A BD Profile 1.1 Blu-ray Player from Magnavox on Sale at Wal-Mart for less than $300

If you’ve been looking at the cheapest way to buy a standalone Blu-ray player, Wal-Mart now has a new option for you: A new Blu-ray player, manufactured by Funai under the Magnavox brand, supports BD profile 1.1, 1080p/24 and 1080p/60 video output, HD audio output, and HDMI 1.3 and is currently available of less than $300.

The Magnavox NB500MG9 looks extremely similar to the Sylvania (another Funai brand) NB500SL9 Blu-ray player currently available for pre-order on Amazon at $349. The NB500 series was announced by Funai last January at the CES.

So, is this a deal or not? IMHO, add $100 and go buy yourself a Playstation 3. You’ll get a BD-Live ready Blu-ray Player and much more.

Panasonic DMP-BD50 will Cost $700.

If you’re in the market for a BD-Live ready Blu-ray player, you’re options are still limited. Sure, the PS3 is now a BD-Live enabled player, but if you’re looking for a full blown standalone Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD50 might be the only way to go right now. But are you going to be stopped by the $700 price tag announced by Panasonic? If the answer is yes, you might want to wait for Sony's BDP-S350 and BDP-S550, due this summer (fall for theh BDP-S550).

Panasonic created a buzz when it introduced the DMP-BD50 at CES in January, but pricing information wasn’t reveal at the time.

Just because of limited content availability, BD-Live is still more a “nice to have” than anything else for now .  As studios embrace BD-Live though, it will allow you to connect to the internet through the player to download such data as images and subtitles, and to join in multi-player interactive games that are linked to bonus movie content contained on Blu-ray discs.

The DMP-BD50 also comes with advanced video processing, support for the Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats, an SD memory card slot for viewing images, and 1080/24p output.

The DMP-BD50 should be available late spring.

Space Ace Review

Anybody in the mood for a flashback to the 80s and 90s gaming of 3DO, Sega CD and pre-windows compatibale Mac? An old classic has managed to be resurrected for 21st century HD and let's just say if you missed it the first few times it was out, get it now!

Movie: 5/5

This is the first interactive movie I've seen (or heard of) for Blu-Ray. The best thing about this movie is not only can you make the choices that allow the movie to continue, you can also sit back and watch this classic without having to interact. The plot does bring back old memories and emphasis to the 80s, but hey, why else would you want to watch this classic.

Picture: 5/5

The animation is very nice, remastered and definitely updated to Blu-Ray standards. No longer are the grains and 16-bit encodes of ancient systems limits for an exceptional movie. This should be a standard for all remasters to follow.

Sound: 5/5

I would expect nothing short of crystal clear sound and pinpoint accuracy on the update to this and well, you get it. Dubbing is quite amazing and the laser beams and ships deliver and real experience if you can take advantage of 5.1 surround sound.

Overall, Don Bluth and company have done it once again. It amazes me that a game/movie that was an original arcade hit, has lived through the trials of time and has once again emerged in a new format. I'd definitely shell out the shillings for a copy of this.

Samsung Talks Up New BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player

Samsung this week released some more details about its upcoming fourth generation Blu-ray Disc player, the BD-P1500. We first got a glance of this unit at CES 2008.

Samsung has this to say of the BD-P1500:

"As the first company to introduce a stand-alone Blu-ray player, Samsung reinforces its support of the Blu-ray format with the next generation, full HD, BD-P1500. An ideal player for anyone who enjoys Blu-ray, DVDs or CDs in their home, this groundbreaking model significantly improves the home viewing experience and accommodates each of these formats in one unit. Further, the BD-P1500 can upconvert standard DVDs to 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolutions and offers Full HD video playback capabilities for a crystal-clear picture.

Blu-ray Movie: Robocop Review

I picked up a copy of this movie hoping for sparks to fly with the new generation. Needless to say, it was a dud.

Movie: 4/5

I have always been a fan of the Robocop series. Although, after the first one, sequels just failed to amaze. There's something about the first edition that sticks to you. In the Blu-Ray edition, you get to relive the experience, from the modified Beretta automatic to the big stupid ED-209 that brings a touch of comedy. Needless to say, the lack of additional content on the disc really left a sour taste in my mouth. Who wants a trailer when you could have the making of, weaponry design, etc.

Picture: 2/5

This is quite possibly the worst upgrade to a movie that I've seen. The picture is grainy - simple as that. Try to think of staring through a dirty glass or fish aquarium. Blacks are fuzzy and quite honestly, the sharpness is sub par. I don't really see a difference between the two-disc special edition DVD and the Blu-Ray.

