We knew that video cards that could bitstream all the latest HD codecs wouldn't always cost $380, but we certainly didn't expect a cheaper alternative in two weeks. Of course price and HDMI audio capabilities aren't the only factors when choosing a video card for your HTPC, so you might want to keep waiting -- you know another few weeks -- for a version that doesn't take up two of your card slots for a fan that is no doubt anything but quiet. Anandtech is predicting you might have to wait another year for the perfect HTPC video card in the way of the 5600 series.

[Via Missing Remote]

The good news is that you can finally get both compressed and uncompressed HD audio off a Blu-ray Disc and into your A/V receiver without the need of a dedicated sound card. The bad news is that at $380, the ATI Radeon HD 5870 still costs more than a stand-alone Blu-ray player and that price doesn't even include playback software. That's ok with us though, as we're used to being charged early adopter tax, and now the first video card with this ability is released, it should only be a matter of time before this feature trickles down to video cards we can actually afford.

If you've been considering making the jump to Blu-ray via a PS3 but even after the price drop you're still waiting to see how it fared as a movie player, then you should check out our review on Engadget classic. Most of the important details are covered, like its ability to bitstream the latest HD codecs or the power consumption at idle as well as while playing a Blu-ray Disc. Even the noise level was examined, which showed that the slim was about 10db quieter while watching a Blu-ray Disc -- which is actually a lot. In fact the only knock was that it was a little slower at loading discs than its older brother and the Bravia Sync wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

When we first got our hands-on the 400 disc MegaChanger pictured above we'd hoped it would be out a little earlier; but never the less the wait is almost over as Sony officially announced plans to release the BDP-CX7000ES in August, for the hard to swallow price of $1,900 -- about $400 less than rumored. The good news is that it does just about everything we can think of, like handle any Blu-ray Disc, DVD or CD with ease, and of course works with the latest codecs delivered via bitstream or LPCM. Now if you just have to have a Blu-ray changer, but wish it was half the price, you can wait a few more months for the BDP-CX960 for $800. You will however have to be willing to forgo things like RS-232 and IR-in, as well as the ES badge. Also shipping in August with the ES MegaChanger is the BDP-S1000ES. This standalone Blu-ray player is at the top of line and for $700 you get just about every feature and spec Blu-ray has to offer, as well as built-in WiFi and a DLNA client. The full details of all three are in the release after the jump.

Samsung's latest Blu-ray HTIB features just about anything an all-in-one customer could want; in fact we're not sure how you can even build a 5.1 system with rear wireless speakers and a Blu-ray player for $799. The HT-BD3252 of course supports the latest HD audio codecs like TrueHD and DTS-HD, and a mic for automatic calibration. Not wanting to leave anything out from its stand-alone players, Samsung has also included the same internet services like Pandora, Netflix and Blockbuster via the included WiFi dongle. Oh, and don't forget the very important iPod dock, we mean, who would buy a HTIB in this day and age without one? Not us, that's for sure.

This is an on going debate on certain forums and for good reason. The fundamental question is where should you decode your lossless audio? In DVD players we almost always decoded compressed audio in the A/V receiver, but when it comes to Blu-ray features like Bonus View, there is at least one specific reason to decode in the player.

It wasn't that long ago that there wasn't a way for Blu-ray fans to enjoy the latest and greatest audio encoded with TrueHD and DTS-HD on their home theater PCs and now there are about to be two. That's thanks to the fact that Auzentech is going to start shipping its X-FI HomeTheater HD sound card by the end of July -- no word on the price. Unfortunately just like the ASUS Xonar before it, you'll still need a separate video card for a complete solution. From there you'll connect the X-FI to your HDTV via HDMI 1.3 to enjoy your choice of bitstream or PCM lossless audio. You can even use analog outputs if you desire as well as other sources. We're really happy to see some competition in this space, but still wonder how long before you'll be able to just buy a video card that can do both.

Traditionally, Blu-ray decks have relied on multi-core chips to process and decode that succulent audio that tickles your eardrums, but Tensilica has a better idea. In an effort to shrink the amount of components within a BD deck and to offer up "significant cost savings and a simplified programming model," it has recently demonstrated DTS-HD Master Audio Lossless decoding on a single-core SoC. The outfit's HiFi 2 Audio DSP can handle codecs from both DTS and Dolby, and apparently it's already filtering into select players. Too bad you'll probably never know if your deck has one without rolling up your sleeves and breaking out the screwdriver.

