SlashGear Japan
Panasonic have announced pricing for their upcoming BD50 Blu-ray player. Set to be the company’s flagship high-definition player, the BD50 will cost $700 and will launch, according to the company’s latest promises, before the end of Spring. The BD50 is the first unit from the manufacturer to support Final Standard Profile 2.0, which includes multiple internet-based extras sourced from Blu-ray discs.
That means access to in-movie games and multiple new language soundtracks available to download. The BD50 will also be able to play AVCHD (H.264) video and display JPEG images stored on an SD card. Both 24p and HDMI 1.3 will be supported.
It’s tricky, though, to see who would pick the Panasonic BD50 over the PlayStation 3. That console comes in at several hundred dollars cheaper and includes much of the same functionality – including, of course, gameplay.
[via Electronista]
2 Responses to “Panasonic announce BD50 Blu-ray player pricing”
Banzai May 6, 2008
Bah! 700 bucks. Too much, Panasonic. You guys had a chance to drive mass adoption with a sub- $500 price point on this unit and you didn’t even come close. Now I’m sorry I sold my Toshiba XA2. Time to grab a good upscaling DVD player to enjoy for the next couple of years until Blu-Ray players hit decent price levels. Really wanted this unit to be my jump into Blu-Ray, but I guess not.
NeutralFred Brown May 21, 2008
$700.00 for a BR dvd player. Those guys at Panny must be smokin’ crack. I can buy a Sammy BDp-1500 for $399
Neutral