Sound: 3/5

Sound really bites in the movie. There are several scenes where the dub is backwards. As Robo walks from right to left, the sound goes left to right... completely opposite, completely unsatisfied.

Overall, this movie is for the true hard core Robocop fans such as myself. If this was my first look at the movie and expected HD, I'd take it back and ask for a new disc.

Netflix Justifies Potential Blu-ray Price Increases

The good folks at Netflix are continuing their saber rattling about upping Blu-ray Disc rental fees. We first heard murmurs of this back in early February and now fresh comments by management suggest it will happen soon.

Silicon Alley Insider posted highlights from the recent Netflix financial reports conference call. In it management says the following of Blu-ray and rental plans: "As you are aware, purchasing Blu-ray discs costs more. Consumers are used to paying more for HD in every other channel. Because of higher cost of Blu-ray and consumer expectations, planning on implenting a modest monthly premium for access to Blu-ray sometime this year."

Consumers are used to paying more for HD in every other channel? That's part of the justification for raising Blu-ray rental prices? Not cool, Netflix, not cool.

Movie Review: No Country for Old Men

Movie Rating: 5/5

This movie is probably one of the best thrillers I've seen in a while. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad and you really don't know what's going to happen.

The storyline is about a West Texas rancher (Brolin) that finds a pile of drug money (and dead drug dealers). In the following chapters, he is chased by a hit man (Bardem) and a local sheriff (Jones) is trying to save the rancher and his wife from the ordeal. The story takes you from one side of the border to the other and features cameo appearances from several big names such as Woody Harrelson.

Picture Quality: 5/5

I am not sure if it was the intense action sequences or the immersing story line but this movie was made for Blu-Ray, or so it seems. There's hardly a speck of grain and detail is a tad shy of being there. If it were more realistic, you'd have to wear body armor.

Sound Quality: 5/5

The sounds plays a major role in keeping your interest. When blood is running out of arteries, you can hear the spurts under pressure. A little gross for some, but ultra-realistic for others. Ricochet also sound great as it seems to whiz past you.

All-in-all, I'd definitely recommend getting this movie for your collection. If you need to rent it before you decide, go for it, just make sure it's Blu-Ray and not DVD.

Digital Copy - Apple and Windows Friendly

20th Century Fox is rolling out movies with great momentum. I picked up the latest revision to the original Predator (review coming soon) and let's just say I'm happy that I no longer need ripping software (for 20th Century, anyway).

Most of their movies include 2 Blu-Ray discs. The first, of course, is the latest and greatest in our modern marvel of digital clarity and pristine sound at 1080p. The second disc contains the digital copy you can rip to your mobile [or not so] library. How does this work you ask?

The second disc asks for installation, whether you use a Mac (iTunes) or Windows (Media Player or iTunes). Once you agree to abide by the content license and agreement that everyone selects 'Agree' or 'OK' to without ever reading, installation begins. The final installation version for Hitman took up 1.06 GB of HDD space. Needless to say, it's a big movie to put on an iPod.

Moving on, once the movie has finished installing, before you watch it, you are taken to the store where you are asked to input the code that is included with the movie. Just type in the digits and click 'Redeem.' Bam! You're done, nothing more, nothing less, just enjoy your movie.

A little side note... Don't expect the movie to be 1080p. It's quality rivals standard DVDs. If anyone has specifics, I'll be more than happy to post what you have found.

Pioneer Prepares New European Blu-ray Player

Pioneer over in Europe plans to introduce a new high end Blu-ray Disc player this summer. It will be known as the BDP-LX71 and there is no pricing information available yet or word if this player will ever come to American shores.

As you can see from the image, the BDP-LX71 supports a number of advanced home theater technologies. You'll find HDMI 1.3a, HDMI 12-Bit Deep Color, Dolby TrueHD and advanced functionality when connected with select Pioneer A/V receivers.

Want to more know? Check the full details at Pioneer's Web site.

Natural Born Killers Slices Way onto Blu-ray

Warner Home Video is bringing to Blu-ray on June 10th a disturbing movie directed by Oliver Stone in the 1990s and starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. The film is Natural Born Killers.

The plot of the movie, for those who don't remember, finds Harrelson and Lewis as married serial killers hacking their way across the country and how the media regards them almost more as "celebrities than fugitives." The film was Stone's spin on ow violence and crime are sensationalized and glamorized in the media.

