Hippo Tech Solutions

Those guys at Samsung and Panasonic better pay attention.  Vizio is unveiling a potential game changer in the land of 3DTV’s.

Check out these specs:

• Polarized 3D technology.  No expensive battery powered shutter glasses required.
• Local dimming LED technology for inky blacks
• 65″.  Thats right, 65″ of pure 1080p goodness.
• Internet Apps – Just about all of the major players on board,  including Netflix and Pandora
• Built-in WIFI-N Networking
• $3500 MSRP

Pretty amazing technology for the price.  Their current local dimming XVT line is already winning the hearts of videophiles.  This 65″ 3D version is icing on the cake.

Read the press release here –>

As someone who loves their Onkyo TX-SR876 receiver, I’m delighted to see Home Theater Mag rave about the current model NR-5008 in its latest January issue.  AVR’s are tremendously complicated pieces of equipment and the 5008′s spec sheet is dazzling featuring 140wpc, THX Ultra 2 certification, HQV Reon video processing,  and streaming internet radio.  The key differentiator according to the reviewer, is it’s lively sound quality and ease of use.  I’ve played with many receivers and can safely say that Onkyo AVR’s are indeed the most user friendly out there.    The 5008 is not cheap, but if you’re in the market for a top shelf AVR, the 5008 needs to be on your short list.

Read the review here –>

Oppo’s upcoming audiophile version of the BDP-93 blu-ray player hasn’t been announced yet, but that didn’t stop Music direct from listing it on their most recent catalog and web site.  Listed as the BDP-95, the upcoming player features an ESS Sabre DAC, upgraded power supply with a large toroidal transformer, and balanced stereo outputs.  Price is $979 with a release date of Q1 2011.  You’ll also notice slightly different styling cues compared to the BDP-95.  So far looks like a worthy replacement to the BDP-83SE and we can’t wait to get our hands on one.

See the site here–>

The PS3 is really coming on strong with streaming options lately.  First there was Sony’s own movie rental service followed by Netlifx, Hulu Plus and now Vudu, a pay per view service featuring exclusive 1080p HDX video and Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus, making it the videophiles choice if there is such a thing in the streaming world.   Unlike Netflix many of the titles are available on the same day they’re released on DVD.  Head on over to the movie section on the XMB and browse to your hearts content.

Ok it’s not the $4.99 price drop we all hoped for, but Hulu plus has officially cut $2 from it’s premium subscription service that allows full length episodes from ABC, FOX, NBC and others.  Still on the fence?  Sign up for the free weekly trial before spending those hard earned dollars.  We just signed up so look for a review soon.

Go to Hulu Plus –>

The much anticipated Oppo BDP-83 universal blu-ray player which was previewed by Audioholics during CEDIA 2010 is now prominently featured on Oppo’s web site.  Back then we knew little about this player besides the fact it would feature  Netflix, 3D, built in WIFI, dual HDMI outputs and possibly Marvel’s latest Qdeo video processing.  All of those features are now confirmed including Blockbuster Video on Demand.  Unfortunately no mention of Pandora anywhere.  The $499 BDP-93 will also have RS232 thrown in and eSATA port for connecting an external hard drive for media.  The entire package weighs in a shade over 10 lbs just like it’s predecessor.  All in all a solid package in our view, and if the video processing is anywhere near the 83 in terms of de-interlacing and scaling looks like Oppo has another hit on their hands.  The line starts right here.

Jump to Oppo’s site here –>

The PS3 has long been the most future proof Blu-ray player you can buy.  Since it’s introduction over 3 years ago its received updates for DTS-HD MA decoding, Adobe Flash and 3D.   Now Netflix is coming straight to the XMB interface and adding a few competitive advantages including 1080p resolution (up from 720p), subtitles and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

Netflix sends emails asking “How was the video quality for<movie>” but they never asked me how the audio was.  I always believed the crappy compressed 2 channel stereo was the bane of Netflix instant watch, so I’m thrilled to see them finally address the audio side of things.   Good on them.

It’s nice to see Pioneer still working on older blu-ray player firmware updates.  We’ve just got our hands on a leaked version of 1.68a.  The changes are still unclear of this time, and while it doesn’t seem to add speed to this notoriously slow player, it could potentially alleviate future compatibility problems.  However it’s important to  note this is NOT an official release so update at your own risk!

The ISO can be download here:

Use Imgburn to burn on CD.