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JVC XV-PB1 Blu-ray player surprises with 1080p MPEG-4 MKV support


The first Blu-ray player to come to the U.S. from JVC, the XV-PB1, hasn't received a lot of hype since its CES reveal, but that might change now that it appears to be one of the first supporting MKV playback, following the Oppo BDP-83 and LG BD390. EHD reader Bill picked one up on the humble and lets us know he's had no problems playing 1080p video with DTS audio from a burned DVD. The manual on JVC's website indicates official MKV and AVCHD support, but surprisingly, not DivX although the spec sheet on the same website says it does. We're reached out to JVC to confirm what buyers can expect from the XV-PB1, but with MKV on top of BD-Live, network streaming from PCs and reportedly extremely fast load times this $299 player might reshuffle the list of most desired Blu-ray hardware.

DivX 7 gets January 2009 release date


There's not much to on besides a teaser page right now (okay, so there's only a teaser page right now), but here's the important part: DivX 7 is coming, and it's due next month. The next-generation of the software promises "true HD video" with H.264 video and AAC audio, and apparently it'll present something akin to "a cinematic experience" on your computer. Pretty bold claims there -- thank goodness we've but a matter of weeks to determine if it lives up to 'em or not.

Panasonic gloats about Emmy for H.264 / MPEG 4-AVC work

You just have to love it, don't you? In a situation that reminds us all too much of Sony's SIXAXIS Emmy fiasco (minus the fiasco), Panasonic has taken it upon itself to boast (quite heavily) about an Emmy that it's merely connected to. You see, an Emmy Engineering Award will soon be given to the Joint Video Team Standards Committee, of which Panasonic is indeed a member. But still, it's the JVT getting the Emmy here, though Panny's doing an excellent job of taking credit. It's release on the matter proclaims that it had a whole lot to do with the creation and implementation of High Profile for H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC, a technology that enables HD images in the H.264 video coding system. What's next -- Panasonic accepting the award on JVT's behalf?

IP-PRIME adds HD service to 12 telephone companies

SES Americom (not letting one bad satellite get them down) has apparently found an even dozen takers for it's IP-PRIME HD-4 services, designed to add inexpensively MPEG-4 compressed HDTV to MPEG-2 IPTV providers. Not all of them were named, but Chibardun Telephone Cooperative in Wisconsin, Home Town Cable in Florida and Manti Telephone in Utah are among those soon to bask in the beauty of 32 HD including ESPN, Disney, Discovery, CNN, Fox News, MTV and others. So, if you get your TV from your phone company and haven't been getting HD yet, give them a call and see if a new set-top box in your future.

DIRECTVs HR20 MPEG-4 DVR now available at Best Buy

DIRECTVs long awaited MPEG-4 HD DVR is slowly making its way into new markets nationwide via Best Buy Stores. This DVR started in the Los Angeles market but thanks to the power of the Internet, all hail the Internet, the unit can now be ordered from BestBuy.com for a cost of $399. We have discovered via their store search that it is in fact available in new markets across the country signaling a nationwide roll out. Interestingly enough, CircuitCity.com, another large DIRECTV provider, doesn't list this model anywhere and a quick call to a local store proved that Circuit City isn't carrying this model just yet. Just a quick warning though: unlike DIRECTV's first HD DVR, this model does NOT come with an HDMI cable. They had to cut costs someplace.

MPEG 4 moves quietly at Dish

Dish 411 with MPEG 4

Sometimes the best HDTV news doesn't come from scanning RSS feeds or attending the latest trade shows; sometimes the best HDTV news comes from passing conversations. We've mentioned the DIRECTV MPEG-4 strategies a time or two, but we've been quiet on the Dish Network front. Imagine my surprise when I bumped into my friend Paul at work and he mentioned his new Dish HDTV receiver sporting an MPEG-4 logo.

I figured he got the non-DVR model 811 since I knew he was thinking of using WMCE for his high-def recordings. Nope, Paul has the VIP-211 model. Huh? How did we miss that? A quick bunch of research indicates a 411 model with MPEG-4 support also (shown above). The units don't appear on Dish Network's site yet and there's no news that they're transmitting MPEG-4 signals yet, but it's clear that there's compression afoot; more deets to follow!




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