Features of the Blu-ray version of this film include commentary by Stone, deleted scenes, an alternative ending and a 42-page book featuring photos and press materials plus an essay by the director on the film. It will run you around $35.

Blurayfreak Flashback Friday: A Betamax Ad

This was a theatrical commercial for the Sony Betamax VCR and camera system circa 1979. Maybe Sony lost the Beta-VHS war only because they had a weak marketing campaign?

I think it was a good thing to make changes in their marketing team before launching Blu-ray!

Blockbuster Rolls Out Blu-ray Carpet

Blockbuster is kicking things this week into high Blu-ray gear at all of its corporate U.S. and Canadian stores, as well as select domestic franchise locations. The video rental company announced Blu-ray movies are now on the shelves and available for rental or sale.

Blockbuster added it will have in-store Blu-ray kiosks which feature a 42-inch HDTV attached to a Sony PlayStation 3 which will be playing the Blu-ray movies. These kiosks will be installed at nearly 5,000 Blockbuster locations.

The online rental service will not be left out either as it has its own existing Blu-ray selection as well as a new preference setting to let users receive all available movies in the high-definition format.

BD-Touch Brings Blu-ray BD-Live to iPhone

We've talked about it two days ago, but Netblender officially announced their iPhone BD-Touch SDK for BD-Live only today.

I'm so thrill about this, it's insane. Two of our most popular blogs, Blurayfreak.com and iPhonefreak.com have usually nothing in common, but are now sharing an awesome news: the "BD Touch", a Blu-ray disc to iPhone technology.

NetBlender's BD Touch technology enhances the capabilities of BD Live by enabling two-way communication with Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. BD Touch uses the BD Live network connection built into Blu-ray players and the WiFi connection on the iPhone to connect the devices.

Use iPhone to Control Your Blu-ray Player

With the release of th iPhone SDK last month, the iPhone is set to become a extremely popular device (ok, it’s already a blockbuster…). With its powerful interface and Wi-Fi connectivity, the iPhone could even be called the “Jack of all trades and master of all” of electronic devices. And since HD format war is over, chances are that a Blu-ray player will soon make its way in your living room.

NetBlender knows these facts and that’s why the company will introduce "BD Touch", a technology that links a BD-Live Blu-ray player to any iPod Touch or iPhone.

But the iPhone won’t serve only as a Blu-ray player remote control, but will enable instant interactivity including e-commerce and sadly, advertising.

“The key thing is that BD Touch is a two way communication technology, meaning BD Touch allows Blu-Ray discs to send and receive data from an iPhone/iPod Touch,” says Denny Breitenfeld, NetBlender’s CTO. “The data can be images, text, audio, video and what we call Player commands like fast forward. This technology is going to be built into our professional Blu-Ray authoring tool so studios can take advantage of it, and we are releasing an SDK so developers can create all kinds of applications for consumer.”

Serious stuff for the living room!

Not to sure what BD-Live is all about? Watch this video.

Sony Wants 50% Blu-ray Market Share

Sony clearly wants to see its Blu-ray players and recorders in as many electronic devices as they can. First, they integrate a Blu-ray player inside the Playstation 3, sell millions of units and kill HD DVD. But Sony doesn’t want stop here. According to DigiTimes, by the end of 2008, Sony could offer Blu-ray players in a wider range of electronic products.

Sony currently holds 20% of the global Blu-ray market, but aims at reaching 50% of the market. Sony Electronics' CEO, Ryoji Chubachi, said that HD LCD TVs will be the first devices to see Blu-ray playback and recording functionalities.

The Blu-ray stuffing strategy worked extremely well with the PS3, I don’t see why it wouldn’t do the job with LCD TVs. Right? Could we call this the “convergence“ of electronic devices?

Jumper Jumps to Blu-ray June 10th

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today the movie Jumper will appear on Blu-ray Disc on June 10th in North America and June 16th internationally. The Blu-ray version will cost you around $40.

Jumper, in summary, stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson and Diane Lane, among others. Christensen stars as David Rice, "a Jumper, born with the uncanny ability to teleport instantly to any place on Earth. When he discovers others like himself, David is thrust into the midst of an ancient war while being hunted by a bloodthirsty band of zealots sworn to destroy all Jumpers. Now, David’s extraordinary gift may be his only hope for survival."

