Samsung Blu-ray Player Delayed

Samsung said Tuesday it would delay the launch of its Blu-ray disc player to late June in order to ensure it could fully test the unit before release. Orignally scheduled for release May 23, the player would now release in the United States on June 25. The company said it still expected to be the first player to launch in the U.S. The news follows word from Toshiba that it would delay its HD DVD players to mid-April. HD DVD players are already on sale in Japan.

The Samsung BD-P1000 will sell for $999 and includes memory card capabilities that would allow users to view digital still pictures. It is also widely expected to be the cheapest Blu-ray player on the market for quite some time. In comparison, Toshiba's HD DVD players start at $499.