S-video is dead on A/V receivers--do you care?

S-video inputs are disappearing from A/V receivers. Sony was one of the first companies to drop S-video on the STR-DG810 in 2007, and in 2008, both the Sony STR-DG920 and Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K went without S-video jacks. Yamaha's new 2009 A/V receivers were announced last week, and it was no surprise that the company followed suit and dropped S-video connections on its entire RX-V65 line. It will be interesting to see if any manufacturer includes S-video on their new 2009 A/V receiver lines.

In 2007, we knocked the STR-DG810 pretty hard for lacking S-video. In 2009, however, the case for keeping S-video seems pretty weak. Almost every new video gadget these days comes with HDMI, and the most popular standard definition device--the Nintendo Wii--also works with component video, which will look better anyway. While early Blu-ray players included the connection as a standard-def backup, newer players like the Samsung BD-P1500 and Insignia NS-2BRDVD drop S-video completely, offering only a composite video connection.


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Philips prepares super-charged connected HDTVs

The upcoming Philips 9704-series HDTV is designed to wow with an impressive list of features--on paper at least. For starters, these new-generation LED-backlit LCD TVs are said to deliver a staggering 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast or more than twice the performance of current Samsung and Sony offerings. Furthermore, they also have 200Hz motion-enhancement engines and Philips' proprietary Ambilight Spectra 3 ambient lighting system.

To implement the connected TV functions, the Dutch company has gone the Wi-Fi route instead of wired Ethernet. This allows hassle-free wireless multimedia streaming from DLNA-certified A/V devices as well as Web access including YouTube via its Net TV module. To top it off, these panels will ship with a generous spread of five HDMI 1.3 inputs, beating just about every current HDTV available in Asia in terms of sheer quantity.

According to its spokesperson, the Philips 9000-series (which may include the 9704-series) will be launched throughout South East Asia in the second half of 2009.

Via hdtvlounge

Philips triples its Blu-ray player offerings

Philips is replacing its current BDP7200 Blu-ray player with not one but three new 2009 entries. The upcoming lineup now comprises the BDP3000, 5000 and 7300 targeted at entry, midrange and high-end market segments, respectively. Although there're many conflicting online reports, we believe they'll all feature film-centric 24 frames-per-second Blu-ray playback, 1080p DVD video upscaling and DivX Ultra compatibility.

For 350 euros (US$447), the flagship BDP7300 supports all the latest Blu-ray capabilities ranging from BD-Live's advanced interactivity to onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound decoding. We've also just received confirmation that the BDP3000 and BDP7300 will be launched in Singapore in May and June, respectively.

Via hdtvlounge

Has Blu-ray moved from early-adopter to early-majority phase?

Just got a press release from UK-based Futuresource Consulting that claims, "Consumers are on target to buy in excess of 100 million Blu-ray discs (BD) across the USA, Western Europe and Japan this year, with sales of High Definition capable LCD and plasma TVs and continued dramatic reductions in BD player prices continuing to fuel interest in packaged HD content despite the economic downturn."

Mai Hoang, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting says that, "In the US, BD has moved from early adopter phase through to early majority, with the format gaining real traction in the marketplace." She adds that last year in the US alone, BD video retail sales increased 320 percent to 24 million units and the momentum would continue in 2009, with over 80 million disc sales forecast.


Read more »

Philips triples its Blu-ray player offerings

Philips is replacing its current BDP7200 Blu-ray player with not one but three new 2009 entries. The upcoming lineup now comprises the BDP3000, 5000 and 7300 targeted at entry, midrange and high-end market segments, respectively. Although there're many conflicting online reports, we believe they'll all feature film-centric 24 frames-per-second Blu-ray playback, 1080p DVD video upscaling and DivX Ultra compatibility.

For 350 euros (US$447), the flagship BDP7300 supports all the latest Blu-ray capabilities ranging from BD-Live's advanced interactivity to onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound decoding. We've also just received confirmation that the BDP3000 and BDP7300 will be launched in Singapore in May and June, respectively.

Via hdtvlounge

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