No way I'm paying that much for a Panasonic. Nor would I pay what they are asking for the Samsung because its a... Samsung.
I almost won't buy a Sony on principle alone, and the fact their player sounds like it won't support the new audio codes just reinforces that. I might pay that much for a Pioneer, but it had better be an Elite.
I guess the expansion shelf I bought for my A/V rack with a BD player in mind is going to sit empty for awhile. No big deal, I can be patient especially with the [sarcasm]fantastic[/sarcasm] exclusive Blu-Ray titles they've got lined up.