Blu-ray

January 8, 2009 -- Pioneer Electronics today unveils a complete series of BD-Live Blu-ray Disc players for entertainment junkies who seek cinematic-quality performance along with a premium and unique user experience. The two Pioneer BDP-120 and BDP-320 models and the Elite BDP-23FD are outfitted with expandable or built-in memory to deliver on the promise of BD-Live right out of the box. Pioneer’s players combine supreme features, sophisticated internal construction with a rigid chassis design ensuring the highest quality playback of Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD entertainment. With RS-232, the Elite BDP-23FD offers seamless home automation design that simplifies custom installation projects.

“In our relentless pursuit to envelop home audiences in their movie and music selections, Pioneer designed a new Blu-ray Disc player lineup that incorporates an extensive series of customization capabilities and best-in-class performance features that compliment consumers’ entertainment and installation needs,” said Chris Walker, senior manager of Blu-ray Disc marketing and product planning for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. Read more

January 8, 2009 – Samsung Electronics just unveiled the world’s first wall-mountable Blu-ray player, the BD-P4600, as well as the new standard for Blu-ray performance and versatility, the BD-P3600. A 2009 CES “Best of Innovations” Award Winner, the BD-P4600 unites a plethora of multimedia features in a svelte, first-in-class package. The enthusiasts’ choice, the BD-P3600 promises top-notch video playback, comprehensive audio decoding, and unprecedented networking capabilities for an immersive, theater-like experience. Both players set a new direction for the Blu-ray category with wireless networking, access to video and music streaming services, such as Netflix and Pandora, as well as sleek designs. Samsung’s new Blu-ray players will be on display at Booth #11033 during the International Consumer Electronics Show, which will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 8 -11, 2009.

“Samsung is heralding a new direction for the Blu-ray industry with the BD-P4600 and BD-P3600,” said Reid Sullivan, vice president of Audio/Video and Digital Imaging Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “The BD-P4600 makes it easier than ever to bring Blu-ray into the living room with its unique, wall-mountable design, while the BD-P3600’s comprehensive specs place it on the short list of even the most discerning home theater consumers.” Read more

December 30, 2008 – LG Electronics today announced the expansion of network entertainment options for its Network Blu-ray Disc players through new alliances with CinemaNow and YouTube.

Available on new LG Network Blu-ray Disc Players in the first half of 2009, these new services complement LG’s instant streaming from Netflix and advanced Blu-ray capabilities to deliver consumers an exceptional entertainment experience. (In 2008, LG was the world’s first manufacturer to stream movies instantly from Netflix on a Network Blu-ray Disc Player.)

CinemaNow – an innovator in digital entertainment technology, delivering high-quality movies, TV shows and videos to users through online connectivity – and YouTube – a leading online video community for people to discover, watch, and share originally created videos – will be available in LG’s 2009 line of Network Blu-ray Disc players to be unveiled next week at the 2009 International CES. Read more

December 4, 2008— Denon Electronics, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of high-quality home entertainment components, is proud to announce the introduction of the ultimate ‘Universal’ Blu-ray Audio/Video player, Model DVD-A1UDCI (SRP: $3,800). The DVD-A1UDCI ‘Universal’ BD Player joins the Denon AVP-A1HDCI A/V Preamplifier (SRP: $7,500) and the POA-A1HDCI 10-channel Power Amplifier (SRP: $7,500) in the company’s flagship HD home entertainment system. With the combination of the proprietary DENON LINK 4th and HDMI transmission technology, digital signals from optical discs can now be transmitted virtually “jitter-free” to produce the purest high-quality images and sound possible, including the world's first fully-balanced 2-channel transmission in a Blu-ray player for analog signals. The Denon DVD-A1UDCI will be available in February 2009. The Denon AVP-A1HDCI and POA-A1HDCI are currently available. Read more

December 2, 2008--This year’s must-own movie, the critically-acclaimed blockbuster The Dark Knight, hits the street on December 9th as Warner Bros.’ first home entertainment release to include Internet-enabled interactive features exclusive to the Blu-ray format. The Dark Knight Blu-ray takes advantage of next-generation technology through BD-Live, which is accessible through internet-connected Blu-ray players (including PlayStation 3).

Warner Bros. BD-Live allows users to experience a variety of exclusive interactive features. The Dark Knight Blu-ray owners can host their own Live Community Screenings with friends, record and post user-generated commentaries over the film using My WB Commentary, access more The Dark Knight content exclusive to Warner Bros. BD-Live, get sneak peeks and trailers of upcoming Warner Bros. films, create an online library of Blu-ray movies, manage a wish list for upcoming releases and connect to the WB store. Read more