Netflix and Sony announced a deal earlier today that will bring streaming to Sony Bravia Internet enabled HDTVs. This will allow Sony Bravia owners to access Netflix library of over 12,000 streaming titles. What was not announced however were any plans to bring Netflix streaming to the Playstation 3. This leaves PS3 owners guessing when if ever they will enjoy the same luxuries that Xbox 360 owners have been enjoying over the past few months. Let’s cross our fingers and keep enjoying those Blu-ray movies in the meantime.
[Netflix]
Tags: Bravia, Netflix, Sony, Sony Bravia
NEC announced today the EMMA 3PF chip, which is the first large-scale integration (LSI) chip that contains all the major functions of Blu-ray including Profile 2.0, analog-to-digital conversion, HDMI output, and sound encoding/decoding. The EMMA 3PF also features a multicore CPU which allows for improved startup times and operation speeds. Most importantly, the chip will significantly reduce the physical size of Blu-ray players as well as reduce the overall cost. The chip will start shipping in September so expect players that use it to begin appearing in the near future.
[Gizmodo]
Tags: Blu-ray News, NEC
It looks like Netflix users will have to pony up an extra dollar or two to be able to rent Blu-ray movies as the rental company’s CEO mentioned earlier this week would happen really soon. EngadgetHD is reporting some Netflix members have been notified of a $1 per month charge (plus taxes) while others say they’ve been notified the charge will be $2. Regardless of which two amounts is correct, this change will come within a month and we really don’t the see this increase as reason enough to cancel a membership.
[EngadgetHD]
Tags: Netflix
According to a new consumer survey by ABI Research, over half of the 1000 respondents said they had ‘other priorities and have no plans to purchase a Blu-ray player in the near future; about 23% said they would likely purchase one in 2009.
According to ABI Research principal analyst Steve Wilson, this response can be attributed to consumer’s perception of the value propisition that Blu-ray holds. Wilson notes that with DVD technology, consumers did not have to purchase a new TV as most do with a Blu-ray player, namely an HDTV. Additionally he says, “While half of the respondents to our survey rated Blu-ray’s quality as ‘much better’ than standard DVD, another 40-percent termed it only ‘somewhat better,’ and most are very satisfied with the performance of their current DVD players”
Wilson expects the price of entry-level Blu-ray players to remain at the $300 price point, with retailers using Blu-ray movie bundles to attract potential buyers. Just like we reported a couple days ago, he points out the success of the PS3 and notes that owners purchase just as many movies as those with standalone Blu-ray players.
[MarketWatch]
Tags: ABI, Blu-ray News
According to Asia Pacific VP Tim Meade for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), market reports in the US show that the worldwide sales ratio of Blu-ray movies to DVDs will reach an estimated 40:60 in 2010. Furthermore he says this indicates sales volume of Blu-ray movies may surpass DVD by 2011.
Meade is basing this on rise of Blu-ray’s market share among all formats from 9% at the end of 2007 to 25% by the end of this year. Meade noted the sales volume of Blu-ray players in the US and Europe increased on year by four times and six times respectively, during the first half of 2008.
It’s great to see Blu-ray’s market share increase so drastically in such a short period of time. Looks like Sony’s marketing strategies are working nicely.
[DigiTimes]
Tags: Blu-ray News, Sony
DISH Network announced today they’ll begin offering 1080p Video-On-Demand in addition to 114 national HD channels beginning in August. The most interesting part of the announcement is that DISH says 1080p VOD service will be ‘the same as Blu-ray quality’. More about that in a minute. To celebrate ‘this new era in the high definition viewing experience’, DISH Network will begin offering I Am Legend in 1080p as a pay-per-view offering.
Now, DISH Network’s claim that their 1080p VOD will be the ’same as Blu-ray quality’ must be clarified. Satellite companies such DISH Network and DirecTV, who will also add 1080p programming this year, need to conserve broadcast space. Therefore, 1080p broadcasts will have a video bitrate that’s less than half of what a typical Blu-ray title requires for perfect video reproduction, resulting in pixelation during scenes with a lot of movement. On the audio side, while Blu-ray titles offer PCM, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio while satellite broadcasts only use 5.1 Dolby Digital for audio soundtracks.
Fact is that satellite broadcasts can not compare to the true high-def experience of Blu-ray. DISH Network is trying to use Blu-ray’s name for their own benefit that will undoubtedly cause further confusion for consumers. DishNetwork has not responded to requests for clarification on their statement.
[DishNetwork] via [Blu-ray]
Tags: Blu-ray News, Dish Network, VOD
Taiwanese distributor, Deltamac, has sold over 25,000 Blu-ray movies in Taiwan from their 120 available titles. With additional titles available and the expected price drops of Blu-ray players, sales volume may reach 100,000 Blu-ray discs in 2009, Deltamac pointed out. Asia Pacific vice president Tim Meade for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment pointed out that 5.64 million Blu-ray movies have been sold worldwide in 2008, adding up to 11 million sold since the format’s inception.
[digitimes]
Tags: Blu-ray News, Detamac
