Samsung BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player

[Vader]

Lets hope Samsung corrected all of the flaws of their G1 player...

Product News | July 25, 2007 | by Arlen Schweiger

Do you go Blu-ray or HD DVD? Perhaps you just want to throw your arms up and take ‘em both? One option you’ll be able to do that with coming soon is the BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player from Samsung.

After showing up on the radar back in the spring, Samsung today revealed some of the specifics of its first dual-format HD optical disc player.

One of the trendy items is support for the formats’ interactivity technologies (HDi and BD-Java), which up the ante on the traditional type of extras that come with your standard DVDs these days. The HD DVD camp certainly touts its use of an Ethernet port for such goodies, and the Duo HD Player includes one.

Here are some other technical goodies:

* Blu-ray playback at content native HD resolution of 1080p/1080i/720p and 1080p 24Fs/ 60Fs
* HD DVD playback at 1080p/1080i/720p
* HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) video selectable up-conversion processing 720p/1080i/1080p
* Stereo and 7.1-channel audio outputs
* Coaxial and optical digital audio outputs
* Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD, MP3 audio decoding, Dolby TrueHD
* HD DVD/BD-ROM/ DVD-ROM, DVD-+/R, DVD-+/RW, CD, CD-R and CD-RW
* HDMI 1.3 digital interface (1080p/1080i/720p)
* MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding
* 12-bit/216 MhZ video D/A converter; 24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter
* HDMI, Component Video, S-Video and Composite video outputs
* HDMI CEC
* Local Storage
* Picture-in-picture

The BD-UP5000 is due out in Q4 of this year with an MSRP of $1,049. Go to www.samsung.com for more.

Source: Electronic House Article

If so, I am soooo there!

[Sonnie]

That could definitely be the one...

Seoul, Korea – April 13, 2007 : Samsung Electronics Co., LTD., a leader in consumer electronics and digital media technologies, and the first company to introduce a Blu-ray disc player will introduce a dual format High-Definition (HD) optical disc player in time for the holidays.

Samsung’s Duo HD player (BD-UP5000) will fully support both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats and their interactive technologies, HDi and BD-Java. With the Duo HD consumers can enjoy additional studio content such as trailers, director’s comments, more elaborate interactive menus and behind the scene footage. The new Duo HD joins Samsung’s next generation DVD line-up which includes Samsung’s second generation Blu-ray player available at retail this month. Together, these two models offer the consumer a strong line of High-Definition players to match Samsung’s award winning, and best selling, line of HDTVs.


"We welcome Samsung's Duo HD player as another solution in the marketplace that will help reduce consumer confusion and buyer hesitancy towards HD media," said Ron Sanders, President of Warner Home Video. "This is an innovative product that can move us closer to mainstream consumer adoption of HD technologies."

We are very pleased to announce the upcoming release of our Duo HD player. Consumers are hungry for more HD content but are currently confused about competing formats. Samsung’s Duo HD player will allow consumers access to every HD movie title available regardless of the authoring format. Samsung is committed to making life simpler through technology and will market next generation DVD products which will satisfy the consumer and market requirement. This is a big win for the consumer.


As a member of the DVD Forum and contributor to the DVD Industry, we recognize that both HD-DVD and BD formats have merits. As such, we have decided to market a dual format player. Samsung is flexible to market a stand-alone HD-DVD player whenever consumers demand it. Our main concern is not technology but consumer choice” said Dongsoo Jun, Executive Vice President of the Digital AV Division at Samsung Electronics.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2006 parent company sales of US$63.4 billion and net income of US$8.5 billion. Employing approximately 138,000 people in 124 offices in 56 countries, the company consists of five main business areas: Digital Media, Telecommunication Network, Semiconductor, LCD, and Digital Appliance. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

[Sonnie]

The more I read about this unit... the more I'm liking it. It appears the street prices may be around $800, which wouldn't be all that bad. I suspect 6-8 months after release the price will be down considerably.

