Tonight, I attended a launch event with a number of the Insider Crew for the Panasonic DMR-BWT800 Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Recorder (henceforth called “the recorder”) at Panasonic HQ in Macquarie Park.
The Function Centre at Panasonic HQ
This was the first time that we had a go at live streaming the event so that Insiders who weren’t lucky enough to attend and those interstate. For the event, we used a popular video streaming service called USTREAM. There were some teething issues with the webcam contrast and making sure people used the microphones so the web audience could hear everything but I think it was pretty good for a first go.
The Insider Crew in Attendance
The event itself was pretty good with some very good nibbles on offer and a range of drinks (mineral water and orange juice was fine for me).
The Insider Crew Live USTREAM
We also got an overview of the DMR-BWT800 and a live demo of some of the key features of the device, in particular the recording function, a comparison of recording quality of a TV show in its original quality and the special “DR mode”. You’d have to be pretty close to notice the difference but at normal viewing distances you would be hard pressed to notice a reduction in quality. We didn’t get to see the 2D to 3D conversion though which was a shame but it was good to know that the 3D output was compatible with non-Panasonic televisions through the use of sequential frames at full HD resolution.
The 2011 Panasonic Blu-ray DVD Recorder Range
Another great feature is the ability to stream recorded content to other DLNA client devices either over Wi-Fi or cabled Ethernet. This goes some way to freeing the recorded content from the box in the living room so you can head elsewhere in the house for your viewing. I would have loved to have seen a solution that streamed content to devices outside the home like an iPhone, iPad or Android device but I guess there needs to be room for future innovation.
One amazing fact is with the included 1TB and recording in DR mode it’s possible to store 28 days of full HD video. That’s enough for every episode of every season of The Simpsons with space left over – pretty impressive.
That said, there is still the Foxtel dilemma – the only way it seems you can record to this device is via an analogue connection (so like a composite connection). If you have an IQ2 then that will have superior quality in comparison but it’s a shame that Foxtel content is locked down as much as it is and their set top boxes are crippled.
Anyway, it’s over to our lucky product testers now to do their thing and you can be sure I will be keen to get across everything they publish!
With a day to spare, I have completed the review video for the Panasonic SC-BTT75 3D Blu-ray Home Theatre Sound System. I received this system back in December last year and have put it through its paces across a range of activities including:
CD audio playback,
DVD videos,
Blu-ray videos (3D and standard videos),
regular television (primarily through the Foxtel IQ2),
console gaming (primarily with the PlayStation 3),
PC gaming.
As with previous videos it is available in high definition for those of you who would like to watch in the best possible resolution.
Some of the points I cover include:
similarities between this home theatre system and the Panasonic DMP-BDT300GN 3D Blu-ray Player,
audio and video quality,
DLNA functionality,
Viera Cast functionality and its relativity to the functionality found in the Panasonic Viera televisions,
rear speaker setup options,
Audio Return Channel (ARC) functionality.
As with the Panasonic Viera TH-P50VT20A Plasma 3D Television this unit is compatible with the Wi-Fi USB dongle that comes included with the Pansonic DMP-BDT300GN 3D Blu-ray Player.
Don’t forget, you can also check out the unboxing and preview videos if you haven’t already seen them.
If you download a lot of software (legally, mind you) sometimes they will come in the form of an ISO file which is basically an image of an optical disc (be it a CD, DVD or Blu-ray disc). Normally, these files had to be burnt to a physical disc before you could actually start installing the software. However, these days with huge hard drives and a slow shift away from optical media many people opt not to burn ISO files to disc and instead mount them as a virtual optical drive in the computer.
One such way of doing this is using a neat little tool called MagicDisc.
What I like about this piece of software is that it is small (1.3MB download), it installs in under a minute and you don’t have to reboot in order to get it working. Furthermore, reading from an ISO file can often be many times faster than reading from a physical disc meaning you get your software installed faster.
Mounting an ISO is an incredibly easy exercise which you can complete as follows:
Right click the MagicDisc icon in the system tray,
Click on “Virtual CD/DVD-ROM”,
Click on the first drive in the list,
Click on “Mount”,
Browse to your ISO file and click “Open”.
Your ISO file will now show up in Windows as a regular optical drive which can be used and accessed as normal. When you have finished, you’ll need to unmount the file (similar to ejecting the disc) by following the above steps again but choose “Unmount” instead of “Mount”.
It’s also worth nothing that MagicDisk supports more than just ISO files including (but not limited to):
BIN (CDRWin),
IMG/CCD (CloneCD),
NRG (Nero).
If you need more than one virtual optical drive you can also add more by right clicking the MagicDisc icon in the system tray and choosing the appropriate option under the “Set Number of Drives” item in the list.
I also acknowledge that there are other alternatives such as Alcohol 120% (which I own) but this requires a reboot to install plus you also need to fork out some cash for it as well. Furthermore, certain games also search for the more popular disc emulation software and may refuse to load if detected.
At any rate, you might not need it right away but MagicDisc is tiny, simple, free and available for 32-bit Windows 98 and later and 64-bit Windows XP and later.
Perhaps hard to believe but the blog has been up and running for a full year and many things have happened over the course of the last twelve months. At times, it has been a bit of a challenge to do a daily entry particularly with the demands of full time work as well as completing my university degree via correspondence in addition to logistical challenges associated with being on the other side of the world on holiday and keeping to schedule.
