entertainment

Panasonic  who earlier this year in partnership with Best Buy released a new range of VIERA Plasma HDTV and 3D Blu-ray Disc Players; this month debuted what it said is it’s first full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc home theatre systems. The new models (SC-BTT750 and SC-BTT350) allow users to experience full 3D HD entertainment experience from the comfort of their home. Both systems deliver 5.1-channel sound and virtual 7.1-channel surround to reproduce the dynamic sounds that further enhance the enjoyment of 3D entertainment. Read more »

Yamaha and DivX today made a joint announcement of the worldwide release of a range of 3D-Ready DivX Certified Blu-ray Disc Players.  Both companies said these new 3D-ready players bring the best in visual quality and full-featured media capabilities, enabling stunning playback of full 1080p DivX Plus HD video using the MKV container.  First to market is the BD-S1067 (in Europe), with other models for North America and other areas coming later. Read more »

Onkyo's newest Blu-ray player, the BD-SP808 will offer Blockbuster On Demand. This month, the model will be rolled out in electronics stores nationwide, adding to a list of more than 85 consumer electronic devices that have integrated the service to boost consumer access to the latest releases.Onkyo's BD-SP808 offers other features in addition to Blockbuster On Demand, including a High Quality Video Scaler and full-featured Blu-ray Disc Play Back. Read more »

According to the Boxee blog they have added a new a Movie Library to Boxee to complements it TV Show library. The New library is a combine of films from Indie Movies Online, Openfilm, MUBI and EZTakes.  Most of the movies are for free (supported by ads), and is accessible using the ‘filter by provider’ option on the Movie Library sidebar. The service, said Boxee is still in hit beta stage and highlight what is available from the different partners. Read more »

Broadcom has announced that TiVo, the advance television service provider has selected Broadcom’s Bluetooth technology for a new remote.  The new QWERTY keyboard remote control will help TiVo customers to take full advantage of the application services available through its TiVo Premiere, TiVo HD and TiVo Services boxes. The new TiVo Slide QWERTY keyboard remote control is the first TiVo remote to feature Bluetooth, enabling comfortable text entry for search and discovery of content. Read more »

VIZIO XVT (Xtreme VIZIO Technology) Series HDTVs are now on general release. They feature the latest in picture quality in the sleekest designs. The range includes five screen sizes: 32 inch, 37 inch, 42 inch, 47 inch and 55 inch, the XVT553SV, XVT473SV and XVT423AV offer an unprecedented 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Included in all XVT Models is the VIZIO Internet Apps, with integrated Dual Band 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking and for added comfort a Bluetooth/IR remote with slide out QWERTY keypad. Read more »

Remember the Niam UnitiSystem, well except for the wireless multiroom functionality HDI Dune has launched a similar range of media center components that offers a modular approach to building your home entertainment center. Called the Dune HD Smart, the new line offers users the option to buy one of the three starter modules (Smart B1, Smart H1 and Smart D1), which are media players and act as the base unit. The starter modules are slightly different, you have media player with or without hard drive or built in display. Read more »

Meet the new Dune HD Max from HDI Dune the promises to be the next big system form HDI Dune, a universal all in one media player that plays video up to full HD 1080p, Blu-ray player and almost everything else. The Dune Max along with the Dune HD Smart series are the latest in HDI Dune range of media players. They are the latest in media player design and functionality for the home entertainment enthusiast. Read more »

Leading pay TV provider Sky Deutschland has selected Broadcom SoC solution (BCM7325 and BCM7335) for its next generation HD Set-top Box and DVR (Digital Video Recorder) services.  Sky Deutschland provides satellite, cable and internet services to approximately 95 percent of Germany and 85 percent of Austria. The new energy-efficient single chip solution will help Sky to provide multi-channel high definition viewing and digital video recording functionality for subscribers. Read more »

Onkyo has release two new HT-RC home theatre receivers (HT-RC260 and HT-RC270). Both models feature the latest in surround sound with a High Definition high performance 7.2-channel via Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs. For inter components connectivity they both have a 3D-Ready HDMI-1.4a port, and are DLNA 1.5 and Windows7 compatible.  Both models have Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Onkyo's proprietary WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) amplifiers.  Onkyo HT-RC260 and HT-RC270 are available at retailers for $499 and $849 respectively. Read more »