ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player, Check out this latest player

I stumbled on this delicious media player recently and wanted to share with all of you. 

I hope it will be available in MY soon. 


Source : Asus


ASUS Brings High Definition Entertainment to the Living Room with the O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player
The Easiest Way to Stream and Enjoy a Wide Range of High Definition Content on Large-screen TVs at Home

Taipei, Taiwan, June 2, 2009 – ASUS, the leading provider of intelligent and innovative home theater PC solutions, announced today the first member of its new O!Play Series digital media player line: the O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player. Aimed at providing stunning 1080p Full High Definition entertainment across a wide variety of media formats, the O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player boasts several exclusive features—such as a Music Shuffle feature and ultra-fast eSATA interface—for the best living room digital entertainment experience.

Stunning Full HD 1080p Resolution and Vast File Format Support

The O!Play HDP-R1 is currently the world's only High Definition media player which supports an extremely wide range of file formats, including MPEG1/2/4, H.264, VC-1, and the popular RM/RMVB. With the O!Play HDP-R1, users can share their videos and photos instantly from their PCs and notebooks in enhanced clarity and high definition with friends, family and colleagues—all in the comfort of their living rooms or conference rooms.
Exclusive Music Shuffle Feature for One-touch Music Playback

The O!Play HDP-R1 is the first high definition media player to provide a music shuffle function via a dedicated button on the remote control. With a simple touch of a button, the O!Play HDP-R1 collates all the music files in storage and then starts playing the music in random order. With the music shuffle function, users can enjoy their tunes both instantly and effortlessly without having to manually import any music files into the O!Play HDP-R1.
Exclusive eSATA Support—6 Times Faster than USB 2.0

While high definition content delivers stunning images, it also requires huge bandwidth to render the image quality to perfection. With the exclusive eSATA interface on the O!Player HDP-R1, users can experience up to 6 times faster transfer speeds* as compared to USB 2.0, virtually eliminating any delays in delivering high definition entertainment to the user.
Easy Access to Networked Content with LAN Support

The O!Player HDP-R1 is equipped with LAN support which allows users to stream their files effortlessly from their PCs—doing away with manual transfers of multimedia data from one device to another. Users can simply download and keep the multimedia files in their notebooks or PCs and still be able to enjoy them through the O!Player HDP-R1, be it in the living room or study.

Specifications
Supported video formats MPEG1/2/4, H.264, VC-1, RM/RMVB
Supported video file extensions .mp4, .mov, .xvid., .avi., .dvix., .asf, .wmv, .mkv, .rm, .rmvb, .flv, .ts, .m2ts, .dat, .mpg, .vob
Supported audio formats MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG, WAV, FLAC, AIFF
Supported image formats JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF, TIFF
Supported subtitle formats SRT, SUB, SMI, SSA
Outputs 

* HDMI
* Composite Audio/Video
* Optical Digital Audio

Inputs 

* USB2.0 *1
* eSATA/USB2.0 combo port *1
* RJ-45 LAN port *1
* DC Power In

Dimensions 181.0mm x 125.3mm x 47.7mm
Power source 12VDC, 2A
Power consumption <10W

Samsung's LA40C530/550 LCD HDTV

Product Description
From the Manufacturer
(March 2010) 
The Samsung LCD 530 HDTV brings you the powerful picture quality, vivid colors and stunning clarity of Full HD 1080p resolution. Not to mention a handy ConnectShare input that enables you to connect a thumb drive or digital camera quickly and easily, and a user-friendly interface that allows you to access videos, music playlists and pictures via remote. It’s entertainment made easy. Samsung’s Wide Color Enhancer delivers the entire spectrum of color and luminance for rich, saturated images that pop. 



Key Features 
Screen Size: 40 inches 
1080p HD: Enjoy the powerful picture quality, vivid colors and stunning clarity of Full HD 1080p resolution.

ConnectShare Movie: Connect a thumb drive or digital camera quickly and easily. User-friendly interface allows access to videos, a music playlist and pictures via the remote. 

Exceeds ENERGY STAR Standards: Up to 43% more energy efficient than ENERGY STAR 4.0 minimum standards. 

Game Mode enhances dark areas, sharpens the picture, speeds up the image processing response and enhances the sounds of your games. Picture and sound quality optimized for the special needs of gaming systems at the touch of a button. 
Wide Color Enhancer Pro delivers the entire spectrum of color and luminance for rich, saturated images with intense detail. 

