With Samsung's BD-P2500, we see that Blu-ray players are finally shedding that first-gen baby weight. Sized to fit in a normal dress, Samsung's latest supports all current Blu-ray spec right out of the box and is prepared for expansion through its ethernet, 1GB of onboard memory and USB. In terms of audio, the system can handle Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD, and dts-HD HR all without an external decoder. And for US$500, the BD-P2500 is offering far more features than the recently announced Yamaha player at less than half the price.

Read on for full specs.

August 28, 2008 - Samsung Electronics, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, introduces its most advanced Blu-ray player to date with the BD-P2500. Building upon key features and design elements from past Samsung Blu-ray players, the BD-P2500 is compatible out-of-the-box with the latest Blu-ray interactive features available including BD Live™. The BD-P2500 also offers breakthrough enhancements such as Hollywood Quality Video™ (HQV™) processing and 7.1-Channel analogue audio outputs creating a powerful HD audio-visual experience.

- Price: $499.99

- Availability: October

Whether consumers are looking to enjoy the rich audio and video of the latest Blu-ray discs, or rejuvenate their favourite standard DVDs, the Samsung BD-P2500 is a powerful addition bringing truly impressive Full HD 1080p theater-like quality into the home.

Key Product Highlights

· Total BD Profile Compatibility

Samsung's BD-P2500 meets all of the current BD Profile requirements right out of the box, allowing consumers to instantly enjoy the latest interactive features available, including BD Live™ (Profile 2.0) and Bonus View (Profile 1.1), creating new ways to experience favourite movies. The BD-P2500 comes with a built-in, wired Ethernet connection, 1GB of internal flash memory, and a USB port for memory expansion.

· Superior Video Quality

The BD-P2500 offers Full HD 1080p playback, and features an award-winning HQV™ processing chip for the highest quality viewing of Blu-ray discs, upconversion of standard DVDs, and viewing of JPEG images. The BD-P2500 also features an HDMI 1.3 output with xvYCC Deep Colour support, and a 24fps film mode, exhibiting smoother, more natural playback of film-based material.

· High Definition Soundtrack Support and Output

Providing a truly immersive HD home theatre experience, Samsung's BD-P2500 is capable of decoding the latest high-resolution digital multichannel audio soundtracks available. Out of the box, the player can output Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD™ and dts as an uncompressed PCM signal, as a bitstream, or via the 7.1 analogue outputs for cinematic sound that is comparable with the latest movie theatres. Additionally, dts-HD HR® (High Resolution) decoding will become available with a firmware upgrade in the fall. The BD-P2500 will also pass these and dts-HD MA (Master Audio) as a bitstream output to a separate, external surround sound decoder.

· Easy Upgradeability

To keep consumers updated with the latest features and improvements, Samsung's BD-P2500 offers three convenient ways to receive new upgrades: via the embedded Ethernet connection, USB port, or on a CD/DVD/BD.

"The BD-P2500 Blu-ray player represents the very best technology the industry has to offer," said Reid Sullivan, Vice President of Marketing, Audio/Video & Imaging at Samsung Electronics America. "Consumers will enjoy a truly immersive, Full HD viewing experience that delivers the broad spectrum of high definition sights and sounds that can now be experienced with the combination of Blu-ray and the latest HDTVs."

Specifications

BD-P2500 Blu-ray Player

Design

· Piano black with chrome accents and touch pad controls

A/V Features

· Compatible with BD Profile 2.0 (BD Live), Profile 1.1 (Bonus View), and Profile 1.0 interactivity features

· 1GB internal flash memory for BD Live

· Award-winning Hollywood Quality Video™ (HQV™) processing

· 24fps film mode

· xvYCC Deep Color

· Selectable DVD upconversion (720p / 1080i / 1080p)

· Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD™decoding

· dts-HD HR® decoding via firmware update in the fall

· Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD™, dts-HD HR / MA® bitstream output

A/V Connections

· 1 HDMI version 1.3 output with CEC (Anynet+)

· 1 component output

· 1 composite output

· 7.1-Channel analogue audio outputs

· 1 optical digital audio output

· 1 Ethernet connection (for interactivity features and firmware upgrades only)

· 1 USB connection (for memory expansion and firmware upgrades only)

Playable Media

· BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R(V mode only), DVD-RW (V/VR mode), Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW, AVCHD disc

Estimated Selling Price

· $499.99

Availability

October 2008

Tags: bd-live | blu-ray | home | home entertainment | home theatre | samsung