All Home cinema Feeds

Asda talks budget Blu-ray players

Marc Chacksfield — 1210937160

Ed Watson, head of PR at Asda, has contacted TechRadar about Asda’s plans to release budget Blu-ray players on the market like its American counterpart WalMart. Unfortunately, it does look like we will have to wait a little longer for a cheaper way to play Blu-rays.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, he said that: “[There’s] no plans as yet but we will be getting them in the future at ASDA Price, of course.”

At the moment Asda is selling four Blu-ray players: Panasonic DMPBD30, SharpBD-HP20H, Sony BDPS300B, Samsung BDP1400.

Out of these player only the Panasonic’s DMPBD30 and Samsung’s BDP1400 are Profile 1.1, which gives the players Picture-in-Picture interactivity and BD-Java compatibility, essentially unlocking some extra features on selected Blu-ray Discs.

The price to pay

Out of the players available, the cheapest is the Profile 1.1 BDP1400 at an online price of £259.32. Alhough this is a competitive price for here in the UK, when you consider the BDP1500 (the Profile 2.0 successor of the BDP1400) is now selling at WalMart for $350 (£180) there does now seem to be a big gulf between the affordability of players across the water.

WalMart stocks cheap Blu-ray players

Marc Chacksfield — 1210935360

WalMart, the largest retailer in the world has announced it has began stocking the Magnavox NB500MG9, a Profile 1.1 BD player, for just $298. This is $100 less than a PlayStation 3.

In Blu-ray terms this is a significant mark-down in price from previous ‘budget’ releases.

And while it may be a budget deck, it doesn’t look like Magnavox – a sub-division of Philips – has scrimped on features.

Not only does the player have Bonus View capabilities, it also acts as a DVD upscaler to 1080p.

A quick glance at the rear panel shows the following connections: component video-out; HDMI v1.3 out; Audio-out; digital-out (coaxial); and video-out.

Audio-heads will be disappointed to hear that there’s no on board advanced codec decoder, but the player will reportedly bitstream hi-res audio out.

Two’s up

If a $300 BD player wasn’t enough to grab the retailer headlines, Walmart has also announced a cut to the price of the Samsung BD-P1500 Profile 2.0 BD-Live player. At $350 this is an absolute bargain, and will hopefully give Blu-ray the kick-start it needs and get the format not just into the living rooms of AV enthusiasts but everyday consumers as well . If only we lived in America.

WalMart was one of the most influential retailers in the success of DVDs. When it started to sell players at a similar price as the software, consumers bought in their droves.

A similar thing happened recently, when the supermarket giant chose Blu-ray over HD DVD as the format to sell. With the stocking of the NB500MG9 and BD-P1500, it looks like history is starting to repeat itself.

We have contacted Asda, which is owned by Wallmart, to see if the UK company will follow suit but it has not yet commented.

Samsung OLED laptop prototype: latest developments

Gareth Beavis — 1210933200

Samsung SDI has unveiled a concept laptop using an active matrix OLED (AMOLED) with an advanced backplane driver, allowing for better driving of the high-resolution display.

Samsung’s prototype - developed for this year’s upcoming SID 2008 event in the US - has all the fancy gubbins: a touchscreen keyboard so light the screen needs a stand for balance, a technologically advanced monitor capable of super-high resolution and contrast.

But the technology behind the screen is what could make this announcement one of the most pivotal in the ‘OLEDs in laptops roadmap’.

Most OLEDs in use for mobile phones today use a technique called passive matrix driving, which uses a larger amount of power and has a lower refresh rate for movement - fine for smaller screens but tricky for laptops and TVs.

AMOLEDs have individual transistors throughout the display - allowing for more effective power consumption and more impressive graphics, but they cost more and are harder to fabricate without high failure rates.

Samsung’s WXGA (1280x768) also uses a more advanced manufacturing technique to create the TFT backplane for the screen - it may not seem important, but one of the biggest hurdles to OLED development is cost, so to develop a cheaper way of making them is a good thing.

All a silly con?

And after that, it gets a bit more technical, but again, very important in the future road map.

