Seoul – Samsung may be the second manufacturer in the world towards the end of the year to launch a blue laser player capable of supporting both high-definition (HD) optical formats currently in contention: Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Samsung’s first dual standard HD player will be the BD-UP5000 , and will be part of a new product family called Duo HD. Unlike LG’s current dual standard player, which lacks support for the HDi specification, BD-UP5000 will be able to view both the BD-Java interactive content of Blu-ray and the HDi content of HD DVD .
“As a member of the DVD Forum and a player of the DVD industry we recognize that both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats have their merits. For this reason we have decided to introduce a dual-format player on the market “, said the Korean giant in a statement, where he also reiterated the possibility -” if consumers ask for it “- to market a stand alone HD DVD player . The company currently produces exclusively Blu-ray players, an area in which it pioneered last year.
Like compatriot LG, Samsung had announced plans to develop a dual standard blue laser player as early as 2005, but the project was then postponed to wait. the evolution of the market and solve some technical and licensing issues. The same problems that led LG to sacrifice support for the HDi specification.
For the moment of the BD-UP5000 only the name and approximate date of the North American debut is known, which will take place “in time for the holiday season”: features and price will instead be revealed later in time.
To get an idea of the price , LG has just launched its first Super Multi Blue unit in Italy at 1,490 euros. According to some analysts, there is a possibility that by the end of the year the poductors manage to bring the cost of dual standard players to around 1,000 euros . Samsung’s BD-P1000 player, capable of playing BD discs exclusively, is currently sold on Italian e-commerce sites at prices ranging from 550 to 1,000 euros.
On the market challenge between Blu-ray and HD DVD, see the recent study They want HD DVD to win in Europe.
