http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/news Latest news, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17701 Though Berlin’s IFA 2008 consumer electronics expo hasn’t yet officially begun, Samsung used the day preceding the event to get one of its tamer announcements, a fifth-generation Blu-ray player, out of the way. The BD-P2500 will keep a look much similar to its predecessor, the BD-P1500, but adds long-awaited Blu-ray Profile 2.0 compatibility and a handful of other features.Profile 2.0 allows the the BD-P2500 to access BD Live features on next-gen discs, meaning it can pull reRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:10:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17700 Toshiba is indeed managing to keep its foot in the high-definition video market without actually letting Blu-ray into its shop, stepping out at this year's IFA show in Berlin with yet another consumer-oriented product that makes standard-definition content look better. Toshiba claims its new Regza ZF series of LCD HDTVs are the first in the world to include upscaling technology, using a Cell processor—the same technology in Sony's PlayStation 3—to take SD content to "near-HD quality."Toshiba plans to offer the Regza ZF series in 40- and 46-inch sizes; the units will offering full HD 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, 100Hz refresh, and a dyn Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17675 Next week at the IFA 2008 show in Berlin, Sanyo will be demonstrating its new "entry-level" PLV-Z700 1080p projector. Although Sanyo is more known for its business projectors, the Z700 represents a foray into residential installations, letting users throw high-definition content across the room…and with lens-shifting technology and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, that content might look pretty good."Our entry-level Full HD projector addresses the increased interest in projection systems for home-based entertainment systems due to the rapid growth of high resolution material, from Blu-ray discs, HD game consoles, and digital camcord Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:30:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17620 In the wake of the high definition disc format war between Blu-ray and the vanquished HD-DVD, many industry watchers were expecting a flood sales of both Blu-ray players and Blu-ray titles as consumers got off the fence and finally began investing in high-definition gear, assured that the Blu-ray format wasn't going to go away overnight. Instead, the market has shown comparatively tepid interest in Blu-ray: sales of Blu-ray players have picked up, but it's hardly been the landslide that Sony (and its partners) may have wished for, as consumers have increasingly deferred high-definition purchases, looked at inexpensive upscaling players for traditional DVDs, and looked at downloadable video, bypassing discs entirely Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:10:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17599 When the hi-def wars began, Microsoft came down on the side of Toshiba and its HD DVD format. But Toshiba threw in the towel earlier this year, leaving the Blu-ray format as champion – and Redmond out in the cold.Now Microsoft is taking steps to catch up. According to Information Week, the forthcoming Windows Feature Pack for Storage will let users burn Blu-ray HD discs from their computers without having to resort to third-party software.The company has told developers through a site that the feature "enables the Windows platform to do Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17588 Toshiba may have lost the high-definition format war—throwing in the towel to Sony's Blu-ray format earlier this year—but that doesn't mean the company is embracing Sony's technology. Instead, Toshiba has been focussing on the digital movie format with the largest market penetration: plain, simple DVD. And it's new XD-E500 DVD player aims to put new life into existing DVD through upscaling and a plethora of picture mode setting via the company's new XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement) technology."Consumers ha Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13845_3-10018888-58.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Although it lacks an HDMI interface, this monitor does have a DVI input that supports HDCP--so it's all set for Blu-ray. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:48:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/507945.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:04:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17523 Hitachi pretty much invented the Blu-ray camcorder segment with its original DZ-BD70HA that was able to record HD video on miniature 8cm Blu-Ray discs or a built-in hard drive. Now the company has gone back and revised its original innovator to roll out the DZ-BD10HA, a fine-tuned new model with additional features and upgrades.Unlike the earliest incarnations of the camera, which were able to record only on Blu-ray and an integrated 30GB SSD, the DZ-BD10HA a Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:25:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17521 Electronics giant Hitachi has announced its new DZ-BD10HA Blu-ray Disc Hybrid Camcorder, the latest in its line of consumer camcorders that can record directly to Blu-ray media, as well as to a built-in 30 GB hard drive or SDHC media."Hitachi continues to improve upon and deliver cutting-edge and innovative products, and is pleased to offer the latest upgrades in camcorder technology to its customers and consumers," said Hitachi Home Electronics' VP of marketing Daniel Lee, in a statement. "The new DZ-BD10HA underscores Hitachi's commitment to developing original technologies that consumers can easily embrace."The DZ-BD10HA will feature a 7 megapixel CMOS sensor and a Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:15:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13505_3-10008388-16.