Check out the BD-UP5000 Spec Sheet (PDF)



Samsung’s BD-UP5000 is the world’s first true Blu-ray and Hi-Def HD DVD Duo player. The BD-UP5000 offers Blu-ray Disc™ playback at an amazing 1080p resolution. A 32-tap adaptive up-scaler offers brilliant Blu-ray image detail. And picture quality adjustments let you set sharpness and noise reduction to your liking. With HQV and Full HD+1080p, you'll enjoy the truest image reproduction – just like the original HD video source. Discover unprecedented clarity with HD DVD, a new optical disc format that delivers up to six times the picture resolution of normal DVDs.

Key Features:

• Blu-ray and HD DVD playback at content native HD resolution of 1080p/1080i/720p
• HQV video upconversion processing - HD video (1920x1080)
• Selectable DVD upconversion via HQV processor (720p/1080i/1080p)
• HDMI version 1.3, Component Video, S-Video and Composite video outputs
• BD-ROM, BD-RE, BD-R, HD DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW
• 1080p 24fps playback on Blu-ray
• Full HDI capability via HD DVD
• Dolby® Digital, Dolby®Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD
• MPEG2, VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding
• Stereo and 5.1/7.1-channel audio outputs (8 channel uncompressed)
• Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)
• Ethernet port
• Coaxial and optical digital audio outputs
• 12-bit/216MhZ video D/A converter; 24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter
• BD Java

Features:

Hollywood Quality Video
Enjoy Hollywood quality pictures. The BD-UP5000 uses the same video-processing power (one trillion operations per second) that is widely used in Hollywood’s post production. It employs the world’s first 32-tap adaptive up-scaler to produce exquisite, delicate picture quality. The BD-UP5000 also delivers full four-field motion adaptive video de-interlacing, temporal-recursive noise reduction, automatic multi-cadence detection, and pixel-based detail enhancement.

HD DVD
HD DVD (High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc) is a new optical disc format. It uses a blue laser, which allows for more data density per disc and HD DVD delivers six times the picture resolution of normal DVDs, up to 7.1 channels of high-resolution audio, amazing interactivity and more bonus content.

Picture Quality Adjustment
You’re in control with optional picture quality adjustment. Previously available only in higher end products, the BD-UP5000 lets you set sharpness and noise reduction. You view pictures refined to your own taste.

CD & DVD Compatible
Samsung’s Blu-ray Disc Player offers state of the art viewing with full CD and DVD playback compatibility. Even as you take advantage of the latest video and audio advances, you can still enjoy all your existing media content. The BD-UP5000 features full backward compatibility. It’s the perfect way to enjoy all your favorites!

1080p with 24fps Video Output on Blu-ray
View scenes as they were meant to be seen. The Blu-ray movie title’s original source (1080p/24fps) output and Full HD+ with HQV ensure that the quality of the original content is what you see on your screen. That means you’ll enjoy film picture quality.

Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD
Immerse yourself in sound. The BD-P2400 supports the new Dolby Digital Plus Audio format — the next generation in sound. It also supports uncompressed PCM Audio and Legacy dts 5.1 Dolby Digital. Dolby® TrueHD is Dolby’s next-generation lossless technology developed for high-definition disc-based media. Dolby TrueHD delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master, unlocking the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. When coupled with highdefinition video, Dolby TrueHD offers an unprecedented home theater experience that lets you enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture.

HDMI V1.3
Experience richer color and sound. The BD-UP5000 offers HDMI v1.3, which enables broader bandwidth AV data transmission. It supports deep color, higher resolution and new compressed audio formats.

HDi on HD DVD
HDi interactivity is what allows for on-screen video commentaries via PIP, for the pop up, in movie menus and enhanced interactivity.