Anyway, some of the notable events of the last year include:
I’ve also had opportunities to get hands on with a stack of gadgets including the Panasonic Viera Plasma 3DTV, Blu-ray player and home theatre system over the year and hope that I will be able to continue doing so for the year ahead. For those of you patiently waiting for the review I am releasing my review of the 3DTV tomorrow.
At any rate, things have been going really well with the launch of the dedicated Facebook page and YouTube channel which has clocked up 3,500 video views since December 2010.
Yesterday, I showed off the video unboxing the Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre Sound System (SC-BTT755). Today, I am releasing the preview video to show you around the home theatre system with the main focus being on the head unit with a brief look at the six speakers (five surround speakers and one subwoofer) and the rear wireless speakers.
As with the previous video it is available in high definition for those of you who would like to watch in the best possible resolution.
As with the television expected with previous gadgets, we now enter the review period. Whilst I’m not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination I am hoping my musical education gained through school all those years might be enough to get me over the line. Whilst the sound of the home theatre system is an important aspect I will also consider its user friendliness and features.
If you are interested in the specifications of the home theatre system, here you go:
Inputs:
Data & Storage:
Audio:
Digital Audio (Optical)
Discs:
Blu-ray Disc (BD):
BD-Video
BD-R
BD-RE
Compact Disc (CD):
CD-DA (Music)
CD-R
CD-RW
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD):
DVD-Video
DVD-RAM
DVD±R
DVD±R DL
DVD±RW
Ethernet:
10BASE-T / 100BASE-T
iPod Dock Connector
FM Radio
SD Card Slot:
SD, SDHC & SDXC cards supported
USB:
Devices with up to 128GB storage supported on FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32
If you have been following the blog you would have known that I have been looking forward to receiving the Panasonic home theatre system that comes as a bonus with the Panasonic Viera 3DTV. You can check out the unboxing and preview videos if you are interested.
The phone theatre system that was we received was the Panasonic SC-BTT775 3D Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre Sound System. I managed to capture an unboxing video earlier this week ahead of Christmas and Boxing Day. It is available in high definition for those of you who would like to watch in the best possible resolution.
Once again, Panasonic have provided a thorough and detailed manual which will provide great assistance with putting together the home theatre as well as setting it up to work with your existing devices. Even if you aren’t one to read the manual it is still worth a read.
Anyway, enjoy the unboxing video and Christmas Day and stay tuned for the preview video and specification rundown tomorrow!
Just a quick one for this evening as time is running away from me.
This morning, I received the Panasonic SC-BTT755GNK Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Theatre (with wireless rear speakers) along with a third pair of stereoscopic 3D glasses and a copy of Avatar 3D. This will go well with the Panasonic Viera 50″ Plasma 3DTV (TH-P50VT20A) which was unboxed and previewed a couple of weeks ago.
Panasonic SC-BTT755GNK Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Theatre with wireless rear speakers
An extra pair of 3D glasses and a copy of Avatar 3D
As expected, I have lined up the unboxing and preview videos for the home theatre bundle for this weekend (which is great as I have had unboxing videos for the last few weekends). Mind you, it’s a big box so it will be a squeeze to unbox it all under the fifteen minute limit that YouTube enforces on uploaded videos!
Yesterday, hopefully you would have seen the video unboxing of the Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (320GB model). Today, I recorded the preview video to show you around the console (in particular the stuff on the front, back and also the little flap to unscrew the hard drive should you wish to remove and replace it). I also touched upon a couple of the major pieces of functionality ahead of the formal review. As with the previous video it is available in high definition for those of you who would like to watch in the best possible resolution.
Like the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 is not just a games console but also quote a capable media player (both disc-based or network-based media). It also contains a web browser and a social gaming hub courtesy of PlayStation Network. Today, I hooked it up and gave Gran Turismo 5 a bit of a go in 3D and, so far, my impressions are positive. If you are interested in the specifications of the television, knock yourself out:
If you have been following the blog over the last couple of weeks you would have seen me unbox and preview the Panasonic Viera 50″ Plasma 3DTV (TH-P50VT20A) followed by an unboxing and preview of the Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Player (DMP-BDT300GN).
Anyway, yesterday was my birthday and my wife has spoilt me rotten by getting me a Sony PlayStation 3 Slim. Of course, I had to unbox this as I do with all of my gadgets. It is available in high definition for those of you who would like to watch in the best possible resolution.
The manual that was in the box is quite sizeable at a total of 59 pages and looks on par with the manuals included with the television and Blu-ray player.
Anyway, enjoy the video and look forward to the preview video coming tomorrow!
A very brief post for tonight after a busy and eventful day (also being my birthday)!
Last night, my wife got me a PlayStation 3 Slim with Call of Duty: Black Ops and Gran Turismo 5 as a brilliant present for my birthday and Christmas. It’s notably brilliant as not only the console itself is capable of 3D Blu-ray disc playback but also 3D games that will work with the new television. Luckily for me, CoD: BO and GT5 both support 3D which will certainly make for an interesting gaming experience.
For those that don’t know, I have been gaming for ages. In a prior blog entry about my prior gaming experiences available here I also touched on how 3D gaming in general is still in its infancy but could setup the next generation consoles for success if it takes off. Personally, I like the idea of a potentially immersive gaming experience on the Panasonic Viera 50″ plasma 3D television so hopefully it will live up to the buzz.
As is customary, I will be doing unboxing and preview videos of the device itself so if you have anything that you might want to know about please let me know and I’ll do my best to cover it off. I’ll also be keen to play with and against others on a social basis (I’m looking at you DJC) as online multiplayer settings are where most of the action is these days.
