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Panasonic reaffirms support for Blu-ray format

29 March 2006 5:01 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 4 comments

Following the decision by LG Electronics and Hewlett-Packard to produce products for both the rival Blu-Ray and HD DVD formats, Matsushita's Panasonic has shown its continued faith in the Blu-ray format by announcing it will only make Blu-ray players. The move by HP and LG was influenced by the inclusion of iHD in Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system. This way, since iHD is already part of the operating system, computer manufacturers can cut out the cost of the interactivity layer.

The Blu-ray camp declined to stray from the use of Java-based BD-J when confronted by HP however. Panasonic wont follow in the same path as LG and HP and today, company executives voiced their support for the Blu-ray format. Reid Sullivan, Panasonic's vice president of merchandising, told Reuters that the company had no need to produce players for both formats.

"We think adoption will be strong, based on broad support. For the first 12 months, we expect 4 million to 5 million units to be sold beginning in May and across all platforms, including standalones, computers and gaming systems," Sullivan said. Panasonic will be one of the first to start selling Blu-ray players when it releases its new player in September. It is expected to cost around $1500.

Source:
News.com

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Discuss this article!
hankchill (Newbie) 29 March 2006 5:24
Never in this lifetime will I pay $1500 for a Blu-ray Disc PLAYER. I'll buy 2 new computers with that money instead. The computer can do lots more than play movies. What a waste. I don't see how they can expect to sell 4 to 5 million units at THAT price. Go for a PS3 instead. It'll be $1000 less and have more functionality as well as a BD Player. [ + quote]
c.trigger (Newbie) 29 March 2006 11:17
1500$ hmmmmm HD-DVD, now you can get a dvd burner for 70-90, the price will come down. ill wait [ + quote]
neo1000 (Junior Member) 29 March 2006 18:33
Or you can buy 3 HD-DVD players.......lol [ + quote]
Nick600 (Member) 29 March 2006 23:58
Yes it is expensive, and most people, me included, won't buy Blu-ray when it comes out. You must remember that this technology is very new and actually cost a lot to develop. For those who can remember, back in 1997 when DVD was launched, prices were very high as well. Just like DVD was at first, it is intendent, for now, to be a next generation media format. At this time, most people see it as a luxury rather than a popular standard. Give it a little time and the prices will drop. I would still get Blu-ray over HD-DVD because even though they are very similar, HD-DVD is an inferior format by all standards. If launched, HD-DVD would be around that same price range I expect. [ + quote]