Handy Gadgets

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Toshiba SD-P71S portable DVD player. 'The SD-P71S lacks the USB port found on the SD-P91S, which leaves CD and DVD as the only way of playing back multimedia files, but the rest of the sockets are exactly the same. There are two headphone ports, AV input and output minijack sockets (for which you'll need the supplied adapter cable) and a 3.5mm coaxial digital audio output, which feeds Dolby Digital and DTS bitstreams to surround sound receivers. The unit supports DivX movies (version 6), MP3 audio and JPEG photos from recordable CDs and DVDs, plus it'll spin DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R discs created on DVD recorders. When fully charged the battery lasts for three hours, which isn't as good as the five hours offered by the SD-P91S but should still allow you to squeeze in a film or two.'

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the LG DP391B portable DVD player. 'A collection of buttons covering all of the player’s key functions sit along the top and right side is, whereas on the left you’ll find a small selection of sockets. Among these is a mini USB port (with a USB adapter in the box) that enables you to plug in a USB flash drive and play digital media files; plus an AV minijack input/output to feed composite video and stereo audio to your TV and sound system, should you want to watch DVDs on the big screen. There’s no digital audio output, however, so you’ll have to make do with stereo sound. Twin headphone jacks allow two people to listen to the DP391B simultaneously, while on the opposite side is a three-in-one card reader (SD, MMC and Memory Stick), which will no doubt come in handy when the 256MB of internal memory is full.'

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Posted by Admin at 10:10 PM | Permalink

A review of the Philips DCP951 portable DVD player with Ipod dock has been posted over at Pocket-Lint. 'The Philips DCP951 is top of the pile of three new portable DVD players launched by Philips. The design, like other Philips home entertainment products, is glossy black with the 9-inch 16:9 ratio screen taking centre stage. Beneath the screen are a number of shortcut keys for controlling DVD playback - play, pause and skip - and these are set in the speaker panel which offers a slightly tinny rather than bassy sound.'

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Posted by Admin at 10:05 PM | Permalink

A review of the Samsung HT-BD2 Blu-ray Home Cinema System has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'All of the processing and amplification takes place in the main unit, which pumps out a respectable 1,100W (RMS) or power, which works out at 135W per channel with 155W for the sub. The built-in disc drive obviously plays Blu-ray, but it also spins DVDs (upscaling them to 1080p if you want), finalised DVD-RW/-Rs and CDs, and you can also play MP3 and JPEG files from recordable CDs and DVDs. However, the unit is locked into Blu-ray Region B and DVD Region 2 and you can forget about DVD-Audio playback, which would have been a nice bonus feature for fans of hi-res music

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Posted by Admin at 5:18 PM | Permalink

Trusted Reviews have publsihed a review of the Pioneer DV-410V DVD Player. 'In stark contrast to its bulky premium players, Pioneer's budget decks are traditionally slim and snazzy and the DV-410V continues that trend. It's certainly attractive, but in a way that will appeal to tech-geeks rather than interior designers. Available in black or silver, the deck harbours no minimalist pretentions - its fascia is unashamedly busy, packed with everything from menu controls and playback buttons to logos and a USB port, the latter allowing you to plug in memory sticks and other devices and play back digital media files.

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Posted by Admin at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Pioneer DV-600AV DVD player. ‘As ever, the Pioneer's user interface is exemplary. It revolves around the central Home Menu screen, which uses jazzy graphics and icons to make it look more sophisticated than the uninspiring GUIs found on too many other players. The layout is also easy to digest, breaking things down into the key areas to help you find things quickly. Despite the dodgy ghost-white finish, Pioneer also deserves praise for the remote's instinctive operation thanks to the intelligently arranged and well-labelled buttons. It also helps that the unit is very responsive to remote commands.’

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the DV-LX50 DVD Player which plays a variety of formats including DVD-Audio, Super Audio CDs, DivX, MP3, Windows Media and JPEG photo files. 'Pioneer has been specializing in high-end DVD players like this for some time, and its latest flagship model is aiming to keep the company's fine reputation intact. The DV-LX50 is a universal player, which means it plays DVD-Audio and SACD as well as DVDs and CDs. This makes it not only the perfect deck for videophiles but music lovers too. But one of the most impressive aspects of the DV-LX50 is its flawless build quality, the foundation of which is a rigid, double-layered chassis that allows the disc mechanism and optical pick-up to operate with maximum stability. As a result, this isn't one of those wafer-thin, lightweight decks - it's big, chunky, heavy and proud of it.'

