Buffalo Intros External Blu-Ray HD DVD

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Buffalo recently announced the MediaStation Blu-ray HD DVD (BRHC-6316U2), its first external Blu-ray HD DVD player. It is the first device of its kind from Buffalo in the market that allows users to both read and write Blu-ray content. It provides the ability to save high-definition content, giving users an all-in-one solution to meet their entertainment needs.

Users can also connect the player to a notebook or other mobile device via USB and view their favorite video content while on-the-go. In addition, the player allows for playback of HD DVD content.

The Blu-ray HD DVD player also comes with Nero’s proven software for playback and burning, which allows for seamless integration with all recent versions of Microsoft Windows. Backed by a limited one-year warranty and toll-free technical support, the MediaStation Blu-ray HD DVD will be available in May 2008 for Indian market at a price of Rs 45,000.

Sony Unveils First Internal Blu-ray Disc Drive

Sony Electronics unveiled its first internal Blu-ray disc (BD) ROM drive (BDU-X10S) for the computer. The drive offers consumers an option to upgrade their desktop to a Blu-ray player, which can also play DVDs and CDs.

The BDU-X10S now comes bundled with the CyberLink’s PowerDVD BD Edition software for playing movie titles, recorded Blu-ray disc home videos, DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs. It also supports playback of recorded Blu-ray discs in MPEG-2 or H.264 format, standard DVD-Video discs or recorded DVDs encoded with MPEG-2 or AVCHD formats.

The internal drive allows fast and easy transfer of data or videos through its high-speed Serial ATA (SATA) interface.  Its standard 5.25-inch form factor enables easy installation in desktop PCs running Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems.

Other technical specifications include,  8x DVD ROM (Read Only), 24X CD-ROM (Read Only), data buffer size of 4MB, physical dimension of 5.25 x 1.63x 7.0 inch and installation angle supporting both vertical and horizontal.

Sony BDU-X10S is available through Rashi and its branches throughout India for Rs. 16,950 and enjoys one year warranty.

Sony PS3 Set To Enable Downloads

Sony announced that its PlayStation 3 is poised to take the next step in the evolution of the Blu-ray Disc format.

The firmware update, due soon, will update the PS3 to Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, also referred to as BD Live. BD Live enables Internet-connected activities such as multiplayer gaming, e-commerce, downloading new content, and social networking.

BD Live impressed crowds earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show, where Sony demonstrated downloading ring tones and new content to a BD Live player. Sony announced last October that the PlayStation 3 would support BD Live. Now, it appears that the PS3 will be the first Blu-ray Disc player to support this latest advancement in the Blu-ray format. Sony Electronics’ own forthcoming BD Live-capable players aren’t due out until this summer and fall.

Director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, revealed the news in his latest blog entry, ahead of the company sending out a press announcement.

The first titles to take advantage of BD Live are due out on April 8 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: The 6th Day and Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story. The extent of the BD Live features on these titles remains unknown.

Releasing this firmware update is a pretty cagey move on Sony’s part. Since the PS3’s release, frequent updates to the system have brought boatloads of needed features on-board — including the ability to upscale standard-definition DVDs.

Research and disc sales show that consumers are using the PS3 as a Blu-ray player. The PS3 played a role in the growing volume of Blu-ray disc sales, which in turn prompted Warner Brothers to back Blu-ray Disc exclusively at the start of the year. Warner’s move led to the format war with rival HD DVD.

Other multimedia additions for the upcoming release include the ability to copy PlayStation 3 Music and Photo playlists to a PSP system (previously, you could create Music and Photo playlists on the PS3, but couldn’t export them to a PSP). Another feature for PSP users: turn your PSP into a remote control, for playing back music files on your PS3 without turning on your TV. You can also play long DivX and .WMV format files (over 2 GB).

Disc playback has been enhanced, to allow resume play: You can pick up where you left off on a DVD or BD disc, even if you’ve ejected the disc and inserted a different movie or game in the interim.

Finally, Sony says the PS3’s Internet browser now displays some web pages faster. You can also save file files locally or to external storage media via the PS3 web browser.