You can pick your first Blu-Ray player up in June!

[Queasy]

Link

With a Beta vs. VHS style battle looming, Pioneer introduced its first Blu-ray disc player while Toshiba was busy unveiling the first HD DVD player. Pioneer senior vice president of marketing and product planning for home entertainment Russ Johnston today stated, "Blu-ray is one of the most exciting innovations in home theater consumers will see from the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show."

Offering a 50GB disc capacity thanks to dual 25GB layers, the BDP-HD1 player will deliver DVD content in 1920x1080p, along with IP connectivity for enjoying protected content currently stored on the PC. The player will send both audio and video through a single HDMI connector, and feature DTS-HD and Dolby Digital support, with WMA, MP3 and LPCM audio playback. But such features won't come cheap: Pioneer's BDP-HD1 sports a suggested retail price of $1800 USD and will be available starting in June.

Yeah, but it's not $1800 worth of excitement there bub.

 

[intogamer]

I don't even have a HDTV yet... I don't know anybody that does.

 

[jcovercash]

Ok and PS3 is supposed to be a blue-ray player, Glad its gonna be in withen everyones budget then.......

 

[EvilYoda]

Well of course the Elite player's going to be expensive...other manufacturers will have players from $500-800 at release. Don't know if I'll pick one up yet though

 

[mzkhadir]

Wouldn' you rather go with hd-dvd for 500.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1773367&enterthread=y

 

[jcovercash]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir
Wouldn' you rather go with hd-dvd for 500.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1773367&enterthread=y

I would rather go with NEITHER any time soon, atleast until prices drop and one becomes a standard.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda
Well of course the Elite player's going to be expensive...other manufacturers will have players from $500-800 at release. Don't know if I'll pick one up yet though

I think Blu-Ray players (excluding the PS3) are starting at $1000.

 

[eelw]

Don't understand how or why Sony wants to lose so much money on the PS3 by adding a Blu-Ray drive.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I'm not going to spend $20 on a DVD player, let alone $900 on something so new.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Samsung announced one that will cost a grand and be supposedly be the first Blu-Ray player in the US (no date supplied) <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://handhelds.engadget.com/2006/01/04/bd-1000-first-u-s-blu-ray-pla
er/">Engadget CES coverage</a>

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: eelw
Don't understand how or why Sony wants to lose so much money on the PS3 by adding a Blu-Ray drive.

Because they are one of the owners of Blu-Ray. If Blu-Ray becomes the defacto standard for the next generation then Sony will be raking in the bucks.

 

[HaxorNubcake]

is there even any media on blu ray?

 

[shortylickens]

Fvck that.
I remember when I bought a 4.7GB DVD burner for $365.
6 months later BAM! 50 bucks.
I learned my lesson. Optical drives are one area I dont need to be ahead of the power curve. I can settle for one generation old. I'll be picking up a Dual-layer in a little while. Will NOT spend more than 80 for it.

 

[cerebusPu]

wah..makes teh PS3 seem like a steal. maybe I'll buy a ps3 just for the blueray player

 

[mzkhadir]

Originally posted by: HaxorNubcake
is there even any media on blu ray?

In Japan, yes.

http://www.blu-ray.com

 

[intogamer]

Either PS3 loses a lot of money or PS3 will be very expensive!

 

[Pocatello]

Wow, cost just like a decent HDTV.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: HaxorNubcake
is there even any media on blu ray?

In Japan, yes.

http://www.blu-ray.com

They're supposedly going to start releasing movies on Blu-Ray leading up to the release of the actual players. Same thing with HD-DVD.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: intogamer
Either PS3 loses a lot of money or PS3 will be very expensive!

Could be both. Some SCEA big shot has already said that the PS3 would be "very expensive". The economic model for consoles is completely different than standalone electronics. In standalone electronics, you must make money on the device, whereas consoles are subsidized with the view that the money will be made when games are bought.

Of course, this could all backfire immensely if Blu-Ray players are still sold for $1k when the PS3 comes out. You would then have people buying the subsidized PS3 to use as a Blu-Ray player and buying very few games.

 

[13Gigatons]

Most people will wait until prices are worth it. In a few years they will be under $100 for 8x burners.

 

[ironcrotch]

will these things even work on my plasma, or do need to invest in another tv so they can protect the contect on the disks that i buy

 

[SilentZero]

No thanks.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: eelw
Don't understand how or why Sony wants to lose so much money on the PS3 by adding a Blu-Ray drive.

Because they are one of the owners of Blu-Ray. If Blu-Ray becomes the defacto standard for the next generation then Sony will be raking in the bucks.

There's also a special layer that has to go on the discs, and only Sony makes it.
Every disc made means money for Sony.

 

[Xyclone]

Only $1800?!!? :shocked:

OGMOGMGOG Count me in OMGOMG!!! :Q

 

[spacejamz]

Pre Order Now for only 999.95!

Full HD 1080p Video Output through HDMI? connection1

DVD Upscaling to 1080p Through HDMI?3

Uncompressed Multi Channel Linear PCM Output

Build Quality with Rigid Beam Construction

BD-Java Interactive Capability5

Expected to ship on or before July 31, 2006.