Blu-ray player? Check. An AV receiver? Check. Loads of cables? Check. Knowledge of how to hook everything up for maximum impact? Uh, not so much. BigPictureBigSound has hosted up a nice how-to guide for making the most of the multi-channel audio that's just waiting to ooze out of your Blu-ray player. The writeup covers both HDMI and analog approaches, and it breaks it down in five easy-to-digest steps so that you don't get all overwhelmed. Go 'head, give it a look -- it's not that difficult, we promise.

While Samsung's latest crop of Blu-ray players has had the ability to output DTS-HD High Resolution & Master Audio via HDMI 1.3 in the form of a bitstream from day one, many still have an older A/V receivers that doesn't feature HDMI 1.3. So today Samsung dropped us a note to let us know that that those poor souls in need a new A/V receiver will have to endure the DTS core track in our favorite Blu-ray movies a little longer. This is because the firmware update that was scheduled to deliver the new codecs to existing players is delayed. But don't fret, the good news is that Samsung is still optimistic that it can deliver the new feature before the year is up.

Granted, we've already shown you how to actually take advantage of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, but if you're looking for a quick and dirty breakdown of what each audio codec means, what it can / can't do and how to wire things up with your current setup, Missing Remote's latest guide is for you. For starters, it hones in on Blu-ray audio format support -- quite relevant given the state of the format war these days -- and it continues on by explaining how to wire things up for superior results with S/PDIF, HDMI, analog, etc. There's even a special section dedicated to HTPC playback, which ought to help you folks not using a pre-fab deck. If you've been spinning your wheels of late in the wide world of multi-channel audio, have a look at the read link and see if things don't clear up.

Ooh, goodie! A full five months after Corel released its WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray application, the first major update pack has arrived. The unimaginatively named WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray Update Pack checks in at just under 50MB and size and promises to resolve the "Enable S/PDIF Out" / "HDMI output to speaker" issues while expanding the list of compatible commercial titles and enhancing compatibility for a slew of VGA chipsets within Windows Vista / XP. There's no direct mention of BD-Live support, but for those who purchased the original, why not give the update a go and report back?

[Thanks, Tyler]

For those burned by either DVD-Audio, SACD or HD DVD (or, heaven forbid, any combination of the three), you're probably taking a rather defensive approach to Blu-ray audio. Now that said format is the sole king of high-definition media (in the physical realm, anyway), it's just a matter of time before firms start pushing out full-fledged audio discs while trumpeting the incredulous sound quality. After all, with 50GB of space, you can fit an awful lot of high-resolution audio on there. We've already seen the first BD record released and we already know that Neil Young's entire archive will soon be loosed on the format, but are the puzzle pieces aligned for Blu-ray audio to take off? From our standpoint, we're still hesitant to say yes. With CD players still dominating dashboards and BD drives still a long ways from being commonplace in computers, BD audio is apt to remain a niche good for years to come. Even still, do you think it has what it takes to overcome?

One of the most highly anticipated new Blu-ray players is the Panasonic DMP-BD50 and after months and months of waiting it is starting to show up as in stock on various obscure online retailers. A quick search online shows that the big box stores have yet to receive their initial shipments, but it is safe to assume that when the likes of 6th Ave and Rainbow Electronics has them, widespread availability can't be too far behind. The first full featured Blu-ray that includes everything from BD Live, to internal DTS-HD MA decoders won't come cheap though, the initial prices are right at the retail of $699.

[Via Blu-ray Stats]

Just weeks after Corel held a trophy high proclaiming that its WinDVD 8 had landed DTS-HD Master Audio certification, CyberLink is finally able to do the same. Except with its own breed of playback software, PowerDVD. For audiophiles the world over, you can now stop pacing in wonder of when said application will finally have this honor bestowed upon it, as that 7.1-channel goodness you've come to expect from DTS-HD MA can now be fully enjoyed on PowerDVD. Break out the Champagne? No? Okay.