Anynet+ Ready TV (HDMI-CEC)
You're in full command with the BD-UP5000. Anynet+ delivers streamlined, onetouch control over all your connected devices such as the TV, AV Receiver, and Home Theater. You can operate all of them with a single remote control that enables commands to be passed among devices within the system. A true “plug and play” product, it comes with a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature that lets you operate Samsung HDMI products with a single remote control.

Specifications:

Player

• Blu-Ray Disc™ and Hi-Def HD DVD Duo Player
• HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) transfers hi-definition (720p1080i/1080p) video and audio from your Blu-ray Hi-Def HD DVD player to your TV, Home Theater, or other digital AV components. Simply connect your Blu-ray Hi-Def DVD player to your Home Theater System with a single cable for the high quality pictures and sound.
• HDMI-CEC — Anynet+ function allows all products in the system to discover and communicate with each other.
• Selectable DVD Upconversion via HQV (720p/1080i/1080p)
• BD/HD DVD/DVD/CD Playback
• Full Multi Format DVD Playback
  BD-ROM, HD DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R (V mode only), DVD-RW (V/VR mode), Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW

General

• MPEG2, VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding
• Dolby® Digital, Dolby Digital Plus decoding, dts® HD, TrueHD
• 12-bit/216 MHz video D/A converter;
  24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter

Terminals

• Video
  • HDMI: 1
  • Composite: 1
  • Component video out: 1
  • S-Video: 1
• Audio
  • Audio in: 1
  • Audio out: 1
  • Coaxial: 1
  • Optical: 1
  • Ethernet port

Box Contents:

• BluRay Duo HD Disc Player (BDUP5000)
• Remote Control
• Batteries
• AV cable
• User’s Manual
• Quick Start Guide.

Approximate Dimensions:

• Width: 16.9"
• Height: 3.1"
• Depth: 12.8"

Approximate Weight:

• Unit: 9.3 lbs
• Shipping: 15 lbs

Download Files (.pdf):

• Spec Sheet (subject to change without notice)

Warranty Information:

• Manufacturer Warranty (authorized online retailer):
  1 year parts and 90 days labor

All features and specifications are preliminary and are subject to change without notice.
Non-metric weights and measurements are approximate.

[SteveCallas]

Hmm, no SACD?

[Sonnie]

I believe Blu-ray is attempting to produce their own multi-channel audio format.

[Wayde]

It's already got TrueHD and DTS HD, what more does it need? 8 channels of high bitrate sound in a lossless format.

I wonder if the new format will use Sony's Direct Stream Digital process?

If BD comes up with its own more power to it. But a lot of SACD fans believe SACD imparts a distinctive sonic characteristic because of it's DSD modulation process. I'm not sure if any high bit PCM process will suffice for the hardcore SACD faithful (of which I am not... I'm just sayin')

[Sonnie]

Do any of the HD players play SACD?

[SteveCallas]

Probably not, seeing as it is Sony-backed if I'm not mistaken. The PS3 and newest Oppo are two of the only players I know of that can transmit SACD output over HDMI instead of 8 coaxial cables. That means a processor that can accept audio over HDMI should be able to manipulate the playback however you want (crossovers, distance settings, etc) without any extra D/A or A/D conversions, which isn't the case with standard aalog tranmission. All that said, I only have one SACD disk, so.....

[MrPorterhouse]

Sonnie wrote:

I believe Blu-ray is attempting to produce their own multi-channel audio format.

Yes, its Profile 3 of Blu-ray players, which is an audio only spec. Having enjoyed SACD and DVD-Audio both, I'd rather see video along with the audio, which is somewhat what DVD-Audio did. I can further say that a good Blu-ray concert in lossless audio is the ultimate way to go.

[bobgpsr]

Sonnie wrote:

I believe Blu-ray is attempting to produce their own multi-channel audio format.

They should (it is profile 3) since HD DVD has an audio only disc spec that does not require use of a video display. Better than what DVD Audio did (which mostly needed a video display to operate right). With Dolby TrueHD the same lossless audio codec (Meridian Lossless Protocal -- MLP) is used as was used on DVD Audio.

