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26 Jun 2006
Samsung's high-definition Blu-ray DVD player finally went on sale in US shops on Saturday, but early reports suggest that the players are not flying off the shelves.
Hollywood news website MovieWeb reported that Samsung's BD-P1000 DVD player, which hit the shops five days after the first seven Blu-ray films on 20 June, aroused "little sales activity" but "plenty of confusion" among consumers.
Samsung may find comfort in the news that Toshiba's rival HD-DVD player is also said to be selling slowly.
With the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player retailing at between $447 and $549, according to pricegrabber.com, and Samsung's Blu-ray player costing around $999 (£540), consumers seem reluctant to make such a heavy investment before they know which format will have the greatest long-term success.
Just seven Blu-ray titles are currently available to buy, including House of Flying Daggers and The Terminator, all from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Several more releases have been announced, including Sleepy Hollow from Paramount Pictures and The Matrix from Warner Bros.
Toshiba's entertainment partners producing discs in HD-DVD format include Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video and TV company HBO.
Both high-definition DVD formats offer a much clearer image than standard DVD, with 1,080 lines of resolution rather than 480. A DVD's 4.7GB capacity is dwarfed by an HD-DVD disc's 15GB/30GB capacity and Blu-ray's 25GB/50GB (single-layer/dual-layer).
UK consumers are expected to be able to buy the Samsung Blu-ray DVD player in September.
While the public may choose to wait before making a decision in the high-definition DVD war, they can rest assured that they need not replace their movie collections. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives are able to play standard DVDs.
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Do you agree?
Pioneer/Samsung Need A Reality Check!
How can the likes of Pioneer and Samsung justify in selling Blu-Ray DVD Players at what can only be considered as a stupid price! I mean I thought Sony Playstation 3 price was ridiculous, but at least it makes up for the price for being a games console as well (dispite the overated price for the games). Come on Samsung/Pioneer, if you really want to sell Blu-ray, you really need to introduce a very basic and affordable player, so consumers know what kind of technological breakthrough Blu-Ray can really provide and then consumers can decide for themselves which is the most superior format either Standard Dvd or Blu-Ray Dvd. As it stands, consumers find it difficult to grasp a full understanding of what the fuss is all about regarding Blu-Ray technology, let alone the price of these players.
Posted by: Karl Cleveley 20 Mar 2007
Too Restrictive
Until I have an idea as to how the two formats and their anti-consumer capabilities are utilized then I'm not going to touch them. My DVD library is MUCH to vast, and if I damage a DVD I can still make a useable copy will little trouble.
Posted by: Mathue 26 Jun 2006