Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. announces its Elite® BDP-09FD flagship model has become the world’s first Blu-ray Disc® Player to achieve THX® certification and that its Elite® EX Series in-wall speakers have attained THX Select2™ certification. These products complement Pioneer’s current top-of-the-line Elite A/V Receivers that are the world’s first and only THX Ultra2™ Plus Certified receivers to feature Class D digital amplification. When used alone or as a system, Pioneer’s comprehensive line of THX Certified audio and video products deliver faithful reproduction of multi-channel entertainment that is unmatched by any manufacturer. Attendees can experience the dynamic capabilities of Pioneer’s home theater products in its sound demonstration room at booth #3009.

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“Pioneer recognizes THX as the industry benchmark for rigorous, unbiased testing and endorsement of high performance home theater products,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president of home entertainment business solutions group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “As true A/V specialists, our engineers have worked relentlessly to craft a full line of products that rival the movie theater experience, which not only meet Pioneer’s strict principles for faithful reproduction of content, but now feature THX certification.”

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LG Electronics today announced the addition of the high-definition streaming movie service from VUDU, Inc. to the LG Wireless Network Blu-ray Player (model BD390). With VUDU, consumers can instantly buy or rent from an extensive library of movies and TV titles, including an industry-leading catalog of more than 2,200 high-definition (HD) movies. The BD390 with VUDU will be demonstrated here this week at the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) EXPO 2009 (Booth #2623).

The addition of VUDU service to the BD390 adds yet another content provider alliance to the "NetCast Entertainment Access" family of features, which already includes access to hundreds of hours of Netflix, Roxio® CinemaNow®, and YouTube(TM) streaming content. Available later this month through a free automatic upgrade, consumers will be able to enjoy VUDU, as well as other exclusive entertainment options at the click of a remote.

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Offering the best of full HD 1080p and streaming Internet video, Sony today introduced the BDP-N460 networked Blu-ray Disc(TM) player. Beside playing Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, the device instantly streams one of the largest collections of premium and free on-demand entertainment from the BRAVIA(TM) Internet Video platform including thousands of movies, TV programs, and music from YouTube, Slacker, and, later this fall, Netflix.

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"Whether its Full HD 1080p or streaming video and audio from the Internet, entertainment comes in so many flavors that consumers want choice," said Chris Fawcett, vice president of Sony Electronics' home audio and video business. "Leading the entertainment experience, Sony brings the best of both worlds together in one player that offers more content than other stand-alone devices on the market."

The BDP-N460 Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD player delivers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema(TM) output, decodes the latest advanced audio codecs, and is BD-LIVE(TM) capable with your broadband internet connection and purchase of external memory.

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NETGEAR®, Inc., a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today launched the newest Internet-connected set-top box in its popular "Digital Entertainer" product family. The new Digital Entertainer Live (EVA2000) is an easy-to-use and affordable Internet set-top box that enables viewers to play their digital media collections, YouTube videos and a wide range of other Internet content on big-screen TVs. Rather than having to watch downloaded movies and online videos on small computer screens, families can now enjoy media collections stored on USB storage devices, computers and network storage directly on their HDTVs, from the comfort of their couch.

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In addition to personal media collections and YouTube, consumers can now easily browse, download and play newly released pay-per-view movies from Roxio CinemaNow(TM). They can also view videos on their TV from a wide variety of Internet sources, such as Hulu, Netflix® and CBS, through free software trials and optional subscriptions. The Digital Entertainer Live incorporates all of these functions into a single compact player, an advantage for cluttered home entertainment cabinets.

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Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the availability of YouTube™ on select Samsung Blu-ray players. Owners of the BD-P1600, BD-P3600 or BD-P4600 Blu-ray players will be able to enjoy user-generated content on YouTube by uploading the value-added service at no additional cost. The new service will be on display publicly at Samsung Booth #925 at CEDIA EXPO 2009, taking place September 10-13 in Atlanta, Ga.

When connected to a wired or wireless internet connection, Samsung Blu-ray players deliver a wealth of online entertainment at the user’s fingertips. YouTube can be easily accessed by simply pressing a button on the remote control from the main screen. One can choose to watch the most popular or highly rated videos. Videos can also be searched via a mobile phone-like on-screen key pad. The categories listed make the user experience very similar to that on the website.

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Whether you are looking for the best performance in high definition entertainment or looking for a refreshingly designed and well featured Blu-ray Disc player, Philips has the right product for you. Further securing their leading position in delivering the ultimate home cinema experience, Philips now extends its Blu-ray range with exciting new products offering both, superior quality and refreshing designs.

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The new flagship Philips Blu-ray Disc Player BDP9500 raises the bar in performance and quality with its sophisticated Qdeo video processor and its premium design in solid 3mm aluminum. Even on Blu-ray, the video processor eliminates annoying noise effectively without affecting sharpness, improves colors without disturbing the balance and brings greater depth to the picture without becoming unnatural. Coupled with a best-in-class audio performance ensured by the use of Burr-Brown analogue to digital convertors, it ensures that your Blu-ray experience gets even more immersive and closer to reality. DVD playback benefits as well, as this new flagship player provides the most advanced high definition up scaling technologies available on the market to breathe new life into your existing DVD collection.

