Panasonic has updated firmware available for their current Blu-ray Disc players, the DMP-BD30 and DMP-BD50.
Citing the usual ‘Playability and Stability’ reasons, perhaps this improves playback performance for recent releases like Iron Man…?
I see today that the Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray Disc Player is now available for pre-order at Amazon.
I am excited to see this player coming, since it adds the essential 7.1 analog connectivity to the functionality of the DMP-BD50 player (pictured).
Price is $499.99 and expect shipping in 3 to 5 weeks.
Best Buy has some great Blu-ray player promotions this week.
The Bonus View enabled Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-ray Disc Player is listed for $359.99, a saving of $40 while the Sharp AQUOS BD-HP20U Blu-ray Disc Player is $379.99, saving $20.
It is somewhat of a surprise to me to read of new Panasonic Blu-ray players planned for the holiday season.
It is a surprise since Panasonic is one of the few, if not the only player manufacturer to have both a Bonus View and a BD Live Blu-ray player in their line up already.
Reading around recently I have discovered that there is certainly some movement in the writable Blu-ray Disc sector.
Engadget is reporting that NEC is planning silicon to support BD-R recording at 8x speed. The recording speed of BD-R was initially only 2x, so this represents a nice saving in record time. 8x speed should be 36 MBps, which may actually tax some slower hard drives!
We see that one of the most anticipated Blu-ray Players, the Panasonic DMP-BD50 player, is now listed as ‘in stock’ and ready to ship.
This player features BD Live functionality as well as internal decoders for DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD, making it one of the most capable players in the market.
You can visit the official Panasonic site here, or just check the specifications here.
And you can order it now at Amazon / 6th Ave for $699.00.
Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the release of the initial slate of Blu-ray titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The initial slate included 50 First Dates, Hitch and XXX. This first wave of discs were all single layer BD25 discs with MPEG2 video encoding and PCM lossless audio.
A lot has happened since 2006, including the remastering and replacement of one of the launch titles The Fifth Element - with the new version being much more representative of current releases, featuring AVC video on a BD50 disc with Dolby True HD Lossless audio.
There is quite a bit of Blu-ray player news about today.
Via Format War Central you can read that Video Business is reporting that high-end consumer electronics retailers expect set-top Blu-ray players to begin outselling DVD players by August. Also revealed is that the Sony BDP-S350 and Panasonic DMP-BD50, will hit stores in July. Both are reportedly BD Live capable players.
Over at ZDNetAsia we read that eleven Chinese disc manufacturers have been authorized by Blu-ray Disc Association to produce Blu-Ray discs and disc players next year. Interesting to note this article states that the BDA’s member number has increased to 187 while that of International DVD Forum has decreased to 163.
We also see that Home Media Magazine summarises the players coming to the market, including the Daewoo BDP-1000 (pictured) and 2000 BD Live capable players with 1080p 24 mode, 1 GB of storage, SD Memory Card slot and HDMI 1.3, due in the fall. They also list the Panasonic DMP-BD50, two Sony’s (BDR S350 and S550) and the Playstation 3 for BD Live capability.
For Bonus View players they list the two Pioneer (BDP 51FD and 05FD), the Sharp BD-HP50, Marantz BD8002, the Philips BDP7200, Sylvania NB500, Samsung BD-P1500 and the Denon 2500, along with a quick summary of features. Well worth a look.
We also read via Digital Bits that Denon is considering a Blu-ray player with SACD and DVD-Audio multichannel playback.
All in all is it pretty easy to see that there will be quite a range of players to choose from and from the VB article it is pretty clear to see that at least the player market has quickly become a nice money maker for the consumer electronics industry, having already overtaken the saturated DVD player market with respect to revenues.
We read at EngadgetHD that Panasonic’s 3rd generation UniPhier processor will be the first single chip processor designed to handle picture-in-picture and all other necessary Profile 2.0 features. DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD, DivX 1080p, Ethernet controller, laser control and graphics engine are all included.
The chip is a die shrink from the previous generation, and should achieve higher yields and lower prices as a result.
Sample shipments start in June so perhaps we will see players based on this for the holiday season.
We read over at Video Business that Panasonic is planning an Olympic Games 2008 marketing blitz.
In the 100 days leading up to the Summer Olympics in August, Panasonic will present a nationwide truck tour promoting the manufacturer’s latest high-definition products, including its Blu-ray Disc players and Viera HDTV. Branded Get Your Family Ready for the First HD Olympics, the truck fleet will visit various retailers around the U.S
This new tour is similar to the Living in High Definition promotion that Panasonic ran last year.
Panasonic will also have past Olympic Gold Medalists as gymnast Kerri Strug and swimmer Mark Spitz on hand to sign autographs, as well as the usual pins and sweepstakes competitions, with a grand prize trip for four to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.
The upcoming Olympics Games, running Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China, will represent the first time the entire Games will be broadcast in high-def. Panasonic is an official sponsor of the Beijing Olympics and will supply various broadcast high-def technologies.
