With royalty fees just around the bend for Blu-ray recorders in Japan, it seems as if locals are snapping up units left and right before the taxation is enacted. For the first time in a single month, shipments of recorders and players based on Blu-ray Disc broke the six-figure mark in June 2008 with 122,000 units. That's coming from data reported by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), which shows a notable increase from the 82,000 units shipped in May. Analysts are expecting the numbers to rise further in the coming months, as the Beijing Olympics draw near and many Japanese citizens spend their mid-year bonus on high-def wares. Still, it's not like folks in Japan are getting any stellar deals; the cheapest BD deck there is Sharp's BD-AV1, which still demands around ¥44,800 ($420). Just imagine those sales figures if there were a few reasonably priced players to choose from.

[Image courtesy of DayLife]

Denon has introduced the DVD-1800BD Blu-ray player to the low side (relatively speaking) of its lineup. As we've seen from high end makes lately, this unit continues the trend of a Profile 1.1 feature set at a price point that's sure not to "dilute" the brand luster. The DVD-1800BD is expected to ship in October with an MSRP of $749. Depending on whether you're a "glass half full" or "glass half empty" sort of person, it's $450 cheaper than the next-up-the line DVD-2500BTCI (pictured) or $350 more expensive than a PS3. Either way, it's pricey for Profile 1.1 player that does not have onboard decoding of DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD (but does output the bitstreams). We might cut this unit some slack if it were shipping immediately, but an October date makes us think this will be for Denon loyalists only.

Remember that April June release date that Samsung just threw out not even a month ago for its twice-delayed BD-P1500? Yeah, apparently that's not entirely accurate. A few shots here prove that the firm's latest BD-Live-ready Blu-ray deck is indeed hitting at least some store shelves already, with this particular one being spotted in a San Diego Wal-Mart. Better still, the price was pegged at $348, or a full $51 less than the published MSRP. In other words, keep a sharp eye out for this puppy -- it's probably worth the extra $50 over the Funai NB500.

[Thanks, Rob]

Following up on what was likely Engadget HD's most popular poll of all time -- which asked HD DVD early adopters to decide their next move after their beloved format crumbled -- we're out to see exactly what fencesitters and disgruntled converts alike are going to do now. It should be noted that while everyone and their grandmother has been quick to suggest the PlayStation 3 as the end-all solution, we can't help but remind audiophiles that Sony's latest console may actually not be the best choice. Granted, the constant flow of updates and its Profile 2.0 compatibility are definite pluses, but still, we can't say with a straight face that it's for everyone. So, dear readers, now that you can rest assured that the one remaining high-definition format will be around for at least a hot minute, which BD player are you eying?

[Image courtesy of AV Revolution]

Harman Kardon, perhaps emboldened by the recent changes in the format war climate, has announced support for Blu-ray. Talk is cheap, though, so the company will release a Blu-ray player in the £450 - £500 range (approximately $880 - $980) at IFA 2008 in September as proof of its commitment. We like Harman Kardon gear, but that's a bit rich for our blood. Luckily, the company is also going to be sprinkling Blu-ray across its lineup, right down to its HTIB systems. It's safe to assume that HK will maintain its high-end luster (with prices to match), so don't expect bargain sort of prices from the brand; but still, it's always better to have more competition in the game. And speaking of high end, HK showered some more love on Blu-ray by showing (and thus maintaining the promise of) the DVC 600 Blu-ray / HDD recorder first seen at IFA 2007. Supposedly, this beast will enable owners to capture "up to eight channels of TV," and it'll also boast a 1TB hard drive and an optional BD writer. Beyond that, specifics are a tad fuzzy, but we are hearing that it will include DVI, USB, a plethora of EPG modes and "the ability to remove advertisements from recorded programs." Per usual, mum's the word on price and availability, but this is one Blu-ray recorder that we hope makes it stateside.

