Sony finally introduce a standalone Blu-ray player to the US
Sony have announced that their first dedicated Blu-ray player, the BDP-S1, has begun shipping in the US. "Just in time for the holidays" boasts Sony. Yes, but still nicely behind HD DVD.
“I’m thrilled that it’s here just in time for the holidays,” said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division. “Combining a Sony 1080p HDTV set and our new BD player with an HDMI-enabled A/V receiver and surround sound speakers provides the epitome of the high-definition lifestyle.”
It outputs 1920 x 1080p high-definition video and supports MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC1 video codecs. It will also upscale existing DVDs to 1080p resolution via HDMI. The signal is output at 24 fps.
The BDP-S1 unit offers uncompressed multi-channel linear PCM digital audio output via HDMI, delivering optimum surround sound to an appropriately equipped receiver. The player also has optical digital audio out and 5.1 channel decoding capability for backward compatibility with existing receivers. In addition, it has a separate audio circuit board, finely tuned audio components, rigid beam chassis construction, drive brackets and off-center insulator feet, reducing image de-stabilization and unwanted vibration.
It retails in the US for $1000 but no word on availability or pricing in the UK yet.
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