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Target Picks Blu-ray for Holiday 2007
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Movies,
It seems that Target is semi-following in Blockbuster’s footsteps as far as the next-generation high definition DVD format war goes, as they have made a move that solidly puts them behind Blu-ray this holiday season. Target announced today that it would start selling standalone Blu-ray players in their brick-and-mortar locations beginning this fall. This obviously leads into the holiday rush. Consumers will be able to purchase the Sony BDP-S300 at $499 USD, as well as have the option to select from an expanded selection of Blu-ray movie titles. This is the first standalone high-definition player that Target has made available in stores, but they do also sell the Blu-ray PS3 and Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on.
Back in June, Blockbuster announced Blu-ray exclusivity in it’s retail stores as well, citing that in test markets the format was rented far more than HD DVD was. They do, however, continue to rent HD DVD through Blockbuster Online and Blockbuster Total Access. Target will also continue selling both HD DVD titles and Blu-ray titles in stores, but we expect that Blu-ray section to grow a bit larger.
Target spokesperson Brie Heath told the Associated Press that this isn’t a political move. “We are not proclaiming one format vs. the other as the preferred consumer technology, and software will continue to be available to our guests in both the Blu-ray and HD DVD format,” said Brie. We’ll see how this all plays out in the fourth quarter.
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Samsung Announces BD-UP5000 Hybrid Blu-ray HD DVD Player, Plus 3rd Gen. Blu-Ray Players
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Movies,
Samsung has finally announced its BD-UP5000 hybrid Blu-ray HD DVD player today. This is going to be the home theatre device to watch this holiday season, as it launches in the fourth quarter of 2007. Those consumers who worry about the format war finally have a player that should fully support the features of both formats, unlike the LG Super Multi Blue BH-100 player, which doesn’t fully support HD DVD features.
The BD-UP5000 features 1080p playback, HDMI 1.3, VC-1, H.264, and HD JPEG decoding. It also features built-in storage and Ethernet to fully support the HD DVD spec. A device like this doesn’t come cheap, so expect the BD-UP5000 to launch at $1,049 USD.
You can check the full release after the jump, which also features news on Samsung’s upcoming third generated Blu-ray players, the BD-P1400 and BD-P2400.
Toshiba HD DVD Player Pricing Stays Put
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies,
Toshiba has announced that its recent HD-DVD players’ promotional pricing will not return to its original cost. This is excellent news to those who have yet had occasion to purchase one and may serve as a hint for this year’s holiday shopping, which seems to arrive earlier every year. The company’s HD-D2 is only $279.99, the HD-A2 is now $299.99, the HD-A20 is $399.99, and if you want to splurge, their HD-XA2 has been rolled back to $799.99. Here’s to Toshiba, who obviously knows that a good deal is a good idea in the realm of mostly high-priced gadgets.
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| Toshiba via Electronic House
Rumor: New $479 Xbox 360 SKU features 120GB HD, HDMI
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Release Dates, Rumors, Xbox 360,
The big news this morning comes to us courtesy of GameInformer magazine and a scan-happy reader, who points to a new article detailing the upgraded Xbox 360 that’s been rumored for so long. The major details so far? The new 360 will come in black (which our very own gearlive scooped right here), and it will feature built-in HDMI outputs, an HDMI cable (zing!), and an upgraded 120GB harddrive for holding all that new IPTV content. The system’s rumored to break in “late April”.
The $479 price tag is obviously meant to take another cheap shot at Sony, as MS’s most expensive SKU will still be cheaper than Sony’s cheapest PS3. Still, with all these upgrades to the console built in, it’s a wonder they forgot to include WiFi compatibility out of the box… no love for those of us with our routers in other rooms?!?
And for all of you wondering whether this is an April fool’s joke, the story appears to have been vetted by Kotaku:
Matt Helgeson, senior editor over at Game Informer, just dropped us a line to let us know that the story is in fact true. As a rule they don’t post fake news stories in their April mag. So go celebrate.
There you have it! See the scans after the jump.
Click to continue reading Rumor: New $479 Xbox 360 SKU features 120GB HD, HDMI
Read More | Kotaku.com
The Bleeding Edge 137: Two Minutes Explaining HD DVD
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Videocasts, Videos,
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
Bleeding Edge TV 137: All About HD DVD
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Movies, Videocasts,
We stopped by to chat with HD DVD Association representative David Carlson. Dave gives us a quick glimpse into the format, and the benefits it provides over standard definition DVD (looks a lot better), as well as the Blu-Ray format (less expensive for consumers to adopt.) He also goes into some of the more interactive features of HD DVD, such as navigating menus and settings while the movie is playing. For the full scoop, check the video.
Bleeding Edge TV 127: LG Super Multi Blue BH-100 Player
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Videocasts,
We know the HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray war is going hot and heavy, and LG looks to capitalize on that with their BH-100 hybrid Blu-ray HD DVD player. If you don’t get it yet, this bad boy can play just about any optical media you can throw at it, supporting DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and HD DVD content as well. Price is a bit steep at $1199 USD, but true videophiles may not even notice when they realize that, for them, the format war no longer exists. The LG Super Multi Blue BH-100 Player officially hits retail stores today, despite being available in small quantities for a little over a week now.
The Bleeding Edge 127: LG BH-100 Super Multi Blue Player
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Music, Videocasts, Videos,
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
CES 2007 Video: HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Videocasts, Videos,
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
CES 2007 Video: Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Head To Head, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2007, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Videocasts,
Okay, forget all the corporate-speak we have been getting on the issue. We went around and ask people wandering the floor at CES which format they liked and thought would win out in the end. We got quite a few interesting responses, many of which seeming to come from people who don’t even know that a format war even exists.
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