Panasonic to announce Dual-Format player too?

[rdjam]

Hi all,

On the heels of LG's announcement that the rumours were true, and that they are releasing a dual format player, I'd like to remind everyone that someone at Panasonic had also indicated that they were working on a dual format player also.

The story broke in late September, where they said that if Bluray wasn't a clear winner, they would see a dual format player as a way of protecting their interests.

The original story is here: http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-...ear-204039.php

For the record - I don't believe the Sony part. I think that if someone at Sony actually said that, they were most likely just posturing to try to keep others out of the dual-format territory.

Ironically, the story also links to another one they printed the day before, about the Warner dual-format disc, which has ALSO been announced for this year's CES...

Would you be ineterested in a dual-format player from Panasonic?

[XBRSteve]

I would be interested in that from anyone.

[ckong]

Originally Posted by rdjam

Hi all,

On the heels of LG's announcement that the rumours were true, and that they are releasing a dual format player, I'd like to remind everyone that someone at Panasonic had also indicated that they were working on a dual format player also.

The story broke in late September, where they said that if Bluray wasn't a clear winner, they would see a dual format player as a way of protecting their interests.

The original story is here: http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-...ear-204039.php

For the record - I don't believe the Sony part. I think that if someone at Sony actually said that, they were most likely just posturing to try to keep others out of the dual-format territory.

Ironically, the story also links to another one they printed the day before, about the Warner dual-format disc, which has ALSO been announced for this year's CES...

Would you be ineterested in a dual-format player from Panasonic?

Throw in a Reon chip, HDMI 1.3 and 5.1 analog out with pricing below $1.2K and I am in!

[Rob Zuber]

If wishes were ponies.....

[b.greenway]

Originally Posted by Rob Zuber

If wishes were ponies.....

You'd be riding a Shetland?

[Amiable-Akuma]

Hah, cool that you dug this up. I would be much more surprised than I was even with the LG announcement if it turned out to be true any time soon but then again, the LG-dual/WB-hybrids were mere "rumors" too - prior to this morning...

Stranger things have most certainly happened...we shall see...

[rlsmith]

I have been predicting for some time that it was very possible that LG would announce a combo at CES--50/50 I said.

I would be very surprised however if Panasonic did the same. They have too big an interest in Blu-ray at this point.

Just my 2 cents.

[g5555sim]

Originally Posted by rdjam

Hi all,

On the heels of LG's announcement that the rumours were true, and that they are releasing a dual format player, I'd like to remind everyone that someone at Panasonic had also indicated that they were working on a dual format player also.

The story broke in late September, where they said that if Bluray wasn't a clear winner, they would see a dual format player as a way of protecting their interests.

The original story is here: http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-...ear-204039.php

For the record - I don't believe the Sony part. I think that if someone at Sony actually said that, they were most likely just posturing to try to keep others out of the dual-format territory.

Ironically, the story also links to another one they printed the day before, about the Warner dual-format disc, which has ALSO been announced for this year's CES...

Would you be ineterested in a dual-format player from Panasonic?

will probably hear about Samsung's confirmation of their combo player, and then, Pioneer ... all of which made the mistake of releasing the information too early in 2006 ..

basically my theory is ... CEs are bound not to discuss any combo plans or hd dvd support in 2006. 2007 is a brand new story (especially since SONY failed in their promise of delivering gazilion PS3 players during the year) .. or may be i am a optimistic guy

[gooki]

Panasonic have a fair bit invested in BD and i'd expect them to be one of the latter companies to go dual/switch sides if it were to happen. Samsusung/Pioneer at CES maybe, Panasonic - doubtful, though it would be nice.

[madshi]

I'd expect a combo player from Pioneer before Panasonic.

[nyg]

Originally Posted by madshi

I'd expect a combo player from Pioneer before Panasonic.

Agreed. If Panasonic said anything about a dual format player they were likely just doing good PR. They are firmly in the BDA last I checked.

[tsd2005]

If you remember months back my Pioneer rep hinted to me (and supposedly other dealers heard it thru their reps) that Pioneer was developing a Hybrid. However some of us were also told that if sales were as horrible for them as Samsung (worse actually) they may very well put their HD-DVD prototype out.

We also know 3 people are making Combo players....

We know 1.

Will the other 2 announce at CES or CEDIA?

I also believe Denon is in the Combo game...

[rdjam]

Yes, I heard Denon is as well. I suspected that they would be releasing in late 2007, since they will probably have much more formats supported, such as DVD-A and SACD.

I'm really looking forward to this show...

[TimV]

Originally Posted by rdjam

Yes, I heard Denon is as well. I suspected that they would be releasing in late 2007, since they will probably have much more formats supported, such as DVD-A and SACD.

It's probably wishful thinking, but that would be great.

Imagine a combo player from Denon that plays CD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD, HD DVD & Blu-Ray! As long as it also had HDMI 1.3, 1080p/24 output, advanced audio support and 7.1 outputs, I would almost certainly buy this unit.

[David Susilo]

nah, that's is "if wishes were donkeys"

[nataraj]

I'm sceptical about panny combo so early. May be 2H'07. Also in terms of BD supporters they would be one of the last to hop on neutral ship ....

Samsung & pioneer are the other obvious choices. We may also hear some noises from PC makers like Dell or Apple.

I won't be surprised if Denon/Onkyo and other mid-fi companies make some announcements. But probably only to be delivered by the end of '07.

[tsd2005]

If you're Panasonic:

Why on Earth would anyone buy your over-priced player?

