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IFA Underway in Berlin; Blu-ray Takes Center Stage

Thu Aug 30, 2007 at 01:45 PM ET
Tags: IFA (all tags)

Europe's IFA consumer electronics fair began with a bang Thursday, with a series of announcements from Blu-ray supporting companies new and old.

With virtually all of today's announcements specific to the European market, it would seem to indicate a growing focus on the region by BDA-supporting hardware manufacturers (both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have sold in lower quantities in Europe than elsewhere).

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Among the many announcements made this morning were new hardware devices from Phillips (the BDP7100 Blu-ray Disc player), BenQ (the BR1000 BD-ROM PC drive and the BR1001 Blu-ray Disc Writer), Daewoo (the DBP-1000, the first known BD player to to support Profile 2.0), and Loewe (the Blutech Vision Blu-ray player).

Additionally, Sony announced a European release for its BDP-S300 Blu-ray player (which has already launched here in the US), as well as a higher end model -- the BDP-S500. Samsung, meanwhile, unveiled further details about its long-awaited dual-format player, while Sharp announced plans to display its upcoming Aquos BD-HP20S Blu-ray player at the show.

Also announced were the addition of two new companies to the BDA ranks -- Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer and China's Hualu Group.

For its part, the HD DVD camp has hinted that it will release its own share of announcements from IFA in the coming days. Needless to say, we'll let you know as news continues to stream in.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
2007 IFA Consumer Electronics Fair [Official Site]
Samsung unveils first dual-format player details: BD-UP5000 [HDTV UK]
Sharp Aquos BD-HP20S Blu-ray Player [Blu-ray.com]
China Hualu Group Joins Blu-ray Disc Association [Press Release]
Acer Inc. Joins Blu-Ray Disc Association [Press Release]
Philips showcases the latest advances in consumer lifestyle technology at IFA [Press Release]
BenQ Announces $199 BD-ROM PC Drive [Blu-ray.com]
Daewoo demos 'Blu-ray Disc 2.0' player [Reg Hardware]
Loewe Introduces Blutech Vision Blu-ray Player [Blu-ray.com]
Sony launches BDP-S500 Blu-ray player [EngadgetHD]


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