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Tag: blu-ray

  • Savor the carnival atmosphere of Cirque Du Sole as Blu-ray brings the excitement of the big top into your living room

    Sony Pictures has announced it is bringing one of the world famous Cirque Du Soleil’s performances to Blu-ray later this year.
    “Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo”, by the celebrated troupe that has thrilled audiences on five continents, is due to be released on September 2nd.
    Sony said disk would capture all the magic of the performance in stunning high definition. No specs or special features have been announced at this time.
    The move is the latest digital venture by the circus, which has been seen by close to 80 million spectators in over 200 cities.
    Last month, the award winning Cirque announced it was extending its reach through mobile in partnership with YuuZoo, the fast growing new global mobile content, media and advertising company.
    Cirque du Soleil fans around the world are able to download show video excerpts, graphics and wallpapers directly onto their mobile devices through a new service offered through YuuZoo.
    Ron Creevey, president of YuuZoo, said the link-up was intended to expand beyond traditional mobile offerings by providing our customers with a broad selection of popular, unique subjects.
    “That’s one reason we’re very proud to be associated with such an innovative, creative world brand as Cirque du Soleil,” he said.

  • Wireless high definition transmitter removes clutter of cables


    Monster Cable has unveiled a transmitter that wirelessly sends HD video signals from a device such as a Blu-ray player to a high definition TV up to 10m away.
    The transmitter sends the video signal using ultra-wideband, or UWB, technology from Sigma Designs Inc.
    It will also upscale non-HD signals to high-def resolution before displaying on screen. A receiver plugs into a HDMI port on the back of the TV.
    To back up the short-range wireless capability, the boxes can also connect via coaxial cable to reach each other in different rooms, up to 110m away.
    Noel Lee, president of Monster Cable, which is better known for its expensive video and audio cables, said: “We had opportunities with lots of other systems that just didn’t have the quality of service.
    “Sigma is the first partner we found … that has a robust enough technology.”
    The Monster Digital Express HD boxes will be available in the US in October for $299.95 each.
    UWB is just one of several technologies being utilised for wireless HD connections, an area that has presented problems in maintaining a steady flow of wireless data at very high speeds.
    A consortium that includes Sony, Toshiba and Intel is promoting another wireless technology called WirelessHD, with transfer speeds that are even higher than UWB.

  • Up close and personal – porn industry turns on to high definition


    A leading maker of adult movies is to release all new titles on Blu-ray Disc as well as on standard definition DVD.
    Digital Playground says it is the first mainstream studio to opt for the “same day” treatment for HD discs.
    The porn maker will also begin converting one previously released title to Blu-ray every week.
    Such a move is likely to lead to a dramatic increase in the number of adult titles available on Blu-ray.
    Samantha Lewis, CEO of Digital Playground, which has already released 21 HD sex films, said it was the first adult studio to make dual releases.
    “DP has become the first adult studio to make all their Blu-ray releases day and date with standard DVD,” she said,
    “This is something no mainstream studio has done yet, so it’s quite noteworthy for the future of the Blu-ray format."
    The studio’s library includes such films as Pirates and Cheerleaders.

  • Signs point towards rising output of Blu-ray Discs as production capacity grows


    The market leader in the manufacture of optical disc production lines has upgraded its 2008 forecast for Blu-ray machines by 50% after receiving strong orders in the first three months of the year.
    Along with “numerous orders” for Blu-ray lines from Europe and Asia, the company received its first major order for Blu-ray from the US.
    Stefan Baustert, CEO of Singulus Technologies, said its order projections had been upped from 20 Blu-ray machines to “about 30 machines” for 2008.
    He said a market share of more than 65 % was targeted for the Blu-ray segment.
    “This means that the orders for Blu-ray in the first year of the dual layer technology already by far exceeded the volume at the start of the DVD eleven years ago with 17 machines,” he said.
    “It is also very promising that recently the first Dual Layer Blu-ray disc machine was accepted by one of our key customers in the US.”
    Singulus is the only manufacturer globally to offer the complete range of optical disc production line products: mastering, molding and replication lines.
    Speaking at the company’s AGM in Frankfurt am Main, Baustert said orders for 21 Blu-ray dual layer machines were received in the first quarter of 2008 and that additional orders followed in the 2nd quarter.
    Singulus’ ability to cope with increased demand had been considerably strengthened by the acquisition earlier this year of the Blu-ray disc activities of Oerlikon Balzers in Switzerland.

