JULY 10 | Just months after streeting its second-generation Blu-ray Disc player, Samsung already has a third-generation version in the works.
The company will display the model, the BD-P1400, during the 2007 IFA consumer electronics conference in Berlin on Aug. 31, confirmed a company representative.
It should street in September for $549, slightly cheaper than Samsung's currently available $599 second-generation BD-1200 model.
Samsung's third-gen model is expected to support Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD audio formats. The BD-P1400 also should boast a built-in Ethernet port, which had been the most notable upgrade for the second-gen Samsung BD-P1200 over the company’s first-gen BD-P1000.
Samsung only started shipping its second model in April, but consumer response so far has been relatively quiet, so there could be room for improvement. Sony’s rival $499 second-generation model was considered a more popular stand-alone choice than Samsung’s $599 BD-P1200.
Most manufacturers, including Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony, are just now rolling out their second-generation Blu-ray players. None of these companies have announced plans for third-generation players.
Additionally, Samsung is readying its earlier announced hybrid Blu-ray HD DVD player for an October bow for $649. This model, dubbed BD-P2400, is significantly cheaper than the industry's first such dual player from LG, which rolled out for well over $1,000 at retail in January 2007.
For all BD players that retail after Oct. 31, it will be mandated by the Blu-ray Disc Assn. that they include certain features that were not required of Blu-ray models that streeted prior to that cut-off date. One new required enhancement will be the capability to playback picture-in-picture, in which one separate stream of video runs currently with the running feature film. To date, no Blu-ray stand-alone features picture-in-picture playback. HD DVD hardware has been required to handle this feature since the launch of the format last year.
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