HDI Dune Company has just announced the release of two new media players for Q4 2009. The new products are named the Dune BD Prime 3.0 and Dune HD Base 3.0. Both players will be running on the Sigma Designs 8642 chip, which is more than twice as powerful than the previous 8634 chip. The BD Prime model includes a Blu-ray drive and is capable of playing Blu-ray and DVD discs as well as nearly any file from a diversity of storage types which can be connected via USB, eSATA or Ethernet/Wi-Fi. The HD Base model doesn’t contain a Blu-ray drive but has a compartment for easy access changeable 3.5″ HDD. All other specifications will be equal between models. The Dune Prime 3.0 is available for pre-order at $399.00 while the price of the Dune HD Base 3.0 has yet to be determined but should be expected at less than the Dune Prime 3.0. At $399 the Dune Prime 3.0 compares equally with the Popcorn Hour C-200 (retails at $299 but with the addition of a Blu Ray rom drive should cost nearly identical to the Dune Prime 3.0). One particularly interesting item that is that support for Netflix is expected to be added somewhere between Q4 2009 – Q1 2010. Things are getting very interesting now. With the Dune Prime 3.0, Popcorn Hour C-200, Playstation 3, and news that Samsung is adding mkv support into it’s line of of Blu Ray players I think we are finally getting closer to having an All-In-One media player. The biggest challenge is still creating a player that is easy to use for the average consumer, stable, affordable, and offers a wide range of online content.
You can find more information on the new HDI players over at AVSForum or at the HDI Dune Company website. Also, you can preorder the Dune Prime 3.0 over at Digital Connection.
Dune BD Prime 3.0
Dune HD Base 3.0
Specifications:
| Main Chipset | Sigma Design SMP8642 MIPS 667MHz CPU HDMI v1.3 |
| Video | Containers: MPEG (MPEG-TS, MPEG-PS, VOB, M2TS) (typical file extensions: .MPG, .TS, .M2TS, .TP, .VOB). AVI (typical file extensions: .AVI). MOV, MP4 (typical file extensions: .MOV, .MP4, .QT). MKV (typical file extensions: .MKV). ASF (typical file extensions: .ASF, .WMV). DVD-ISO, VIDEO_TS (DVD-Video playback, including DVD menu support). Raw video. Raw audio (typical file extensions: .WAV, .MP3). Video codecs: MPEG2. MPEG4. DivX. XVID. WMV9. VC1. H.264. Format: MPEG-TS container. MPEG2 video codec (SD and HD resolutions). |
| Audio | AC3 (DD). EAC3 (DD+). DTS. MPEG (layers 1/2/3). AAC. LPCM. WMA. WMAPro. External audio streams: AC3. DTS. |
|
Connections |
2x USB 2.0 Host 2x eSATA Interfaces 1x LAN (10/100Mbps) 1x I/O Jack (Optional Breakout Box) |
| AV In/Out | Video: HDMI, Component, S-Video, Composite Audio: Coaxial (S/PDIF), Optical, Analog 7.1 |
| File System | NTFS, FAT32 |
| Sub Titles | Embedded: : In MKV: plain text, SSA/ASS. In MP4: VOB External : SRT |
| Fan | 40mm Brushless, Variable Speed, Temperature Sensing |
| System Flash | 1GB |
| Main Memory | 512 MB |
| Size/Weight | 16.5″ (w) x 10.3″ (d) x 1.9″ (h) |
| Warranty Info | One year warranty |
Article by Damian
Hi, my name is Damian, and I'm tech gadget addict! Although I always had some interest in technology, it wasn't until I got my EX470 and more importantly found Mediasmartserver.net, that my interest became an addiction. My goal, aside from world domination and to see the Mets/Broncos win another championship, is to set up the perfect digital home where all my media is available at the click of a button. When I am not writing for Mediasmartserver.net you can find me over at my blog at http://www.adigitalhomeblog.com or follow me on twitter
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I just saw this website duneplayer.com and it was very informative. I ordered a player from them over the phone, and they were very helpful. I CANT WAIT till they get here! I am looking forward to making my very own on demand network at home from my collection of DVDs and BluRays. I would also like to know more about media servers that I can buy that will rip in an easy way. I will let you know what I find.
An amazing bit of kit. I got mine from digitalera.co.uk in 2009.
Got one with an internal hard drive (i asked them to fit it and they said they would)
Still looks like it would fit in any AV rack so keeps wifes happy!
that and she can now watch her US tv shows with ease