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Big Blue is deepening its open-source story with moves across an array of hardware, from supercomputers to the desktop. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:34:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/505900.html Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:38:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/505860.html Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:46:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17453 ABI Research has released the results of a new survey looking at consumers' plans to buy Blu-ray players—and finds many consumers don't yet have a lot of enthusiasm for the technology. Of 1,000 respondents, over half said they had no plans to purchase a Blu-ray player, while another 23 percent say the aren't likely to get into the Blu-ray market until sometime in 2009.ABI Research details the findings in its research brief "Blu-ray: Consumer Survey Results.""Consumers were happy to embrace standard DVD when that Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/505754.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:51:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17434 LG Electronics has announced the first Blu-ray disc player that will also have the capability to stream on-demand video content from video rental service Netflix via a customer's home broadband Internet connection. The LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player will be able to tap into Netflix subscribers' Queues (still configured via the Netflix Web site) and stream selected movies and television episode in their Queues. Netflix currently offers more than 12,000 movies and television programs for its online streaming service.The deal is the third major announcement in recent weeks that brings Netflix's online service into the home; Roku recently Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-17938_105-10003525-1.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Netflix subscribers will have access to 12,000 movies and TV shows on the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, due to arrive this fall. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:14:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13845_3-9995453-58.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Acer's AL2216WBD is a fairly basic LCD, but it does offer HDCP compliance for folks who want to watch Blu-ray movies. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:57:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17282 Lenovo has rolled out four new notebooks in its IdeaPad line of consumer notebooks, adding size choices and (dare we say it?) color choices to Lenovo's famously staid lineup. Along with colors—orange, black, red, and blue—Lenovo is also rolling forward with facial recognition as a login system, along with offering HDMI and optional Blu-ray drives."From San Francisco to Paris to Singapore, customer feedback on our inaugural IdeaPad notebooks has been exceptional," said Lenovo Americas VP Stephen DiFranco, in a statement. "Our new styles, colors, and innovations are all about customers and the ways they express themselves and their ideas."The IdeaPad U330 is l Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:20:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17281 Sony has officially announced its new FW, SR, Z, and BZ lines of Vaio notebook computers, all sharing common design elements, Centrino 2 processors and numerous configuration options, including Blu-ray disc drives and the option to receive the PCs without having them loaded down with trailware. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-10784_3-9990663-7.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Warner Home Video announced its plans to offer discounted Blu-ray movies in the fall, including some new and catalog titles. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:26:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17229 With the dizzying array of features packed into even the lowest rung of phones in your cell providers’ catalog, it’s easy to get sidetracked with novelty features and throw-away gimmicks. That said, a recent survey by ABI Research has sifted out the three most-wanted extras for consumers: digital cameras, Bluetooth, and music.Digital cameras with 2.0 or more megapixels were by far the most desired feature among survey respondents, with 47 percent pegging them as a “must have.” Bluetooth and digital music or FM radio were slightly less popular, with a about a third of co Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:35:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/17221 Japanese electronics giant Pioneer has said it plans to work with Sharp to offer Blu-ray recorders on the Japanese market by the end of 2008, hoping to latch onto a growing market as consumers move past the so-called "format war" between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Sharp already offers (pricey) Blu-ray recorders, and is a major investor in Pioneer.According to estimates from the Fuji Chimera Research Institute, the market for Blu-ray recorders in Japan is expected to explode between now and 2012, growing to some 3.6 million units a year.Pioneer hasn't announced any price ranges, feature sets, or target sales figures for its Blu- Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/500980.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:22:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/500930.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:44:00 -0400