Increase in Sales of Children’s DVD & Blu-ray Titles July 26, 2010 — The British Video Association has published figures showing an increase in the sales of children’s films on Blu-ray and DVD. The study attributes the increase to dads caving more easily to “pester power”.
Sony Announces Date for PS3 3D Firmware Update June 2, 2010 — Sony has announced the launch date for a firmware update that will bring 3D-gaming capabilities to the PS3. But there’s no word yet on when the console will gain support for 3D films on Blu-ray.
First Blu-ray player from high-end manufacturer Krell April 12, 2010 — The American high-end manufacturer Krell will release its first Blu-ray player, the Evolution 555, early this summer. It’s expected to reach Europe shortly afterwards with a four-figure price tag.
Denon DBP-4010 UD To get the most out of this player, you should hook it up to one of Denon’s AV receivers. But, even if you don’t, the picture and sound are nearly perfect. Our biggest criticism goes to the disc drive, which is far too slow.
Marantz UD 9004 A player like the Marantz UD 9004 is a purchase for life, a timeless piece of high technology that seems to be built to last an eternity. Besides its excellent build quality, the UD 9004 shines with outstanding Blu-ray and DVD picture quality and high-end sound. The only irritating things about it are the long loading and navigation times.
LG BD 390 The BD 390 is a superb device that really can do everything: It delivers a first-class, extremely sharp, and colour-optimised Blu-ray picture, as well as YouTube videos and other multimedia treats. What’s more, the developers have provided every interface the modern home-cinema needs, and the player is quiet and economical.
Yamaha BD-S 1065 For a player that costs this much, we expect more than just BD-Live and photo playback. A slow disc drive and permanent flicker in DVD pictures add to the disappointment — these shortcomings are anything but state-of-the-art. Still, the Yamaha collects plus points for its excellent movie pictures and high-quality analogue and digital sound.
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim The new slim version of the PlayStation 3 outperforms its predecessor — as well as being smaller and cheaper! On the wider market too, the wide range of functions makes it nigh-on unbeatable — so long as you don’t mind high power consumption and audible fan noise. And for anyone who’s cursed the older model’s lack of bitstream, HD-audio output, you can rest assured that the Slim has rectified its predecessor’s folly.