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Samsung: Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player Now Shipping
Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:00 PM ETTags: Samsung, Hardware, Dual-Format Players (all tags)
Despite reports to the contrary, Samsung says its BD-UP5000 dual-format high-def disc player is shipping "as we speak," and will hit stores at a price lower than previously announced.
Rumors of a delay for the manufacturer's first dual-format player surfaced earlier this week after a listing at Amazon bumped the player's release to January 15, but a Samsung spokesman told Dealerscope on Wednesday that the player is currently shipping to stores, and that it should be on shelves by "mid-to-late December."
The spokesman added that due to "recent activities in the marketplace," the player's suggested retail price has been dropped to $799 (it was originally announced with a $1,049 price tag, but that price was reduced to $999 in early September).
As we've previously reported, Samsung will be the second manufacturer to market an dual player capable of playing HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, following the introduction of LG's BH100 in January of this year.
Samsung says its BDP-UP5000 will support both BD-Java and HDi, as well as web-enabled supplements on both formats, via an Ethernet connection. In late October, the manufacturer noted that the player will require an upcoming firmware update to actually play back Profile 1.1 discs.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Samsung Says Dual Player Still on Track For December, at Reduced Price [Dealerscope]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Samsung Confirms Profile 1.1 For BD-UP5000 Dual-Format Player (Oct 24, 2007)
- Samsung Lowers Price on Upcoming Dual-Format HD DVD, Blu-ray Player (Sep 07, 2007)
- Samsung Plans Dual-Format Blu-ray, HD DVD Player (Apr 16, 2007)
Venturer HD DVD Player Surfaces at Wal-Mart
Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Venturer, Wal-Mart, Hardware (all tags)
The long-anticipated budget HD DVD player from Venturer has finally arrived, and is being sold by Wal-Mart for $199.
Back when it was first announced in late August, Venturer's SHD7000 player had been expected to break low-price records this holiday season, but with Toshiba's entry-level HD DVD players being sold for as little as $99 earlier this month (also at Wal-Mart), Venturer's HD DVD launch has lost a bit of its thunder.
Still, with Wal-Mart carrying the player, there's no telling how many Christmas shoppers may be wooed by its low price. (At press time, the retail giant was offering the player at select stores and online for $199.)
According to early reports, the player is functionally identical to Toshiba's HA-A3 HD DVD player, offering 1080i video output via HDMI and Dolby TrueHD support.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Venturer SHD7000 HD DVD Player [Wal-Mart.com]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Venturer to Release Budget HD DVD Player for the Holidays (Aug 28, 2007)
- Venturer HD DVD Player: $199? (Aug 29, 2007)
- HD DVD Takes Centerstage at Wal-Mart (Oct 31, 2007)
Report: HD DVD Standalone Player Sales Nearing 500,000 Milestone
Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 01:16 PM ETTags: Hardware, Industry Forecasts (all tags)
Format backers say the total number of standalone HD DVD players sold is poised to hit the 500,000 mark by late November.
That's according to a report published late Thursday by Home Media Magazine, which places the current total household penetration for HD DVD standalones at about 420,000 units.
This news comes on the heels of reports earlier this week that roughly 90,000 HD DVD standalones were sold last weekend alone, following highly-publicized price drops for Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player.
While passing the 500,000 unit mark would certainly seem to cement the HD DVD camp's overall lead in standalone player sales, it still pales in comparison to the installed base of Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which comes with a built-in Blu-ray player. (According to the website vgchartz.com, over 2.2 million PS3s have been sold in the US to date).
Of course, as HD DVD backers will be quick to point out, the majority of PS3 owners are said to not use the console as a Blu-ray player.
