More updates on Samsung's HD players

If you haven't heard, Samsung has axed the BD-P2400 and is delaying the worldwide launch for its dual-format BD-UP5000. The good news for HD wannabes in Asia, however, is the BD-P1400 which is slated for release in Q4 2007. Though we were warned that these launch dates are tentative, the Korean company has lined up the BD-P1400 and BD-UP5000 for November and December, respectively. There are currently no pricing details, but you can expect an emerging price war with another upcoming universal HD player that we have on our radar.

What's cool about Samsung's new HD entries are their unique capabilities. The third-generation BD-P1400 will join the Pioneer BDP-LX70A as one of the rare Blu-ray players to support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstream outputs. The highly anticipated BD-UP5000 does one better by delivering a player that supports both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs. It's also outfitted with a videophile-grade HDV processor which pretty much guarantees better quality DVD video upscaling. Both sets are loaded with Ethernet ports which make them potential players for interactive content (HDi and BD-J) downloading.

Do note that the actual shipping units of the new Samsung players may be differ slightly as some of the features mentioned above are based on preliminary specifications we received at the IFA tradeshow earlier this year.

LG gives its HTIBs a champagne glass facelift

When it comes to aesthetics, you can trust the Koreans to go over the edge with fancy designs. It started off with the Samsung Bordeaux-series LCD TVs with their wine glass-inspired flat panels and now we have LG following suit. As part of its Design Art home theater systems, the electronics giant is launching two models featuring speakers modeled after a champagne glass. Each of these sleek tall-boy speakers is dressed in stylish piano black and has a two-way design with dedicated tweeter and woofer for better sound reproduction.

Though we believe LG could have done a little better than naming them HTZ62TZ and HTZ762PZ, these sexy home-theater-in-a-box sets are, nevertheless, equipped with all the latest technological bells and whistles. Both pack powerful 700W digital audio amplification, offer 1080p DVD upscaling and ship with Simplink-ready (HDMI-CEC) HDMI terminals. Onboard USB playback has not been forgotten, too, though we are still awaiting confirmation on its capabilities.

The S$799 (US$575.32) HTZ62TZ and S$699 (US$503.31) HTZ62PZ are perfect complements for its LB9R-series LCD TVs from the same product line and are now available in Singapore. There was no further information on launch details for the rest of Asia.

Answer the phone with a universal remote

We've long had a love-hate relationship with universal remotes (mostly hate), so we're conflicted over how to view this model being developed in Australia. On one hand, we hold the general view that most universal remotes are evil, as they rarely work as promised; on the other, a version like the "Telemax III" would come in mighty handy because it has a built-in handsfree phone--which, in fact, might be the only way we'd ever answer a call while watching TV.

The Telemax is still only in prototype stage, though designer Tiller + Tiller hopes to have it in production worldwide by 2009 or so. The only thing that seems a little weird is its form, which Gizmag describes as "shaped like a small tray". Then again, it could be a good way to hold a bowl of chips.

Via Crave CNET

LG refines plasma's contrast via "G" platform

Getting tired of reading news on LCD TVs? Here's an interesting piece from LG for you plasma advocates. The Korean company has a new "G" platform plasma TV now on display at FPD International 2007, Japan. What is interesting here is the set's over-the-top 30,000:1 contrast ratio. It's unclear whether this is tied to its dynamic or native performance, though it is definitely ahead of the 20,000:1 rating promised by the latest Pioneer Kuros. If that's not enough, there is also 100Hz frame rate-doubling technology which should further reinforce plasma's already strong motion reproduction.

Available in various sizes from 32- to 60-inches and resolutions up to full-HD, these new-gen plasma TVs are slated for release from Q4 2007.

Via Fareastgizmos.com

Countdown to Onkyo's premium HD-DVD begins

Heads up people! We have just received insider news that the Onkyo DV-HD805 will be launched at the upcoming International Sound & Sight Exhibition in Singapore on November 16. For those uninitiated, this is probably the first HD-DVD player in Asia capable of outputting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD bitstream audio output. It will be an ideal tool to unlock the HD soundtracks recorded on HD-DVD titles, paired with a next-gen A/V receiver. A fine example is the award-winning yet affordable S$1,019 (US$733.73) Onkyo TX-SR605.

The DV-HD805 is also a competent video-upscaling DVD and CD player. The video playback performance for the former is reinforced with an enthusiast-grade HQV video processor, while high-resolution 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters are on hand to beef up stereo music reproduction. There's no official word on HDi interactive feature support, though there is short mention of "future Web-based content access" for its Ethernet port functions.

Take note that the above-mentioned features are still based on preliminary specifications and the set will be priced at a whopping S$2,899 (US$2,087.41) tentatively. On a separate note, the Onkyo DV-HD805 bears a cunningly similar resemblance to the Toshiba HD-XE1, right down to the buttons and A/V socket placements and LCD information display. Hmm… so who's the original equipment manufacturer for both players here?

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