Blu-ray Player Sales Still Down after Victory over HD DVD

The war between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc is over. But the winner seems to be little hesitant in increasing its demand. After all the companies including Toshiba dropped its HD DVD format, it was expected that standalone Blu-ray disc players will reach heights in their sales figures. But the latest study from NPD Group has got a totally opposite situation to indicate.

In the US market, the sales of the Blu-ray players noticed a huge downfall by 40 percent from January to February. At that time, the HD DVD dismay was in the midst. In March, the sale raised by a mere two percent. This thoroughly indicates that the price of Blu-ray players and media are not low to match up the mainstream economy class.

Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis, elaborated, “When we surveyed consumers late last year, an overwhelming number of them said they weren’t investing in a new next-generation player because their old DVD player worked well and next-generation players were too expensive. It’s clear from retail sales that those consumer sentiments are still holding true.”

According to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service, consumers plan to up-convert DVD players to enhance their DVD viewing, eliminating the need to buy the Blu-ray box.

It is true that Blu-ray offers premium video quality and features, however, for some consumers price does matter and that is why the masses are cautious of purchasing the player.

Let’s see how the retailers and manufacturers work to increase Blu-ray adoption in this holiday season.

eSys Divoom COMET-A1 Home Theater System Available in India

An affordable home theater system has entered Indian market from eSys Information Technologies, targeting at entry-level consumers. Named as Divoom COMET-A1, the home theater system boasts to offer in-home movie experience with its stylish and powerful speakers, remote control and audio technologies.

You will be entertained through the day with the true multi-channel 5.1 home theatre surround sound performance. It features 5.1 channel COMET-A1 system with 400 watts (RMS) of power, a slim AV receiver to support almost all A/V equipments such as DVD, VCD, MP3, PS2, TV, FM/AM and many more. Furthermore, it also includes 5 floor standing satellites with 20W speakers, 100W subwoofers, and pre-installed Dolby/THX hardware decoder to produce multi-channel sound from various stereo sources that include MP3 player, CD player or computer.

“Our Divoom COMET-A1 will surely prove to find favour with the consumers who like their favourite movies and music to be served in an exciting manner. We are confident that COMET-A1 system will not only amaze them with clear and crisp sound and impress them with its myriad features but also make their in-home movie experience really exciting!,” commented Vakul Bhatnagar, COO-Branded Business Group, eSys Technologies, India.

Available in twin-tone silver and black finish, the COMET-A1 is equipped with all the required inputs like optical and coaxial for outstanding connectivity. It also sports fully-functional digital led indicator, micro CPU control with auto memory function, high-quality FM/AM function with auto memory, virtual surround effect for stereo input and self-protection against over-voltage and over load.

Currently available nationwide, the eSys Divoom COMET-A1 home theater system costs Rs. 9000.

LHT888 New Home Theater System by LG

The new LHT888 Home Theatre has been introduced by LG. You can experience an excellent audio quality. Apart from the quality, it is user-friendly and comes with touch sensing controls. It supports file formats like MP3, JPEG and MPEG.

A bundle of characteristics that are worth considering are 700W 5.1-channel DVD receiver, wireless rear speakers, 1080p Up-scaling via HDMI, USB Media Plus, LG SimpLink multi-device control (HDMI-CEC) and HDMI output.

“LG’s latest home theater and audio systems were designed to meet consumers’ desire for advanced technology that doesn’t compromise the stylish design of their homes,” said Allan Jason, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Digital Media, LG Electronics USA, Inc. “Our new systems offer consumers the best of both worlds and truly complement the entire entertainment experience.”

Purchase your LHT888 through retail stores like Circuit City, Best Buy and also some other retailers for $649.95.

Harman Kardon unveils The Bridge II Docking Station for iPod and iPhone

Harman Kardon has announced the second iteration of its popular iPod docking station, The Bridge II. This sleek and handsome looking docking station looks beautiful with the iPod on it. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because what makes the The Bridge II a stunning iPod accessory is its ability to connect our favorite media player to a Harman Kardon The Bridge-ready audio/video component. It even lets us use the remote control to navigate through the iPod’s menu and select and play audio and video content.

