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Samsung Player Delay Delivers Blow to Blu-Ray
Tue Apr 04, 2006 at 04:33 PM ETTags: Hardware, Samsung (all tags)
The launch of the much anticipated high-def DVD Blu-Ray format was dealt a blow yesterday, with Samsung officially announcing that it will delay the first Blu-Ray player from its scheduled May 23 release to June 25,
reports Home Media Retailing. Samsung said the month-long delay of its $999 BD-P1000 Blu-Ray Disc Player was necessary to accomodate "compatibility testing" with Blu-Ray software, as well as to add support for 1080p via the deck's HDMI outputs.
The electronics giant had originally planned the BD-P1000's release to coincide with Sony's initial batch of Blu-Ray titles on May 23. As word of a possible Samsung delay leaked out last week, Sony told the media that it intends to push ahead with its software launch on schedule, even without any available hardware to play it on.
"We realize there may be some delays on the hardware side, but we are going to honor our commitment to release movies when we said we would,” Sony Home Entertainment pres Benjamin Feingold told HMR last week.
Meanwhile, Blu-Ray's rival high-def format, HD-DVD -- following months of its own delays -- looks to finally be moving full speed ahead with its launch. Toshiba released its first two players in Japan late last week, and announced that it had begun shipping them to the U.S., where they are due to hit stores on April 18, the same day Warner issues its first HD-DVD disc titles.
- Related links:
- Samsung Delays Blu-Ray Players [Home Media Retailing]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- First HD-DVD Player Hits Shelves in Japan, U.S. Shipments Underway (Mar 31, 2006)
- Blu-Ray Movies Likely to Hit Market Before Players (Mar 30, 2006)
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