Re: CES 2008
CES 2008: Verbatim
Posted January 9, 2008 by PeterTHX
Verbatim, one of the largest manufacturers of blank media, are displaying their latest discs at CES. Included in the selection are BD-R and BD-RE 50GB dual layered (DL) media, mini BD-R/RE for camcorders, and standard 25GB single layered (SL) BD-Rs and BD-REs.
Unlike blank CDs and SL DVD-Rs which are produced by other manufacturers, Verbatim produces all their BD media in house, as well as blank DVD DL media. Their video display is all about the Blu-ray Disc creation process…no other types of media was being highlighted (Verbatim has media for the competition as well). The BD media is created in Japan. Verbatim is proud of their protective spin coat plus the quality control that promises to reduce write errors and jitter.
As noted, Verbatim has introduced their entry into BD-50 DL media in both R and RE flavors, rated at 2x. Now that yields are increasing, they are working to introduce 4x rated media as soon as possible. This will allow DL media to be burned at the same speed as their newly introduced 4x SL R/RE discs. Verbatim feels that demand for BD writers will increase greatly as the $249 barrier is broken, and they plan to have media ready for that demand. Verbatim also works with partners like Sonic, Sony, and Adobe for Blu-ray authoring. They want people using those software packages and burning to Verbatim discs to have a smooth and simple an experience as possible.
Verbatim also doesn't expect future media like quad-layered or 200GB capacity Blu-ray burners to be a market reality before late 2009, but they will be ready to provide the media when it is needed.
Source: Blu-ray.com |
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CES 2008: THX
Posted January 9, 2008 by PeterTHX
Today I had the opportunity to speak with the folks at THX about their certification program and plans for Blu-ray Disc and the home theater market in 2008.
THX's booth at CES is certainly not the largest, but it is VERY busy. THX has come a long way from when they were under the LucasFilm umbrella and certifying cinemas 25 years ago. They since have added programs to certify home theater components, televisions (display devices), mobile audio systems, home video media (VHS, LD, DVD), and game audio.
Taking a tour of the booth revealed several displays demonstrating various THX technologies, including a car parked there in the booth! You could also get your picture taken with their famous mascot Tex, the little robot seen in the now famous THX cinema trailers. Naturally, I couldn't resist.
Getting down to business, I asked about what kinds of plans THX had for HD media, specifically Blu-ray Disc. While there is one THX certified Blu-ray Disc (Lionsgate's Terminator 2: Judgment Day), getting the studios to pay the additional cost to have THX certify the process is a major stumbling block. It's not a matter of looking at the final master and approving it, all the steps in the process have to be inspected: be it the original film and sound elements, the telecine bay, the monitors used for the picture and sound, and the disc production facilities.
T2 required Lionsgate to use two different film elements since either one had certain problems with different scenes, such as visual effects shots. Getting all these elements inspected and approved takes time and effort, and in the end that means money. Interestingly enough, they spoke of a couple BD titles seen by many as 5 star picture and sound transfers that could use tweaking if they had QC'ed them!
Another interesting tidbit of information is about the upcoming
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. As we all know, Paramount's deal does not cover Steven Spielberg films, and so
Indy 4 is being prepped for Blu-ray Disc for release sometime late this year. Apparently, Paramount is reluctant to pony up the additional cost for the disc to be certified, so it may take George Lucas to personally step in and make it happen. Be sure to let Paramount know we want this!
Moving on to games, the THX logo has appeared on several games for the Sony Playstation 3. Games like
Resistance: Fall of Man,
Warhawk, and
Blast Factor have had their audio certified by THX to give the best possible sound. THX reps were sure to stress that the program does not cover graphics or gameplay. Just the audio.
THX has started certifying display devices. In the past projectors and screens have received certification, and now it has grown to direct view plasma TVs. The first sets to be THX certified will be available from Panasonic and LG. Not only is it a quality certification, but like their audio equipment it allows the TV to add a THX Cinema mode for movie watching. THX Cinema mode is like a built-in THX Optimizer which presets the display for the correct levels of brightness, contrast, and color temperature. How many of us have wished we could calibrate our display with the push of one button? Now we can. THX certified media can also carry metadata telling devices down the chain what the proper settings are. We also briefly touched on audio: specifically that THX Cinema, THX Surround EX and THX Ultra2 Cinema modes are now available with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in the latest receivers. This assures that when we are watching our movies on Blu-ray we are getting the best possible sound.
