Digital Journal — I never thought I’d want to touch a TV screen to check if the image is 2D. Until now. In a funky boutique hotel room in Toronto, Samsung offered Digital Journal a sneak preview of their upcoming Blu-ray player — and I’m thankful for the opportunity to finally see what everyone will be talking about in late June, when the world’s first commercially available Blu-ray player hits store shelves.
The image on screen is astounding: The nature footage is sharper than a samurai’s sword, and the colours are too rich to even describe. As impressive as the resolution is, I’m not incredibly surprised the Blu-ray camp plans to bring cinematic viewing to the home-theatre aficionado. After all, Blu-ray’s high-def capabilities offer six times the resolution of standard definition. Same with HD-DVD, Blu-ray’s competitor in the inevitable DVD format wars. But the Samsung reps in Toronto are quick to elevate Blu-ray’s relevance, while my gaze continues to fixate on the high-def eye candy.
“Blu-ray will dominate,” says Andrew Dorcas, senior manager of consumer electronics marketing for Samsung Canada. “Almost every electronics company is backing Blu-ray so I don’t see much competition.” He’s right about the hefty backing: Supporting Blu-ray are high-profile companies such as Sony, Panasonic, Phillips, Apple, Dell and Sharp. The HD-DVD corner has only one real strong consumer electronics brand (Toshiba) and several movie studios such as Warner Home Video, Paramount, Universal and HBO Video.
 |
The Samsung BD-P1000, the world’s first commercially available Blu-ray player will retail for $1,300 (CDN). |
“Blu-ray has the edge, from software capacity to studios backing us to copyright protection,” Dorcas adds.
It all comes down to taking advantage of high-def displays, which has yet to penetrate the market to the same degree as MP3 players. But Samsung hopes to change that by unveiling their Blu-ray player before anyone else, including the stalwart Sony. Samsung’s BD-P1000 player aims to be the centrepiece of anyone’s home by playing content at native 720p, 1080i or 1080p video resolutions. The player also includes HDMI support, backwards compatibility (so you can play old DVDs and CDs) and a built-in memory card reader.
Storing photos is only icing on the cake, though. The image is paramount, as any TV addict will attest. Samsung assures anxious early adopters that their Blu-ray player will satisfy high demands.
“This is superior technology delivering the best high-definition content,” says Kevin Jung, junior product manager at Samsung Canada. Jung goes on to explain the advantages of Blu-ray but, to be honest, my attention wonders to the screen, to what he’s actually talking about. Once again, the lifelike image lures my eyes as if to say, You know you want me. Don’t be shy.
Despite the lure, I might not be the only salivating tech junkie who will hesitate when the BD-P1000 touches down. It retails for $1,300, while Toshiba’s already released HD-DVD player, the HD-A1, costs $700. Quite a far cry from today’s low end $50 DVD players. The savvy gadget hound may want to wait until the dust settles, and prices reach a reasonable level.
Back at the Toronto hotel room, I ask Dorcas, the Samsung marketing rep, what he thinks about an Internet rumour I heard: Samsung supposedly plans to create a universal player to accommodate both HD-DVD and Blu-ray.
Dorcas smiles and says in a low voice: “It’s not such a crazy rumour. Samsung might consider that option down the road, you never know.”
You never know. Such a true statement applicable in all areas of this DVD format war: Never know who will emerge victorious. Never know when Joe Public can afford this pricey technology. Never know if the next-generation DVD is worth the hype, the headlines and the shelf space.
But that’s the point — keep ‘em guessing, keep ‘em buying. The jury is still out.
