Hasta La Gadget!

Regarded as the best of the best when it comes to disc players, Oppo has two new ones that can easily handle any disc you’ve got. Physical media isn’t the only game in town, obviously, so in addition to Netflix, Vudu and local file support like MKV, Oppo has stepped it up even further by adding an HDMI port in front for use as an MHL input. This allows you to leverage the high-end Oppo’s processing to do wonders on content stored on your portable or other MHL source. Speaking of video processing, both the new guys use Marvell’s Qdeo video processor and are capable of doing both 2D-to-3D conversion as well as up-scaling to 4K. From a control perspective, a back-lit remote is included, but there’s also an IR input, RS-232 and mobile phone apps. The BDP-103 will surely satisfy any videophile at $499 this October, but if you happen to be an audiophile too, then you’d probably want to wait until the BDP-105 is released later this year. Not only does it feature two ESS Sabre32 Reference DACs and a Toroidal linear power supply, but there are also dedicated stereo outputs with both RCA and XLR balanced connections and a headphone amplifier — if you know what all that is, we’re sure you really want it.

Continue reading Oppo continues its legacy with two new top end Blu-ray players

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Oppo continues its legacy with two new top end Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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About a week ago we got the bad news that Marvel’s entirely over the top Cinematic Universe: Phase One Blu-ray set would be delayed until spring 2013 while Disney works up a new case, but there is a silver lining for those who preordered from Amazon. One of our readers forwarded us an email sent out to those who preordered, indicating that in the meantime, they will receive The Avengers two disc Blu-ray / DVD combo package, free of charge. It’s not a S.H.I.E.L.D. suitcase w/ glowing Tesseract cube built in of course, but we guess it will have to do until the replacement packaging is ready to go. Anyone who put in an order between June 1st and August 28th are eligible for the free copy and should have received their redemption code via email.

[Thanks, Nick]

Continue reading Amazon placating delayed Marvel Cinematic Universe pre-orderers with free Avengers Blu-rays

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Amazon placating delayed Marvel Cinematic Universe pre-orderers with free Avengers Blu-rays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 04:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fans of digital media have a reason to smile today, as Fox has revealed that it will begin offering digital versions of its movies weeks before physical Blu-ray and DVDs release. The first movie that will getting this treatment is Prometheus, which is scheduled to release on Blu-ray and DVD on October 11. Fox will begin offering the high-definition digital version of the movie on September 18, giving those who don’t mind losing the disc about a three week jump on those who do mind.

Even better is the fact that these digital movies will be offered for less than current going rate for movies. Fox plans to offer its digital flicks for around $15 a pop, down from the $20 that consumers normally pay. The company will offering these movies with “Digital High Definition” or “DHD” branding, and this new initiative marks a team up between Fox and UltraViolet, a digital streaming service that Fox has been hesitant to partner with in the past.

Fox needs to tread carefully here, however. The company has tried to offer early digital copies in the past and failed to succeed for a number of reasons. Not only did Fox offer these earlier releases at a premium, charging as much as $30 per movie, but it also released these digital copies only two months after the movies premiered in theaters. Obviously, that didn’t sit too well with theater owners, so this time around, we’re seeing Fox take a much less aggressive approach to offering digital content early. Everyone should be happy with this new plan, as Fox says that most of the movies it offers early will be out of theaters by the time they become available digitally.

This new initiative will launch in 50 countries around the world simultaneously, and even though Prometheus is the only film with a solid digital release date at the moment, we’re told to expect other Fox films such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Watch, and Ice Age: Continental Drift to follow suit. If Fox does this right, it could help grow the digital movies market, which is already on the rise but still quite small when compared to the boxed movies market. Stay tuned, because this could get interesting.

[via The New York Times]

Fox will offer digital movies weeks before DVD release is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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After college football got its season under way last week, now it’s the professional’s turn. But the NFL isn’t all we have for you, while a light TV schedule is supplemented by a long list of high profile Blu-ray sets arriving this week. Of course, none of them are bigger than the 32-disc Harry Potter collection pictured above, check after the break for some video of what’s inside. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection
Fans of the glasses-wearing kid wizard can invest in the massive Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection Blu-ray boxed set this weekend, which arrives packing 31 discs in its collector’s edition casing. 3D, never before seen bonus clips, and digital copies — it’s all in there, and all your for the low, low price of $350 or so. Whether or not you’re willing to shell out that kind of cash for all eight movies, there’s a video look at the set after the break as some of the series’ stars take turns unboxing it.
($344.99 on Amazon, September 7th)

NFL
Our fantasy leagues are drafted, our pick ’em leagues are registered for (you’re registered for ours, right?) and the beer is getting cold. It’s finally time for the NFL to return to us, and it all starts Wednesday night with kickoff festivities leading up to an NFC East grudge match between the Giants and Cowboys. Of course, that’s just a teaser for Sunday’s action, and finally the first Monday Night Football of the year next week. It doesn’t get better than this.
(September 5th, NBC, 8:30PM)

2012 Basketball Hall of Fame
For basketball, the Hall of Fame covers both pro and collegiate ranks, and for 2012 it’s inducting a class with members like Reggie Miller, Don Nelson, Katrina McClain, Phil Knight, Ralph Sampson, Chet Walker and Jamaal Wilkes. NBA TV is also producing a documentary about Reggie Miller that will air Tuesday night before he joins his sister Cheryl in the hall. The presentation airs Friday night, hoops fans can use it as a crutch between the Olympics / summer league festivities and the regular season which is still several weeks away.
(September 7th, NBA TV, 7:30PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (September 3rd – 9th)

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Must See HDTV (September 3rd – 9th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smart TV and set-top box users unhappy with tedious menu-clicking might have already found Redux, a Google TV app that streamlines online content selection. Now though, buyers of new Sony Google TV and LG Smart TVs and Blu-ray players will find the handy streaming guide baked right in. It works by allowing user “curators” to create their own video channels on subjects like music and tech, which the software then presents in a directory for other like-minded viewers. Redux also has deals with publishers like Hearst, letting it stream premium content from Popular Mechanics, Car and Driver and other brands. Already one of the top apps in the Google and Samsung TV ecosystems, the new deals with Sony and LG mean it could appear on up to 40 million devices by the end of the year. So, if you’re tired of hunting and pecking and want to couch-surf online programs more traditionally, check the source for more info.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD

Redux promises to bring a ‘lean-back TV experience’ to new Sony and LG devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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