While the current THX Demo Disc II is DVD only, I was informed that a Blu-ray version is currently in production. THX is very excited about High Definition and the future of Blu-ray Disc. I would like to thank Ed Rice, Allan Scholinick, and Warren Mansfield for helping me on my visit.
Source:
Blu-ray.com |
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CES 2008: Blu-ray Disc Association Booth (Updated with Photos)
Posted January 8, 2008 by Josh
As one enters the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall, you are greeted by the sights and sounds of various vendors pushing, what they claim, to be the next big hit. One booth, however, stood out from the rest. It could have been the huge 103" LCD displaying various clips from Blu-ray films, or possibly the large replica of the Black Pearl from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films, but the booth was absolutely swarmed with people looking for the latest information about the successor to DVD.
At the very front of the Blu-ray Disc Association display is a revised version of what many of you have seen while visiting Disney's Magical Blu-ray Tour. A huge LCD monitor displayed clips from recent Blu-ray releases as show attendees crowded around the presentation. Just like the mall tour, a representative guided viewers through the basics of Blu-ray, but even with a completely different demographic, all were enthralled by what they heard and saw.
The Blu-ray Disc Association, which was designed by Disney, was a very elaborate display involving themes
from popular Blu-ray films. As you can see from the last photo, during the show it was packed.
I spoke with John Grantham who most of you will remember as the bald guy who ran the show. He commented how well the tour had been going so far, and his excitement to get back on the road and present Blu-ray to the eight additional cities recently announced. I asked him if the presentation would be changed at all due to the recent Warner announcement, and he said it would not. In its current incarnation, the tour was inspiring consumers go out and purchase equipment, even so far as trying to purchase players from tour representatives.
Behind the presentation area were many displaying showing recent and upcoming innovations in Blu-ray. The main focus of the BDA was to showcase BD-Live, and that focus was not lost when designing the booth layout.
Fox was displaying a BD-Live game for the film 'Alien vs Predator' called, "Alien vs Predator vs You". Using a webcam, PC, and Blu-ray BD-Live player, the user captures a picture of their face. This image in then morphed into either an alien, predator, or marine, depending on which character the viewer chooses. Next, the viewer must select which weapons and abilities they want before they enter the game.
Fox was showing off their Alien vs Predator vs You BD-Live game at the BDA booth during
the show. The unique game allows viewers to play across the Internet.
After connecting with the server, two players enter into a scene from the actual movie. A pop-up screen shows the face, name, score, and health, along with weapon choices, and even data regarding their opponent. Following the guide, the players must use their weapons and abilities correctly in order to score points and stay alive. When the scene ends, the player with the most points wins.
Another big presence at the booth was Panasonic, who was showing off their DMP-BD30 and DMP-BD50 Blu-ray players, as well as their SC-BD1000 Blu-ray HTIB. Shown for the first time in the US is the Panasonic Blu-ray car system, which they had feeding two displays. The high definition 7" display was noticeably sharper and more colorful when compared to the standard definition display next to it.
Also shown was Panasonic's slim Blu-ray PC drive which will read at 2x and write BD-25s at 2x and BD-50s at 1x. A Panasonic laptop was also on display, though the drive was sold as OEM and there are no current plans to offer a Blu-ray laptop at this time.
The surprise of the show might have been Technicolor who were showing their FACTory Trivia Game. The service, which would be offered at the same time as disc authoring, is a web-based trivia track game. When the disc is inserted, one of many trivia games is downloaded to the player. In Network mode, the viewer is able to challenge up to 3 other players in real-time with score keeping and global stats. The content owners can, at any time, change the trivia questions or monitor activity.
The FACTory Trivia Game was a great example of how BD-Live titles might be authored in the future.
Technicolor's product provides a simple way to enhance the Blu-ray experience.
Expanding on what was shown, the representative noted how studios could provide trailers for upcoming films and provide surveys after viewing to gauge consumer reaction. Depending on the results, they could alter the trailer to better suit their needs. Everything was running real-time on a PS3 with BD-Live firmware.
ArcSoft was showing off their Blu-ray PC software option with BD Magic option. When a disc is entered into your system (either PC or standalone), the program memorizes your library and then makes suggestions based on a remote database. For example, if you entered in the 'Independence Day' Blu-ray disc, you may get a message asking you if you want to download the new 'Hancock' trailer. Or if you enter in a Spider-man DVD, you would see the option to view the Blu-ray trailer.
