Posted by asj on 06/22/06 20:59

HD-DVD is DEAD....all the big players are launching entire product
lines
around Blu-ray. Given the amount of money poured into Blu-ray by the
major
manufacturers like Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and others, they'll
simply
outwait Toshiba, which is a much smaller player than them and may
simply
lose too much money on HD-DVD to continue.

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6086986.html

Panasonic wants to remodel the entertainment center around Blu-ray.

In September, the company will begin to sell a Blu-ray player, as well
as an
audio-video receiver and a set of speakers tuned to work with the
player.
Panasonic will promote these components alongside its plasma TVs: the
company in fact will deliver a 65-inch plasma TV to coincide with the
Blu-ray launch.


Panasonic has already released recordable Blu-ray drives for PCs and
has
come up with tools to make video authoring easier. HD video cameras
now cost
close to $2,000, but relatively inexpensive--$1000 or less--HD video
cameras
will emerge over the next 18 to 24 months, according to manufacturers.

Right now, HD-DVD players are considerably less expensive than Blu-ray
players. Blu-ray backers, however, say their discs will hold more
data. A
single layer disc will hold 25GB, and a multilayer disc will be
capable of
storing 200GB on eight layers, which is more than enough for a
high-definition movie and a lot of extras.

Like all things Blu-ray, Panasonic's living room components won't be
cheap.
The player, which plays discs but can't record, will retail for
1,299.95,
while the receiver will sell for $999.95. The speakers will go for
$2,999.95. Consumers will be able to buy the components separately, or
as
part of a package.

The cost of Blu-ray players will come down over time, according to
Kazuhiro
Tsuga, executive officer in charge of digital network and software
technologies for Matsushita, which sells products under the Panasonic
name
in North America. The biggest problem when it comes to cost right now
is the
laser and the lenses. As volume manufacturing kicks in, prices will
decline,
Tsuga said.

The price of Blu-ray media will also drop, he added. Panasonic has
developed
a spin-coat method for disks that will drop the price. Right now
recordable
Blu-ray disks cost $19.95.

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