Samsung BD-P1000: Blu-ray pack leader

Samsung was the first to release a Blu-ray disc player in the US, and has said it will also be the first to release one in Europe and the UK. The BD-P1000 will hit Blighty at around the same time as the Panasonic DMP-BD10, which is two months before Toshiba's HD-E1 and HD-XE1 HD DVD players.

We saw the BD-P1000 while hanging out at Samsung's stand at IFA 2006 and were told it was compatible with the vast majority of digital disc formats. It can read BD-RE, BD-R, BD-ROM, DVD ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD ROM, CD-R and CD-RW. It can output Blu-ray movies in Full HD 1080p, and can upscale your standard DVD movies so they look more like hi-def content.

There's plenty of connectors too. You get HDMI, composite, component and S-Video, plus there's a 10-in-2 memory card interface and a fully animated menu system with pretty dolphins and stuff. Usefully, there's a universal remote control that lets you control your telly as well as the BD-P1000.

It all sounds sweet, but there are a couple of issues: firstly, there won't be any Blu-ray movies released in the UK until November at the earliest. Secondly, it'll cost an arm and a leg: £1,000 in the UK. That's annoying as it'll cost €1,000 (£675) on the continent and $1,000 (£525) in the US. Apparently, we have to pay more because of taxes -- not because we're stupid.

We'll have more on the BD-P1000 shortly. -RR

Update: A full review of the Samsung BD-P1000 is now live.

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