RSSBlu-ray gets more high-end consoles
By Tim Conneally | Published September 4, 2008, 1:38 PM
Today at the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) expo in Denver, Colorado, The Blu-ray player market got bigger by a fraction as Sony and Pioneer debuted new hardware.
Sony introduced its BDV-IT1000ES and BDV-IS1000, single-disc "theater-in-a-box" systems that feature Sony's S-AIR wireless 5.1 channel audio, and up to 1080p video quality.
The systems include two HDMI inputs, a "Digital Media Port" which can act as an iPod or Network Walkman cradle, a USB port for flash storage, Sony's trademark XMB interface, support for BD-Live (with a firmware update scheduled for the fall), and support for a host of audio codecs including Dolby TrueHD and Digital Plus, as well as DTS-HD Master Audio and High Resolution Audio.
Shipping in October, Sony's packages will retail for $1,999 and $1,000 depending on the included speakers; the IT1000ES package includes a 200W subwoofer and 7 100W per channel speakers, while the IS1000 features 5 mini speakers that have "no problem delivering the full power of traditional home theater products."
Meanwhile, Pioneer launched its latest flagship Blu-ray player, the Elite BDP-09FD, to coincide with the upcoming second generation of its Kuro television line.
The Elite uses the Marvell QDEQ 16-bit video processor, and a decoder jointly developed by Pioneer and Japanese semiconductor and microcontroller company Renesas Technology. It will also offer BD-Live straight out of the box, offer 1080p 24 fps DVD upconversion, support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and an analog audio board with Wolfson WM8740 stereo digital-to-analog convertors (DACs) for each individual channel.
Pioneer's Elite system will begin shipping before the end of 2008 with the suggested retail price of $2,199.
Glad to see the prices coming down, oh wait.
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As I recall, there's a new version of Blu-ray coming out (with PiP, etc) and the only current Blu-ray machine that will be upgradeable to it is the PS3.
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Sony marketing at its best/worst(anymore can anyone tell the difference?)
Just what the BR market has been lacking, a MORE expensive option!
Earth to Sony...you want the platform to grow, drop the price of players and media to at or near current DVD commodity prices. Until then we'll just keep walking by that small section of the video section.
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Its kind of funny how we ask for them to make a more affordable product and they give us one that is more expensive.
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That's how Sony does, keep making each new generation of products "more high end" over the last while keeping the price the same. Look at the PS3, every time there's a price drop it's only to clear out their inventory of older units that are being replaced with ones with more storage space (whose price remains the same as the old unit before the price drop). Sony would rather sell one item at $1,000 then sell ten for $100.
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Overpriced mediocre theater in a box systems...
Yawn...
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Maybe they think if there are enough expensive ones, the less expensive (though still expensive in their own right) one start to look cheaper?
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Very nice except why would I want to spend just as much or more money on a bluray player than I would for my HDTV?
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That's nice, but if they really want to push their format then the focus should be on low end players. You of course have to factor in that though BluRay penetration is entirely dependent on HD TV penetration.
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