What effect all of this may (or may not) have on next-gen disc sales remains to seen. As we've previously reported, year-to-date figures from Home Media Research gave Blu-ray a 1.85:1 disc sales advantage for the first nine months of 2007.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- HD DVD Camp Crows About Player Penetration [Home Media Magazine]
- Game Console Sales Charts [vgchartz.com]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Report: Weekend Toshiba HD DVD Player Sales Top 90,000
- Blu-ray Disc Sales Lead HD DVD by Nearly 2:1 YTD; Q4 Crucial For HD DVD
Report: HD DVD Standalone Player Sales Nearing 500,000 Milestone
Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 01:16 PM ETTags: Hardware, Industry Forecasts (all tags)
Format backers say the total number of standalone HD DVD players sold is poised to hit the 500,000 mark by late November.
That's according to a report published late Thursday by Home Media Magazine, which places the current total household penetration for HD DVD standalones at about 420,000 units.
This news comes on the heels of reports earlier this week that roughly 90,000 HD DVD standalones were sold last weekend alone, following highly-publicized price drops for Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player.
While passing the 500,000 unit mark would certainly seem to cement the HD DVD camp's overall lead in standalone player sales, it still pales in comparison to the installed base of Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which comes with a built-in Blu-ray player. (According to the website vgchartz.com, over 2.2 million PS3s have been sold in the US to date).
Of course, as HD DVD backers will be quick to point out, the majority of PS3 owners are said to not use the console as a Blu-ray player.
What effect all of this may (or may not) have on next-gen disc sales remains to seen. As we've previously reported, year-to-date figures from Home Media Research gave Blu-ray a 1.85:1 disc sales advantage for the first nine months of 2007.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- HD DVD Camp Crows About Player Penetration [Home Media Magazine]
- Game Console Sales Charts [vgchartz.com]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Report: Weekend Toshiba HD DVD Player Sales Top 90,000
- Blu-ray Disc Sales Lead HD DVD by Nearly 2:1 YTD; Q4 Crucial For HD DVD
Toshiba: HD DVD Stand-Alone Players Back on Top
Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 03:04 PM ETTags: Toshiba, Hardware (all tags)
Acknowledging recent Blu-ray victories in set-top sales, Toshiba says it reclaimed the stand-alone player sales lead in late September.
As we've previously reported, Sony announced in early September that stand-alone Blu-ray players had begun out-selling their HD DVD counterparts. At the time, Toshiba issued a tersely-worded statement, emphasizing its own year-to-date leadership over Blu-ray in set-top player sales.
Now, according to an article published by Video Business, Toshiba says it's back in the lead, following the September launch of its 3rd-gen players.
Citing new year-to-date NPD figures, the manufacturer said HD DVD players now account for 53% of sales; Blu-ray players, 44%; dual format players, 3%.
But while the manufacturer acknowledged "some weeks" of Blu-ray dominance in set-top players, a quick compare with year-to-date NPD figures released by the manufacturer in early September do indicate a decline in HD DVD dominance. (At the time, Toshiba reported a 55% HD DVD lead vs Blu-ray at 42%.)
We should emphasize that the NPD figures reflect stand-alone player sales only, and do not include sales of the Blu-ray-enabled PS3, the HD DVD add-on for the XBox 360, or computer disc drives for either format.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Toshiba says HD DVD set-top players are back in front [Video Business]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Report: Sony Says Blu-ray Standalone Players Out-Selling HD DVD
- Toshiba Refutes Sony's Claims of Blu-ray Stand-Alone Player Dominance
Toshiba Adds 1080p24 to XA2, A20 HD DVD Players; Initial Results Buggy
Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 12:57 PM ETTags: Firmware Upgrades, Toshiba, Hardware (all tags)
Toshiba issued a new firmware upgrade to enable 1080p24 output for its HD-XA2 and HD-A20 players late last week, but our testing of the new software has revealed some bugs.
The latest in a series of upgrades offered by Toshiba for its complete line of HD DVD players, the documentation for firmware version 2.5 promises several enhancements, including improved network connectivity for downloading web-enabled content on certain HD DVD discs and a fix for "certain disc playback and HDMI/DVI related issues identified by Toshiba."