Silicon is used in the TFT backplane used to tell the pixels what to do, but can either:

Poly-silicon (poly-si) mostly used, effective but not really good enough at bigger sizes, especially in making the screens last long enough)

Amorphous silicon (a-si) good enough to provide 20 times the picture quality of poly-si, but unstable and expensive to use.

But Samsung has gone with a-si for the prototype, which might not seem exciting as they’ve done it before with other screens, but rumours are the technology is getting better all the time, especially as intensive development has begun in the OLED TV wars between the bigger companies.

It might be dull now, but could be the springboard for prettier, thinner displays in the future.

Sony's financial year: our verdict

Marc Chacksfield — 1210778460

Sony’s financial results for the last 12 months are in and TechRadar's had a look at what the company has got up to in the last year. And we must admit that it’s had a pretty good run of things.

Electronics

Sony saw an increase in sales in its electronics range thanks largely to Bravia LCD TVs.

An 8.9 per cent increase was shown in the sales of Bravia LCD TVs, VAIO PCs and CyberShot digital cameras, equating to 6,613.80 billion Yen (£32.3 billion). A slight decrease was seen in the sale of LCD rear projection TVs.

Operating income for the year was more than double FY06 for electronics, up from 160.5 billion Yen (£0.8 billion) in 2006 to 356 billion Yen (£1.7 billion) in 2007.

However, mobile phones were among the worst performers in Sony’s electronics portfolio, the only decreasing factor in Japan and Europe.

Music and film

Sony BMG, the music strand of Sony, saw a small decrease in sales (down four per cent) but a massive increase in income before taxes, up a whopping 90 per cent to $257 million (£132 million).

The company cites a $67 million restructuring process and lower marketing costs as a reason for the increase.

Girl power was the order of the day when it comes to Sony BMG’s best-selling albums of the year. Music from Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and Avril Lavigne all helped to bring in the cash.

Film-wise the company saw an 11 per cent drop in sales, down from 966 billion Yen (£4.2 billion) FY06 to 858 billion Yen (£4.2 billion) FY07. The company has cited a decrease in films being released in the year as a reason for the drop.

As with the Electronics sector, Sony did see a big increase in operating income, this time of 26.5 per cent.

Games

Although the PS2 is still outselling the PS3, sales of the console have dropped 7 per cent, while both the PSP and the PS3 have seen increases of 46 per cent - something the company is looking to increase next year - and 156 per cent accordingly. PS3 software sales have increased a massive 335 per cent.

And while there’s been a 26 per cent increase of sales – from 1,016 billion Yen (£4.9 billion) to 1,284 billion Yen (6.3 billion) the company is still operating a loss of around £0.6 billion in its gaming sector.

Top tips: 5 ways to build your own outdoor cinema

Rob Mead — 1210762069

Summer’s here and while most sensible people are heading outdoor to catch up some rays, others are doing the reverse - going indoors to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

Luckily you can combine the two by sticking a big screen or TV in the garden - enabling you soak up some sun and some Spielberg at the same time.

There are loads of ways you can do this. Here are just five, ranging from the ludicrously cheap to the reassuringly expensive:

1. Use your laptop

Most almost all laptops have built-in DVD players these days so watching a movie from the comfort of your patio should a breeze. Of course you’ll get the best results if you’re sitting on a shady spot, but a, bright LED backlit display will come in pretty handy too. For ultimate in outdoor laptop pleasure, we reckon the Sony Vaio VGN-AR61U is worth a punt.

It packs in a 17-inch widescreen display, 512MB Nvidia graphics card and a Blu-ray drive, not to mention a built-in hybrid analogue / digital TV tuner. It also has an HDMI port so you can hook it up to a compatible high definition (HD) projector, as well as the usual audio outputs for private listening via headphones or neighbour-baiting outdoor speakers.Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro is another great laptop choice.

2. Buy a portable DVD player

As above really, only you won’t be able to play games on it, and the screen will be a lot smaller. Now while you can pick up a Hyundai HPD719 for as little as £80 on Amazon.co.uk, you’re probably better off plumping for something a bit more luxurious, like the Toshiba SD-P120T.