[bobgpsr]

More news on this Samsung. It uses the new Broadcom all in one SoC:
http://www.digitalmediaasia.com/defa...rticleID=26678

Broadcom, a global player in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, has announced that its integrated Blu-ray and HD DVD system-on-a-chip (SoC) has been selected by Samsung Electronics to power the dual format BD-UP5000 Duo high definition (HD) player.

By combining Blu-ray and HD DVD formats into one SoC platform (BCM7440), Broadcom enables media player manufacturers to provide universal high definition DVD players that can playback all HD movie titles regardless of the authoring format.

Available in mass production, the Broadcom BCM7440 is a solution whose multiple processor cores fully support both Blu-ray and HD DVD standards in a single SoC, including support for next generation interactive technologies (i.e. BD-Java and HDi) that are being incorporated into Hollywood's latest title releases.

The BD-UP5000 fully supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats as well as their interactive technologies, HDi and BD-Java.

I'll bet that it ends up being BD-Live (Profile 2.0) compliant.

[HDBeat]

The folks over at HDGuru managed to spend a few quality minutes with Samsung's forthcoming hybrid player, and initial impressions look to be pretty positive. Granted, their BD-UP5000 was a pre-production sample, but they were mighty impressed with the BD-Java / HDi support, HDMI 1.3 functionality, and the Reon scaler chip within. During limited time with the player, the assortment of HD DVDs and Blu-ray films that they got to view "all looked spectacular, with every image appearing clean, crisp and sharp as a tack," and the "faster chapter changes and quicker entry into other menu functions" compared to previous generation units were highly praised, too. Overall, it seems that we've got a respectable combo player on the horizon for those not willing to choose a side, so be sure and give the read link a visit if you're too impatient to wait for a full-on review.

Read | Permalink

[Wayde]

Can't wait!

I'm saving my pennies for one of these the moment it's available.

No support for DVD +R. Why would they leave that out? Almost all of my burned movies are on DVD +R. I was really hoping to take advantage of the REON upscaling.

[bobgpsr]

doubleb wrote:

No support for DVD +R. Why would they leave that out? Almost all of my burned movies are on DVD +R. I was really hoping to take advantage of the REON upscaling.

My Toshiba XA1 and XA2 players do not spec DVD+R, yet they work anyway. The reason DVD+R is often not spec'd is because it is not a DVD Forum spec. We will have to wait and see if they work on the Samsung anyway.

[Sonnie]

Looks like we have pre-orders at $799.99 via the Shack Store with free shipping!

[Josuah]

Any reasons why this would be better than the LG BH200? Look almost the same, even in price.

[khellandros66]

Josuah wrote:

Any reasons why this would be better than the LG BH200? Look almost the same, even in price.

Absolutely! The HQV REON is an amazing chip, it is the same league as the ABT VP20/30/50 which go for $1500-3000.. I would say the the Samsung is CHOICE in terms of playback and upconversion of SD-DVDs.

~Bobby

[Scuba Diver]

I just knew something new would end up coming out before I bought my HD player. Now I am tempted to spend more than I wanted to on an HD player.

[Sonnie]

Looks like this has been delayed until January 15.

[Wayde]

Ugh!!! Sickening!

Isn't LG building another combo player too?

[Scuba Diver]

Well, to be honest I wasn't going to buy one until then anyway. Now, I have a better excuse to leave the money in my pocket until after X-mas.

[Sonnie]

I wonder will it be delayed again and why the delay? I've not been able to find any news on it yet.

Not sure on the LG model.

[Sonnie]

Looks like this has been delayed yet again until February 1, 2008.

However, I have read reports that some have been successful at ordering these through Best Buy Business for $799 less 10% discount using the coupon code SURVSAVE.

[Scuba Diver]

I see that the Samsung is in stock at Best Buy and Circuit City stores.