[The News Bot]

Samsung’s first combination Blu-ray HD DVD combination player, the BDP-UP5000, is expected to retail in the US for just 600 dollars when it debuts in the US this autumn. The pricing dramatically undercuts the combi deck offered by LG and competes closely with dedicated single format models from other brands. Unlike the LG model, the [...]
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[Rasczak]

Originally Posted by R Thomson

Samsung’s first combination Blu-ray HD DVD combination player, the BDP-UP5000, is expected to retail in the US for just 600 dollars when it debuts in the US this autumn. The pricing dramatically undercuts the combi deck offered by LG

I don't think any formal pricing has been announced by Samsung so we'll have to wait and see if this player truely does arrive at such a budget price. If it does the market for single format players will, in all but the budget market, collapse. Good news IMHO as it will bring this war to it's only sensible conclusion - a dual format future.

However I would have thought it more likely this player will arrive in more or less the same price bracket as the BDP1000 arrived at - namely approx. US$1000. Like that model though I should imagine prices will fall quickly - perhaps by Christmas the US$600 mark will be met - and, if it follows the BDP1000 trend, a further 6 months on it will likely to less than half it's original price.

Regardless I think the arrival of this player - coupled with the OEM supplies that will originate from Samsung to multiple third parties - is the death knoll for single format players. That can only be a good thing

[Sprout Crumble]

I had read that the combo player would be $500 MORE than the regular one.