Sony and Samsung, two of the biggest backers of the Blu-ray Disc format during
its battle
with rival HD DVD, are releasing new Blu-ray Disc products with the anticipation
that consumers are finally ready to start upgrading to high-definition video
discs.
Sony's new machines, the BDZ-A70 and BDZ-T90, are both Blu-ray Disc recorders
that pack a hard-disk drive and dual-tuners for Japan's digital TV broadcasting
system. The former model has a 320G byte hard disk and iLink port for hooking
up to a DV camcorder while the latter a 500G byte drive but comes without the
camcorder connection. Both cost ¥168,000 (US$1,608) and are available in
Japan only.
Last year Sony said it would make Blu-ray Disc standard on its digital video
recorders. Sony, which developed much of the technology that sits at the heart
of Blu-ray Disc, is beginning to promote the format strongly after Toshiba pulled
the plug on HD DVD in February.
Samsung's new player, the BD-P1500, supports "full HD" 1080p playback
and accepts not only Blu-ray Disc but also DVD and CDs. In the case of DVDs
it offers upconverting to 720p, 1080i and 1080p.
But it won't support BD-Live, the next major addition to the Blu-ray Disc format,
out of the box. BD-Live is an interactive system that brings functions like
gaming, e-commerce and new content to a Blu-ray Disc player through an Internet
connection, due to be available in coming months.
The first buyers of the BD-P1500 will have to upgrade their players to support
BD-Live through an Internet or USB memory drive.
The player will be available worldwide from May and will cost around US$399.
