Pioneer beat 'em to the punch, and has subsequently managed to be rebadged by most everyone else, but now Philips is on the scene at Computex with a PC Blu-ray burner that boasts support for 50GB discs — once they're available. The drive still doesn't have anything as silly as a model number (though we're thinking it's the SPD7000 that they've been talking about for a while), but it does include CD burning support along with the DVD and Blu-ray burning, which is something Pioneer omitted from their BRD-101A. Philips can burn a 25GB disc in around 70 minutes at its 2x speed, and will support t…

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Not a ton of new specs to behold on this new Blu-ray player, but Philips's BDP7100 does everything it should (1080p output, HDMI CEC, 24p, True HD, and DTS HD support). No word if it's got HDMI v1.3 or Blu-ray 1.1, and Philips also neglected to mention the price and availability of this new Blu-ray player of theirs, but we still dutifully thank them for their morsels of information and sheepishly ask for a second helping of porridge, kind sirs. One more image after the break….

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You didn't think Acer's recent deal with the Blu-ray camp was an exclusive arrangement did you? No sir-e, not if this product sheet is to be believed. Though the details are hard to make out, those Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD logos make it pretty clear that the Aspire line-up of multimedia desktops are about to go both ways. The desktop will feature what Acer calls “Blu-ray Universal” which reads Blu-ray and HD DVD discs while burning DVDs and CDs. Sounds like an LG Super Multi Blue player to us. It's all said to be going down on October 1st, in Australia anyway. Do your best to make out the full …

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Like buses, you wait years for a combo HD player then two come along at once

South Korean gadget legend Samsung has unveiled its first Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player to the US public, the same week its country-sharing nemesis, LG, released a similar player. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com right this very second, for a tiny $800 (£400)The BD-UP5000 does everything a good Blu-ray player and a decent HD DVD player should.It supports the interactive features of both formats, Blu-ray’s BD Java and HD DVD’s HDi. It spits out hi-def video at resolutions up to 1080p at 24 and 60fps and it upscales to 1080p, we’re told.Other tricks up the BD-UP5000’…

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While the PS3's away, we will play Xbox 360. And in just a few weeks we'll be spinning HD DVD discs as well

This was meant to be the spoiler to the PS3 launch, except that Sony managed to do that all by itself. Instead, Microsoft will go into Christmas with its Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on a full four months before the Blu-Ray spinning PlayStation reaches these shores.So far, we have official word only of the Japanese launch. Lucky gamers there will get their hands on the player on 17th November. The ¥19,800 (£135) RRRP, complete with wireless remote, seems to confirm UK details leaked earlier this month by Gamesindustry.biz. It's predicted to have a £200 price tag, which includes two HD DV…

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Gadget of the Day: Blu-Ray movies
After months of talk and a whole lotta hot air, seven Blu-Ray movies went on sale in the US today. Here's how to get ‘em

Gadget of the Day: Blu-Ray moviesAfter months of talk and a whole lotta hot air, seven Blu-Ray movies went on sale in the US today. Here's how to get ‘em…

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Somebody, somewhere has to get their hyperbole under control when calling this Sharp's “first” Blu-ray player. Fact is, we've already seen the Sharp BD-MPC70, BD-HD1000, BD-MPC10, BD-HP1 (hint: BD = Blu-ray Disc) devices. Now if what they mean is that it only plays Blu-ray discs (no recorder, no receiver, etc), well, why even bother? Regardless, their new BD-HP20S is expected to ship in the fall and features HDMI 1.3 output in support of Dolby TrueHD's raw bitstream form. It will also feature a “Quick Start” option which plays newly inserted discs in just seconds. As a stand-alone player, we …

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So Toshiba has a budget HD DVD player? Well Sony's latest Blu-ray player is free – for BD burner drive owners anyway

BWU-100A owners have an early Christmas present today with news that Sony's released the long-promised Blu-ray playback update.So as well as burning hi-def footage to cavernous BD discs, suitably equipped Blu-ray fans can now watch it back, or take their pick from the modest collection of 1080p movies already released.Short of hanging on for a PS3, it's the cheapest Blu-ray spinning solution available and should make a nice addition to our Media Center PC. Just don't forget to add the extra cost of a compatible graphics card and monitor. Ouch.EssentialsBWU-100APrice: £600 (update availabl…

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Microsoft joins the HD-DVD fray with a bargain Xbox add-on that'll blow your tiny mind…

OK, so Santa brought you a spanking new HD-TV for your Christmas. Lord knows how he got it down the chimney, but the scarlet-clad fat fool forgot to leave the requiste kit to show off your new telly to its full advantage. You're going to be £500 lighter if you invest in a stand-alone HD-DVD or Blu-ray player - so enter Microsoft's new HD-DVD unit.After a touted November release, Microsoft's HD-DVD drive has finally hit the shelves. It plugs neatly into your 360, looks like a strange little dwarf brother of your big-boy console, and ships with an HD-DVD of King Kong to show off its hi-def …

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Add Blu-ray to your PC for a mere £125 – just don't forget the graphics card

Seems the PS3 is not the only route to cheap hi-def thrills. Phillips partner, Lite-On, is getting ready to debut a cut-price Blu-ray drive for PC movie watchers for a mere £125.Natch it won't burn BD discs but it will spin them and, provided you have a HDCP compatible graphics card such as the bargain basement ATI Radeon HD 2400, you can watch Blu-ray movies to your heart’s content on your monitor or an attached HD-ready TV.Incidentally, it turns out that the Xbox 360's external HD DVD drive is compatible with Windows XP should you want to watch a spot of Transformers with your Spi…

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