Available later this month, the SD-P120T portable DVD player has an 11.8-inch widescreen display, Freeview digital TV tuner and all the sockets you need, including an HDMI port, component video sockets, headphone and digital optical outputs. The battery’s good for up to 3 hours of use between recharges and the player even comes with a 4-in-1 card reader so you can watch movies and photos stores on SD and other flash memory cards. Handy.

3. Watch an outdoor LCD TV

Given that you can already watch TV in the bath or shower, watching one outdoors seems like a logical extension. UK company waterprooftv.co.uk sells a range of sets ranging from 32-inches to 55-inches size, with prices starting at £2,000. All the TVs are compliant with IEC IP56 weather-proofing regulations and are dust and insect-resistant too.

Our favourite is the flagship Aquivo 55-inch Outdoor TV, which can handle 1080p Full HD video signals. It comes with the full complement of HDMI and other AV ports, and even has non-reflective toughened glass. The Aquivo 55-inch Outdoor TV doesn’t ship with weather-proof speakers or an anti-theft bracket as standard, but you can add these for £300 and £250 respectively.

4. Blow up an inflatable cinema screen

If the prospect of a 55-inch TV just doesn’t do it for you, you can take the next logical step and team a portable projector either with a flat white wall, or - better still - an inflatable projector screen. Your choices here look pretty limited, with most UK companies only selling or hiring out the screens for use a professionally-organised events.

However Pro-Idee will sell you a 2.4m screen online for £519. For anything bigger though you’ll probably need to go elsewhere - US companies AirScreen and Open Air Cinema.

5. Buy a custom outdoor cinema

For the ultimate in outdoor movie viewing, we reckon Open Air Cinema is the place to go. Its CineBox range is designed partly with home use in mind and comes with all the kit you need to for a night out in front of the telly. For around $10,000 (£5,000) you can get a 3.7m (12ft) inflatable screen, plus a custom-made console that comprises a portable DVD player, compact 2500 ANSI lumens Sanyo projector, multi-channel audio mixer and a wireless microphone.

Included in the price are a pair of speakers and stands, plus all the ancillary equipment you need such as AV adaptors for your iPod, laptop, camera, etc. Best of all, Open Air Cinema says its happy to sell to customers in the UK - and says it has several satisfied customers here already. What are you waiting for?

HANNSG announces low-cost 1080p monitor

Marc Chacksfield — 1210761780

HANNSG, the Taiwanese panel manufacturer, has just announced its latest 1080p monitor, the HG281DJ.

Boasting 1920 x 1200 WUXGA true 1080p resolution, the 28in monitor is ideal for all your HD viewing needs.

Predominately aimed at videomakers, designers and photographers – i.e. those looking for the utmost clarity in their images – the HG281DJ is both PC and Mac compatible. However, as the HG281DJ is kitted out with a 3ms response time, gamers may well want to give the panel a look as well.

Stay connected

Inputs on the monitor are as standard. You get the obligatory HDMI port (with HDCP support), VGA, audio and component.

The only thing that lets the monitor down is its contrast ratio. At just 800:1 we would have expected better. At least the panel is equipped with anti-glare technology and a clean viewing angle of 160 degrees.

The price is right

At £400, this latest HANNSG release is one of the cheapest 28in 1080p HD monitors around. In fact, if we were a filmmaker, at that price we would probably buy two and have a rather nice twin-monitor HD setup.

The HG281DJ is available now from www.misco.uk and comes with a three-year warranty.

Sonus Faber expands its loudspeaker range

Marc Chacksfield — 1210608300

Luxury hi-fi specialist Sonus Faber has announced an addition to its Cremona speaker range, the Cremona Auditor Elipsa.

The wall-mounted speaker system is in keeping with the Elipsa brand of Cremona speakers launched last year.

Aesthetically, the Elipsa looks the business. The curved cabinet stands at 341mm tall and is made of solid maple wood. But this is no style-over-substance, as the cabinet houses some pretty outstanding features.

Sounding out

Underneath the plush wood is a two-way speaker, a 25mm ultra-dynamic ring-radiator tweeter system and 150mm Symmetric Drive Motor System mid/base driver. The sensitivity of the speaker is 89dB.

