Samsung announces combo player (1 Viewer)

[Cees Alons]

Prices in Europe are not totally comparable with prices here, because all HD matters are still slightly different there from those in the US and Canada.

That said, the German article says that the price would be about €400 above a simple BD-player (not "a standard BD-player", though).

I think we need a press-release from Samsung themselves, and preferably the US branch in this case, to find out what we can believe and what we shouldn't.


Cees

 

[Peter Overduin]

but will it play SCAD and DVD Audio?

 

[Jari K]

I believe the price is probably the most important factor with e.g. this Samsung player. I mean, if it´s somewhere like 1t, I´ll pass it out right, now that I already have PS3 (I believe Toshiba-owners do the same). If it´s somewhere around $600, I´ll move to the next important factor: Does it really support all the basic features (e.g. BD-Java and HDi) from BOTH formats, does it have HDMI 1.3, perhaps even 24fps, etc. If "yes" and the reviews are good, then who knows..

Combo players are good for the people who don´t own either format yet, but for the others - it has to be relatively "cheap"..

Is there anyone who actually *owns* that LG?

 

[Robin_B]

I don't see the point of such a player at that price. $540 ABOVE the price a BR player? Why not just buy separate BR and HD DVD players. It would work out cheaper.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

a) Single connection to the rest of your gear.
b) Rack space.

 

[Ron-P]

I did.

But, my Outlaw 950 has only one set of analog inputs which means only one of my players (both have 5.1 analog outs) can have that spot, which then means I can only use said player and movies for the advanced audio, TrueHD or UPCM. I'd easily buy a combo player even if it was more expensive then separate BD / HD-DVD players.

I don't have HDMI audio and don't plan to anytime soon so I need the use of the analog connections.

Oh, and Kevin's reasons too.

 

[Paul.S]

Ron, sounds like you could use one of these Monoprice switchers. Although "for" component video, each cluster of 6 coaxial inputs ("for" component vid plus analog L + R or coax digital audio) can be used for a 5.1 source--SACD, DVD-A, HD DVD, BD.

 

[Paul Arnette]

Samsung Unveils the Details on Its Dual Blu-ray/HD DVD Player. Samsung's BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player is due to hit shelves in Q4 of this year, with an MSRP of $1,049.


http://www.electronichouse.com/article/samsung_unveils_more_info_about_its_dual_blu_ray_h d_dvd_player/C157/

Overall, a nice player. I like the inclusion of the HQV chipset, but conspicously absent are BD Profile 1.1 and DTS HD MA decoding.

I didn't think this thing would see an MSRP of less than a grand, and it turns out that I was right. While it will certainly sell for less than $1K, it may still be cheaper to buy separates. Therefore, as I also predicted, I believe this year's crop of dual-format players will have little bearing on the format war.

 

[ReggieW]

Thanks for the link Paul.

I agree with your assessment. Any 1K or higher player will not have much traction in this war. Denon/Pioneer Elite for BD, Onkyo/Integra/Meridian for HD-DVD, are brands which'll be popular in the deep-pocket enthusiast market but will receive little attention from most consumers.

 

[Shane Martin]

It will only extend it further out.

 

[Paul.S]

Paul A., just curious: how'd you learn that this player is not Profile 1.1-compliant?

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I agree with this, but not for the reasons you put forth in terms of cost. I won't join the HD party, until I specifically can get a dual format player. I bet there are a lot of people who feel as I do. (In fact, I know this is the case because there are a lot of videophiles where I work, most of whom who are patiently waiting for one of HD DVD or Blu-ray to win, or for more affordable dual format players to come out.)

1st, the Samsung is due in the 4th qtr, well duh, it won't have much impact this year no matter how many of them they sell. Next year is a different story. 2nd, it's a Samsung. Yeah, yeah, I know lots of people who have had good experiences with products from them, but I know too many people who have had problems. Me, myself, and I am waiting for some of the heavyweights to offer players like this. Say from Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, etc.

Plus, as we all very well know, it's still way early in the game for dual format players. Just look at the extreme price drops recently for dedicated HD and BD players. That's just around the corner for dual format players as soon as more of them hit the market.

 

[Paul Arnette]

I'll admit I am making an assumption here. The assumption being if it had Profile 1.1 feature capability they would have advertised it.

 

[Paul.S]

I agree. But, respectfully, I think it a very good idea to state explicitly when you're proferring such an assumption. There's so much dis/mis/information out there--plus the BD Profile/HDMI version/firmware upgrade number soup--that I think it helpful to be as clear as possible about such things.

 

[Paul.S]

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/grope/han...est-282569.php

Not very thorough but at least there are pics (IMO confusingly interspersed with shots of other components).

Interestingly, the player features both an Ethernet port and a Java logo.

 

[RobertSiegel]

ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING NEW ON THIS PLAYER?

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Out sometime Q4 2007.

List is $1k, street should be around $750 to $850.

 

[Felix Martinez]

Good review at HD Guru. I'm *very* interested in this player.

 

[Chris S]

I wonder what sort of problems they ran into with the SD DVD playback?

(emphasis mine)

 

[Cees Alons]

Probably none.
That pre-production machine wasn't "glitchless" apparently, though.


Cees