Likely of most interest to early adopters, the new firmware also enables the output of raw 1080p24 video over HDMI from the HD-XA2 and HD-A20 player models. Several Blu-ray players already offer 1080p24 output, but until this point the feature has never been available from an HD DVD player.
We asked our own Joshua Zyber to take the new upgrade for a test drive on his Toshiba HD-XA2, and as he reports in a just-posted update to his XA2 review, he had mixed results.
According to Josh, the fix for "disc playback issues" as referenced by Toshiba greatly improved his machine's playback of 'The Matrix Reloaded' disc from the 'Ultimate Matrix Collection' box set, which previously had trouble loading in his HD-XA2 player.
Unfortunately, Josh's initial testing of the 1080p24 output setting proved less successful. Although he says that 1080p24 output reduced the slight picture judder associated with the 3:2 pulldown process as normally seen on North American televisions (as well as a previously reported video stutter issue), in his testing the setting also had a negative side effect of throwing audio sync off on most of the discs played. He goes on to say that the problem was so distracting that he found himself forced to return the player to 1080i output.
Some members of AVSForum have also reported playback anomalies involving dropped video frames on some discs.
There's no word yet on how widespread these issues may (or may not) be, but we'll certainly let you know of any developments as they emerge.
Meanwhile, other early adopters have been discussing their own experiences with the version 2.5 upgrade in our forums area. To read their feedback (and to post your own), click here.
- Related links:
- HD DVD's Second Generation: Toshiba HD-XA2 Review [High-Def Digest]
Samsung Lowers Price on Upcoming Dual-Format HD DVD, Blu-ray Player
Fri Sep 07, 2007 at 01:38 PM ETTags: Samsung, Dual-Format Players, Hardware (all tags)
It only seemed like a matter of time before Samsung would lower the MSRP of its upcoming BD-UP5000 Duo HD player to match LG's recently-announced price-cut for their dual format player.
Samsung now says its BD-UP5000 will hit stores sometime in the fourth quarter at a $999 street price -- down $50 from its previously announced MSRP of $1,049.
The price drop is the latest in a series of tit for tat pricing moves between Samsung and LG, who are both marketing dual-format players for the upcoming holiday season.
Samsung made the first move in July, when it announced that its BDP-UP5000 would hit the market priced at $1,049 -- $150 less than LG's BH100 (which had been priced at $1,199 since its launch earlier this year). LG responded in August by announcing its own $200 price drop for the BH100, and now things have come circle with Samsung matching LG's $999 price.
Earlier this week, LG announced a 2nd-Gen dual format player -- the BH200 -- which also carries the $999 pricetag.
Of course, even at $999, all three players remain more expensive than buying two separate standalone players (Toshiba's HD-A2 and Sony's BDP-S300 currently retail at a combined cost of $898), but with the holidays just around the corner, perhaps yet another dual-format player price drop is in our future. Stay tuned...
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Samsung's Duo Gets Re-Priced [TWICE]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- LG's 2nd-Gen Dual Format HD DVD, Blu-ray Player Due in October
- Hybrid Player Price War Brewing? LG Lowers Price of 'Super Blu' HD DVD/Blu-ray Player
- More Details in on Samsung's Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player
- CES: First Details on LG's Blu-ray/HD DVD Dual-Format Player
Toshiba Refutes Sony's Claims of Blu-ray Stand-Alone Player Dominance
Thu Sep 06, 2007 at 06:09 PM ETTags: CEDIA, Toshiba, Hardware (all tags)
Well, that didn't take long. Toshiba this afternoon issued a tersely-worded response to claims made by Sony at a CEDIA press conference last night.
As we first reported earlier today, Sony VP Chris Fawcett was quoted as saying that stand-alone Blu-ray players had begun out-selling their HD DVD counterparts over the last 12 weeks.
