Netflix has announced that it won’t be selling HD-DVD movies on mail-based subscriptions. So Blu-ray will be the only high definition format available. While HD-DVD titles can still be rented, Netflix won’t be adding more HD-DVD’s to their catalog and will phase out the format once the discs are done with their rental cycle.
Plextor will release two new Blu-Ray / HD DVD combo drives. The PX-B920SA writes to BD-R at 4x speeds, DVDs at 16x, and CD-Rs at 40x, and reads HD DVD, while the PX-B300SA lacks the BD-R capabilities and just writes to DVD and CD. Both drives are expected to drop this month according to Plextor. Pricing is still unknown.
Buffalo is dropping a series of external optical devices in Europe. This model features a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray combo drive. The drive can write Blu-Ray discs and reads HD-DVD. Expect Buffalo to launch this drive in March in Europe, price is still unknown.
Addonics Technologies released the Zebra Blu-Ray/ HD-DVD player. Which is also an optical storage solution which allows you to play movies in both video formats. The Zebra also does standard DVDs and CDs in different file formats and burns DVD±R/RW and CDRW media,you can choose from a high speed eSATA connection or a combination eSATA and USB 2.0 interface, depending on what you need at the time. The ESATA version is going for $409 and $429 with the version that has USB 2.0 connectivity as well.
Here is a new HD DVD player from Venturer. The SHD7000 claims to be one of the cheapest HD DVD players. Priced at around $200, the player has a maximum output of 1080i, support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD in 5.1-channel surround, outputs through HDMI, and uses Ethernet connections for updates or Internet-based special movie features.
Toshiba Japan has unveiled the new Vardia RD-A301 HD DVD recorder that records on HD-DVD and provides an internal 300GB hard drive for recording HD content. The device is also able to record your HD content on DVD discs. Other features include dual TV tuner analog / digital, an Ethernet port, HDMI out and S-Video. The Toshiba Vardia RD-A301 will be available by mid December in Japan for $870. A Transformers toy is also included in the package as a complimentary gift.
Buffalo just released a Blu-ray / HD-DVD combo external drive. If you’re not interested in getting involved in the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD War, why not get one of these combo burners? IO-DATA also released a similar internal combo drive which is pictured after the jump.
This Sony GV-HD700E is the World’s first HD Video Walkman with pro features. It is Sony’s portable solution for viewing HDV and DV tapes while you’re on the move. The gadget provides a high quality 7-inch (16:9) widescreen LCD with resolution of 1,152K (800×480x3[RGB]) and has versatile interfaces including i.LINK and HDMI out. The GV-HD700E plays HDV and miniDV tapes (SP and LP). and can record HDV1080i/DV signals from an external source. The GV-HD700E will be available throughout Europe from September 2007. Pricing info is still unknown.
