Posted Sun Jan 6, 2008 at 03:24 PM PST
Updating its recently-released BD-UP5000, Samsung says it will introduce the new BD-UP5500 Duo HD player in the second half of 2008.
Like its predecessor, the BD-UP5500 will support both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, as well as the latest BD-Java and HDi interactivity available (including full support of Blu-ray Profile 1.1).
Samsung says the BD-UP5500 will also feature 7.1 PCM, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master audio, plus Dolby TrueHD Bistream output via HDMI 1.3.
The deck's ethernet connection will enable firmware upgrades and web-enabled features with compatible HD DVD discs. (Company reps tell us the deck will not be BD-Live compliant, meaning it will not support web-enabled features on certain Blu-ray discs.)
The BD-UP5500 is expected to retail for $599, making it the lowest-priced dual format player announced yet. (The BD-UP5000 is currently retailing at $799.)
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