Sub $300 Blu-ray players hitting stores

I bought a Samsung BD-P1400 almost three months ago for $400.....and a Funai re-branded at Best Buy for $349 is supposed to be a good deal???

I think Blu Ray has a long way to go with their pricing.

Still.. it's $200 cheaper than what I paid for my Toshiba HD-A2 over a year ago. I remember being so pissed just a few months later when the HD-A2 was reduced to $399.

And to think, these Blu-ray manufacturers aren't even subsidizing their players at this price. Guess I'm a believer in the free market and capitalism after all

Quote:
Funai

Not so Funai. lol

When do we see the Standalone BD 2.0 players in the same price rage

Still waiting for another PS3 price drop, as it is the only viable BD 2.0 player for the money at this point.

I agree with Bosshog7. The Blue Ray camp has a long way to go with their pricing. On the other hand, they are going in the right direction with these two new products. I guess they want to maximize profits now that there is no direct competition at the moment. However, the market is changing rapidly and the Blue Ray camp risk becoming another niche product if they do not move more aggressive. New and better products will enter the market. HD downloads, for example, are moving closer to becoming a reality in the near future and it will impact Blue ray sales once it enters the market place.

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[Post edited by PerfectBlue on May 16, 2008 - CDT 8:31 PM]

The Samsung BD-UP5000 and the LG BH 200 are both on sale for $399 as of today at Futureshop.

So seriously, which one is the better unit. I want to be able to hear HD audio in 5.1 or 7.1. I believe the LG does this but does the Sammy do it also??

Help a brotha out.

Hey Hawk, I payed $98.00 for my A2. And does anybody have any information about this machine? Will it have have firmware capabilities?

@ Falcon

The Sammy will get the HD audio soon. It dosn't have it at the moment. Its supposed to get an update this month. I would usually prefer Samsung but after all the stories I've read over at AVS about movies not playing, I think its safe to say LG is the better choice. the lG BH 200 also meets the requirements to go full profile 2.0! The Samsung BD-UP5000 can only go 1.1

IB, Here's the A2

Video Resolutions Supported(1): 1080i/60fps, 720p/60fps, 480p/60fps
1080p/24fps HD Support: No.
DVD Upscale Resolutions Supported: 720p/1080i
Disc Types Supported: HD DVD (15GB SL/30GB DL), HD DVD Combo, HD DVD TWIN, 3x DVD, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, WMA CD-R, WMA CD-RW
Video Codecs Supported: VC-1, MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG-2
Audio Codecs Supported: Dolby Digital (up to EX), Dolby Digital Plus (up to EX)(2), Dolby TrueHD(2), DTS (up to 6.1 ES Matrix/Discrete), DTS-HD/DTS-HD Master Audio(3), Linear PCM (up to 8-channels @ 24-bit/96kHz & 2-channels @ 24-bit/192kHz)
HDi Support: Full Runtime Engine w/ PiP & Networking

HDMI Ver.: 1.2a
Video Connections: Composite (480i-only), S-Video (480i-only), Component(4), HDMI
Audio Connections(5): Optical, 2-channel Analog Out, HDMI
Other Connections: 2 USB 2.0 Ports, LAN Ethernet Port
Persistent Storage: Yes. 130 MB

Video DAC: 11-bit/216MHz Broadcom BCM7411KPB0G
Audio DSP: 32-bit Analog Devices SHARC 21262(6)
Audio DAC: 24-bit/192kHz (all channels) (12)
CPU: Intel Celeron-M (@ 900MHz CPU for HDi) / NEC EMMA3 (CPU for video/audio decoding)
Drive Type: Toshiba SD-E802A

Latest Firmware: 2.8
Methods of Update: Update CD or LAN Ethernet Port

Region Free: HD DVD: Yes. / DVD: No.
Component HD DVD Playback: Yes.
Component DVD Upscale: No.
576i/p PAL Support: No.
CD Support: Yes
SACD Support: No. CD Layer Only (if present)
DVD-A Support: No. Dolby / DTS / LPCM tracks playable (if present)
Remote: SE-R0252
Gold-Plated Jacks: No.
Production Status: Discontinued.
Average Price Range: $200-$500

Variant Models:

- Toshiba HD-D2 (Assumed same as A2, sold at Costco/Sam's Club)
- Toshiba HD-A2C (includes HDMI cable)
- Toshiba HD-E1 (European model, locked in Region 2/PAL for DVD)
- Toshiba HD-XF2 (Japanese model) (8)
- Toshiba HD-E1KY (Australian model, locked in Region 4/PAL for DVD))
- Toshiba HD-E1KTE (Asian model)

Reaggie, I meant information on the Funai player. I have the A2 and I have it completely updated with all the firmware.

Sorry IB...

Funai's website is so mickey mouse. At least Venturer had a decent layout, and explanation of the re-branded A3...