The docking station also connects to the Harman Kardon DMC 1000 digital media center, the AVR 354 7.1-channel audio/video receiver and the HK 3490 stereo receiver. Don’t get too confuse about this product codes, as they are just some of Harman Kardon’s home entertainment products. In addition, the Bridge II also features an on-screen menu display, remote control operation and charging.

This uber cool iPod docking station will be available sometime this summer and will sell for $129 and would even include an AVR 354 receiver. And yes, it also with the iPhone and its got the “made for iPod” mark.

Icon W series of home theatre speakers by Klipsch

Klipsch announces its new Icon W speakers that will enhance your home theatre experience. These slim enclosures deliver an amazing sound performance. The Icon W Series has five models which include WF-35 and WF-34 floorstanding speakers, a WB-14 bookshelf speaker, a WC-24 center channel and a WS-24 surround speaker.

All these speakers come with Klipsch XT Tractrix Horn-loaded technology. This all new engineering horn technology helps deliver even better output and low-distortion sound.

Noted Tony Ostrom, Klipsch director of product marketing: “When this project began, our goal was simple: to create a new family of products that will bring the Klipsch mantra - power, detail and emotion - to a new generation of audio enthusiasts who demand aesthetically pleasing products that still deliver outstanding sonic performance.”

The WF-35 and WF-34 floorstanders each offer three high-output fiberglass cone woofers that measure 5.25 inches and 4.5 inches respectively. The powerful ceramic motor structures, unleashes the kind of bass you hear and feel. It has a premium 1-inch titanium tweeter which is mated to an 80-degree by 80-degree round Tractrix. The speakers’ high frequencies are delivered by Horn with XT technology.

The WB-14 bookshelf utilizes one 4.5-inch fiberglass cone woofer, on the other hand WC-24 and WS-24 have two. All the models use 1-inch titanium diaphragm compression drivers. Wall mount applications are provided by the threaded insert on the WB-14 and dual key hole brackets on the WS-24. If you want a more compact system then use the WB-14 in place of the floorstanding models. For added bass you can add Klipsch Xw-500d or XW-300d subwoofer can be added to the system.

Pair of WF-35 and WF-34 floorstanders are priced at $1499 and $1199 respectively. A pair of WB-14 bookshelf model is priced at $599 while you will have to pay $499 for each WC-24 and $749 for a pair of WS-24 surrounds.

Dress up your MP3 player

Apple’s ubiquitous little device holds everything, from Bruce Springsteen’s greatest hits to the most recent episode of your favourite serial. It comes in a few bright shades and a handful of sizes. Now, there are plenty of bells and whistles to accessorize your music player.

Motorola’s smartphone

If you are looking for many of the features of a smartphone but without the smartphone price, you might consider the Motorola Moto Z9. In addition to its phone functions, it makes digital photos, shoots videos, has GPS navigation, plays music and can access the Internet. The phone, which is exclusive to AT&T, is available for $99 with a rebate and a two-year contract, and it works with all of the services on AT&T's high-speed G3 network. It is set up to download music from the AT&T music store, though it can also use other services such as Napster and Pandora. With a wireless Bluetooth headset, you can listen to the music in stereo. The phone works with AT&T's Video Share service, allowing you to stream video to another Z9 or any compatible phone for an extra fee. You can also get Cellular Video, which lets you watch on-demand news, TV shows and some content created specially for mobile phones.

Glassmania

How often have you found yourself saying, “If your eyes had only seen what I've seen"? Slip on a pair of $100 sunglasses from ThinkGeek.com, and you'll never have to utter those words again.

A 1.3 megapixel digital camera embedded in the frame can snap a picture of 1,280 x 1,024 pixels when you push the shutter button above the right temple.

If lifting your hand to your glasses is too revealing, there's also a quarter-sized remote that activates the shutter from your pocket.

The lens is small by necessity, leading to a tiny bit of blurring on the edges of the image, but the sensor can still take well-exposed pictures inside during the day.

If someone asks why the black plastic frame is a bit thick, just explain that there is an MP3 player built in. Two earbuds dangle from the ear rests, and you switch tracks with the same buttons that control the camera's shutter. A flash drive also encased in the frame can hold 1 gigabyte of music and photos, which can be downloaded through a USB port. Finally, the polarized flip-up lenses even tame the glare of the sun.