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VIZIO VBR100 Blu-ray player freed from superstore confines, unboxed on video

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 9th 2009 at 5:44PM


We'd heard VIZIO's VBR100 BD-Live ready (& timed Wal-mart exclusive) Blu-ray player would be making an appearance this month, and our friends over at FormatWarCentral have not only spotted the rare bird in the wild, but brought one home and performed a video unboxing for all to experience. Be prepared for bad news like a lack of high definition cables included in the $178 package, though coax and optical audio outputs plus the too often-forgotten rear mounted USB port are welcome bonuses. Still avoiding the potential trampling issue at Wal-mart? Other stores should have a similar VBR110 model soon, check the video beyond the link or embedded after the break and imagine the packaging splayed about your own living room.

Continue reading VIZIO VBR100 Blu-ray player freed from superstore confines, unboxed on video

Marantz $6K UD9004 Blu-ray player now shipping

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 31st 2009 at 9:11PM


We finally got a peek at the new BD-Live capable Blu-ray player from Marantz a couple of weeks ago, but you should be able to take a peek at the UD9004 yourself, as it began shipping today. For a cool six grand, give or take, the all in one CD, SACD, DVD Audi and Blu-ray playing beast can be yours, complete with internal HD audio decoding, Silicon Optix Realta chipset, 7.1 analog outputs and more. Check out all the specs and details in the press release after the break, though we suspect many of you are wondering just how many Oppo BDP-83 players that $5,999 MSRP could buy.

Continue reading Marantz $6K UD9004 Blu-ray player now shipping

Marantz preps BD5004, BD7004 Blu-ray players, NR1501 amplifier for launch

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 15th 2009 at 7:49PM


We questioned the strategy of Marantz delivering a nearly $800 Bonus View Blu-ray player last fall, but it appears ready to settle things with customers who believe in its superior construction and components and want a few newer features (though access to streaming movie services is still missing) with two BD-Live compatible players on the way in August. Both support AVCHD, DivX, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD bitstreaming and more, with the BD7004 adding 7.1 analog outs, internal TrueHD and DTS-HD MA decoding, an Anchor Bay Reference Series video processor and additional reinforcement against vibrations. Look for the BD5004 (pictured above) for $549 and the BD7004 at $799. In the interests of matching equipment, announced along with the BD7004 in Japan is the 7.1 channel NR1501 amplifier due this month, supporting the latest HD audio formats in a 105mm x 367mm deep resin and fiber reinforced design for ¥60,000 ($635), check for additional pictures after the break.

Continue reading Marantz preps BD5004, BD7004 Blu-ray players, NR1501 amplifier for launch

Wal-mart rolls back cheap Blu-ray player price to $98

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 9th 2009 at 4:18PM


Like Blu-ray but hate spending lots of money? The guys at FormatWarCentral spotted the Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray player cold lampin' on the shelf of a local Wal-mart now permanently rolled back from $168 to a mere $98. as usual, you'll pass up the newest, fastest, internet-connected-est features of high end Blu-ray players, but for less than a hundred it's hard to complain. We know many probably missed out on the Meijer deal last month, anyone planning on picking this one up for a second -- or first -- Blu-ray player? We'll see how long Sony avoids the "battle to the bottom" now.

Ask Engadget HD: What's the best mainstream Blu-ray player?

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 3rd 2009 at 12:10PM Featured Story


It's been some time since CES 2009 and the requisite flood of brand new Blu-ray hardware flooding store shelves. Now that most of them are for sale, Scott has the same question I'm sure many of us are wondering - which one is the best?

"I'm finally ready to jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon and move up from DVDs, but I have no idea which player to buy. I'm not really looking for a universal player like the BDP-83, and I'm not sold on streaming services just yet and I'm not in need of discrete analog outs. I just want a high quality picture, support for all the audio codecs and fast load times. With a budget of around $300, where should I turn for the Blu-ray player that fits me, or should I just grab a PS3?"

You have your mission if you choose to accept it, now that many of us have some hands on time with the latest and greatest hardware so let him know which one you like.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

China Blue HD players revealed, second stage of the format war is officially on

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 24th 2009 at 7:27AM


China's alternative to Blu-ray finally has some hardware to show off, with players from TCL and Shinco making their debut this week. Priced at less than 2,000 yuan ($292) they're reportedly 40% cheaper than the competition, and while the promised support from Warner Bros. has yet to materialize it plans to release 100 movies on the CBHD format by the end of the year. That's about all the machine translation could help us make out beyond the usual promise of lower licensing fees for Chinese manufacturers, but a better look at the latest (and by far most legit, although that's not saying much) Blu-ray fighter is beyond the read link.

[Via CDR Info]

Sony's BDP-S350 Blu-ray player hitting Canada this month

by Darren Murph posted Aug 18th 2008 at 3:01PM


First came the US, then came the UK. Now, it's Canada's turn. Sony Canada has just announced that the BDP-S350 Blu-ray player will be made available "later this month" at Sony Style retail outlets, SonyStyle.ca and other authorized Sony retailers in the Great North. By this point, you should know all there is to know about this BonusView-packin', BD-Live-ready machine, and yes, the $400 price tag remains in tact.

[Via Digital Home]

Poll: Did you purchase an HD DVD player post-format war?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 9th 2008 at 12:00PM


While scads of HD DVD adopters took advantage of extended return periods in order to rid themselves of the defunct format, we wonder who ran out to acquire a player at rock-bottom prices? Even now, the cost of entry into Blu-ray is still ridiculously high, and it's not like we ever had any issues with the image / audio quality of HD DVDs. Rather than beating around the proverbial bush, we'll get right down to it: did you rush out to buy an HD DVD player soon after the format war concluded? Did you stock up on HD DVD titles at bargain basement prices? Are you still enjoying your HD DVD player right now? Tell us how your unit is faring after a few months of being shunned by everyone else, and don't even think of being shy.

Did you purchase an HD DVD player post-format war?


Japan warming to Blu-ray, sales break six-figures in June

by Darren Murph posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 1:58PM


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 adds DVD-1800BD Blu-ray player to lineup

by Steven Kim posted May 22nd 2008 at 7:41PM

Denon adds DVD-1800BD Blu-ray playerDenon 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.

Samsung's BD-P1500 Blu-ray player in stock, in the wild

by Darren Murph posted May 13th 2008 at 4:59PM


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]

Poll: What Blu-ray player will you be picking up?

by Darren Murph posted Feb 20th 2008 at 11:00AM


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]

What Blu-ray player will you be picking up?

Harman Kardon hops on the Blu-ray bandwagon

by Steven Kim posted Feb 13th 2008 at 10:09PM

Harman Kardon DVC 600 Blu-ray / HDD recorder
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]

Daewoo shows off Blu-ray Profile 2 player at IFA

by Erik Hanson posted Aug 30th 2007 at 2:02PM

Daewoo DBP-1000 Blu-ray Disc player
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.

Continue reading Daewoo shows off Blu-ray Profile 2 player at IFA

PlayStation 3 as Blu-ray player, how does it rate?

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 2nd 2007 at 2:31PM

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




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