PCs. The BDC-202 drive combines a Blu-Ray disc player with a DVD/CD burner. The drive will be able to read / play many blu-ray disc formats, BD-ROM, BD-R and BD-RE discs at 5x, and dual layer recordable Blu-ray discs at 2x. The BDC-202 can als burn / write to DVDs at 12x and CDs at 32x. If you are looking to be able to play back Blu-Ray discs and watch HD movies, but are not too interested in burning large amounts of data the the BDC-202 will be the drive for you.
Pioneer Press

HP has released it’s first Blu-Ray writer, the bd135. The blu-ray disc burner will enable to user to watch and record 1080p content via the bd135 with all the HD picture quality. The writer will also be able to ave and store data such as photos, music and camcorder data to 25 or 50GB discs.
Read more