First presented at the CES 2008, Marantz’s first Blu-ray player, BD8002, is just getting DivX certified. This means that the player probably will not be released on the second quarter as first announced. After some more research it seems that this really expensive, but high quality machine, will be out some where at the beginning of summer.

The Marantz BD8002 includes a secondary audio and video decoder which allows for simultaneous playback of secondary tracks, making it fully keeping in the guidelines of BD-ROM version 1 profile 1.1. It features a 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta video processor for direct pixel by pixel noise reduction and upconversion and IP scaling to 1080p HD. New HD audio format are supported including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and is capable of outputting both 7.1-channel analog signals and PCM audio via HDMI 1.3. DVD, VCDs, SVCDs, MP3s, WMA and DivX video files plus Jpeg images are also supported.

It seems as if the Marantz BD8002 is currently the very best profile 1.1 player so far, but of course, you get what you pay for… expect to pay just over $2000 for the privilege.

You can find the DivX press release here! Marantz’s website already features the machine as “Coming Soon”…. Check it out!

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Game developers will soon be able to use DivX video encoding when making Playstation3 (PS3) games. DivX, Inc announced that the console will be the first to be able to use the encoding technology to compress lengthy video segments into small sizes while maintaining relatively high visual quality. The DivX codec uses lossy MPEG-4 Part 2 compression, also known as MPEG-4 ASP, where quality is balanced against file size for utility. In other words, PS3 will be able to have much bigger videos using the same amount of BD disc space.

“We are excited to work with Sony Computer Entertainment to offer DivX video encoding to PS3 game developers,” said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc. “PS3 users can already use their PS3s to watch their own DivX videos, and now they’ll also be able to enjoy the quality of DivX in the games.”

Popularity: 9% [?]

Denon markets itself as a company with originality and high standards of quality, durability and innovation. Their players are actually not bad at all J and they compete for the higher end of the market! Now with the DivX certification the company will try to take an edge over the competitors; however, this player will have profile 1.1 so it does not support BD-Live and the newest profile 2.0. The new DENON Blu-ray Disc Player DVD-3800BDCI will hit the shelves in Japan and U.S. markets by the end of April with a price tag of $1.899.99.

The DVD-3800BDCI features the Realta sxT2 HQV processor and HDMI 1.3a for exceptional video quality with Deep Color support, and the Denon D.D.S.C.-HD circuitry for the highest level of audio decoding so you get master-quality sound with exceptional dynamic range.

Detailed Features:

Video Capabilities

• 10-bit Realta HQV video processor for advanced i/p and scaling
• 1080p/24fps output and Multi-Cadence Detection for accurate i/p conversion
• HDMI 1.3a output with 36-bit Deep Color support
• Latest Analog Devices Video DACs

Audio Support

• Denon D.D.S.C.-HD internally decodes new, higher-quality surround Dolby TrueHD soundtracks and can pass Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio via bit stream to compatible receivers
• Dual 32-bit floating point DSP, Burr Brown PCM-1796 audio decoders for all channels and Advanced AL24 processing for greater dynamic range
• Master clock design for accurate processing and reduced jitter noise

Advanced Interactivity

• Bonus View functionality, providing simultaneous audio and video options for greater interactivity

Digital Media Disc support

• Blu-ray, DVD-Video , DVD-R/RW, and CD Audio playback
• Decoding of MP3/WMA files on CD-R/RW
• JPEG/Kodak/Fuji photo disc support
• Divx ver.6 support
• SD card slot

Rigid Construction

• Multi-layered construction with dual-layered top shields and triple-layered bottom shields eliminates outside noise and vibration
• Newly developed transport mechanism and Suppress Vibration Hybrid (S.V.H.) loader stabilize disc drive for accurate playback

Popularity: 17% [?]