Samsung was the first to offer a home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system with Blu-ray with their HT-BD2T system which retailed at $1,500. Samsung has now announced a more affordable HTIB system, the HT-BD2E, for only $800.
Keeping in mind that this is a budget system, the HT-BD2E is a Profile 1.0 player, which means no support for Profile 1.1 nor Profile 2.0 online interactive features. What you will find however is a 5.1 channel system with 800 watts of total power. Also included is HDMI output for Blu-ray, 1080p upconversion for DVDs, two optical digital audio inputs, and onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD High Resolution.
The HT-BD2E will be available August for $800. We’ll be sure to bring you a review as soon as it is available.
[Crave]
Tags: Blu-ray HTiB, Blu-ray News, HT-BD2E, Samsung, Samsung HT-BD2E
Samsung is looking to keep current owners and prospective owners informed on the Blu-ray format with the launch of their ‘Blu-ray Resource Center’ website. The site itself is divided into two sections. The first is for current Blu-ray owners with such topics as ‘how do I get the most out of my Blu-ray player?’ The second section is for those ‘looking to buy Blu-ray’ where they give the 101 on the Blu-ray format and of course display their current players such as the BD-P1500. Good to see manufacturers launching informative websites on Blu-ray, something that should be more common as time goes by.
Tags: Blu-ray News, Samsung
EngadgetHD has reviewed the Samsung BD-P1500 and it looks like it’s a solid Blu-ray player that has some new features over its predecessor. However, one of the main complaint is that the BD-P1500 still isn’t a full-featured player and lacks new features such as BD-Live and DTS-HD MA. At the same price as the PS3, they don’t see how this standalone player has any advantages over Sony’s multifaceted console unless it can be found on sale. So if you’re looking for a good standalone player and can do without BD-Live and DTS-HD MA, then the Samsung BD-P1500 is right for you.
[EngadgetHD]
Tags: BD-P1500, Blu-ray BD-Live, Blu-ray News, Blu-ray Players, Samsung, Samsung BD1500
In an expected move, both Samsung and LG Electronics have ceased their production lines on Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo players which play discs from both formats. Apparently this has been the case for Samsung since February as a spokesperson stated ‘we have no longer been producing combo players that support the playback of HD-DVD and Blu-ray high-definition discs’. LG Electronics won’t stop production of their ‘Super Blu’ combo player until the second half of this year and is seen as a ‘tough decision’ seeing as how they invested roughly $11 billion into the ‘Super-Blu’ business over the past three years.
[EngadgetHD]
Tags: Blu-ray News, Blu-ray Players, LG, Samsung
I stopped by the Los Angeles Wal-Mart last night to see if I could find the Funai NB500 Blu-ray player that was spotted in stores yesterday. I didn’t find any but did stumble across the Samsung BD-P1500 $348.88 sticker price. Samsung previously announced it would be available in June after delays to add BD Live. The Samsung BD-P1500 comes with BD Profile 1.1 Bonus View and Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TruHD and DTS-HD High resolution. At $348.88 it looks like it’s worth the $50 upgrade over the Funai NB500. It’s also been spotted at a San Diego store so it shouldn’t be long until its available at every location.
UPDATE: May 14 Went to Best Buy in West Los Angeles and saw one on display (pictured above) so I asked the manager if there were any in stock. He checked the computer and said the district warehouse had 701 on hand. They get deliveries on Tuesdays and Fridays and even told me I’d be able to pick one up for $399 Friday or Saturday if I paid for it today.
Tags: BD-P1500, Best Buy, Blu-ray News, Blu-ray Players, Samsung, Samsung BD1500, Wal-Mart, Walmart