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Toshiba America Consumer Products L.L.C. ("Toshiba"), a market leader in home entertainment products, underscores its commitment to high-definition entertainment with the introduction of its first Blu-ray Disc player. The BDX2000 provides Full HD 1080p digital output that when coupled with a REGZA(R) LCD TV, enables consumers to enjoy the superior quality of high-definition audio & video content.

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Supporting BD-Live(TM) (Profile 2.0), the BDX2000 allows users to take advantage of interactive features through an Ethernet connection. With interactive content enabled on select Blu-ray discs and Bonus View(TM) support for picture-in-picture capability, Toshiba's Blu-ray player offers state-of-the-art home entertainment.

Complementing the player's stunning picture quality, design is an integral component of Toshiba's home entertainment products. This new Blu-ray Disc player boasts a faceted design featuring a smoked mirrored front panel. The stylish front panel dropdown door conceals the player's primary functions, allowing for a smooth, clean facade.

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Today, Sony reveals the newest additions to its Blu-ray player line up, the BDP-S560 and BDP-S760, and its latest AV Receiver, the STR-DN1000. All three products are designed to provide you with the latest in powerful technology, such as 7.1 surround sound and pristine 1080p picture quality, without compromising on style.

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Both the BDP-S560 and BDP-S760 are fully Wi-Fi-enabled using Wireless-N, the fastest and most reliable wireless system. They are also Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) enabled, which means that by pressing a single button on the WPS enabled router a secure connection from your player to the wireless network is established. Similarly, the STR-DN1000 allows you to enjoy a surround sound experience without wires, using S-AIR (Sony Audio Interactive Radio Frequency) Digital Wireless Ready technology to connect to your wireless speakers.

The wireless capability of the BDP-S560 and BDP-S760 also means it's even easier for you to run firmware updates for your player via the Internet and to experience the exciting possibilities offered by BD-Live(TM). More and more titles are utilising BD-Live(TM), allowing you to enjoy bonus content such as additional scenes, trailers and movie-based games.* Both Blu-ray players are DLNA(TM) certified, allowing the transfer of JPG files from other DLNA(TM) enabled devices, such as your VAIO PC, even if they're not in the same room.

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blu-ray logo.pngThe Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced its plans for incorporating 3D into the widely successful Blu-ray Disc format. The rapid and enthusiastic consumer adoption of Blu-ray Disc, coupled with the format’s technical capabilities and capacity make it the ideal format for bringing a vibrant 3D experience to consumers.

“The BDA intends to take full advantage of the format’s high bandwidth and capacity to achieve the very highest possible quality 3D experience,” said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee Chair. “Just as Blu-ray Disc has paved the way for next generation, high definition home entertainment, it will also set the standard for 3D home viewing in the future.”

The BDA, comprised of major motion picture studio, IT and consumer electronics companies, is working on a uniform specification to ensure consistent delivery of 3D content across the Blu-ray Disc Platform. The Association is examining a number of criteria and at a minimum, the specification will require delivery of 1080p resolution to each eye and backward compatibility for both discs and players, meaning that 3D discs will also include a 2D version of the film that can be viewed on existing 2D players and 3D players will enable consumers to playback their existing libraries of 2D content.

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DivX, Inc. , a digital media company, and Film Fresh Inc. today announced that Film Fresh is the first U.S. download-to-own (DTO) online store to provide major motion picture titles from Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution in the high-quality secure DivX® format. With this new service available at www.FilmFresh.com, full-length Hollywood movies can be conveniently downloaded and played on the millions of DivX devices that have shipped into the market, including DVD players, digital TVs, gaming consoles, Blu-ray disc players, and portable DVD players. Consumers have the freedom to transfer their DivX movies via DVDs, USB drives, SD memory cards, and portable hard drives, or streamed over a home network for playback on other registered DivX Certified devices they own--all on supported products from top consumer electronics brands such as LG, Philips and Toshiba.

Film Fresh is an online film destination offering a one-stop shop for movie lovers of all types and ages at www.FilmFresh.com. In addition to Film Fresh's large catalog of Hollywood movies and films from around the world available on DVD and via download, the site offers daily commentary on new films, and extensive opportunities for audiences to communicate using the latest social networking applications.

Titles available for download at Film Fresh will include the latest weekly Hollywood releases; recent popular films such as Pineapple Express, 17 Again, 3:10 to Yuma, Hancock and Watchmen; arthouse titles like The Lives of Others, Religulous and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; contemporary horror films such as My Bloody Valentine and the Saw franchise; classics like Glengarry Glen Ross, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Reservoir Dogs; popular franchises like Spider-Man, Harry Potter, The Matrix and Batman; plus a variety of films for children, including Stuart Little. The catalog of Film Fresh Hollywood titles in the DivX format is expected to grow quickly as new releases from all four studios become available for digital distribution.

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