The new Onkyo BD-SP809 plays every format you require in today’s world including CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. The player comes complete with 3D capabilities and a THX Blu-ray certification. What’s more, it has a USB port for media playback, a couple of HDMI outputs for up to two HDTVs or projectors, and an Ethernet port for local DLNA 1.5 support or online streaming services such as Netflix, Blockbuster, Film Fresh, and VUDU. The Onkyo BD-SP809 Blu-ray player will be available in August 2011 with a suggested retail price of $599. [CrunchGear]
I-O Data will release the BRD-UT12 12x external Blu-ray recorder in the Japanese market. The Blu-ray burner will write up to 12x on dual layer BR discs, 6x on single layer BD-R LHT discs and 16x on DVD-R discs. The device also supports a USB 3.0 interface. Folks in Japan will be able to purchase the I-O Data BRD-UT12 starting next month for 22,100 Yen or approx. $269. [I-O Data]
Samsung has finally launched the BD-D7000 3D Blu-ray player in South Korea. This portable Blu-ray player has a slot-loading disc drive with touch-sensitive buttons at the front. The BD-D7000 upconverts 2D Blu-ray titles to near 3D image quality. In order to view movies in 3D, you need to connect a 3D-compliant AV receiver and a 3D-compliant TV to the player using HDMI cables, and play the 3D content while wearing 3D glasses. What’s more, the Samsung BD-D7000 also features a built-in Wi-Fi and Samsung Smart Hub, allowing you to download various free or paid apps and a range of Internet services and content including news, weather forecasts, stock market quotes, games, movies and music. The Samsung BD-D7000 3D Blu-ray player retails for 390,000 Won or $359 each. [Samsung]
LG Electronics has recently introduced the BD670 Blu-ray 3D player. What makes this Blu-ray 3D player special is that it features Smart TV Access and Integrated Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to get thousands of movies, apps, shows and online videos straight to your TV from your wireless Internet connection at home. You can also download a special app for your iPod touch, iPhone or Android-based smartphone that turns the handset into a remote control for the BD670. If you have a library of standard and Blu-ray movie titles, the LG BD670 Blu-ray player also uses 1080p up-scaling of standard DVDs for a near high-definition viewing experience – no matter what format is being played. [LG]
Mitsubishi Electric has recently launched three new Blu-ray recorders, the DVR-BZ450, DVR-BZ350 and DVR-BZ250. All models come with the same specifications, with 3D Blu-Ray, BDXL Support, AVCREC, two digital TV tuners, VoD support and a unique dual face remote with one face allowing you to control your TV and another for your recorder. The difference between each model comes with the internal storage capacity with 2TB for the first, 1TB for the second and only 500GB for the third. [Akihabara]
If you are looking for an affordable Blu-ray player, then check out the new Toshiba SD-BD3. Priced at 20,000 Yen ($244), the player is compatible with Dolby BR True HD, and DTS-HD Master among others, delivering the most basic Blu-Ray experience with AVCHD support. You can also use it to play MP3 and JPEG files thanks to its USB port. [Ubergizmo]
I-O Data has announced the availability of the BRD-U8DM external Blu-ray drive and DVR-U24DM external DVD burner, which support DTCP-IP. For your info, the DTCP-IP is a specification for copy protection of copyrighted content that is transferred over digital interfaces in home networks that adhere to IP. Under this specification, digital content can be shared securely between devices in a user’s home but not shared with third-parties outside the home network. The I-O Data BRD-U8DM external Blu-ray drive and DVR-U24DM external DVD burner will be available in June 2011 for 23,000 Yen ($281) and 12,000 Yen ($146), respectively. [I-O Data]
The new Asus BW-12D1S-U is claimed as the world’s fastest external 3D Blu-ray writer. This drive offers an extreme 12X Blu-ray writing speed with USB 3.0 and best burning quality by the Optical Tuning Strategy (OTS) technology. The BW-12D1S-U also features a diamond-shaped design enabling both horizontal and vertical use, a piano black coating for a sexier look, a 4MB of buffer memory, a USB 3.0 connectivity, support for Blu-ray 3D discs, for Dolby EX and 5.1-channel DTS-HD, and delivers top writing speeds of 12x for BD-R, 8x for BD-R DL, 6x for BD-R LTH, 2x for BD-RE, 16x for DVD-R+R, 8x for DVD-R/+R DL and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 40x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW. The external 3D Blu-ray writer comes bundled with Cyberlink’s Power2Go 7, PowerDVD 10, PowerBackup 2.5 and InstantBurn 5. If you are interested, you can pre-order the Asus BW-12D1S-U for €152.38 ($219). [ASUS]
Sharp has recently introduced a trio of the Aquos BDXL 3D DVRs in Japan. The Sharp BD-HDW80, BD-HDW75 and BD-HDW73 come equipped with a 1TB HDD, a 500GB and a 320GB HDD, respectively. All models feature a dual Digital TV tuner and an improved dubbing system, allowing you to record your favorite TV shows and store them on the built-in HDD. The Sharp BD-HDW80, BD-HDW75 and BD-HDW73 also support WiFi connectivity and the latest 100GB BD-RE XL discs. [Akihabara]
Amazon has started selling the Samsung BD-D6500 3D Blu-ray disc player. Introduced for the first time at CES 2011, the Samsung BD-D6500 is a slot-in type Blu-ray player that comes with DLNA support, Smart Hub, SNS and a built-in Wi-Fi. The player is priced at $209.95 a pop. [Amazon]