10 Watts x 2 audio power stereo broadcast reception: Supports multichannel sound (MTS)and second audio program (SAP) with 181-channel capacity. 
DNSe: Delivers high-quality sound with more natural effects than conventional methods by reproducing the “genuine” stereo sound.

Warranty: 1 year parts and 1 year labor warranty (90 days parts and labor for commercial use), backed by Samsung toll-free support. 
Swivel Stand 
Connections


3 HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface):
2 back, 1 side
HDMI makes it easy to connect your home theater with one cable per component. 
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC): Allows peripheral AV devices such as a DVD player to be controlled by a Samsung TV remote control.

USB: 1 side

PC input: 1 back 
Dimensions


TV without stand: 38.2 x 23.6 x 3.1 inches (WxHxD); 32 pounds 
TV with stand: 38.2 x 25.7 x 9.4 inches (WxHxD); 38.4 pounds 

Wide Color Enhancer Pro
Delivers the entire spectrum of color and luminance for rich, saturated images with intense detail. Whereas blue and green shaded areas of the picture are washed out on conventional screens, wide color enhancer lets you experience more brilliant colors. Simply imagine a wider range of colors than you ever thought possible. 

ENERGY STAR

By being ENERGY STAR compliant you are assured that your Samsung model is helping the environment by using less energy while saving you money. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy promoting energy efficiency. 

Make the move to the smoothest LCD action ever. Samsung's LN40C530 LCD HDTV offers incredible color and rich clarity, all on a 40-inch screen. Add the power of Samsung's Wide Color Enhancer, for a picture that optimizes a given color's hue, resulting in more natural rendering of colors and lifelike action. Samsung HDTVs are also ENERGY STAR compliant, helping the environment by using less energy while saving you money. 

Optoma HD65

Specification: 

- Display Tech. 0.62 inch / 12 degree 720P DarkChip2™ DMD from Texas Instruments 
- Resolution Native 720p (1280x720) 
- Brightness (typical) 1600 ANSI Lumens 
- Contrast Ratio 4000 :1 (with Image AI™ ON) 
- Displayable Colors 134.2 million colors 
- Projection Lens F# 2.41~2.55, f = 21.79~23.99 mm,1.1 X manual zoom / focus lens 
- Projection Image Size 31.9 to 349.7 inches 
- Projection Distance 1.2m ~ 12m 
- Throw Ratio 1.55 ~ 1.7 :1 
- Keystone Correction Vertical ±30° degrees (TBD) 
- Aspect Ratio Native on 16:9 , 4:3 Compatible 
- Digital Image shift Up/Down, Left/Right digital image shift 
- Video Compatibility HDTV(480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i), 480i, 576i, Full NTSC, NTSC4.43, PAL, PAL-M, PAL-N, SECAM, HDMI(480i/p, 576i/p, 720p, 1080i/p), Computer capability up to SXGA+ 
- Input / Output Connections (Image) HDMI x1, VGA(Analog RGB, SCART, 
- Component) x1, Component YCbCr/
- YPbPr (RCA) x1, S-Video x1, Composite Video x1 
- (*)Support HDMI 1.3 
- Input / Output Connections (Control) +12V Relay output x1, 
- USB(service port) x 1, 
- IR receiver(front) x 2 
- Uniformity 90 % 
- Lamp Type 180-watt user replaceable lamp 
- Estimated lamp life 3000 hours (STD mode)
- 2000 hours (Britemodeä) 
- Power Supply Universal AC 100~240 volts, 50 / 60Hz 
- Operational Noise 29dB (STD mode) 
- Weight 2.0kg (4.5 lbs) 
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 259 x 188 x 73 mm 

Samsung BD-C5500 blu-ray player

I just received my Samsung BD-C5500 blu-ray player from forum seller commomtan today. As far as I know, this is one of the cheapest entry level BD player at RM399, the other being the Philips BDP3100. So far it plays all the DVD, BD and CD that I have tested and I must say it is very good value for money. For those of you looking for a budget BD player, this is highly recommended. If you are looking for a DVD player with HDMI output to play your DVD collection on your HDTV, it is better to get this BD player since it cost just RM100 more than those branded DVD players with HDMI output at RM299 (like Sony, LG, Pioneer, Toshiba, etc.) and you can move up to BD later.
Anyway, there may be other issues so the purpose of this thread is for owners to share their experience, solutions and tips for this BD player so owners can get the most out of it.
For starters, here are two physical differences that I know for those considering either the Samsung BD-C5500 or the Philips BDP3100 to use with your old AVR without HDMI inputs. The Samsung has only optical digital output while the Philips has only coaxial digital output. The Philips remote does not have the eject (tray open/close) button while the Samsung has, if this is important for you.
Hope other owners will share their experience here.