[Via Electronista]

Straight from IFA 2007 in Berlin comes Daewoo's surprise entry into the Blu-ray camp with the company's first player, the DBP-1000. Interestingly, even though Daewoo is probably more well-known for their Trutech ODM devices -- or even their autos -- this player supposedly supports the full 2.0 Profile for Blu-ray Disc, including BD Live internet functionality, picture-in-picture, and local storage. Pricing and availability are nowhere to be found, but it won't be soon enough for Blu-ray fans to see players with that interactive functionality built-in like competing HD DVD players have. Another picture after the jump.

Sony's PlayStation 3 definitely had a tough holiday season, with a disappointing launch lineup of games, odd incompatibilities and shortage of consoles; it outsold the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 but not much else. Luckily we're not just interested in the system for games, it also carries the status of being the cheapest and potentially most advanced Blu-ray player available. How well suited is it for a home theater environment? Home Theater Blog and Ultimate AV recently put the unit through it's paces to find out and had mostly good things to say. In terms of old school DVDs, it's lack of 3:2 pulldown or any upconversion via HDMI is obviously disappointing, while Ultimate AV found the picture "soft", HTB noted otherwise perfect scores on the HQV test disc. Both liked that the system loaded and began playing Blu-ray movies considerably faster than other players, and had nothing but good things to say about the picture quality -- with the exception of the included movie, even on a 50GB disc Talladega Nights looked "flat" and "compressed" -- despite still leaning towards HD DVD in overall sharpness. They weren't able to test out any lossless Dolby TrueHD soundtracks, but uncompressed PCM soundtracks on Sony Blu-ray movies blew away their lossy DD and DTS equivalents. If you can get around the lack of an IR receiver for standard remotes, both considered the PS3 an attractive option for anyone considering a Blu-ray player.


Read - Home Theater Blog
Read - Ultimate AV

EETimes has quoted several manufacturers of key components in next generation DVD players who say they are designing hardware specifically for such devices. We've already seen NEC's hardware and its (lack of) response among CE manufacturers, but someone must be ready to build such a device as they will soon be joined by fellow chipmakers STMicroelectronics and Broadcom. They expect to have customers rolling out universal players next year, and that they will "represent a significant volume" in 2008 but couldn't name any or expected prices, citing NDAs. Making hardware capable of living up to the minimum specs required of both HD DVD and Blu-ray's capabilities won't be cheap or easy but their sources don't expect the price premium to be be very large, and mostly on account of royalties. We've been disappointed again and again so far on the possibility of combo players, we'll see if 2007 is the year.

[Via CNET]

After raising eyebrows by having no Blu-ray plans to show at its dealer show in Orlando a few days ago, LG finally announced its new BD100 Blu-ray player at the Best of Stuff show in London yesterday. The BD199 player shown previously was cancelled abruptly, and for a moment LG seemed ready to replace it with a dual format HD DVD / Blu-ray player, but the company later backed off those plans. The BD100 will include HDMI, component, composite, coaxial, and S/PDIF outs, whether 5.1 audio output via analog is included is unclear. 1080p Blu-ray playback and DVD upconversion is definitely part of the package, plus DivX, WMA and MP3 compatibility. LG officials refused to commit to a price or launch date, only that it would be "competitively" priced. Whether that means competitive in Australia, relative to the Toshiba HD-E1 HD DVD player (£499) or the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player (£1000) -- both were also on display at the show -- is unknown.

[Via Cnet UK & Stuff Mag]

Sony's first standalone Blu-ray player, the BDP-S1 has been pushed back so many times it's not even funny anymore. This time, the company is saying the push back is not due to any blue laser shortage, but "a specific software function that resides in the hardware" as confirmed to Electronic House. No word on what the problem is, but as complex as these next generation players are there's surely a million things that could trip it up. Hopefully it will arrive sometime this year and have totally glitch-free playback of those BD-J interactive titles due for the holiday season. Who are we kidding? Start the countdown to the first firmware update...now.

