14 DAY TRIAL // Time in the BR/HD-DVD industry seems to have its own pace. There are months when the word ?new? resumes to some acid remarks exchanged between the two boy bands. And there are weeks, sometimes days, when you don?t know what to begin with. And CES 2007 was one of those moments.
Of course, HD-DVD had the lead at CES too, but that?s not much of a surprise. However, Blu-Rays were also present. For example, Samsung chose CES to present its new BD-P1200 Blu-Ray player. And we simply loved it. Not for its features, but because it?s $200 cheaper than the older BD-P1000. With a price tag of just $799, it is probably the first affordable BR player that ever existed. And that can only be a good thing.
The BD-P1200 continues Samsung?s rather successful BR player line and comes with the ever present Hollywood Quality Video (HQV) processor. The player integrates a high-quality 1080i to 1080p HD de-interlacing algorithm used in case you want to watch 1080i content on 1080p capable displays. Aside from that, the unit features HDMI 1.3 interconnection with 7.1-channel audio support. Among other interesting stuff, the player comes fully compatible with Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) technology, which allows for a single remote controller to operate the BD player, TV and other A/V products from Samsung.
A lot more can be said about Samsung?s new player, but I will remain focused on the price here. Toshiba?s HD-A20 player sells for $599 and is currently the cheapest 1080p capable player for HD-DVD disks. And with the introduction of the new BD-P1200, Samsung got a step closer to the HD-DVDs. BD-P1200 should start shipping in March, 2007.