You can buy a PS3 for $500!

It appears that over 90% of all BD playable devices are PS3s....

You give no reason to consumers to buy your product besides the extra analog outputs.

Add HD-DVD.

Sure you're adding the competition to your player. That isn't all that cool, but it gives people a reason to spend that money. You provide both.

Then just maybe you can eat into the PS3's market share of BD drives.

Maybe.

[David Susilo]

considering a PS3 is $500 and an HD-A2 is $400, there is absolutely no sense to make a combo player that retails for anything more than $800.

[tsd2005]

Originally Posted by David Susilo

considering a PS3 is $500 and an HD-A2 is $400, there is absolutely no sense to make a combo player that retails for anything more than $800.

Well the PS3 is a GAME MACHINE. Gamers are going to buy the PS3.

The HD-A2 is $500. Quoting Streetprice and demanding something have an MSRP near the street price is not that smart.

If you're into games, the 360/addon/PS3 combo is the best for you pricewise.

If you're the common consumer and interested in HD content a $1200 Combo player is inticing in the fact that it combines both formats for less than the cost of two players. $500 + $800 is $1300. The street value of the Combo will likely be $1000. Which will be very aggressive.

If LG really wanted to make a splash the combo would be at $999 or lower.

[David Susilo]

Originally Posted by tsd2005

Well the PS3 is a GAME MACHINE. Gamers are going to buy the PS3.

The HD-A2 is $500. Quoting Streetprice and demanding something have an MSRP near the street price is not that smart.

If you're into games, the 360/addon/PS3 combo is the best for you pricewise.

If you're the common consumer and interested in HD content a $1200 Combo player is inticing in the fact that it combines both formats for less than the cost of two players. $500 + $800 is $1300. The street value of the Combo will likely be $1000. Which will be very aggressive.

If LG really wanted to make a splash the combo would be at $999 or lower.

sorry, typo. I meant streets for $800

[UxiSXRD]

Originally Posted by TimV

Imagine a combo player from Denon that plays CD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD, HD DVD & Blu-Ray! As long as it also had HDMI 1.3, 1080p/24 output, advanced audio support and 7.1 outputs, I would almost certainly buy this unit.

THAT would make me retract my pledge to stay away from standalones for 2007.

Don't forget DenonLink 3, though.

[jsb_hburg]

Panasonic press release:



PANASONIC APPLAUDS MOVIE INDUSTRY'S INCREASING ACCEPTANCE OF BLU-RAY
Blu-ray Gains Support of Major Studios and CE Companies

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 7, 2007) – Panasonic Corporation of North America, one of the pioneers in developing Blu-ray Disc™ technology and the advanced AVC (H.264 standard) video codec today issued a public "thank you" to all the major motion picture studios who are using Blu-ray technology exclusively or as a preferred alternative for their high-definition video disc releases.

"With over 80 percent of the major studios committed to issuing Blu-ray releases and the majority of Consumer Electronic Companies supporting this technology we are quite confident that Blu-ray will succeed," said Gene Kelsey, Vice President, Panasonic Entertainment Group. "What we're doing today is simply thanking the entertainment industry for taking a look at the two competing formats and recognizing that Blu-ray with its vastly greater storage capacity is obviously the best choice for high-definition, bandwidth-intensive programming featuring significant amounts of value-added and interactive content."

Panasonic recently brought the advantages of Blu-ray technology – which offers up to ten times the data-storage capacity of standard DVDs and supports true 1080p video resolution and 7.1 discrete channels of audio – to the home theater market with the introduction of the DMP-BD10 Blu-ray player. In addition to playing pre-recorded Blu-ray movie discs the DMP-BD10 plays conventional standard-definition DVDs (with automatic 1080p up-conversion) and conventional CDs.

Other key features of the DMP-BD10 include proprietary P4HD technology for performing IP conversion at the pixel level for ultra-fine details, a 297MHz 14bit Video D/A Converter with 4X oversampling, video noise shaping that improves signal-to-noise ratios by shifting noise to an unused band, and theoretical support for nearly 4400 billion colors. The DMP-BD10 will also feature new audio codecs, such as Dolby® True HD and DTS™ HD. A firmware upgrade is required for compatibility with these audio codec."

The initial product in what is planned as a full array of Blu-ray player, camcorders and other home entertainment products, the DMP-BD10 also incorporates Panasonic's proprietary EZ-SyncTM system for integrated one-touch operation of Panasonic home-theater components, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital and dts decoding, and BD-J (Java application) interactive capability. The compatibility between the DMP-BD10 and the High Definition camcorder (HDC-DX1), via the AVCHD (H.264) codec, is a prime example of Panasonic's dedication to the high definition digital lifestyle.

In addition to the Blu-ray player and the forthcoming Blu-ray products, Panasonic is a major contributor to the creation of Blu-ray pre-recorded discs. The company's Panasonic Hollywood Labs is a leading authoring, replication and encoding facility in the industry, as well as a driving force in the research and development of Blu-ray components.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Information about Panasonic products is available at http://www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is available at http://www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

[trgraphics]

Sounds like some butt kissing to try and keep these studios to me. I believe it's to late for that. I bet Panny didn't sell more than a few thousand players since their debut. Not exactly a big incentive for studios to stay the road, is it.

[kiddsilk69]

agreed

[deez]

Well, if this keeps up we will have to rename it too:

Blew ray


lol

[K.L.]

What an ignorant thread. Panasonic is one of the co-authors of the Blu-ray format, even more so than Sony in some aspects.