The Blu-ray specific version of this movie will be on a "on a dual-layer 50 GB disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio plus English, French and Spanish Dolby Surround and Spanish, Cantonese, Korean and Mandarin subtitles." It will offer a variety of special features, including Digital Copy, deleted scenes and an exclusive Blu-ray PIP.

Hitman: Unrated

Movie:  
Videogames don't always make the best movies. Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47 may be the exception to the rule. A long time fan of the video game series, I decided to give the unrated version of the movie a try.

The story line envelopes a genetically engineered gun-for-hire (Olyphant) trekking across Europe and leaving a bloody mess... Needless to say, blood, gore and adult content are up to par with the games. The characters are quite immersing, and the guns are nothing short of iconic to the series. The movie tanks with a dragging plot and a storyline that seems as short as a drag strip.

Video Quality:
The movie comes on a 25 GB Blu-Ray disc. Given the size of the disc, there's definitely compression going on. The scenes definitely pop on a 1080p tv; however, you'll be able to pick up on the more compressed scenes. Most non-aficionados won't be able to pick up on it, but let's face it, if we're buying the  top-of-the-line components, we want the ultimate experience.

Sound Quality:
Compression makes this movie sub-perfect. Compared to 'I Am Legend' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' the sound quality is lacking. The bullets dropping and whizzing by aren't exactly a full envelope of excitement. The bar is set at or just barely above DVD quality.

Overall:
The movie is worth a rent if you are a fan of the series and want to stay loyal to the cause. I bought the movie for two reasons... I am a big fan of Olyphant and well, a hot woman and guns are the basis of a man's thinking. All-in-all this may not be the best movie out there, but it's far from the worst.

Plextor Unveils New Blu-ray Internal Drives

Plextor is a developer of internal optical disc drives, among other products. The company has recently announced two new Blu-ray focused models developed for PCs.

One of these is the PX-B290SA, pictured above. This unit, costing nearly $600, offers Blu-ray recording and playback as well as HD DVD support for those needing it. The PX-B300SA, meanwhile, is also a multifunctional drive which can playback Blu-ray Disc, among other media formats.

Check out the full press release, including product features, after the jump.

AnyDVD HD Breaks BD+ Copy Protection

The folks of SlySoft are well known for their software to make "backup security copies" of DVDs. The company is now updated its AnyDVD HD software to to copy Blu-ray discs protected with BD+.

AnyDVD HD version 6.4 from SlySoft, besides removing the BD+ protection so Blu-ray Discs can be "backed up," also offers a number of enhancements and fixes. The company seems to have no qualms about what this software is capable of doing.

"Admittedly, we are not really so fast with this because actually we had intended to publish this release already in December as promised," said SlySoft's Peer van Heuen. "However, it was decided for strategic reasons to wait a bit for the outcome of the 'format war' between HD DVD and Blu-ray. On top of that, we first wanted to see our assumptions confirmed about the in the meantime released BD+ titles regarding the BD+ Virtual Machine. We are rather proud to have brought back to earth the highly-praised and previously 'unbreakable' BD+."

"However," continued Heuen, "we must also admit that the Blu-ray titles released up to now have not fully exploited the possibilities of BD+. Future releases will undoubtedly have a modified and more polished BD+ protection, but we are well prepared for this and await the coming developments rather relaxed."

PS3 Gets Blu-ray BD-Live Update

Good news for the millions PS3 - Blu-ray fans. It looks like your PS3-Blu-ray player won't be outdated anytime soon. According to the Playstation 3 blog, Sony will release the firmware v2.20 for PS3 in the next few days. The main feature of the new firmware is... you got it! Blu-ray Profile 2.0 support. Also know as BD-live, this profile gives the users many new interactive features, such as Blu-ray games.

To be sure that you can use the BD-Live capabilities of your newly updated PS3, on April 8th, Sony will release "The 6th day" and "Walk Hard" on Blu-ray discs. These two movies will be among the first few movies to support BD-Live.

But that's not all folks! Here are the other PS3 firmware 2.20 benefits:

• Copy PS3 Music and Photo playlists to a PSP system.
• Play DivX and WMV format files that are over 2 GB and display subtitles when viewing DivX files.
• Resume Play - begin playing a DVD or BD disc from the point where you previously stopped it, even if you eject the disc and insert a different movie or game.
• Use your PSP as a remote control to play back your music files on your PS3 without turning on your TV.
• The Internet browser will now display some web pages faster.

