With Samsung's combo Blu-ray/HD DVD player hitting store shelves later this
year, there has been a lot of speculation regarding its price. While some sources have stated that the BD-UP5000 would be priced at only $545, others have reported that it would cost $550 more
than Samsung's single format Blu-ray player. Samsung has finally come out and announced the player's price. According to a blog post at CNET
News.com, the BD-UP5000 will retail for $1,049.
Samsung announced final official details on two expensive Blu-ray players
today, including the HD DVD-playin' BD-UP5000 we wrote about before, and a new home theater-in-a-box (HTiB) that incorporates a Blu-ray
player, the HT-BD2. We're now told the BD-UP5000 will retail for $1,049, and the HT-BD2 will sell for $1,499. Both will ship sometime in
the fourth quarter of this year, and will round out the company's five-model series of 2007 Blu-ray players.
The BD-UP5000
will reportedly feature ethernet and HDMI 1.3 ports, HQV video processing and the ability to output 1080p/24 video from Blu-ray discs.
Oddly enough, it does not support 1080p/24 when playing HD DVD movies. If you'd like to read more, the entire blog post can be found here.