So you've pondered the benefits of the two high-definition formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray, and you just can't make up your mind. AACS or AACS? 1080p or 1080p? Well forget building your own homebrew "combination" player or waiting for some manufacturer to build a combo laser or all-in-one disc, and head on over to your local specialty shop to pick up a VidaBox LUX or MAX, as the company has just announced a pair of upgraded combination HD DVD / Blu-ray systems with both formats inside! Having your cake and eating it too will cost you, though: $1629 over the regular $3499 price of the LUX and a grand total of $4399 for the MAX. Of course each version comes with the usual 1080p HDCP-capable outputs, dual analog and dual digital tuners, and up to 3TB of storage, but no word on whether they require two separate media player applications or not. So go hedge your bets, pick one of these bad boy media PCs up, and let us know how the two formats compare on the same hardware, will ya?

The internet went ablaze a couple weeks ago when someone finally noticed that the Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player had been delayed until August on their SonyStyle website (even though it had been like that since April). Now, our friends at HDBlog have noticed that the date has changed again, now shipping on or about October 25th.

Ouch. Although as HDBlog notes, SonyStyle is sometimes delayed in receiving new products, until now their website has reflected the exact expected shipping date of Sony's Blu-ray player so we believe it still does. There have been reports that Sony's hardware is still far from ready, and this could support that conclusion, or may be they are just waiting for better quality movies to be available. Another theory suggests they are delaying the BDP-S1 to increase drive availability for the Playstation 3 and alleviate shortages.

Whatever the cause, HD DVD is on the ground and gaining momentum, if the BDP-S1 keeps slipping, the PS3 may end up being Sony's first Blu-ray release.

Previous Sony BDP-S1 release info:
Yes, Sony's BDP-S1 is delayed; Blu-ray isn't
Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player available for pre-order (again) (August)
Sony Blu-Ray available for pre-order (July)

[Via HDBlog.net]

Well that was quick. Just a few days after the 1.20 patch was posted for download on AVS Forum, Toshiba HD DVD player owners can now download the update directly to their player via the ethernet port. We still don't have an official list of what this fixes, however HDMI connection problems, BTB (blacker than black) & WTW (whiter than white) HDMI clipping, and various freezing/lockup issues are among the problems reportedly sent packing. PC World says you can also get the update from Toshiba's website, however at the moment the link doesn't work. A few new buyers are also reporting their players shipped with the 1.2 firmware.

Now that you can download it over the ethernet port feel free to upgrade without fear, but tell everyone you burnt a CD from a guy on AVS Forum anyway, it makes you sound more hardcore. Some have remarked on how disturbing this trend is, I'm just glad these issues are being resolved, through whatever means necessary. Early adoption is not for the faint of heart, whether it is a car, computer or washing machine, the first few revisions are rarely bug-free.

Update 2.0: The link does work now, thanks cassiusdrow!

HD DVD continues to move, as RCA has announced we can buy their HD DVD player, the HDV5000 at stores everywhere. Its basically the same as the lower-end Toshiba HD-A1 model, although a few earlybirds on AVSForum have noted the remote is a bit better. If you're looking for more than the 1080i, 30 second boot time loading of the first HD DVD players however, you'll need to look elsewhere as they share the same hardware underneath. PQ is still excellent, akin to an HD broadcast without the nasty compression artifacts, same HDMI out, surround sound support and everything else. Still, if $499 is burning a hole in your pocket and your local electronics retailer doesn't carry Toshiba, this is a big day for you. We're just glad this is over so we can look forward to second-generation players, sans-glitches and 1080i maximum resolution.

Read - RCA HDV5000 HD DVD Player now Available at Retail
Read - Early Impressions @ AVS Forums

If you're really ready for next generation DVDs, this guy on the CDFreaks message boards is selling NEC HD-DVD HR-1100A readers for your desktop PC. Not sure why you'd want one since we don't know when you'll actually have HD-DVDs to play on it and probably no software to play them with, but you would still be first. We've seen commercial Blu-ray players from Japan pop up on eBay before, but this may be the first opportunity to have HD-DVD technology all to yourself, and for only $120.

Since you won't be playing HD-DVDs anytime soon, enjoy your stunning 32x CD/8x DVD playback speeds and wonder what might be ... someday. As soon as HD-DVD drives are available from somewhere other than some-guy-on-a-forum, we'll let you know.

[via digg]