Blu-ray hardware shortages should hit the European market at the worst time possible, this Christmas, according to Screen Digest research.
Screen Digest recently lowered its end of year Blu-ray forecasts because of this problem, in which the majority of the inexpensive players seem to be flowing to the U.S. and Japan markets. With the economic downtown a global phenomenon, U.K. consumers are most likely going to delay adoption since it will be hard to find these cheap entry level Blu-ray players.
As Screen Digest analyst Richard Cooper puts it, "A shortage of cheaper Blu-ray players means that he sub-$300 machines that are already appearing on U.S. shelves are unlikely to materialize in Europe this Christmas. Combined with the recession, this means the format is unlikely to move much beyond the early adopter market this year."
Still, th...Read More

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Here is a look at some leaked Wal-Mart Black Friday ad scans. As expected, the chain will be rolling out a $128 Magnavox Blu-ray player, marked off $70 from its current pricing.
Sorry for the little picture! But that's blog-life, yo :) But I think at this pricing, you now have a product that's truly competitive with other possible holiday gift items, such as navigational devices and iPods. You gotta get out there early though, as it looks like the deal is only valid between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Also, take a look at these recently released Blu-r...Read More

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Amazon.com is at it again with their 'Customers Vote' holiday contest, which lets people vote on their favorite deals for eventual purchasing. Featured deals, with the voting polls now open, include three different $199 PS3 bundles, which include games and such Blu-ray titles as Firefly, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the James Bond Collection. At regular pricing, these deals would be worth well over $500.
Winning deals will be determined over the next several days. A randomly selected group of voters will be notified by email on Dec. 3 telling them they can now race to purchase the product. There will be 500 units available of the winning PS3 bundle.
Outside of the PS3 round, there is also one that includes a $99 Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player (normally $29...Read More

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One of the biggest gamer sites, IGN.com, has launched a standalone Blu-ray channel, which will include reviews, clips and feature stories on the format. The channel will also break out what it believes are the 'Top 25 Blu-ray Discs,' which currently includes Sleeping Beauty, Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution Collection, WALL-E and Tropic Thunder.
IGN.com also promises to deliver exclusive studio Blu-ray content.
To launch its channel, IGN is holding a sweepstakes where the grand prize winner will score a Playstation 3, and IGN's current 'Top 25' Blu-ray Discs. Interested contestants can enter here and must apply by Dec. 19.
With Playstation 3 so central to mainstream Blu-ray adoption, IGN's new channel is an excellent move in the right dire...Read More

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BD-Live interactivity has some new tricks up its sleeve. Technology firm Related Content has figured out a click-to-call feature for Web-enabled Blu-ray owners. Through phone partner Nortel, a person send a photo from their mobile phone to a buddy's Web-enabled Blu-ray player, and the recipient in turn can use the model's remote control to click on the image in order to call their friends' phone back. 
At this point, there are no titles that offer this click-to-call feature. But I think it's admirable that developers are trying to advance BD-Live, which so far hasn't really taken off beyond the early adopter crowd.
...Read More

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I'm all for evolving technology. But I admit I'm on the fence about this just launched hybrid high-def LCD-TV, fully integrated with both PC and Blu-ray player. The company Silicon Mountain Holdings is touting this system, dubbed Allio, as a first of its kind machine and has bowed it at $2,199 starting pricing. A combo TV/PC/DVD player can be had for $1,599.99. Orders for the product can be made at www.visionman.com
You can either pick up a model featuring a 32-inch or 42-inch TV display. The system's PC comes in six different configuratoions, with the TV/PC/Blu-ray model featuring 250 GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. Thanks to the combination of everything, it'll be possible to play a Blu-ray in one window, watch ABC's Grey's Anatomy in anoth...Read More

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It's been long rumored as a killer BD-Live app: a filmmaker chats in real time with networked Blu-ray player owners about his or her film. That time has come on Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. PST, when Hellboy 2 director Guillermo del Toro will participate in such a Web-enabled chat. You can find the details here at IGN.com 
You can prepare yourself now, by logging onto www.UniversalHighDef.com to register, as well as submit questions for del Toro to answer.
Besides answering fans, the director is also promising to give behind the scenes info about Hellboy 2's production. The chat coincides with Universal's Nov. 11 release of the film on DVD and Blu-ray.
This is an excellent step for the Blu-ray format - so I have to give a huge&nbs...;Read More

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Confirming what we've seen for awhile at retail, ABI Research reports that Blu-ray set-tops are quickly sliding in price. ABI believes this is unexpected, considering products' biggest price declines normally hit closer to Black Friday.
The company singles out certain older models selling for under $200, which includes Best Buy's Insignia and Wal-Mart's Magnavox. Early Sony and Samsung models can also be found at that bargain tag.
ABI figures that at this rate a number of Blu-ray players will be docked to $150-$200 during the holidays.
This extent of these price drops "runs counter to many of the industry's original market forecasts and expectations," according to the company.

ABI analyst Steve Wilson explained, “Blu-ray vendors and dealers are starting to realize that for Blu-...Read More

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Here is Wal-Mart's grand pre-Black Friday offer! You can snap up a $399 Playstation 3 and receive a $100 gift card at the chain starting Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8 a.m. in stores. It's not clear if the same thing will be offered online.
It's debatable whether this is as big a deal as their $99 HD DVD players offered at the beginning of November last year. But although folks might have saved a bunch with those HD DVD player, people still wound up with a dead format device. At least Wal-Mart shoppers can be rest assured that the PS3 will go on for awhile.
Wal-Mart's gift card deal is a perfect offer for these tough economic times. Give the customers something extra, but keep them inside stores. There's a goo...Read More

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Wilco's anti-Blu-ray rant worked. Last week, Wilco email blasted fans about its rejection of an upcoming Blu-ray rollout of their I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary and the release. And one weekend later, the release has been indefinitely benched.
The film's distributor Plexifilm contacted the L.A. Times Pop and Hiss blog to confirm the development.
Plexifilm wants to first convince Wilco about the value of a Blu-ray release before it re-schedules its bow. In its email blast, Wilco didn't think Blu-ray would best play up Break Your Heart's extra grainy shooting style on 16 mm film. Additionally, Wilco band members warned fans about t...Read More

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Folks are complaining around the Web about playback issues on recent James Bond catalog Blu-ray releases. 
It looks like the bulk of the problems stem from people not installing the most updated firmware on their set-tops. For those lucky enough to have Web-enabled Profile 2.0 set-tops, the firmware can be accessed through direct downloads, and viewers can relatively quickly go back to watching Bond kick butt.
For people who don't have such BD-Live set-tops, they can download firmware onto recordable DVDs for play on their Blu-ray players. Manufacturers can also send out discs.
Various Bond titles play to various degrees on various set-tops spanning Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and Pioneer, according to complaints listed at the AVS...Read More

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Full disclosure: Wilco is my favorite band EVER. So it was hard at first to hear that they're knocking the upcoming Nov. 18 Blu-ray release of their documentary I'm Trying to Break Your Heart. You can read their email to fans here at The L.A. Times Pop & Hiss music blog.
Basically, Wilco is advising people not to purchase the Blu-ray version because it doesn't add anything to its earlier DVD release. Plus, the Blu-ray will run people about twice what the DVD cost. Apparently, its Warner Music Group distributor is releasing the Blu-ray version without the band's consent.
But upon reading the 'Consumer Alert' again, I have to give them props for their unabashed honesty. Wilco's film was intentionally done in an ultra-grainy home video camera s...Read More

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