VIZIO VBR100 Blu-ray player gets unboxed on video

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment

My friend Tyler Pruitt from over at Format War Central got his hands on one of the new VIZIO VBR100 Blu-ray players from Wal-mart - you know, the Profile 2.0 player that sells for just $178? Check out an unboxing of the device above, along with some thoughts on the pros and cons of this player.

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Sharp build Blu-ray players into BD-series Aquos LCD HDTV line

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2009, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Sharp is aiming to help eliminate at least one set-top box from your rack with their BD-series Aquos LCD HDTVs, which come with a Blu-ray player packed in to the television unit, announced today at CES 2009. If interested, you can pick one up later this month in 32-, 37-, or 42-inch flavors, or if you need something larger, next month the 46- and 52-inch models drop. These also bost the Superlucent ASV panel technology which means less glare in the end, and a brighter picture. It also does 24p through HDMI, in case you have an old HD DVD player you have lying around that you want to use (since the included Blu-ray technology doesn’t use up an HDMI port.) QAM and ATSC tuners along with RS-232C inputs round this one out. Full release after the break.

Click to continue reading Sharp build Blu-ray players into BD-series Aquos LCD HDTV line

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VIZIO busts out $200 VBR100 Blu-ray player at CES 2009

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2009, HDTV, Home Entertainment

So, you know how VIZIO was working on switching from being a discount player to wanting to be seen more as a high end manufacturer? Well, looks like they are looking to merge those two together with their VBR100 Blu-ray deck, which they announced today at CES 2009. Here’s a look at the features of this 2-inch thick Blu-ray player:

• Video outputs: HDMI (1.3), component, and composite
• Audio outputs: 7.1 channel analog audio, coax and optical digital audio, and analog stereo (RCA)
• Dimensions: 17 X 11 X 2”
• Includes Remote Control (Oh rly??)

In addition, when watching a standard DVD, you can set the player to upconvert to 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, and it has on-board Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA decoders, and that can be output from the unit’s 7.1 analog outputs. You can pick this one up in April for $199.99.

Gallery: VIZIO busts out $200 VBR100 Blu-ray player at CES 2009

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Next Sony Blu-ray players: BDP-S350, BDP-S550

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies

Now that Sony has felt the smell of victory, this summer they will be releasing Blu-ray disc players with new features. The BDP-S350 features an ethernet connection for broadband which will be accessible with the software upgrade BD-Live. That will allow download bonuses such as trailers and games The player should carry a MSRP of ~$400.00. The BDP-S550 will already be BD-Live capable for about $100.00 more. Both will feature PIP Bonus View for cast and crew commentary. Note how it is encased in a “we won” color.

Read More | ABC News

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CES 2008 Video: All about Blu-ray

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Broadband, CES, CES 2008, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Podcasts, Videocasts

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Sony showed up in force for CES 2008 with a bevy of Blu-ray players in tow. Check the video above for a good run down of the Blu-ray technology. Some of the new interactive features are sure to impress, although many of the features have been available within HD DVD for some time.

Take note of the awkward cut that occurs when we ask them about the whole format war thing and the fact that studios are jumping over to Blu-ray left and right. That is when they stopped and told us they didn’t want to talk about that subject. We pushed the issue a bit, but they wouldn’t budge, so we just cut that portion out. Not sure what the big deal was though, I mean, it seems victory may be at hand for the Blu-ray side of things.

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