Source

DVR-BZ100 and DVR-BZ200: Two New Blu-ray Recorders from Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi has just announced the release of two Blu-ray recorders in Japan. The DVR-BZ100 and DVR-BZ200 are equipped with 250GB and 500GB hard drives respectively.

Both new Blu-ray recorders support AVC codec and AVCRec (allows you to record AVC to DVD).

As mentionned by Akihabara, the touchscreen color LCD remote control really adds to this product. The remote also has softkeys tailored for specific user operation, for example, TV channels selection or volume control. Nice!

Other features include TV tuners (analog and digital) and HDMI port.

Availability and price ? No word on that yet. The Blu-ray recorders will be released in Japan only for now. We will keep you posted on that.

Blu-ray Player Contest: And the Winner is?

The winner of our Blu-ray player giveaway is "RobertNB". Robert wins a Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray player.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway.

Stay tuned for more giveaways from Blurayfreak.

Review of 'I Am Legend' - Spoiler Warning

Let's face it, Will Smith is a money making deal. Whether he's recording albums or coming out with a blockbuster movie, lines are always long and the product never fails to deliver. I Am Legend doesn't miss either.

Sound: Crisp and clean. I would have rather seen this released in 6.1 or 7.1 but of course, 5.1 doesn't fail to deliver. The TrueHD makes a great addition to screams, bangs and pings. Not to mention when Smith's character, Neville, falls on his knife. You can hear the blade going through material and meat.

Video: Clear, maybe a little too real. Warner Bros. pulled out all the stops on this. The packaging says 1080p or 1080i and they aren't lying. Compression is not too much of a worry in this film. It may be a little too close for comfort in some scenes.

Extras: The viral video (no not YouTube, an actual virus education) is actually quite interesting. It's similar to a biology class, just a little more fun and gives more basis for the movie. If you saw the animated comics leading up to the original theatrical release, you are in luck, all four are included in the special feature section.

SPOILER WARNING:

The alternate ending is definitely different. Granted, Will Smith might not have gotten the same acclaim if he lived. Regardless, giving the female infected to her "boyfriend" and bypassing the attack, Neville and his newly acquired, non-infected friends leave the city and send a new broadcast message letting people know they are not alone.

Overall Value: This movie provides a good bang for the buck. The video is very clear and the sound embedding is almost perfect. Hats off to Warner Bros.

New Corel WinDVD Software Plays Blu-ray Discs

If you are in need of new software which will let you play Blu-ray Discs on your PC, Corel has just announced the release of WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray for around $100.

WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray  offers up a new user interface, more advanced surround sound and support for a variety of disc and video file formats. As for specific Blu-ray options, Corel says this software has "enhanced" playback functions (from press release):

"With WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray, users can enjoy 1080p high-definition Hollywood blockbusters or Blu-ray Disc home movies.        

-Advanced Interactive Content Support –     Next-generation interactivity provides access to pop-up menus or picture-in-picture features with full BD-J support, all without interrupting the movie.    

-Latest Surround Sound Technologies – Dolby^® Digital Plus, Dolby^® TrueHD and DTS-HD surround sound support are included in WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray for the ultimate audio experience.        

-Next-Generation Hardware Acceleration – Experience superb playback of the most demanding titles with support for NVIDIA® PureVideo^® HD and ATI Avivo™ HD hardware acceleration providing increased user support of high-definition playback.    

-Fully Compliant with Content Protection Systems – Supports HDCP, AACS and BD+ to ensure worry-free playback now and into the future.        

-AVCHD – Supports playback of video from AVCHD camcorders copied from the camcorder hard drive, on AVCHD disc or memory card."

Enteractive Brings a Soduku Game to Blu-ray

Enteractive, a Cologne based company, is set to release Sudokia, an interactive Sodoku game for Blu-ray players.

According to the company, "Sudokia" can be played by up to five players on Blu-ray players using a remote control.

Sudokia has detailed pictures, graphics, and animations in high resolution, accompanied by 5.1 surround sound. Nothing less! Pretty impressive for a... well, a Sudoku game.

Enteractive is already busy developing further innovative electronic games on Blu-ray that can be played on standard Blu-ray players, on XBOX 360HD and Playstation 3, and on high-end computers.

Hans D. Henseleit, CEO of Enteractive GmbH, says, "The new High-Definition Formats provide much more than a crystal clear video screen. In our game development, we are particularly attracted to the interactive potential of the HD DVD and Blu-ray player respectively. We already have more games in development and are delighted to play a pioneering role in this new market segment."

You can watch a demo after the break.