ASUS has just released the O!Play BDS-500 and BDS-700, two Blu-ray/media player devices with native online and Wi-Fi connectivity.
ASUS is including a variety of features, such as dual HDMI and USB ports, a custom user friendly interface, smartphone remote control, and gold-plated terminals.
Both new models ship with Qdeo video processing to reduce image scatter without affecting sharpness. Color and contrast are also improved and optimized. Complete support for Blu-ray Disc ISO and Blu-ray Disc 3D ISO (including menus) is also provided, and upscaling of DVDs to HD comes ready right out of the box.
The stereo digital-analog converter (DAC) on the BDS-700 puts out SNR 115dB audio. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio standards are offered, with 100% lossless 7.1-channel output.
The BDS-500 and BDS-700 maintain compatibility with 45 popular formats and standards including hi-fi sound standards such as FLAC, WAV, and AIFF. With NTFS file management, content units larger than 4GB can be easily accessed. Additionally, 2.5" external hard drives can be attached to the BDS-500 and BDS-700, with no standalone power adapter needed.
As online-capable media devices, the BDS-500 ships Wi-Fi-ready, while the BDS-700 comes with integrated Wi-Fi. This allows them to become part of a home network with automatic detection. Dedicated links to YouTube, Picasa, Flickr, internet radio and a host of music and video streaming services let consumers get in touch with their favorite content quickly. DLNA certification simplifies networking further, and wireless streaming of content from PC to TV is also supported thanks to high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi. Both the BDS-500 and BDS-700 are fully-featured photo viewers.
To ensure HDMI 1.4 performance, the BDS-700 comes with dual dedicated HDMI outputs, one HDMI 1.4 port for 3D video, and another HDMI 1.3 port for audio. In addition to better performance thanks to increased and separate bandwidth for each aspect of media, the dual connection design means the BDS-700 can work alongside existing audio receivers with no compromise in quality. Conversely, media players with only one HDMI out have to sacrifice bandwidth, routing all operations through the TV.