  • More HD titles needed to boost up-take of Blu-ray players


    With Blu-ray sales still not setting the heather alight much has been made of the high cost of HD players and continued viewer satisfaction with standard-definition DVD.
    Paul Erickson, director of DVD and HD Market Research at DisplaySearch, is in no doubt these are big factors contributing to Blu-ray’s slow shift into the living room.
    Adding to the picture is the emergence of online content delivery as a viable source of HD programming, something that is seen as posing a real threat to Blu-ray’s long-term survival.
    “As online delivery services from Netflix, Microsoft and other players continue to evolve and mature over these next few years, and consumer bandwidth increases, there is considerable pressure for Blu-ray to make its mark on the mainstream,” said Erickson.
    “Price-based accessibility has remained a significant constraint. Therefore, the recent introduction of a sub-$300 Blu-ray player (by Wal-Mart) is a step in the right direction.”
    But what is also needed, according to Erickson, is for more HD programming to be made.
    “Should the collective companies and studios with a stake in Blu-ray Disc engage in price aggression on both hardware and software over 2008 and 2009, it will greatly increase the format’s representation in the eventual mix of video content delivery options being utilized by the consumer of the future.”

  • Blu-ray awareness and potential rising in the US but barriers remain


    High cost and a belief that standard-definition DVD is “good enough” are the main barriers to US consumers purchasing Blu-ray players.
    These are the conclusions of a study by the NPD Group, which found that manufacturers still face challenges despite rising awareness of Blu-ray.
    The market research company found that 45 per cent of HDTV owners in the US now claim to be familiar with Blu-ray Disc (BD), up from 35 percent in June 2007.
    And, while only 6 per cent of all consumers surveyed said they plan to purchase a BD device in the next six months, NPD found purchase intent to be higher among the growing population of HDTV owners, boding well for the future of the format.
    The report reveals that 9 per cent of HDTV owners plan to buy a BD-capable player in the next six months.
    Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD, said: “With HDTVs now in approximately 40 million US households, that percentage translates to a pool of almost 4 million potential BD player buyers.”
    While manufacturers still face the challenge of convincing some consumers to ditch standard-definition DVD players and content, those who do appear pleased with the move.
    Consumers who purchased a BD set-top player cited “leading-edge technology” and a “superior viewing experience” as primary reasons for making the purchase.
    And they indicated a clear preference for BD content. In fact current BD set-top player owners expect that 80 per cent of their upcoming purchases will be in BD rather than standard DVD.
    By comparison, 43 per cent of PS3 owners use the BD capability in their consoles at least once a month; however, they do not view BD movies as often as set-top device owners do.
    “The door is open for studios to feed the consumer’s appetite for Blu-ray content, and we expect sales to increase, as prices for hardware and software moderate in the coming months,” said Crupnick.
    “Even so it will take a concerted effort by manufacturers and retailers to ratchet awareness even further and convince all of those potential buyers of the superiority of Blu-ray Disc versus standard DVD.”

  • Australian market first to get recordable Blu-ray player outside of Japan


    Panasonic is to roll-out sales of a range of Blu-ray recorders in Australia, making it only the second country after Japan to receive the devices.
    A 500GB Twin High Definition Tuner and VIERA Link model is to go on sale this month as well as various lower-spec recorders, the first 46” plasma TV and new 37” Full HD LCD TV models.
    Paul Reid, Panasonic Australia’s Director for Consumer Electronics Group, described the move as a “significant breakthrough” for Blu-ray.
    “Panasonic has led the way in home entertainment products and continues to bring innovation to the market with Australia’s first Blu-ray recorder for the living room,” he said.
    Other overseas markets, including Europe and the US, are to receive the new model shortly.

