Ok, this has got us plain perplexed, Panasonic have just announced the DMP-BD70V Blu-ray player at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. So far, so normal, but get this - it’s a combined Blu-ray and VHS player!
Admittedly the hybrid creation does feature enhanced networking functions including VIERA Cast’s network features that provide access to Amazon’s VOD service. Other features of the VIERA Cast service allows access to YouTube, Google Picasa, Bloomberg and the weather channel without the need of PC.
Also on the plus side, the player will upscale DVD and VHS footage as well as providing True 7.1 HD surround-sound, on the downside - it’s got a freakin’ VHS player attached!
Seriously, I mean it’s a strange technological juxtaposition between the next major format to be adopted and a now ageing relic of a format that conjures up memories of jumping and flickering pictures, and hissing sounds! Now we have HD-tv’s and Blu-ray discs it can’t be the time to revive those particular good old days!
VHS will always have a special place in our heart, beating off the young pretender in the form of Betamax all those years ago despite being technologically inferior – well, the British do like an underdog. But it seems just plain odd to us here at Gaj-It as to why Panasonic would choose to release this unlikely coupling in the DMP-BD70V, if anyone has any ideas send them on a postcard to the usual address, or better than that, pop them in the box below.
Next thing you know someone will be releasing a plug-in that downgrades the quality of downloaded movies to those of VHS circa 1985…..
Source: Panasonic
3 thoughts on “CES: Perplexing Panasonic Blu-ray and VHS player!”
its a great idea.it means we can still buy a brand new vcr from a top manufacturer.the vcr is not dead yet.it may never die the death everyone expected.may you have a long life vcr
This hybrid makes PERFECT sense for anyone except the blinkered types producing the tests, blogs and magazines of the techno-review scene: real people out there care about what they’re actually using in day-to-day life (or would like to be), and that often includes hundreds of perfectly good VCR cassettes which it would take months and/or lots of money to transfer to DVD. Take off your blinkers, guys – it’s not all about having the latest spec! And this machine gets you the best of both worlds.
We’d find it very useful.
Out go the DVD players and VCRs, to be replaced by one piece of kit that can cope with Blu-ray, DVDs, and any video tapes that our lecturers still use.