Yamaha RX-V467 Amplifier Review.

Features

Yamaha has spent considerable effort in getting the new RX-V467 as future-proof as possible by including the latest industry standards and features. Here’s a summary of the features:

• 5-channel 525W surround sound (105W x 5)
• HDMI 1.4 Support for 3-D Video and Audio Return Channel – HDMI has fast become the cable of choice for connecting today’s A/V components. The four HDMI 1.4 inputs on the RX-V467 let you simultaneously connect high-definition sources such as a Blu-ray player, a gaming console, and a cable/satellite tuner. As the latest standard, HDMI 1.4 adds 3D support and an Audio Return Channel. Audio content received directly by your HDTV’s tuner can be sent “upstream” to your A/V receiver, without the need for a separate S/PDIF audio cable.
• Yamaha’s proprietary Cinema DSP audio processing complements the new 3D TV technology and provides extra sonic dimension and presence to match the more involving 3D playback.
• Intuitive on-screen display for navigating entertainment options
• Surround sound audio decoders for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio.
• Deep Color (30/36 bit) technology, x.v.Color, 24Hz Refresh Rates, audio input assign capability for HDMI and component video inputs
• Auto Lip-Sync compensation which automatically eliminates audio/video sync issues
• Compressed Music Enhancer restores dynamics to music files ripped from CDs or downloaded from the Internet
• Adaptive Dynamic Range Control automatically increases the volume of softer dialog passages when overall system volume is turned down, and Adaptive DSP level
• Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) simplifies the setup process by automatically analyzing room acoustics and setting parameters for optimum sound quality at the touch of a button
• Silent Cinema technology makes it possible to hear large-scale surround sound through standard headphones–ideal for late-night home theater listening when the rest of the family is asleep

I bought this receiver based on other reviews of Yamaha receivers. I chose this over Samsung's current 5.1 and 7.1 receiver, because the Samsung units had lackluster reviews. I was curious about the Samsung receiver line because our television is a Samsung LED. 

I'm thrilled with the RX-V467. First, the quality is topnotch, which is something you can always expect from Yamaha gear. It's solidly built and feels that way. There's a huge heatsink inside, visible through the top vent. Second, it's feature-rich and surprisingly easy to operate given all the options at hand. 

I bought Polk Audio's SurroundBar and Polk Audio's PSW10 Subwoofer for this unit: What fantastic sound when you merge these items! For Blu-ray--also based on user ratings--I purchased the Sony BDP-360, and it works great with the Yamaha RX-V467 via HDMI-CEC. 

My Samsung UN55C6500 LED LCD television works great with this receiver. I'm even able to get some HDMI-CEC functionality between the receiver, TV, and Sony Blu-ray.

The remote control looks scary at first, but once I stared into it for a few seconds, I realized the forethought that went into it. I was able to set most functions in the receiver without cracking the manual. If you've used a receiver before, you'll likely find this unit and remote easy to operate. The remote can be programmed to operate other components in your HES.

The auto calibration microphone starts the process when you plug it in. A few remote clicks and you're done. Had to set the speaker size back to Large for the SurroundBar, however, as this is what Polk Audio recommends.

I love that you can name the inputs of the unit based on what you plug in; this makes it easy to see what AV input you've selected.

I've only scratched the surface. This unit has plenty of features to keep you busy if you like that kind of stuff.

Conclusion:

I recommend this receiver. As with all things, better units are available for MORE money; this unit delivers for the amount paid. If you're like me (moderate audio junkie) and need a unit for a medium-sized room (5.1 surround), I think you'll like this receiver. If you fancy yourself an audiophile and like to buy expensive audio and video cables because you think it helps, buy something more expensive.