Given the extent to which HD DVD backers had previously emphasized their own lead in this category, Sony's claims set off a minor firestorm across the web -- so much so, apparently, that Toshiba felt compelled to issue its own statement in response this afternoon.
The statement reads as follows:
"In light of recent comments made regarding high definition stand-alone video players sales, Toshiba would like to reiterate its continued industry leading sales figures. Based on July data from NPD, Toshiba had a 55% market share year to date in high definition stand alone player sales followed by all Blu-ray companies at a combined 42%; the final 3 percent is held by dual format players.
While the competition may claim leadership based on one month of data, Toshiba has had continued sales leadership in every month since the original HD DVD players launched 17 months ago.
Toshiba is and continues to be a top seller at retailers such as Amazon, most recently reaching #1 on the site last week. As third generation players begin to come to market at the end of this month, Toshiba has full confidence that it will continue its momentum and lead in player sales. Additional information HD DVD and Toshiba’s players can be found at http://www.toshibahddvd.com"
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Report: Sony Says Blu-ray Standalone Players Out-Selling HD DVD
LG's 2nd-Gen Dual Format HD DVD, Blu-ray Player Due in October
Wed Sep 05, 2007 at 11:00 AM ETTags: LG, Hardware, Dual-Format Players (all tags)
Nine months after it debuted its first dual format HD DVD/Blu-ray player at CES, LG has officially announced its new updated player, due in October.
Unlike its predecessor, the new player -- dubbed the BH200 -- will support both BD-Java and HDi, providing interactive functionality for discs of both formats. The player will also feature 1080p output at 60Hz, and HD DVD network connectivity.
It still comes at pretty hefty pricetag, however, with the suggested retail for the new player expected to run $999 when the player hits store shelves.
In mid-August LG lowered the price of its existing BH100 by $200 to $999 following reports that Samsung's planned BDP-UP5000 hybrid player would retail for 1,049. Since then, readers have spotted the first-gen LG player retailing for as low as $795 at select stores.
No word yet on any further price cuts, but as always, we'll keep you posted. Stay tuned!
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- LG adds features, cuts price on dual HD DVD player [Reuters]
- New LG Dual High-Def DVD Player Coming Next Month [Electronic House]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Hybrid Player Price War Brewing? LG Lowers Price of 'Super Blu' HD DVD/Blu-ray Player
- More Details in on Samsung's Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player
Venturer HD DVD Player: $199?
Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 04:07 PM ETTags: Hardware, Venturer (all tags)
According to a published report, Venturer has revealed pricing for its recently-announced SHD7000 HD DVD Player.
As we first reported yesterday, budget electronics manufacturer Venturerplans to release a value-priced HD DVD player ahead of the holiday shopping.
Today, DVD Town is reporting that according to a Venturer rep, the deck will be made available at a record-low suggested retail price $199.
As we've previously reported, the player's announced specs include 1080i video output via HDMI and Dolby TrueHD support.
No word yet on a release date, nor whether the deck will be carried by Wal-Mart, Venturer's largest North American retail partner. Stay tuned...
(Thanks to David for the tip!)