  • "Hard" media discs in no danger of disappearing despite advances being made in digital downloading


    Blu-ray discs and DVDs are going to survive for another 20 years even though great advances are being made in digital downloading.
    That is the belief of Reed Hastings, head of NetFlix, the online rental service, who also stated that he doesn’t think a rival physical optical disc will emerge to challenge Blu-ray.
    Speaking at an investors meeting, Hastings said on DVD and Blu-ray wouldn’t be replaced by digital downloads and ray Hollywood studios would continue releasing films on disc.
    “Our view is that the studios are going to publish DVD and Blu-ray for another 20 years,” he said. “I don’t think there’s going to be another physical optical disc.”
    Hastings said that the DVD/Blu-ray industry would probably not “peak” for 5-10 years.
    However, despite his long-term confidence in discs, the executive said the online rental service is aggressively developing online video streaming services.
    “We’ve been looking forward to these years for a long time,” said Hastings.
    “Our DVD shipments will probably peak in 5 to 10 years … the streaming can be thought of as defensive, protecting our turf, or offensive,” he added.
    In the US this month, NetFlix began selling a $99 set-top that enables subscribers to download movies over the Net directly to their TVs.
    The company also offers a streaming service at its web site, which is free to subscribers.
    Hastings said that NetFlix ultimately could generate 20 million subscribers to video streaming; the company now projects having 10 million DVD subscribers by the end of 2008.
    He also said NetFlix is still examining ways to charge more for Blu-ray rentals, an idea floated by the company earlier this year.

  • Blu-ray recorder sales rising fast in Japan

    Sales of high definition Blu-ray recorders are increasing rapidly in Japan as consumers take to the new generation of home movie entertainment.
    Last month the more expensive Blu-ray recorders topped the old generation recorders in the value of sales for the first time.
    The research firm BCN Ltd said that around a third of machines sold now carry the new format.
    Shigehiro Tanaka, BCN chief analyst, said: “Full high-definition picture quality has become a main stream for big-screen TVs, and camcorders with higher picture quality are getting popular, too.
    “From the input of data to output, high definition is taking root in Japan.”
    The country was at the heart of the format war, which pitted the Blu-ray discs championed by Sony Corp against Toshiba Corp’s HD-DVD discs.
    Analysts believe sales of Blu-ray players have been held back, first by indecision over the outcome of the format war and then by high prices.
    However, the BCN survey showed April sales for Blu-ray in Japan were almost three times the 12.4 per cent share for both formats in January, before HD-DVD’s demise.
    The researchers expect sales of the Blu-ray will rapidly expand in coming months as makers such as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd are likely to cut down prices in a lead-up to the Beijing Olympics.

  • First single-chip processing LSI developed by Panasonic for Blue-ray Disc players

    Panasonic has announced that it has developed the first single-chip signal processing LSI for Blu-ray Disc players that can both read the disc and decode the content.
    Previously these functions were performed by separate front end and back end LSI in addition to seven external memory chips.
    By combining the functionality into one chip, 50 per cent less space is required and 25 per cent energy is saved.
    As a result of the single chip solution, manufacturers will be able to make smaller Blu-ray players that consume less energy.
    The innovation is also likely to result in cheaper Blu-ray playback devices.
    The Panasonic chips support Blu-ray 2.0 standard, MPEG-4 H.264 and VC-1 codecs and high-quality audio, including lossless coded content.
    The chip is also able to play back video on two screens and can display 3D graphics.
    It also supports CD and DVD playback.
    Panasonic expects to start shipping the chips to manufacturers in June 2008.