Size-wise, the speaker, along with an included wall mount, is a modest 341 x 335 x 224mm, while a pair of them weigh in at 15.2kg.

As with all Sonus Faber’s luxurious kit, you do pay a premium for the quality, and the Cremona Auditor Elipsa is no exception. They are available to buy now for £2,690 a pair. Or if you want just one, expect to pay, not surprisingly, £1,345.

Pioneer updates its Blu-ray range

Marc Chacksfield — 1210586460

Sleek and sexy is the order of the day for Pioneer’s new range of Blu-ray players. The robust, piano-black machines boast impressive audio and visual capabilities, but it all comes at a premium.

Features-wise the BDP-05FD and BDP-51D are jam-packed. They both include 1080p/24fps video output, Picture-in-Picture interactivity, a DVD upscaling option (up to 1080p), and audio options so good that they deserve a new paragraph all to themselves.

Superior sound

Pioneer has managed to squeeze in support for all HD audio formats – an industry first. This means that Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD Master Audio all get a look in when it comes to watching your chosen Blu-ray Disc with superior sound.

As with Pioneer’s previous players, there’s added interactivity with its Kuro range of TVs and AV receivers giving, the company states, “the most true-to-life reproduction of HD feature films.”

The BDP-05FD is the Elite player of the two and has some extras added to its chassis, including gold-plated connection points, touch key buttons and an enhanced video processor.

What Pioneer has failed to include, though, is BD-Live (Profile 2.0). The company has instead decided to stick with BonusView (Profile 1.1). This means that those looking for the most up-to-date interactivity possible should look elsewhere - ie, buy a PlayStation 3.

Pricey players

Even though Blu-ray has won the battle for HD supremacy, the price point for BD players is still high. At the moment there’s no UK prices announced, but the BDP-51FD will be $599 (£300) and the Elite BDP-05FD will be available to buy for $799 (£400) when they are both released in the summer. As with all US-released Blu-ray players, expect the names of the UK versions to change. We will keep you updated prior to release.

Criterion embraces Blu-ray

Marc Chacksfield — 1210332180

Hi-def enthusiasts rejoice! Prestigious US movie distributor Criterion has lined up 13 titles to be released on Blu-ray in the coming months.

The company, which is famed for its brilliant restoration of classic movies such as The Man Who Fell To Earth and Dr Strangelove, has pencilled in an October release for its first-ever HD line-up. The movies released are wide-ranging – from Carol Reed’s The Third Man to Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket.

Criterion is promising in its newsletter to make sure pricing of the discs are similar to their standard-definition equivalents.

Those familiar with Criterion will know the company likes to take care of its film collection. It was among the first to introduce the widescreen format to video, and it also had the ingenious idea of filling up the space of discs with audio commentaries and the like.

Compatibility issues

Unfortunately, there’s no word yet if The Criterion Collection Blu-rays will be multi-region. So, if you’re based in Europe, it is best to check if your Blu-ray system is Region A compatible before you whip out the credit card and get ordering.

Those who are interested in getting their hands on the company’s Blu-ray titles can check out the full list of movies here.

Blu-ray disc sales treble

Adam Hartley — 1209633442

While the NPD group reports this week that Blu-ray hardware sales are far slower than expected following the demise of HD DVD, the Blu-ray Disc Association says Blu-ray Disc movie sales trebled in the US in the first three months of 2008.

"According to research from US-based Home Media Magazine, US Blu-ray disc sales jumped 351 per cent in the first three months of this year. The high-def disc format benefited from increased awareness of the category and Toshiba's decision to exit the HD DVD business at the end of March," the BDA announced.

Hardware sales prediction

"Home Media reports that the rise in Blu-ray Disc sales led to the first increase in consumer spending on home video in two years. In 2007, total sales fell 0.5 per cent and they decreased 0.4 per cent in 2006," adds the release.

The Blu-ray Disc Association says that Blu-ray players will be in roughly 25 per cent of US homes in three years, though the current estimate for the end of this year is still only that Blu-ray players will be in 1 per cent of US households, which seems to be more in line with the recent NPD reports.

Analysts estimate that the average price of a Blu-ray disc will drop from $28.50 (£14.34) this year to $24.43 (£12.30) in 2011.