Technological advancement has been redefining ‘quality’ for quite some time now. Every now and then we have some or the other news pertaining to Blu-Ray and HD DVD Players. The question is what to go in for as both formats provides incredible sound and image.
A gist about Blu-Ray and HD DVD Players
Both utilize a blue laser as opposed to the red laser that DVD and compact disc use. Blue lasers operate at a shorter wavelength than red lasers; therefore more data can be stored in the same area as compared to conventional DVD. Blu Ray discs hold 50 gigabytes on a dual layer disc, while HD DVD holds 30 gigabytes on a dual layer disc. This compared to DVD’s 8.5 gigabytes on a dual layer disc. HD DVD just approved the specification for triple layer discs, upping HD DVD’s capacity to 51 gigabytes for triple layer discs, so the storage capacity advantage for Blu Ray is no longer an arguing point. Even with the storage capacity advantage that Blu Ray currently enjoys, the fact is that both formats provide incredible sound and image, and on movies with good transfers that are encoded well, are indistinguishable from each other. Both Blu Ray and HD DVD discs are encoded at 1080p24 (1920×1080 resolution, 24 frames/second). Both look substantially better than over the air, cable and satellite high definition.
New Blu-Ray and HD DVD Players
LG: offer dual-format players that spin both discs. Unlike the first-gen model the BH200 is a Super Blu Player that has a capacity to handle interactive features of both formats including BD-Java, BD-Live and HDi. It also offers a video resolution output of 1080p at 24-, 30- and 60 frames per second costing $999.
Samsung: introduces its BD-UP500 Duo HD Player that offers a dual-format giving you an option to pick up a high-def disc at a media store without having to worry whether it will play in your device. It supports both Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats along with their respective interactive technologies, HDi and BD-Java. The interactive features provide additional studio content such as trailers and director’s comments, games and behind-the-scenes footage costing $1049.
Sony:
1) launches BDP-S300, an exclusive Blu-ray player, offering a built-in Blu-ray drive for its PS3 as well and costs $499.
2) BDP-S2000ES is the first Blu-ray player in Sony’s upscale heavy-duty ES series offering 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD High-resolution Audio along with 1080/60p and 24p output. It costs $1,300.
3) BDP-S500 comes with the similar features as stated for the BDP-S2000ES the only difference is pertaining to its price which is quoted at $700.
Sharp: announced the BD-HP20U Blu-ray player is one speedy loader that up any Blu-ray disc within 10 seconds. It features 1080p output at 24fps, onboard decoding for Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD, and HDMI output. The Sharp BD-HP20U will be available this September for $550.
Panasonic: If you’re set on a standalone Blu-ray player, the Panasonic DMP-BD10A should definitely be on your short list. It offers an excellent picture quality on Blu-ray and DVD; DVD up conversion to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p; on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD High Resolution; HDMI output; DVD-Audio support; sleek design. The bad point pertains to its remote, annoying front flip-down panel; somewhat slow load times and costs $599.
Onkyo: DV-HD805 is based on Toshiba’s impressive second generation, 1080p-outputting HD-XA2 but with some tweaking to satisfy Onkyo’s audio appetite and to improve the shady standard-def DVD performance. It offers a full high-resolution audio via HDMI for Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio–the latest, lossless surround-sound formats that deliver sound that’s virtually indistinguishable from the master recording costing $599.
Pioneer: BDP-95FD is Pioneer newly announced high-end blu-ray player. The player is aimed towards audio- and videophiles with high demands and includes evertyhing you would expect from an expensive player including streaming capabilities from another computer. The new Blu-ray Disc player offers Pioneer’s exclusive Home Media Gallery that allows users to directly access and playback music, movies and photos stored on a home PC. The player supports Dolby True HD, DTS High Resolution Audio and HDMI-CEDIA,costing $999.
Denon: 1) DVD-3800BDCI is a $1,999 product is among the first to sport the BD-ROM version 1.1, which means it will have dual audio/video decoders to take advantage of picture-in-picture content, and has an SD card slot, so that you can download web content. It does not have an Ethernet jack, however, so you will have to use a PC to download content to SD. It’s also, according to Denon, the world’s first high-def disc player to use the Realta HQV video processor for super-badass video cleanup. The DVD-3800BDCI offers on-board decoding of all legacy and next generation audio formats (including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio). These signals can be output via its analog 7.1-channel outputs, or output digitally via PCM over an HDMI connection.
2) DVD-2500BTC is a $1,199 has no internal audio decoding, or analog outputs, but it passes virtually any audio bitstream (including next generation Dolby Digital and DTS formats) digitally to a receiver or processor, over its 1.3-compatible HDMI output. For those who have already invested in an advanced home theater receiver or processor with on-board next generation audio decoding and video processing, the DVD-2500BTC should make an excellent lower cost alternative to the DVD-3800BDC.
Marantz: BD8002 Blu-ray player features a 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset and HDMI 1.3 features including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. The Marantz BD8002 is scheduled for delivery in the 1st Qtr. of 2008 and will carry a Mrp of$2099.99.
Toshiba: HD-XA2, adds sophisticated Silicon Optix Reon processing and lists for $799. All Toshiba players have Ethernet jacks, which when linked to the Internet, give you access to interactive online information including bonus features and additional content.
Blu-ray HD DVD players Picture Gallery
Via: ElectronicHouse
