Here is a nice and cheap USB 2.0 external Blu-ray player and DVD burner from Marshal Japan. The MAL-BD02U2 retails for only 9980 Yen. [Akihabara]
From the category archives:
Blu-ray
I-O Data boasts its first ultra slim external USB 2.0 Blu-Ray player. Measuring 21mm thick, the BDVRP-UH4 retails in Japan for 27400 Yen. The player can also burn DVDs and has a buffer of 4MB. [I-O Data]
Sharp introduces new Blu-ray player from its Aquos series. The Sharp BD-HP21 is priced at a hefty 40000 Yen. There is nothing special with this player. It supports 1080/60p and 24p videos, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby NR True HD, and BD-LIVE. [Sharp]
The FastMac USB external slimline Blu-ray reader is now official. The device will be available in three variants including the APP-6907, APP-6963 and APP-6964. Priced at $99, the FastMac APP-6907 Blu-ray player also offers DVD± capability. The APP-6963 is priced at $299 and supports 1x BD-R drive. Meanwhile, the $399 APP-6964 supports 4x BD-R drive. All of them are compatible with PC and Mac platforms. [Ubergizmo]
That’s right! LG has decided to launch its LG BD370 networked Blu-Ray player in the Japanese market. This Blue-ray player also supports YouTube, 1080/24p, 1080/60p, TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and can even play MP3 or WMA files stored on a USB flash drive. [Akihabara]
Denon has announced to delay the production of its DVD-A1UD Blu-ray player for two months. This Blu-ray player is claimed to be the first universal disc player that can handle Blu-ray, DVD video and audio, SACDs and regular CDs. Its SDHC memory card slot allows you to play back pure DivX 6, JPEG, MP3 and WMA files directly. The Denon DVD-A1UD will be priced at $5,974 each when it launches in Japan. [Electronista]
Marantz boasts its latest Blu-ray player known as the BD8002. However, you should spend at least £1,799 to bring home this Blu-ray player. The BD8002 features full HD resolution at 1080p, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, DVD upscaling, HDMI 1.3a, 12-bit/297MHz video chipset, 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta processor, and SD memory card slot. Sadly, it only supports Profile 1.1. [Pocket-lint]
The Amex BD-P1 is the new and affordable Blu-ray player from Amex Digital. It comes with the MSRP of $199 (or $239 as mentioned on the press release). The player supports both single- and dual-layer BD-R and BD-RE discs, BD-ROM discs, and provides decoders for Dolby Digital and DTS formats. The Amex BD-P1 also able to upscale standard DVDs resolution to HDTV-compliant 720p, 1080i or 1080p via the HDMI 1.3 interface. What makes this blu-ray player more special is that it has a built-in Ethernet and USB 2.0 ports for the future network connection and firmware upgrades. Thanks, Kelvin! [Press Release]
One of the major developer and contributor to the success of the Blu-ray format is Panasonic. The company has recently introduced the first portable blu-ray player in the world in the form of the DMP-B15 at 2009 CES. The player has a high quality 8.9-inch WSVGA (1024×600 resolution) LCD screen, and BD Live functionality. Its unique VIERA CAST internet accessibility allows you to access internet contents including Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube; Google Picasa Web Album; Bloomberg and a weather channel. The Panasonic DMP-B15 will be available in May this year. No word on pricing at this time. Stay tuned for more updates. [itechnews]
Vizio is famous for its low-priced HDTVs. The company comes back with the new VBR100 blu-ray player which is priced at $200. The player offers profile 2.0 compatible, onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-Master Audio decoding, 7.1 analog audio outputs, optical and coaxial digital audio outputs. You can buy the Vizio VBR100 when it is released in April this year. [CNet]
