Would you like a 35 poung DVD player? How about one that upscales DVDs to 1080p over HDMI? Then the Canadian company Classe has just the thing for you. It also includes a bunch of other high end features like XLR outputs and a $6,500 price tag.

HD Beat - 35lb, $6,500 1080p upscaler DVD player

HDR = High Dynamic Range

Remember that acronym, because it may become the next big thing in television. HDR is already a big deal in computer graphics. It allows you to store more information in an image, partially to make it easier to control how an image seems lit. You also get a much better range of contrast. The only problem is that you only get a small idea of what HDR is like because no displays inherently support HDR. Not so any longer. BrightSide Technologies has a prototype HDR display which looks stunning.

bit-tech.net - BrightSide DR37-P HDR display

Samsung, in its quest to beat Sony and all others to the top of the hill, wants to double its LCD sales by 2010. They also plan to introduce 100″ models by 2010.

TechNewsWorld - Samsung Moves to Double LCD Sales by 2010

Of course I’ve been wondering about 1080p over HDMI a lot recently. I always look for its mention in reviews of 1080p television sets, and have only found one so far (the HP).

But once you have a 1080p set with an 1080p input, what do you play on the thing. I always point out that the PS3 will have 1080p outputs. But that’s there, not here. What about here?

Well, Denon has a $4,000 upconverting DVD player that can put out 1080p, according to the 1080p Whip. It features “Denon Pixel Image Correction technology and Advanced AL24 Processing”.

Also, the Whip mentions the NeuNeo HVD2085 which is supposed to come out with a firmware upgrade that does the same thing. For $3,800 less. Go figure.

1080p Whip - Denon 1080p DVD upconverter

Pioneer is introducing to the Japanese market a couple HDD/DVRs with HDTV support. They can record HD directly to the HDD, and it allows burning of HDTV material to DVD, but I think they downrez it first, the press release is a little ambiguous. It says “It allows users to move high-definition digital video recorded in the HDD to a disc at a higher picture quality than before.” Hmmm.

The player has an HDMI output and scales 480i video to 720p or 1080i, if so desired. Previous Pioneer players have allowed 480i passthrough on the HDMI output, no mentioned is made here of this feature. (It’s a feature that could be useful if you have a better outboard scaler than the one in the player.)

Pioneer Intros High-end HDD/DVRs

In a major move for Sanyo, they are cutting 14,000 employees as part of a 3-year restructuring plan. Part of that plan is to exit the DVD player, DVD recorder, and VCR markets to focus on the development and promotion of HD-DVD hardware. It still plans to manufacture parts for Blu-ray hardware, though.

CDRinfo - Sanyo to Exit From DVD players, Focuses on HD DVD

The two top Chinese manufacturers, Amoi Electronics and Sichuan Changhong Electric, have voiced support for the HD-DVD format. This is a crucial win for Toshiba because Chinese manufacturers are largely responsible for the low DVD player prices we see today (and hence Sanyo’s leaving the market). This announcement will surely mean that HD-DVD players will come down in cost quickly.

CDRinfo - Major Chinese DVD player Manufacturers to Support HD-DVD

So you have an HDV camcorder, but you don’t know what to do with all that footage? It would be nice if all that HD footage of your children prancing in the wind could be transferable to an optical disc format. HD-DVD and Blu-ray aren’t here yet, so what do you do? Well, if you have a DivX HD DVD player, you can play back HD content on it. And now you can burn HD content to normal DVDs with Roxio Toast 7.

DivX, Inc., the company that created the revolutionary, patent-pending DivX video compression technology, today announced that Roxio Toast 7 from Sonic breaks new ground by becoming the first third-party software to include comprehensive support for DivX 6 and enable users to encode, decode and playback content using the latest in innovative video compression technology. Support for DivX 6 also provides Mac users with the ability for the first time to turn iMovie HD and Final Cut HD projects into true High Definition DVDs that they can enjoy in the comfort of their living room on their DivX HD-enabled DVD player. Toast 7 is the latest product from Roxio to support DivX technologies, which are also integrated into Roxio’s award-winning Easy Media Creator 7.5.

eHomeUpgrade - DivX Enables Powerful Video Compression and HD Features in Roxio Toast 7

I mentioned Philips’ DVD player that can output high-res video on its component outs the other day. I was surprised that a mainstream company like Philips wasn’t constrained to just put out HD on the HDMI/DVI output. Most players do just that, and Sound & Vision has a review of three of them: the Toshiba SD-5980, Samsung DVD-HD950, and the Panasonic DVD-S77. Looks like they thought the Panasonic had the best picture quality.

As with the other players, the Panasonic’s HDMI and progressive-scan outputs yielded identical-looking images from my front projector. Yet both produced better-looking video than the Toshiba or the Samsung players. The DVD-S77’s video prowess came through vividly in the Monsters, Inc. DVD. Sulley’s fuzzy hair had the kind of lifelike detail (both horizontally and vertically) that’s supposed to be the hallmark of progressive-scan reproduction, but is all too rare.

Sound & Vision - DVD+HDMI: Three players that know how to keep it digital

Philips has another DVD player that upconverts the signal to 720p or 1080i. We’ve seen this before, and it’s a technology that’s starting to become pervasive. Reading the press release, though, one little line grabbed my attention.

Philips is promising high definition standard picture and sound quality with the launch of its most advanced DVD/SACD player to date – the DVP9000S. By utilising sophisticated video processing technology, the DVP9000S will let you enjoy DVDs in 720p or 1080i high definition via HDMI or YPbPr connection, while incorporating sophisticated internal circuitry and DSD upsampling to guarantee excellent audio performance.

Did that just say “720p or 1080i high definition via HDMI or YPbPr connection“? Unfortunately, I’ve only got a second-hand source for this press release, as I couldn’t find it on the Philips website. But still, if this is true, it is a truly liberating thing for those many people out there with older HDTVs. Previously, all upconverting DVD players that I know of only allowed upconverted 720p and 1080i signals to go out on the DVI or HDMI output. Only 480i or 480p signals were allowed on the analog connection.

Can anyone confirm this?

CyberTheater.com - Philips launches new, highly affordable HD upscaling DVD player

Some guy named Danny over at eHomeUpgrade wonders why more studios haven’t released titles in the WMVHD format. This made me wonder: why haven’t more studios released titles in the WMVHD format?

Harr harr.

But Danny really does have a good point. WMVHD uses the VC1 codec (to be used by both HD-DVD and Blu-ray) to store HD content onto normal (red laser-based) DVDs. Cool, huh? Because the VC1 codec is so efficient, it’s easy enough to do. And that way we don’t need to wait for the results of the HD-DVD / Blu-ray format war before we get our movies in HD! You know, though: this is something that consumers would like and appreciate. So it’s doubtfull that Hollywood will be on it anytime soon.

Link: eHomeUpgrade - WMV HD DVD Players

The impending format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD is becoming more and more likely as the devices approach manufacturing. As unfortunate as a format war is, it seems more and more likely as neither side wants to give in.

This article discusses some of the technical differences between the two formats, and what makes it difficult to reach a compromise.

Link: DVD format duel heating up

High volume HD DVD disk creation is underway. This does not look good for any potential Blu-ray / HD DVD agreement. Some manufacturers just want their goods on the market, and don’t seem to have much concern for the end user who has to make the choice, and perhaps get burned.

The HD DVD Promotion Group today announced that momentum is building for the launch of HD DVD. Several key manufacturers in the disc replication and equipment industry simultaneously confirmed the manufacturability of HD DVD discs at high volumes and provided tangible data to prove feasible and realistic production. They are poised to mass produce HD DVD discs, which will deliver a wide variety of options for high definition content later this year.

Link: Yahoo Finance - HD DVD Gains Further Momentum as Commercialization Approaches

CNET News.com reports that Blue-ray Disc players will be using Java!

“The Blu-ray Disc Association, the standards body for the format, has decided it will adopt Java for the interactivity standards,” said Yasushi Nishimura, director of Panasonic’s Research and Development Company of America… “This means that all Blu-ray Disc player devices will be shipped equipped with Java.”

And what will it be used for?

Java will be used for control menus, interactive features, network services and games, Nishimura said.

One of the more interesting ramifications of this is:

The inclusion of Java in Blu-ray DVD drives will enable DVD updates over the network… That gives you the ability to download content. If somebody adds subtitles in Croatian, you don’t have to bake those into the disc. You can do that afterwards.

Link: CNET News.com - Java to appear in next-gen DVD players

If like many of us you can’t wait for blue laser HD disc players to hit the market, but you’re willing to buy a red laser DVD solution for HD, then JVC has a solution. Their SRDVD-100U player can play HD material stored in MPEG2 or Windows Media 9 (WM9) formats. HDV camcorders are already available, so this is a great way to burn all that material.

“The industry isn’t going to wait for blue laser players. The onslaught of high definition programming brought about by HDV cameras and recorders demands a readily available disk playback system now,” said Tim Tokita, product marketing manager for JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY. “The SRDVD-100 is the perfect complement to our new ProHD lineup of cameras and recorders. JVC is proud to deliver an innovative product that meets the demands of the professional market.”

The machine has a DVI/HDCP output and component analog outputs as well, with resolutions of 720p and 1080i both supported.

In addition, the SRDVD-100 includes a front panel USB 2.0 connector to view other media files stored on solid state memory from a digital camera or from external hard disk drives. The SRDVD-100 supports most media types including USB Memory Stick, I-O Data HDD products, and any FAT16/32 storage device or card reader.

Link: JVC Professional - JVC Unveils Affordable Pro HD DVD Player

[Update 25may05: ultimate AV has some coverage with pictures]

At its line-up show in New Mexico on May 19th, Toshiba announced a whole slew of products. FST PURE CRT televisions, DVD recorders and players with upconversion capability using HDMI, Plasma, and LCD displays, and even 1080p DLP displays were all in evidence. Read the rest of this entry »

Not to be confused with the upcoming HD-DVD format, this is a normal (well, super-normal) DVD player that can play HD content stored on DVDs. Also, it will upscale normal DVDs to 1080p or 1080i. If you want to play DVDs with HD content, you’re choices will be limited to the few DVDs with HVD on them. But it’s still quite cool. I’d love to see what this thing looks like hooked up to my HDTV. I’m unsure of the benefits of upscaled DVD (my TV already does that anyway) but native HD content from this thing would look great!

Link: bytesector.com - NeuNeo Review