Still hanging onto that old Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player? Your faith has been rewarded now that the 4.20 firmware update adds Dolby TrueHD audio decoding. Support was rumored in past firmware updates, but as of 8/29, it's official, along with BD-Java fixes and BD-/RE BDMV compatibility. Remember when we thought $600 for a player with limited audio support and no Bonus View or BD-Live compatibility was cheap? Oh, how expectations change.

[Thanks, Mick]

Earlier this month, ASUS introduced the "world's first HDMI 1.3a compliant audio / video enhancement combo card." Who knew numero dos was so close behind? Auzentech has just announced its very own HDMI 1.3-native PCIe audio combo card, which is built around Creative's X-Fi processor and enables PC users to easily output 7.1-channel audio with no downsampling. Essentially, the Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 "accepts video from either an internal or external connection, mixes it with digital audio, and outputs the combined video and lossless multichannel audio via a single HDMI 1.3 port." Yep, that means Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs are fully supported. The only digs? For one, pricing remains a mystery, but the real kicker is the September release -- talk about a long wait.

Check it, Blu-ray fans. That totally believable rumor about Transformers finally fitting into a BD sleeve was indeed accurate, and now we're starting to see the nitty-gritty details about what we can expect come September 2nd. For starters, the Blu-ray edition will feature a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track as well as a 5.1 PCM uncompressed track to complement the obligatory 1080p transfer. We're also told to expect a trailer for the BD release of Iron Man, BD-Live content and a lengthy list of supplemental material -- all of which is expected to be in beautiful high-def. Tap the read link for the full list of extras, and start saving that $39.99 (or so) right now.

[Thanks, Wii60Warrior]

Watching baseball in high-def on TBS HD is a beautiful thing, but witnessing nearly everything else in unflattering stretch-o-vision isn't exactly enthralling. Thankfully, it seems as if the channel notorious for abusing its "HD" suffix may be coming back over from the dark side, as more and more content of late has shown up in actual 1080i. For instance, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle was aired over the weekend in true HD, and more recently, episodes of The Office have been broadcast sans the stretch. Heck, even the TBS watermark and on-screen graphics have been tweaked to signify the apparent coming out party. Surely we aren't the only one noticing an influx in actual HD content on TBS HD, right?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Shortly after Sony unveiled its newly revamped ES lineup of AV receivers, along comes Yamaha with a powerful new duo of its own. The RX-V3800 (140-watt x 7) and RX-V1800 (130-watt x 7) each support lossless Dolby Digital TrueHD / DTS-HD and feature Yamaha's Cinema DSP processing engine, video upscaling to 1080p, HDMI 1.3a, and an Ethernet connection that enables consumers to "access internet radio stations, music files stored on a PC, and the company's MusicCAST audio system server." Furthermore, the units are also compatible with your iPod and XM radio via optional adapters, include Burr-Brown 192kHz/24bit DACs, and will be on display at next month's CEDIA expo. As expected, neither of these devices can be classified as cheap, as the less powerful RX-V1800 will demand $1,299.95, while the higher-end RX-V3800 rings up at $1,699.95.

Not too long after Pioneer went and introduced its second generation Blu-ray player, along comes Panasonic to follow suit, but unlike the BDP-LX70, we've got a pricetag as well as a few tempting reasons to pick this one up over the competition. The DMP-BD10A packs an audio upgrade that brings 7.1, Dolby True HD, and DTS-HD on board, and it incorporates Panasonic's EZ-Sync system for "one-touch operation" of your home theater. The overall design doesn't deviate too far from that seen in the first iteration, but you will find 1080p upconversion via HDMI, a 14-bit DA converter with 4x oversampling, support for BD-J, and compatibility between select HD camcorders via the AVCHD (H.264) codec. Notably, Panasonic is giving users two reasons to seriously considering its new offering, as the fairly reasonable $599.95 pricetag looks even better when you consider the five BD films (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Transporter, Fantastic Four, and Crash) you'll be getting right in the box.

[Via Impress]

We certainly can't say that this one arrived a moment too soon, as all of you early adopters of HD DVD drives have probably been frustrating yourself with manual color calibration techniques that just never turned out quite right. Thankfully, the highly-anticipated (and perpetually delayed) HD DVD version of Digital Video Essentials is finally available for sale, and interestingly, the disc will actually be of the dual-format variety for those still keeping a vanilla DVD player around the house. Users will be graced with both 1080p and 720p VC-1 encoded material, NTSC and PAL compatibility, 6.1-channel Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital True HD tracks, built-in color filters, and of course, widescreen / standard options. So if you've been yearning to get your HD DVD calibration on, the time has finally come, at least for those willing to shell out the $34.95 required to pick DVE up.

