Wize Blog

LG DN798 DVD Player Video Review

This DVD player has 1080p upconversion via HDMI Output. Makes DVD movies look a little better. USB port in the front so you can view videos, hear music from different devices on your TV. Here's the video--

Inspiron 1525 Comes with Blu-ray Drive

Dell's adding a Blu-ray drive to its Inspiron 1525 notebook. The notebook costs $879 and you can get a Blu-ray burner for another $200. (Did you know that a A Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB of data, vs. 8.5 GB available on the typical DVD disc?)

The laptop has HDMI output so that it can be connected to a HDTV.

The computer can be configured with the following specs:

Intel® Core™ Duo T2370 (1.73GHz/533Mhz FSB/1MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista ® Home Premium Edition
Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
1 GB RAM
Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini-Card
Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
28 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (4 cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0

The Inspiron 1525 comes in a variety designs and/or colors.

What is BD-Live?

With PlayStation 3 BD Live support coming soon,  Blu-ray players have one more thing going for them--Internet access.

You'll be able to play games with others online, download content and use social networking sites.

Earlier this year at the CES 2008, Sony used a BD-Live player to demonstrate downloading items from the Internet.

PlayStation 3 (rated 96 at wize.com) definitely steps up to the plate with the new BD-Live capability, which is due out in late summer or early fall.

Below is a video that explains how BD-Live works:

HD-DVD Loses Format War

The HD-DVD format's days are numbered. Toshiba announced today that it is giving up it's drive to become the high definition video standard.

The final blow to the format happened when WalMart opted out on carrying the HD-DVD format, leaving only Blu-Ray on its shelves.

Throughout the high definition format saga, wize.com has kept its ears and eyes open as it followed the HD-DVD's last days on the market.

Although the plug-pulling of the HD-DVD players isn't official yet, sources have said that by next week it will be.

So long HD-DVD players.

If you have one, grab all the movies you can in that format, as it looks likely there will be no more.

5 Quality Blu-Ray DVD Players Rated

Since Blu-ray is the format that many large companies are drifting to for customers' high def player needs, you might want to know what these beasts cost and how they're rated.

Here are a few:

Panasonic DMP-BD10 High Definition Blu-Ray DVD Player costs $548; rated 94 at wize.com

SONY BDP-S1 Blu-ray costs $800; rated 89 at wize.com

Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-Ray Disc Player costs $549; rated 89 at wize.com

Pioneer BDP-95FD Blu-ray player costs about $1000; no rating yet

Panasonic DMP-BD30K - Blu-Ray disc player costs $439; rated 92 at wize.com

Free Offer and Price Drop to Save the HD-DVD

Microsoft dropped it's price for the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 (rated 95 at wize.com) to $130 from $180.

That's not the only deal you get when you buy this dying breed of high definition DVD player; you can also get 5 free movies when you purchase one. All you do is submit your receipt with the price and date circled with a form and Toshiba/Microsoft will send you the HD-DVDs.

Matt Peckham seems to think that the next thing Microsoft will do is come out with an external Blue-ray for the Xbox 360.

Whatever happens, I believe, that in two or three years, the HD-DVD players and DVDs will be hitting the garage sale circuit.

10 Reasons HD DVD Loses Player War

It was up in the air as to what format would win out in the high definition media player war--HD DVD (wize.com rates the Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player costing $300 a 93)
or Blu-Ray (wize.com rates the Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-Ray Disc Player costing $549 a 92).

Looks as if HD DVD, the cheaper player, is losing the war.

Here's 10 reasons why this is so:

1. Twenty companies supporting the HD DVD are about to take their names off of the I-support-HD DVD list.

2. Looks like Paramount will switch allegiances from HD DVD to Blu-Ray.

3. The PlayStation 3 game console has a Blu-Ray player in it.

4. Warner Bros. decided last week has gone the Blu-Ray way.

5. Sony, Apple and Dell support Blu-Ray.

6. Pony Canyon a giant Japanese company's going to support Blu-Ray.

7. One of the most influential  company that's still hinging its bets on HD DVD is Microsoft.

8. Blu-Ray disc sales beat HD DVD disc sells by 2 to 1 in 2007.

9. Disney's going to come out with "Sleeping Beauty" in Blu-Ray this Oct.

10. Members of the Blu-Ray Disc Association feel like they've won the format war.

Give Me My HP Pavilion HDX

They're calling it The Dragon. The Pavilion HDX is the newest laptop from Hewlett-Packard, a laptop that lets you watch movies and TV broadcasts in high definition.

Here's the scoop about the $2000 computer:
*400 GB hard drive (enough to hold over 150 full-length feature movies)
*HDX integrated audio 20.1-inch high-definition widescreen
*Options for HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc drives
*Hybrid TV tuner for watching high-definition or analog TV broadcasts
*Intel Core 2 Extreme processor
*Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTS graphics card with 512M bytes of video memory
*Four Altec Lansing speakers with a subwoofer
*Windows Vista Home Premium

Which will Rule Update--Blu-ray or HD DVD?

A competition this fierce (the battle between the blu-ray and HD DVD format) hasn't been seen since the fiercest format battle ever--the one between betamax and VHS format videotape in the 1980s.

While the betamax gave superior picture quality on the tube, the VHS format won the marketing battle.
VHS won out because it was capable of recording for longer times. Each format was incompatible with the other.

Today we have the Blue-ray vs. HD DVD formats competing with each other, and, again, each is incompatible with the other.

With respect to the later, Investors.com reported the following:

* HD DVD format players are considerably cheaper than blu-ray (some HD DVD players went for $99 over the holidays, while the blue-ray variety went for close to $300.
* Over twice as many Blue-Ray Disc players have sold than HD DVD players.
* About twice as many Blue-Ray Disc movies have been selling than HD DVD movies.
* Only Toshiba makes the HD DVD player, while many companies make the Blue-ray player.

According to the article, it's the movie studies who will ultimately rule what player becomes the standard. More major studios are going with Blu-ray. So, what's the verdict? There is none now. People are going to stick with DVD players until either one of the high definition format breaks ground as the only one offered.

HD DVD or Blu-ray?

What's next for movie watchers in the next generation of movie players? Right now there's only one standard for all movies--the DVD.

There are two formats that are competing to be the next generation standard for viewing movies--HD DVD and Blu-ray.

Both offer great movie watching experiences.

No one really knows which one will win out to be the one everybody uses, it's up to the movie studios to decide.

HD DVD

DreamWorks' "Shrek the Third" and Universal's "Transformers" are only available in the HD DVD format.

HD DVD players cost less and start at about $250.

XBox 360 supports HD DVD (with an attachment).

Blu-ray

Sony's "Spider-Man 3" and Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" are only available in Blu-ray.

Blu-ray players start at $400, more than HD DVD.

Sony's PlayStation 3 supports Blu-ray.

Source for this post is New York Daily News.