Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

The Panasonic DMP-BD10 is the second standalone Blu-ray player to become available, not quite making its expected September launch but sneaking onto store shelves near you this month. Was it worth the wait and/or the $1,300 price tag? Compared to the Samsung BD-P1000 player, reviewers note a slightly better picture quality and load times, plus excellent audio output. It doesn’t support next-gen lossless audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD out of the box but, those are promised for a future firmware update. Negatives include a clunky remote and lack of BD-Live connectivity that will be present in the PlayStation 3. This player appears to do the same 1080p to 1080i to 1080p conversion present in the Samsung, so if 1080p/24 output is a must, it’s a pass. Still, with EZ-SYNC HDMI control to matching SA-XR700 receiver and flat panel HDTV, if you must have the best Blu-ray hardware available — at least until Sony and Pioneer’s offerings hit the street — the DMP-BD10 is ready to give it to you.

Read - Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray Disc Player - Canada Hifi
Read - Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray Player - Home Theater Forum

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Portable Audio

These days, you can find a digital music player in just about every shape and size imaginable, but we should have known the Europeans would find a way to incorporate a favorite pastime into a modern day music maker. The Naf Naf Hyp joins the ranks of odd, yet refreshing, digital audio players that offer the standard fare we’ve come to know and love, but this keg features an unexpected extra that sadly we have little use for. While this little barrel can playback MP3s, display ID3 tags on the circular LED display, spin standard or MP3-loaded CDs, and pump out the jams through the 2 watt stereo speakers, the oddball here is the built-in cassette player — yes, cassette, also known as a tape. Aside from that little dash of history, it rocks a graphic EQ, AM / FM tuner, aux-input, alarm clock, multifunction remote, and even a “foldaway carrying handle” to take it back for a refill. Although the quality here is really anybody’s guess, it’s still going to be mighty hard to resist such a fitting party ornament, and with these available now in red or black for 759,00 DKK (about $130), you can keep your MP3 collection (or 1985 mix tape) on tap.

[Via Red Ferret]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

We can add another iNotch on the iBedpole to the list as Memorex has annouced its forthcoming portable video (and audio) player for Apple's iPod. The iFlip claims to only support the 5th generation variety (what about 6th gen?), and sports an 8.4-inch LCD with 480 x 234 native resolution, built-in speakers, tilting dock, and an integrated battery to provide "up to" 5 hours of excitement, which we assume drops substantially when using the device to play back video rather than just audio. While the fold-up unit has S-video out, line out, dual headphone jacks, and an on-screen menu to adjust color / brightness-related aspects, there appears to be no way to mirror your iPod's display on the iFlip (i.e. for showing album art while a playlist spins). But if the small screen on your iPod has you bumming, you can grab an iFlip in September for $200 and make life on the road -- at least for a few hours -- a bit more enjoyable.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Napster isn't so shy about their new DAPs after all. We just got to spend a little time with Napster's new 1GB PlaysForSure promotional player, and we liked what we saw for the most part. The tiny device probably won't be seen outside of its current role of attracting 1-year subscriptions, but it manages a nice look, decent user interface and a commendable 40 hour battery life -- not bad for $50. Of course, the player's first role is to support DRM10 PlaysForSure files from Napster To Go, but regular old WMA files and MP3s are supported as well, and it doesn't seem that Napster has made an effort to lock down the player from other services. You can also play back MPEG-4 video on the tiny, but nice, 128 x 160 LCD, but you'll be on your own for content since Napster doesn't currently offer any vids. There's also JPEG and FM playback, and everything is accessible via a convenient and fast iPod-like menu system. We'd estimate the player is 10-12mm thick, but while it's shorter than the iPod nano, the player felt comfortable in our large hands, and the buttons were plenty easy to use. It might all come down to your preference of music service, but we can't see this little OEM player standing in your way. Keep reading for some more pics.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments