Easy To Use HD Video Camera

When the first Flip camera came on the market, it was a genuine consumer-owned product, the response was great. Consumers loved the fact that they could finally own a simple, bare bones video capture system that was so small and convenient like the point and shoot digital cameras.

The designers kept to their simple design theory for their later models, and now their Flip Mino HD cameras are an improvement on their ideas.

They have managed to make the idea of shooting video, even HD video with a high definition video camera as easily as taking a picture. No longer do consumers need to lug bags full of camera accessories.

They do not need additional media, they do not have separate chargers and they need not worry about having the battery that was left out overnight. Everything is self contained.

The Flip Mino HD, has been improved and made even more appealing. Now anyone can shoot HD video with this HD video camera, without the need for a bag of accessories.

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Creating Video With A Flip Mino

When recording with the Flip Mino, the file begins in the most used video format, so you do not have to mess with file conversions later. If you are not familiar with sharing videos online with your friends and family members, you can always try their free video sharing service.

Autofocus lenses are good for some situations, but most people just want to point and shoot. If you like to zoom in and out of a subject with HD, then you can do it digitally without fear that quality will end up being poor.

The result of all this, is that the camera reacts quickly, and can demonstrate a clear focus on the object, even when the camera is up close and personal.

A built-in USB arm and an internal battery make it easier to carry this little camera around. You do not need to carry a charger and pack a battery, as they are both included in the package. All you need to do, is plug it straight into a USB port and watch it charge, just like the iPods.

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Making Choices For Home Video System

Before you begin your home theater installation, you'll need to decide on the item that will probably be the centerpiece of the entire theater; the television. When it comes to large screen TVs, the two main choices seem to be either LCD or plasma.

Each kind has its own strengths and weaknesses, and any of these could affect your viewing experience. So you'll need to know what primary types of viewing you'll be doing before you can choose either of these televisions for your home video needs.

LCD televisions are better suited to more brightly lit environments, even though plasmas actually have better contrast. You'll need to assess your own home video environment to determine whether your primary viewing will be in brighter or more dimmed conditions. And even your home theater seating will be a deciding factor.

LCD televisions don't view so well from an angle, losing their contrast and skewing the colors, so if your seating is spread to the side as much as in front, then a plasma television might suit you best.

Of course, you can even make your entertainment room feel like a genuine theater by setting up a home theater projector and using an actual movie screen instead of having a television. Or you could even do both. These days there's almost no end to the kind of home video setup you can have, or the options you can add.

If you do go the projector route, then you might avoid the weaknesses associated with either the plasma or LCD TVs. Everything depends on what needs you have.

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Digital Video Digital Video Recorder To Watch Programs At Your Convenience

Digital video recorder can be a part of a digital cable package, to entertain your family during the quieter moments in the family living room. You can set up the digital recorder to record programs when you do not have time to watch them, and then watch them another time at your pleasure.

These days of unpredictable working hours, one cannot sit infront of the cable tv and watch a program at a set time. You may be at work, cooking in the kitchen, entertaining guests or spending a night out with the family. When you have a quiet hour, your leisure time, you can sit down and watch your favorite recorded program.

When we celebrate New Years Eve, we like to go out to the club and celebrate New Year with all our friends and family, and we like to set up to record the countdown to the new year. The next day, we can watch the countdown, while we are recovering from the night before. We always like to see how New Years eve is celebrated all around the world.

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Spreading Your Message With Background Videos

Background videos can be used in movies, tv and special events. You may go to an art exhibition and notice background videos to highlight aspects of the exhibition. For example, the art exhibition may be on the works of Picasso and the background clips may be of Picasso at work and showing different events in his life. Videos make the exhibition much more interesting, not only showcasing the works of the artist but showing the artist in motion.

It is easy to use background videos to reinforce aspects of an event. You may be at a corporate event, it may be the launch of a new product. The speaker may be spruiking about the advantages of the product, but background videos will reinforce the best use of the product. It may be the introduction of a new camera by Nikon. The background videos will show clips of the camera in use to shoot fantastic images.

If you want to highlight a specific point about a product or a service, then using background videos will help to get your message across your audience.

If you want to create your own movies, you can make simple background videos or you can use simple clips to use in your movies. You can easily edit the video clips in Premiere Pro and add it to your movie. You may be shooting a video of a birthday party and you may want to include short background clips of the birthday boy growing up. You can add these little background clips to your movie and give the movie to the birthday boy as his birthday present, from you.

You will eventually have a stock of video clips you want to use in your movies. You may place some of these movies on a web site, or send the movie on DVD to friends and family.

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Creating Images With Photo Album Software

Photo album software can be used to create a series of images to be placed on a DVD, CD or on the web. You may even create a slide show, where one can view the show on a computer. If you have a website, you can place web optimized images on your website and on photo sharing sites.

You may have images of your graduation from college and you want to show everyone images of your graduation together with a short video clip of the ceremony. Once the images are placed in photo album software or on Photoshop, you can optimise the images for the web and place them on the website as small thumbnail images with links to larger images or as a slideshow.

In the same way, you may want to show video and images of your wedding to your friends and relatives who live in far away towns, out of state or in other countries. You can place clips of your wedding video on your website and images for all to see. Just be careful that your images and video are optimised for the web are easy to view in a browser.

You can use photo album software to optimize images for the web, but optimizing video you may need Adobe Premiere Elements 7 or Adobe Premiere Pro. To get optimum quality you may need Premiere Pro but it can be expensive. If you look for video bundles, where you can get a variety of full versions of software for a lower price, if you buy them all together.

If you never worked with video before, you may try working with Premier Element 7 as a starting point, but once you notice all the limits with Premiere Elements 7, you should then look to purchase Premiere Pro.

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Uploading Your Images And Video To File Share Sites

File share sites are all over the net. These are sites where you can places images, video, documents for everyone to view. Some sites allow for restricted access, where only your friends can view your images. If you are concerned about privacy and you do not want just anyone to view your images, then you should look at restricting access to friends only.

There is a large range of file sharing sites, including wedding announcement sites, baby birth and college graduation announcements. You may want to upload images of your vacation to make your friends jealous. You may also want to upload images and video of your wedding, so that friends and relatives who could not attend the wedding, could see what they have missed.

Taking your own images and placing them on your website would give you a little security to ensure that not everyone can see your images, as happens with many file share sites. You can restrict access by requiring a password and limiting access to only those you want to see your words and images.

You may have a website as part of your work and you are visiting a conference and you may want to include images and video on your website, from the conference. Placing the images on file share sites does not take up bandwidth on your own server, where your site is located. So if you have a low bandwidth site and want to avoid escalating hosting costs, then you may look at using file share sites.

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Media Player To Play Your Favorites

A media player can make life a little bit easier if one has the right type. Since the introduction of Apple's fifth generation iPod that has video capabilities, electronic companies have decided to jump on the train and are beginning to make various types of media players.

No longer does a person just have to listen to music on the go. They now have the capability to watch various shows from television and movies. But, in order to get the best media player for an individual, one must do their research.

Samsung offers a great media player that is sure to be a good sell based on the reputation of Samsung electronics. The YP-D1 sells for $249 and has a one GB storage capacity. For a little more money an individual can upgrade to two GB. This media player also has one of the best digital cameras built right into it, and now a person can take their pictures wherever they go.

A media player can make a person's life much more convenient. With the wonderful quality of products on the market, a person has the option of several reputable companies to choose from. However, Samsung and Toshiba can offer what the reviewers call the best media players for the price that are currently on the market. One must remember that cheap is not always best.

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Digital Video Converter To Play Your Video Movies Online

There are so many technological products currently available that it is easy to wonder what a digital video converter is and what its purpose is. A plethora of similar products and a sea of acronyms only add to consumer confusion. So what does a digital video converter do and what is it anyway?

Perhaps you have been watching a favorite program on HDTV DVD and you now want to convert the format to MPEG-4 so that you can watch it on your computer or personal media player. A digital video converter allows you to do so.

You can capture video and change its format from a wide variety of sources, including your VCR, DVD player, television or camcorder. This allows you to access your footage in whatever format you choose.

Some digital video converters have multi-format encoders. This allows you to record footage in multiple formats all at the same time. Imagine if your VCR allowed you to record programming in additional formats with one push of the button.

With the right converter, it really is that simple, transferring footage from your television to MPEG-4 and DivX with one simple button push. If you enjoy technological gadgets, a digital video converter is a true must-have.

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HDTV High Definition Television Shows Images And Sound More Cleanly

These days, it appears that everyone is talking about HDTV high definition television and everyone wants to know which brand names give the best quality of product and customer satisfaction.

In truth, the best product for you is the one that works specifically in your home theater set-up and offers the features that you want. In order to accomplish this, you need to know what you want out of your HDTV high definition television.

There are many product options currently available in the HDTV market. However, this quick overview of two of the popular models of HDTV high definition television sets should give you an idea of what technology is currently popular as well as helping you to understand some of the varieties that are available. Be sure to do some more online research into options before you buy.

Of course, there are many other HDTV high definition television units currently on the market. Finding the best unit for you can be tricky, but the television high definition best suits those with a demand for a powerful home theater and top quality sound, so the time you invest will be worthwhile.

HDTV high definition television is an incredibly popular entertainment item as well as a powerful tool for personal entertainment.

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High Definition TV With Better Pictures And Clearer Sound

So you have decided to join the world of high definition TV. Be ready to lock the doors to keep the neighbors out, because you will soon be the talk of the town. High definition TV has become a definite national trend. Everyone is talking about the clear, crisp nature of this new technology, and how it can influence your television experience.

The birth of HDTV has been compared with the early days of color television. The big draw of HDTV is the clear picture and sound that it provides. High definition television simply brings a completely new level of experience to the act of watching TV. However, some critics see HDTV as simply another attempt by corporate America to make money off a trendy new product.

But what happens when the next wave of technology hits the industry and, like tube televisions before it, HDTV starts to disappear? Time will tell, but if history is any indication then we can be assured that all technology, no matter how grand it is now, has a shelf life.

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Camcorder Creates Movies

The world of videos was forever changed when the first camcorder came along. These small devices offered those who wanted to take home videos with sound a chance to make their own movies, which can watch and relish the memories for years to come.

A video recorder that also had sound incorporated was something that previously had only been available for broadcasters. With this invention, the world of memory-keeping was changed forever.

The world of the camcorder became known in 1980 when the inventor, known as Jerome Lemelson, patented his idea. He had tried before to receive a patent on this hand held recorder, but the office of patents claimed that it would never work.

Lemelson also had a hand in inventing crucial components for machines, such as the ATM, the Walkman and the barcode scanner seen in almost every retail store. Lemelson changed the way that technology fits into our everyday lives with his ideas for the advancement of technology.

The camcorder was one of the most fascinating inventions to come around in a long time. With this invention, the world was given the opportunity to not only record the faces of people and the events of their lives, but to also capture the sounds of the events.

As time goes on, a person's memory fades and the voices of loved ones become a distant sound never to be heard again. With one of the many high definition video recorders on the market today, a person can capture a voice in time that will last for generations to come.

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Where To Find Blu Ray Reviews Online

Everyone is jumping in on the Blu Ray craze, including Netflix and Blockbuster! Soon you won't be able to purchase or rent a new DVD that'll work on your old player anywhere! While it may seem irritating to consumers, the evolution of high-definition video was inevitable.

Eventually the downloading and on-demand video markets may explode, but this is the next logical plateau, offering better audio-video quality. Before building your Blu Ray movies collection, you may want to find a reliable site for Blu Ray reviews to ensure that you get the most for your money.

One good site for Blu Ray reviews is DVDTown.com. The site looks more professional than many of the other ones out there, with its sleek black background and artistic design. The first page gives in-depth plot synopsis, while the second page delivers the goods in terms of video, audio and extras.

This site requires a little more reading than other sites, like HighDefDigest.com, but it's a good way to size up your shopping. Blu Ray movies will be readily available anywhere, from Netflix and Blockbuster to Wal-Mart and Best Buy. Amazon.com shoppers will find frequent Blu Ray sales and discounts as well.

To find Blu Ray reviews of the players, rather than just the Blu Ray discs, you can check BluRay.com/Players for the latest offerings. Pioneer is rumored to be coming out with a fresh new line of Blu Ray players this summer.

For people who are suffering with a collection of "useless" HD DVDs, LG and Samsung have made HD DVD/Blu Ray player combos that can read both formats! Amazon.com has been a huge supporter of Blu Ray media technology as well, often offering sales, reviews and deals. The Panasonic DMP-BD30K is an excellent choice, as is the Sony BDP-S300.

If you'd like to spend less, then there are several "up scaling" players for much lower prices, although the quality isn't pristine.

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Looking For Blu Ray HD Discs

Blu Ray HD has revolutionized the way we experience movies at home. Without going into all the technicalities like pixel scanning, color saturation and audio channels, let's just say the difference is noticeable.

Finally, a format has arrived that can handle the massive amount of information required to burn a film in high-definition! Blu Ray discs are the perfect complement to your high-def TV set. But what if you're a late-comer to all this new technology? What if you don't want to spend a fortune, but would still like a modest DVD collection? There is a ray of hope for you.

If you really just want "the cheapest of the cheap" Blu Ray HD player, then you can buy the Samsung BD P1400 for less than $300 from Amazon. This Bluray HD DVD player will give you all the quality of high-definition on a stand-alone Bluray player and it will be able to up convert your existing DVD collection as well.

However, it should be noted that once you buy this machine, you will be unable to upgrade it as new interactive features come out. Tech geeks say that the best way to buy Blu Ray technology is to pay the $399 for a PlayStation3.

The PS3 comes with a WiFi/ethernet connection so you can upgrade your firmware as new technology comes out, thereby never making your player obsolete. You'll also get "more bang for your buck" because the PS3 is made for video gaming too.

Still need to buy that HD-TV and surround sound system to go with your Blu Ray HD player? This technology has been out for years already and prices have come down a lot. The Panasonic Viera series 50" flat-panel plasma screen is just $2,000, or you can buy the 42" for as little as $1,300.

If size isn't as important to you as clarity, then Circuit City has a Samsung 30" Widescreen CRT for $899 or Panasonic Widescreen CRT for $599. Best Buy has a high definition Magnovox 30" 1080-pixel-resolution for just $499 as well. In recent news, Sony announced that it will begin manufacturing a new HD-TV set with a built-in Bluray player but they haven't announced a timetable for its release yet.

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Choosing A Blu Ray Disc Player

In the format war, the Blu Ray disc by Sony has triumphed over Toshiba's HD DVDs. However, there are still many choices to make. Do you want the Blu Ray disc player version 1.0, version 2.0, a Sony PlayStation3 with Blu Ray compatibility, or just a DVD up-converter?

These days, buying your next movie player will be similar to purchasing a computer. You will have to decide what features are worth paying for and consider the idea that upgrades may be necessary in the future.

There are still a few defiant buyers who refuse to pander to developers and cash-in on the latest technology. They ask, "Why fix something that isn't broken?" For these people, there is still a small niche market for DVD up-converters that can transform traditional DVD recorders into Blu Ray disc capable drives.

For instance, the Denon1730 converter can give you that 1080 resolution for less than $200. However, some argue that this patchwork cannot possibly deliver the quality of upgrading your system altogether. "Even the best upscaling DVD players are no match for genuine HD source material," argues TechRadar.com reader Matt Hastings.

"Why stick with DVD's dated video system, based on very lossy MPEG-2 compression, and rely on an upscaler's guesswork at what bits of the image are missing? Get the whole thing for real on Blu ray discs. For those movies you still own on DVD, Blu Ray players upscale too, so you get the best of both worlds."

To offset the cost of upgrading, Blu Ray disc retailers are cutting prices to entice buyers. Sony announced that the new disc players will be priced between $400 and $500, but Best Buy is offering two free Ray discs with the purchase of a new Panasonic 1080p player and Amazon is offering 50% off select titles.

There are over 500 titles currently available in Blu Ray release, with many more Blu Ray titles on the way.

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DVD Duplication To Make Better Backups

The Understanding & Solutions research firm for Home Media Magazine has announced they will invest an additional $250 million, installing 80 new production lines, to meet consumer demand for the new Blu Ray disc movies and PS3 games.

In addition to AACS encryption, mastering, DVD authoring, replication and packaging costs, a single line of 50 GB Blu Ray discs can cost as much as $2.7 million to produce. For a small independent DVD duplication center, the financial hurdle can be challenging. However, when faced with do or die, many hope to keep their businesses alive.

You may be wondering, "Well, what if I wanted less than 25,000 or more than 25,000? "If you need, say, 5,000 (50 GB) Blu Ray discs, then you're looking at a cost of approximately $12,250. For a 10,000 disc unit run, you're looking at $13,000 for your Blu Ray player and $14,500 if you want an interactive disc for your computer.

While DVD duplication for Blu Rays seems more expensive than the now-extinct HD DVD, the numbers are deceiving. You get more giga-bytes with a Blu Ray disc, so you're actually getting more for your money.

Sure, you can purchase the new Pioneer BD-R 101A Blu Ray-DVD duplication burner for $999 from Tiger Direct. One would assume that you'll pay a little bit more to get started, but in the end you'll be saving a ton, compared to the $40 Blu Ray disc price listed at stores. However, at this point, everything costs!

To purchase a blank BD-R disc to burn onto, you're looking at an additional $25 per single-layer disc and $48 per (50 GB) double-layer disc! The days of paying 10 cents per giga-byte have been replaced by its 70-cent/giga-byte successor. Perhaps those Amazon Blu Ray sales aren't so bad after all!

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The Fall of HD DVD

Toshiba and Microsoft aren't the only big losers with the fall of HD DVD. An estimated 1.3 million customers are now stuck with these useless machines.

To make it up to buyers, retail giants like Wal-mart, Circuit City, Best Buy and Amazon are offering to offset some of the cost. Additionally, manufacturers like Samsung and Sony are looking to win buyers' affection with machines that cater to both Blu Ray disc and HD DVD owners.

Similarly, Wal-Mart shoppers will receive full refunds on returns of HD DVD machines, provided that customers still have their receipts. Anyone who purchased an HD DVD player on or after November 1st can return their player by April 30th to receive their money back and dispose of the old machine. Customers who were unfortunate enough to lose their receipts may want to turn to Best Buy's trade-in center for a reprieve.

Combo Blu Ray disc/HD DVD players may be the hot-ticket item for the next few years, as manufacturers and industry leaders scramble to regain some of the diminished consumer confidence.

Both Samsung and LG have developed Blu Ray/HD DVD combo players that can read both formats. A consumer's best bet, then, would be to return the old player for credit towards this new player, unless he or she hasn't purchased many HD DVDs, in which case, simply buying a new Blu Ray disc player wouldn't be such a bad idea.

There is yet another option on the horizon: Sony is looking at a TV/Blu Ray DVD player hybrid, although the release date is not yet scheduled.

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Blu Ray vs HD DVD War Has Run And Won

"When DVD first launched it was anything but the perfect product," said Andy Parsons, Pioneer executive and chairman of the Blu Ray Disc Association. "There were many doubters that said there was little chance of overtaking VHS."

Now, he said, the same thing is happening with Blu Ray, the natural evolution in audio-video technology. The Blu Ray vs HD DVD format war finally ended when the entertainment giants changed sides and Toshiba announced that it would no longer be manufacturing the HD DVD player. Some buyers are left wondering: Is it really worth it?

Unfortunately, the other major difference between the Blu Ray vs HD DVD players is price. You could purchase the XBox360 HD DVDs upgrade accessory for $130 and a stand-alone player for as low as $150. Sure, you could buy those super fancy combo players for nearly $1,000, but the average offering was as affordable as a regular DVD player.

However, the victorious Blu Ray players are currently retailing at over $499, with $399 PlayStation3s being the cheapest way to get the BR technology. There is one other relatively inexpensive option for buyers: you can get the Denon DVD-1730 up-converting DVD player that is compatible with Blu Ray discs for less than $300.

Some advocates see the Blu Ray disc player as training wheels for the technologically illiterate. "We can use HD discs to train consumers to move into digital, but it's a transition," explains Dan Silverberg, vice president of high-definition media development at Warner Bros.

"Downloaded content will come, but the consumer will get quicker tutorials into video-on-demand, etc. by owning a Blu-ray player or HD DVD." While the Blu Ray vs HD DVD war is officially over, the Blu Ray vs. downloading war may have just begun.

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Blu Ray HD DVD Has Better Features

We knew it was coming. Technology would be consolidating. We just didn't know which device would become the all-in-one of choice i.e. the computer, the cell phone, the iPod, the palm pilot?

Turns out, it may come in the form of the Blu Ray HD DVD video game console hooked up to your phone through Blue Tooth technology! This summer will definitely be the "Summer of Blu Ray media," as some of the new 2.0 Blu Ray players begin showing up in stores.

NetBlender's BD Touch technology makes it possible for Blu Ray HD DVD 2.0 player owners to transfer digital copies of movies to their iPhones. Users can also catalog their Blu Ray disc collection, manage a rental que, display additional trivia, offer movie suggestions, view fan-created content, or use their phone as a controller to play interactive Blu Ray games!

The BD Touch apps are expected to be unveiled after this coming June. You may find that owning a Blu Ray HD DVD player simplifies your life and offers a variety of helpful features. As well, the "movie suggestions" feature will save you hours of senseless meandering up and down the aisles at Blockbuster!

If you're the environmentalist type, then here's one more reason why Blu Ray HD DVD discs are revolutionizing the world: green packaging! The Digital Entertainment Group awarded the Blu Ray discs with the prestigious "Best Green Packaging" award this year for using 100% recycled paper and plastic.

"We are delighted that the home entertainment community is embracing eco-friendly solutions that will help lessen the effects on climate change," explains DEG Executive Director Amy Jo Smith.

"We give particular recognition to Disney's Larry Wilk who is a crusader for embracing environmental friendly practices in the industry."

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Blu Ray Disc Has More Interactive Features

It is hard to imagine that home movie viewing could get any better once the DVD replaced VHS tapes, but now Sony's Blu Ray disc player has revolutionized how we experience audio, visual and interactive features encoded onto our new DVD movies.

With the Blu Ray disc technology, you can finally enjoy all the benefits of the movie theater at home, provided that you have an HD-TV, Dolby Digital Surround Sound and a comfy seat. The picture is clearer, the sound comes in 7.0, as opposed the regular 5.0, and there are more interactive features, than with a HD-DVD.

Perhaps you've just purchased your first Blu Ray player and want some quintessential Blu Ray DVDs to jumpstart your collection and showcase all that BR has to offer. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Peal" is a great high-definition BR disc to start off your collection. The Blu-Ray features include games and activities, a movie showcase, a backstage special, a "making of" feature and outtakes reel.

Sea movies in general should only be viewed in top-quality color and 7.0 surround sound. (Given that tidbit, you may want to add "Master and Commander" to your list too). You'll love the high def detail and impressive audio in the sci-fi classic "The Fifth Element." For action-packed brag-worthy Blu Ray disc titles, check out the "Spiderman" trilogy, "X-Men" and "Troy" to show off your new machine to guests.

"Building on the exceptional picture and sound quality of previous players, Sony's next-generation Blu Ray disc models bring exciting interactive features to life and offer consumers a ground-breaking experience," said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics.

"These new Blu Ray disc player devices bring home the movie experience beyond the cinema and into a whole new realm of entertainment." To find the new Bluray disc players, you can check the Sony Online store, Best Buy, Circuit City, or one of the other authorized retailers listed at Blu-Ray.com.

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