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- HD DVD Player: SRP $199 [DVD Town]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Venturer to Release Budget HD DVD Player for the Holidays (Aug 28, 2007)
MORE HD DVD NEWS TAGGED "HARDWARE":
- Venturer to Release Budget HD DVD Player for the Holidays (UPDATED) Aug 28, 2007
- Hybrid Player Price War Brewing? LG Lowers Price of 'Super Blu' HD DVD/Blu-ray Player Aug 14, 2007
- Onkyo's High-End HD DVD Player Due This Fall Aug 10, 2007
- Confirmed: Toshiba's 3rd-Gen HD DVD Players Due This Fall Aug 06, 2007
- Toshiba Planning Third-Gen HD DVD Players For Oct? Aug 02, 2007
- More Details in on Samsung's Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player Jul 05, 2007
- Toshiba to Add 24p Output to 2nd-Gen HD DVD Players Jul 05, 2007
- Toshiba's Latest HD DVD Firmware Upgrade Unlocks Web-Enabled Features Jul 02, 2007
- Toshiba Permanently Drops HD DVD Player Prices Jun 29, 2007
- Toshiba Permanently Drops HD DVD Player Prices Jun 29, 2007
- HD DVD Camp Claims Victory in Stand-Alone Player Sales Jun 11, 2007
- Workaround Found for Toshiba HD-XA2 Low Bass Issues Jun 09, 2007
- Toshiba Plans HD DVD Laptop Counter-Offensive Jun 05, 2007
- Toshiba Unveils In-Car HD DVD Player May 29, 2007
- Toshiba Offers $100 Rebate on New HD DVD Players May 16, 2007
- Toshiba, 'Sopranos' Star Team Up for HD DVD Campaign May 04, 2007
- $50 Wal-Mart HD DVD Player: Fact or Fiction? (UPDATED) Apr 20, 2007
- HD DVD Stand-Alone Players Surpass 100,000 Milestone Apr 18, 2007
- Samsung Plans Dual-Format Blu-ray, HD DVD Player Apr 16, 2007
- Toshiba Second-Gen HD DVD Firmware Upgrade V1.5 Now Available Apr 12, 2007
- Toshiba Preps for Online Interactivity with First-Gen HD DVD Player Firmware Update Apr 04, 2007
- Toshiba Sets New Low with $400 HD DVD Player Pricing Mar 22, 2007
- Blu-ray, HD DVD Hardware Sales Continue to Rise, But No Winner Likely in 2007? Mar 09, 2007
- Toshiba HD DVD Firmware Upgrade V1.3 Now Available Feb 28, 2007
- CES: First Details on LG's Blu-ray/HD DVD Dual-Format Player Jan 08, 2007
- CES: Toshiba to Debut New Mid-Priced 1080p HD DVD Player Jan 08, 2007
- High-Def Goes Purple with LG Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player Jan 04, 2007
- Toshiba's Next High-End HD DVD Player Set to Hit Shelves Dec 28, 2006
- First PS3, XBox HD DVD Add-On Sales Numbers Dec 14, 2006
- Toshiba to Bundle Three Free HD DVD Discs With Every Player Sold Oct 26, 2006
- Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-on Pricing, Availability in Japan Sep 21, 2006
- UPDATE: Full Details, Press Release for Toshiba Second-Gen HD DVD Players Sep 15, 2006
- Toshiba Unveils Second-Gen HD DVD Players Sep 14, 2006
- Toshiba Unveils Second-Gen HD DVD Players Sep 14, 2006
- Laser Shortages to Delay New Blu-ray, HD DVD Players? Aug 29, 2006
- Toshiba Firmware Bug Reported Aug 29, 2006
- Toshiba HD DVD Firmware Upgrade V2.0 Now Available Aug 25, 2006
- New Toshiba HD DVD Firmware Update Soon? Aug 09, 2006
- Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 HD DVD Drive; Hints at Pricing Aug 08, 2006
- Toshiba Squashes Second-Gen HD DVD Player Rumors Jul 28, 2006
- Toshiba Offers Firmware Upgrade for HD DVD Players Jun 07, 2006
- HD DVD Hardware, Software Shipments to Retail On the Rise Jun 02, 2006
- HD-DVD Players Selling Out? May 22, 2006
- Samsung Planning Dual HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Player? May 18, 2006
- Toshiba, Retailers Spin Strong First-Week HD-DVD Player Sales Apr 26, 2006
- Early Adopters Report Retail Leaks of First HD-DVD Players, Discs Apr 17, 2006
- HD-DVD to Hit Market With 'Soft Launch' Apr 13, 2006
- First HD-DVD Player Hits Shelves in Japan, U.S. Shipments Underway Mar 31, 2006
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