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A review of the Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-Ray Player has been posted over at Think Computers. 'As you would probably expect, setting up the Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray player is much the same as getting a regular DVD player connected to your television and home theater system. Around the back of the player, you'll discover the usual smattering of ports, including everyone's favorite HDMI. You could of course dial it down to component or composite, but the sole reason why you would want to get this player in the first place is to enjoy native HD content. So, you should either go with HDMI or DVI for video. The Blu-ray player booted up without a hitch and I liked the hinged door that "hides" the disc tray. The gentle blue lighting is also a very attractive touch. I should also note that this device will also accept CDs and DVDs, as well as BD and BD-R discs.'

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Posted by Admin at 4:26 PM | Permalink

A review of the Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player has been posted over at CNET Asia. ‘While the Sony PlayStation 3 may have an integrated Blu-ray player, Microsoft is doing its best to blunt that possible competitive advantage with a next-generation DVD player of its own for the Xbox 360. Dubbed simply Xbox 360 HD-DVD player, the fairly basic external drive connects to the Xbox 360 via a USB cable. Like the 360 itself, you can either stand the drive upright or lay it down horizontally. Whichever way you go, the whole outboard concept is a little awkward, but the drive's S$299 (US$190.23) price tag is quite reasonable considering that today's standalone HD-DVD players start at S$999 (US$635.58). Better yet, Microsoft is also throwing in an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.’

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Posted by Admin at 10:04 AM | Permalink

CNET have posted a review of the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD high-definition player which plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, CD, audio CD-R & CD-RW along with HD DVD high-definition discs. ‘The design of the HD-A2 is a welcome upgrade over the bulky, industrial-looking HD-A1. The HD-A2 has a comparatively slim-line chassis, with measurements coming in at about 2.5 inches high, 17 inches wide, and 13.5 inches deep--a full inch and a half shorter than the A1. The front panel is glossy black and sloped forward, which gives it a unique look among more boxy components.

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Posted by Admin at 9:17 PM | Permalink

CNET have posted their review of the LG Super Multi Blue HD player which plays back both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. 'One of the first things you might notice when you look at the BH100 is that there are absolutely zero buttons on the front panel, not even a button to open and close the disc tray. What are you to do when the remote goes missing? Well, there are actually five touch-sensitive buttons located on the top of the unit. This arrangement is stylish, but it introduces a slight design issue--you can't stack other components on top of the BH100 if you plan on using the buttons. The other problem we had is that the buttons don't stay lit up, which makes them a little difficult to see in a dark home theater environment. Aside from that, we were actually pleasantly surprised by how well the buttons work--sometimes touch-sensitive buttons can be finicky, but these were nearly flawless in their responses.'

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Posted by Admin at 3:20 AM | Permalink

Technology Review have published a review of the two competing second generation movie disc formats from Sony and Toshiba. 'From the HD DVD camp I tried Toshiba Corp.'s $499 HD-A2 player. In the other corner of the ring swaggered Sony Corp.'s BDP-S1 Blu-ray disc player, which lists for $999 but is available for less. As a cheaper alternative, I also looked at the Blu-ray function of a $599 PlayStation 3 from Sony. Our review of the first Toshiba HD DVD player, the HD-A1, in September noted that it was a massive affair that took a minute to start up and another to load the movie disc. The first Blu-ray player, from Samsung, was met by similar complaints, and appeared to degrade image quality slightly.'

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Posted by Admin at 11:24 AM | Permalink

Gizmodo have come into possession of one of LG's BH100 (Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD High-Definition) Players and have posted their "First review' of the gadget which is capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. 'Right off the bat, I'll tell you that the rumors that the HD-DVD compatibility is half-assed are absolutely true. One of HD-DVD's strongest points is its interactive menus and video features, like the ones we wrote about in our Fast and the Furious HD-DVD review. This player didn't support the menus on this movie, and some of the special features, like being able to repaint a race car in the movie, were only found when I manually skipped to the chapter. Even then, the only thing you can depend on is that the movie will play. Which may be enough for many, but not enough for those who want the most from both formats.'

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Posted by Admin at 12:24 PM | Permalink

Toshiba has launched its HD-A20 second generation HD DVD player at the Consumer Electronics show (CES). 'At CES, Toshiba is introducing the new HD-A20, which is expected to retail at $599.99. With the 1080p capabilities of the HD-A20, Toshiba has taken high definition to the next level at an attractive price point. The HD-A20 joins the existing Toshiba HD DVD line-up which includes the entry level HD-A2 and the top of the line model, HD-XA2. This expanded line of products offers enhanced functionalities of the HD DVD format and is proof of Toshiba's commitment to the smooth transition to the next stage in high definition entertainment.

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Posted by Admin at 12:34 PM | Permalink