Thread: SACD capable Blu-Ray players unveiled by Sony at CES 2010

Posts: 9

Post by DragonFly January 11, 2010 (1 of 9)
From the Curious Timing Dept. --

Not too sure what to make of this, but apparently Sony has announced new Blu-Ray players at CES which will be capable of playing SACD:

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10424297-269.html?tag=mncol;title

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2010/01/05/sonys-first-dedicated-blu-ray-3d-player-bdp-s770/

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2010/01/05/sony-updates-blu-ray-players-with-monolithic-design/


If this is actually true--I hope it might encourage more studios to release new material. I doubt it is signaling a shift in Sony's strategy, but one can only hope.

Post by DragonFly January 11, 2010 (2 of 9)
Seconds after posting this I notice this fact is mentioned in the 'What can we expect from SACD this year'? thread.

Sorry for the double-post. :/

Post by seth January 11, 2010 (3 of 9)
I'll say what I said on Audio Asylum about this:


"My guess is that they keep making SACD hardware so they can keep the format alive and continue to collect royalties on the patents."

Post by The Seventh Taylor January 11, 2010 (4 of 9)
DragonFly said:

Seconds after posting this I notice this fact is mentioned in the 'What can we expect from SACD this year'? thread.

... and in the 13 Million SACD Players thread. Never mind.

It's great to see 10 new SACD players introduced.

> "My guess is that they keep making SACD hardware so they can keep the format alive and continue to collect royalties on the patents."

Not so sure. The division that collects royalties is probably a different one than the division making the expenses for SACD hardware. It is in Philips (which probably helps explain why they stopped).

Post by Fitzcaraldo215 January 12, 2010 (5 of 9)
DragonFly said:

From the Curious Timing Dept. --

Not too sure what to make of this, but apparently Sony has announced new Blu-Ray players at CES which will be capable of playing SACD:

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10424297-269.html?tag=mncol;title

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2010/01/05/sonys-first-dedicated-blu-ray-3d-player-bdp-s770/

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2010/01/05/sony-updates-blu-ray-players-with-monolithic-design/


If this is actually true--I hope it might encourage more studios to release new material. I doubt it is signaling a shift in Sony's strategy, but one can only hope.

We can all thank Oppo with its brilliant BDP-83 for forcing Sony back into the SACD game with its Blu-ray machines.

Post by rammiepie January 12, 2010 (6 of 9)
Ditto that but I notice that SONY is implementing HDMI V 1.4, 3D capability, wi fi, netflix streaming and a new host of other compliments but OPPO certainly paved the way. And this month's HOME THEATER Magazine gave a thumbs down on digital streaming of movies for its low bandwidth (compared to blu-ray) so I'm in no rush for that "gimmick" as I like my movies and music in as full a bandwidth as possible. I just wish SONY would enter the Pop, Rock SACD market again but at least this is a move in the right direction.All these new sacd compatible machines flooding the market need more diversity in new SACD music release department and perhaps this is a portend of things to come!

Post by Fitzcaraldo215 January 13, 2010 (7 of 9)
rammiepie said:

Ditto that but I notice that SONY is implementing HDMI V 1.4, 3D capability, wi fi, netflix streaming and a new host of other compliments but OPPO certainly paved the way. And this month's HOME THEATER Magazine gave a thumbs down on digital streaming of movies for its low bandwidth (compared to blu-ray) so I'm in no rush for that "gimmick" as I like my movies and music in as full a bandwidth as possible. I just wish SONY would enter the Pop, Rock SACD market again but at least this is a move in the right direction.All these new sacd compatible machines flooding the market need more diversity in new SACD music release department and perhaps this is a portend of things to come!

Well 3-D is going to be the next wave, requiring new players, new processors, new displays and new HDMI. I frankly have no interest, although I plan to see Avatar in 3-D. Notice how hardware manufacturers always tout must-have new features to boost sales? Then, there are few if any actual releases by studios to take advantage. Whatever happened to deep color? All my equipment has had that capability for over 2 years, but there is yet to be a single release. 7.1 channel gear is ubiquitous, but the number of actual releases using it is quite small indeed. If you go back a ways, remember cable-ready TV? I am just scratching the surface. And, so it goes.

Of course, many people notice this and get cynical, so that when a real, important breakthrough, like Blu-ray, comes along, they think it's another industry scam.

Post by DSD January 13, 2010 (8 of 9)
I'm looking forward to Blu-Ray virtual reality players. They have to get the weight and cost of the head gear down first. For the full experience one would really need a full-body pod though.

I would love to be inside a movie, perhaps a virtual reality Star Trek away-mission to a strange new world. I wonder if this will happen in my lifetime?

Post by seth January 13, 2010 (9 of 9)
rammiepie said:

Ditto that but I notice that SONY is implementing HDMI V 1.4, 3D capability, wi fi, netflix streaming and a new host of other compliments but OPPO certainly paved the way. And this month's HOME THEATER Magazine gave a thumbs down on digital streaming of movies for its low bandwidth (compared to blu-ray) so I'm in no rush for that "gimmick" as I like my movies and music in as full a bandwidth as possible.

The only way to see true 1080p is on Blu-ray. I really wish studios, cable providers, cable channels, etc. worked on making 1080p broadcasts a reality instead of shifting to 3D.

Until someone can stream 1080p -- which is many years away -- I'll stick with renting Blu-rays from Netflx.

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