Arcam announces 3D upgrade for FMJ home cinema range
Arcam has developed a 3D upgrade for its FMJ range of home cinema components, specifically the AVR500, AVR600 and AV888. It will be available as a paid-for, dealer-fit option in the first quarter of 2011 (price tbc).
At the same time, Arcam says it is developing a 3D upgrade for its forthcoming BDP100 Blu-ray player: that upgrade will be available in the second quarter of 2011, with the player itself going on sale mid-October.
Charlie Brennan, Arcam's managing director, says: "We have spoken to many customers who are confused about the benefits of 3D and so far the consensus has been to adopt a wait and see approach.
"The hassle and expense of 3D glasses is seen as a major hurdle. Many people report an initial positive response followed by an uncomfortable feeling of fatigue. The jury is out as to its long-term success.
"But it obvious to us that 3D is not going to go away anytime soon, so we are designing and building a new video board that can offer a bypass option for use with high-definition 3D signals.
We expect to have this HDM1 1.4a compliant upgrade available in quarter one 2011. It will be a dealer-fit option."
Brennan adds: "We are also soon to launch our first Blu-ray player after a series of long delays [it was originally due on sale in August, but is now expected in mid-October] and the question of 3D playback is also being raised.
"As ever a lot depends on the availability of next-generation silicon, but we intend to engineer a hardware upgrade solution for people who want to convert their systems to 3D in the future for later in 2011."
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Comments
I love my AVR600 it just blows away all previous hifi i've owned so far for movies and music. With the CD73 it makes all my old 80's cd s sound like sacd's .
I never thought an av amp could sound so good.
Arcam seems to favour the smooth analogue sound we all strive to acheive. My previous Meridian kit would reveal the last tiny bit of any cd but would be harsh sounding with anything other than a perfect recording.
What i can't understand is how the Arcam kit makes old cd's sound so good yet not losing any detail.Simply briliant and i'm looking forward to taking delivery of my new BdP100.
Paul McMorran
thanks Arcam - am not specifically interested in 3d but its nice to know that the AVR 600 can keep its top spot.
I think that is a brilliant approach rather than simply push out a brand new model, and it future-proofs it for everyone who has already bought it. Definitely on my wish-list now.