Proudly proclaiming itself as the leading independent and fourth overall largest supporter of the HD DVD format, the DVD Acquisition and Development Group has announced HD DVD / DVD combo disc releases for the fourth quarter of this year. Coming from their DVD International division, the most high profile release is the high definition edition of Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials calibration disc. DVE HD will include 720p and 1080p-encoded versions on the HD DVD side, various test patterns for all manner of A/V setups, and is "HDi capable" -- hopefully this means the menus are easier to navigate, some complained about that on the DVD release (included on the flip side). The seven HDScape discs? Your basic travelogue fare, Exotic Saltwater Aquarium HD DVD, Fireplace HD DVD, Antarctica Dreaming, Visions of Sea: Explorations, Serenity: Southern Seas, HD Window: Hawaii, HD Window: The Great Southwest provide what we're sure are crystal clear looks at various landscapes if you're not already bored to death by them on INHD2 into that type of thing. DVE HD will retail for $34.95, while the HDScape discs will all go for $29.95. A sampler (pictured) is currently on sale at the website for free plus $3.95 shipping.

With the November launch date closing in, we still have a lot of unanswered questions about Sony's Playstation 3 and apparently so do they. What we do know is the 20% price cut in Japan will not be applied in the US, and that 80/20 launch split is up in the air. In an interview with Wired, Phil Harrison said the Japanese price adjustment was to hit "magic price points" after consumers there reacted badly to the initially announced price. In the same article fellow Sony execs Kaz Hirai and Ken Kutaragi were unsure if component video cables would be included, and seemed to lean towards "no". With HDMI already confirmed out of the $500/$600 box, we're trying to figure out how Sony is going start the HD era without any cables, S-video just isn't very next gen. At least there's some good news to report, as they officially announced Dolby TrueHD audio support for up to 7.1 channels and Dolby Digital 5.1 support for games. Although there aren't any Dolby TrueHD Blu-ray movies out yet, once there are a large number of players on the shelf we're sure studios will include it, or at least bring them over from cross platform HD DVD releases. You don't need David Copperfield to figure out that a lower price and guaranteed out of the box HDTV support would go a long way to getting us from behind this keyboard and camped out in front of local electronics retailers.


Read - Sony Execs Talk PS3
Read - Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD Deliver a Premium Surround Sound Experience for PLAYSTATION® 3

So far only only a few HD DVDs have rolled out with a Dolby TrueHD lossless audio soundtrack, and with good reason, the only players on the market didn't support it. But now, thanks to the just-released 2.0 firmware, Toshiba HD-A1 owners everywhere can enjoy advanced audio. According to High-Def Digest, as long as you have a receiver that accepts audio via HDMI or analog 5.1 inputs (but not S/PDIF, sorry) you should be ready to go. Of course this is only worthwhile if there is a noticeable difference and by their report, there is with improved quality and surround sound effects. We look forward to more TrueHD enhanced releases, although you have to wonder what this will do to potential HD DVD/DVD combo releases that don't have the space for the movie and uncompressed audio. Given the benefit, the possiblity of bricking your HD DVD player during the update is but a miniscule risk (take any discs out before updating via the Ethernet port or it's to Toshiba customer support you must go.)

Lets get down to the facts.

• $499 w/20GB HDD, $599 w/ 60GB HDD in the United States
• No new details about Blu-ray movie playback or drive speed
• Japan launch date: November 11
• US Launch date: November 17
• 2 million PS3s to ship in "launch window"
• Accelerometer in a wireless dual shock controller, much like Nintendo's, no rumble support
  
• Showed Gran Turismo HD: a special version using GT4 models rendered at 1080p and 60fps

Well there it is folks, don't forget to check out Joystiq for the moment to moment updates, although they are likely to slow down momentarily as Sony's last announcement was that they had playable PS3 games onsite. Now I suppose the question is why would anyone buy an HD DVD player for $500 when they can get a PS3 for the same price. Did anybody else check out the stream (via Gamespot.com or E3insider.com), what were your impressions?

We'll have to wait until Sony's conference later today and the rest of E3 to get more details about their upcoming console but from the Pre-E3 announcements we're already getting a few tidbits.

Sony has been touting their ability to output 1080p via dual HDMI ports while some have claimed most games won't be able to use that resolution. Checking out Sega's announcement that Virtua Fighter 5 will be a Playstation 3 exclusive and Epic's interview regarding Unreal Tournament 2007 reveals one common thread, that both are targeting 720p. Obviously these will be early titles in the systems lifespan so we may see later games kick it up to 1920x1080 and with few having HDTVs that display or accept a 1080p signal this is of limited importance. Still one has to wonder if Sony will even call these games high definition, since the only True HD is 1080p at least according to Phil Harrison.

Check for more live E3 coverage from Joystiq.