BD Magic shows one of the many things possible with BD-Live; Many companies were showing off their players at the BDA booth.
On the player front, we saw Bonus view players from Samsung (BD-P1500), Philips (BDP7200) and Funai (Sylvania BDP-3). All three players intend to battle in the entry level Blu-ray player market, with Funai claiming the lead with their sub-$300 player. More information about these players will be reported as we make our rounds to the various booths.
Other manufacturers were displaying their current Blu-ray products, showing their continued support for Blu-ray. While nothing notable was shown by these companies, but it was great to hear about the amazing success they were having with the products and how excited they were about Blu-ray.
Source:
Blu-ray.com |
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CES 2008: Upcoming Pioneer Blu-ray Player (Updated with Photos)
Posted January 8, 2008 by Ben
Pioneer is currently showing a new BD model that has no model number, release date or price point. The player is Bonus View (profile 1.1) compatible and internally decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. Pioneer has promised more information at their product show in May.
Pioneer's Nameless, Future Blu-ray Player
Pioneer has also been demonstrating their new "Extreme Black Level" technology plasma display. This display is capable of producing true, absolute black-levels and is one of the most amazing and groundbreaking product demonstrations at CES. The content running on this demonstration is being fed by a Pioneer Elite Blu-ray player. Scenes from the Blu-ray version of
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End are included in this amazing presentation.
Source:
Blu-ray.com |
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[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]title:[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Marantz to Debut New BD8002 Blu-ray Player at CES[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]date:[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]January 3, 2008[/FONT]
Marantz America will demonstrate its ultimate-quality BD8002 Blu-ray Disc Player (SRP: $2,099.99) at CES 2008. The Marantz® BD8002 Blu-ray DVD player features the acclaimed 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset for the ultimate high-definition video resolution possible via HDMI 1.3 connection, as well as the finest possible audio performance, including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The BD8002 will be showcased at the company's CES 2008 Open House at Mandalay Bay, and is scheduled for release in in the second quarter of 2008.
Unprecedented Video and Audio Performance
Marantz' new BD8002 Blu-ray Disc Player is designed to provide users with unprecedented levels of quality in both audio and video reproduction, plus exciting new interactive DVD playback features. It features an SD card reader for full interactivity, offering content providers a variety of options for adding enhanced content such as games, movie trailers and more.
Noted Kevin Zarow, Vice President, Marketing and Product Development, Marantz America, Inc: "With the launch of the BD8002 Blu-Ray player, Marantz is thrilled to be able to offer another high-performance option for those discriminating consumers in search of the enhanced enjoyment provided by HD content. Home entertainment enthusiasts in search of true cinema-like realism will find that the BD8002 is an ideal companion to any one of the Marantz’ highly acclaimed DLP projectors."
Thanks to it 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset, the BD8002 Blu-ray DVD player offers improved video performance with upconversion and IP scaling to 1080p. The pixel-by-pixel and Digital Noise Reduction feature afforded by this technology allows the player to remove image-degrading artifacts, resulting in absolutely clear, high-resolution images. Current Marantz customers who own one of Marantz’ highly acclaimed DLP projectors will be pleased to know that like the current DV9600, the BD8002 will also output 480i via HDMI. The player also offers High Resolution HD Audio with decoding of Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio and is capable of outputting both 7.1-channel analog signals and PCM audio via HDMI. Finally, in addition to its compatibility with both Blu-Ray and DVD discs, the BD8002 can also handle VCDs, SVCDs, MP3s, WMA and DivX video files, and display JPEG images – making it the ideal solution for high-quality enjoyment of today’s many audio and video formats.
Secondary Video and Audio Decoders
In keeping with the guidelines mandated by the Blu-ray Association for BD-ROM version 1 Profile 1.1 players, the Marantz BD8002 incorporates a secondary audio and video decoder that allows for simultaneous playback of a secondary audio and video track which may be used for interactive audio and commentary and for picture-in-picture capability (respectively). Additional information (subtitles, audio streams, camera angles, trailers, games, etc.) can be downloaded from the Internet via computer and stored on a SD card that either player will accept. This content can be played with the original content of Blu-ray Discs.
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