Panasonic, Sony show off 2.0 Blu-ray players

Both Sony and Panasonic are showing off their next-gen Blu-ray players that support Profile 2.0, but only Panasonic has its product nearly ready.

The Blu-ray Disc Association has promised that 2008 will be the year for interactivity coming to the format, and the hardware vendors supporting the standard are pushing forward with player upgrades to support it.

Currently, the PlayStation 3 is the only device that can be upgraded to Blu-ray Profile 2.0, also known as BD Live, which adds Internet connectivity as a mandatory feature. In turn, manufacturers are having to build newer players and existing customers must purchase another device.

Sony had prototypes of two 2.0 Blu-ray players on display in its CES booth, while Panasonic was demoing its BD-50 player that is due in the spring. Neither company has set pricing for the new players, with Panasonic telling BetaNews it will see how the market changes in the meantime.

When asked whether owners of the BD-10 or BD-30 players will be frustrated that their hardware will soon be out-of-day, a Panasonic representative told BetaNews that early adopters deal with such situations all the time and are used to paying a bit more money to have early access to new technology.

The BD-30 and BD-50 are nearly identical, aside from the latter adding an Ethernet port and include slightly more powerful audio processing capabilities, Panasonic said.

Sony was less concerned about alienating its customers, as most of its customers are currently buying PlayStation 3 consoles in order to play Blu-ray movies, and the PS3 will receive a firmware upgrade to Profile 2.0.

Panasonic's BD-50 player

Sony's prototype Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players

Sony Sapphire 3 (Prototype)
- BD-Live and Bonus View capable
- Network Firmware update
- BD/DVD/CD playback
- Full HD 1080p video output and 24P True Cinema
- AVC HD playback with x.v.Color video output

Sony Sapphire 4 (Prototype)
- BD-Live and Bonus View capable
- Network Firmware update
- BD/DVD/CD playback
- Full HD 1080p video output and 24P True Cinema
- AVC HD playback with x.v.Color video output
- Advanced Audio Codec support