Never wanting to be a step behind the stand alone Blu-ray players, Cyberlink just released the latest version of PowerDVD that adds a few nice features including support for 3D Blu-ray Discs. Now of course you'll still need a 3DTV and a video card that supports stereoscopic output -- which are actually pretty common -- and of course a 3D Blu-ray Disc. The last might be the toughest to come by though as none have reached retail shelves by themselves yet. Both Samsung and Panasonic are including 3D Blu-ray Discs with their 3D bundles, but that isn't much help to HTPC fans who might already have a 3D display. Assuming you have everything else, the $99 for the Ultra 3D version shouldn't be too hard to swallow but if you still aren't sure, you can try it out the 14 day trial before you buy.

PowerDVD Ultra 10 bring 3D Blu-ray to HTPC fans originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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People just love to hate on DRM and honestly we understand, in fact we hate DRM as much as anyone. But like we've said in the past, as much as we hate it, we aren't willing to lie to paint it in a bad light -- the facts do a good enough job by themselves. The latest from a few chicken littles is that after December 31st 2010, Blu-ray Discs won't play in HD via analog outputs. Now anyone who's followed Blu-ray and AACS knows that the analog sunset is nothing new and is not good news. But the fact is it only applies to new Blu-ray players released after said date. So in other words it does NOT apply to all the players currently on the market. This of course means that the Blu-ray player you installed today will continue to work the same ways it does today for years to come. Now to make matters worse, some have confused the AACS's analog sunset policy with the Image Contraint Token. While both are bad for consumers, they aren't related. The analog sunset defines the types of outputs a Blu-ray player has, while the ICT is per title and affects all Blu-ray players no matter when they were manufactured. The other important point about the ICT is that studios have had the ability to implement since it since the first HD DVDs shipped, but has never been used. Each studio announced its plans not to use the ICT for the foreseeable future, but the rumor is that the ride might be over this year, or next. The only good news about the ICT is that the outside of the box must be marked if its used, so at least you know before you buy.

Bottom line is that any player or disc you buy today will be playable as long as you own it. So as long as the player doesn't break, it'll continue to output HD via its analog outputs and any Blu-ray disc will continue to work the same way it did when you bought it. Everyone knows that analog will die one day -- and for good reason -- but lets not run around and pretend that the Blu-ray players and discs we buy are going to somehow self destruct any time soon.

Analog HD from Blu-ray isn't going anywhere originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The whole portable TV thing never really caught on in the States, so we're left looking longingly from afar at offerings like the Panasonic DMP-HV100 and DMP-BV200. Both are 10.1-inch sets that sport 1024 x 600 resolutions and, while either can tune DTV over the airwaves, they can also connect wirelessly (with an optional WiFi dongle) to a Panasonic DVR and stream content. The 200 model can also act as a sort of bulky PMP, playing back a variety of media formats from an SD card, including DivX and H.264. It's good stuff, but there's no price attached and, at this point, no release date either -- not that they're likely to ever hit the US, anyway.

Panasonic's portable Digital Viera TVs handle more than prime time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Say hello to Harman International's home, media and mobile updates for the spring, bringing its audio expertise to those who aren't quite ready to step up to its higher end line of standalone receivers and the like. Promising to perfect the audio performance of any car audio setup in just 10 minutes, the $799 JBL MS-8 is as interesting as it is specialized. The HKTS 20 and HKTS 30 ($699 / $899, March) are standard 200w 5.1 surround sound setups, and while they promise improvements over their predecessors the Go + Play Micro boombox ($399, March), On Time Micro & 200P clock devices (both $249, April) and On Stage Micro II ($129, April) probably aren't hiding anything too surprising underneath those iPod docks, but we'd suggest perusing the gallery just to be sure.

Harman Kardon, JBL spring forward with refreshed audio lineups for 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's no surprise that Best Buy is encouraging customers to pick up Samsung's 3DTV and Blu-ray player at the same time, but smart buyers should doublecheck to make sure they're actually saving money before they walk out of the store. Next week's advertisement does feature Best Buy's price on the UN55C7000 that's $300 lower than the MSRP, and grabbing the display and player all at once gets a free Starter Pack throw in with two pairs of glasses and the Monsters vs. Aliens flick, but the $3,419 package deal at the lower right and its "$780" savings?. That claimed price throws in a $150 Geek Squad install to set up the TV, connect WiFi and "sync your 3D glasses," while also including the TVs price and $349 estimated Starter Kit value. While there might be some customers who don't know their HDMI from their WEP key who can save that way, we're figuring most Engadget readers can keep a few bucks in their pocket and hook things up themselves, and if you're looking to grab another pair of glasses, it's probably important to save anywhere you can. The real insult here however, can be found to the right, encouraging buyers to pick up The Blind Side right away, instead of waiting to rent from Redbox or Netflix.

Best Buy's 3D bundle pricing isn't as much of a deal as it appears originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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