Looking through the spec sheet for the BDP 10 Blu-ray player from Harman Kardon, I can’t see why this thing costs $999. The latest players from Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG… and pretty much every other manufacturer, offers pretty much the same for half the price or less. So what exactly are you paying for?
Here are the specs:
• Disc formats: Blu-Ray Disc media, including BD-R/RE, BD-Live and BonusViewTM, DVD/DVD+R/DVD-RW, CD/CD-RW, MP3 or JPEG files on disc
• Audio formats: LPCM, MP3, Dolby® Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS®, DTS-HD Master AudioTM and WMA.
• RJ-45 connection for internet access
• IR-remote in/out jacks for system integration
• HDMI output (V.1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HDTM bitstreams and high-resolution video)
• Front-panel USB jack for additional BD-Live memory or MP3 or JPEG file playback
• Optical and coaxial digital audio outputs
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 66mm x 440mm x 352mm
• Weight: 3.7kg
Anything there that makes you want to spend enough cash for two PS3s?
[Convoy]
Joshua Beniston
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:10 PMI say go for the 2 X PS3′s. Why the hell would you buy a stand alone in the first place. Makes no sense
fsjk85
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:30 PM“So what exactly are you paying for?”
A brand… thats all.
matt
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:34 PMHarman Kardon is a very reputable HiFi company (see “IR-remote in/out jacks for system integration”, for more serious users.), famous for quoting very low – and more correct – power capabilities of their amps, that usually end up mixing it with amps rated over twice their power.
however, in the digital only arena, its hard to see why you need to be so quality focused. the only people who should by this are people who want a bd player that will match their amp.
Luke Carolan
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 6:10 PMThe reason for the cost difference is in theory the quality of the componentry i.e. better sound and better image.
It’s a bit like looking at a panasonic C.D player or C.D player worth a few thousand. If you have the other high level components to match, the difference can be dramatic. I have a low to mid level system worth around 10K and I’ve found out the hard way that your system is only as good as the weakest component. However I would suggest if you’re looking to spend that kind of money have a look at the Cambridge Audio BD640. I’ve yet to see one of their products that arn’t best in class.
David Wyndham
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 6:12 PMSo what, $1000 and you can’t play back AAC audio, any form of digital video file, nor anything on a DVD-R disc (but DVD-RW is OK)?
I understand the premium for a well respected brand name, but not if features are missing.