Toshiba has used its IFA press conference to to debut its first dedicated Blu-ray player, the BDX2000, as well as its first Blu-ray -enabled laptop, the Satellite P500. The brand did much to justify why now was a suitable time to embrace the hi-def format, but all you really need to know is that the BDX2000 is a Profile 2.0 machine that relies on at least 1GB of memory being inserted into its SD card slot before BD Live functionality is enabled. The UK price is likely to be less than £250.
Curiously the player lacks any of the brand's XDE-branded up-scaling technology, introduced to great acclaim on it's XD-E500 DVD player. It does however upscale SD sources to 1080p. It is expected to debut as early as December, if not a tad sooner...
Blu-ray bundles
Given the cookie-cutter nature of the BDX2000, it’s a fair assumption that the new player has been sourced and badged from another manufacturer.
HCC quizzed Andrew Line, Toshiba’s UK product manager on the matter. Line (pictured) was unable to confirm if the new player was indeed an OEM-sourced product, but he noted that its principal value to Toshiba during the Christmas selling season was likely to be as a value-add to the brand's TV sales. ‘I’m anticipating that Blu-ray/LCD bundles will be very successful for us this year. We know that buyers like the idea of buying an HD source with their HD TV, and the new player is ideal for that.’
It’s likely that Toshiba will partner the BD player with its mid and high-end LCD screens. ‘Our entry-level models have been selling extremely well, but we’ll be looking at our higher-end series going forward.’ HCC also expect the Blu-ray player to be offered with the brand’s first full-array LED-backlit LCD models, which are set to debut in weeks.
Take the tablet
Toshiba has also made good on its CES promise of developing a range of networked products. The star of this lineup is a neat touchscreen wi-fi tablet, dubbed the JournE Touch, which can be connected to a TV to deliver either internet video or locally-streamed media. It's expected to sell for less than £299 when it debuts.
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Can someone tell me why
Alan Smithee (not verified) - 4 September 2009 - 1:46pmCan someone tell me why on-board memory is NEVER included? Grrr.
How weird the XDE chip isn't being used.
They missed a trick by not
Bobby D (not verified) - 5 September 2009 - 3:50amThey missed a trick by not using xde technology for dvd upscaling use. Toshiba are great at making dvd players. What kind of idiots work for these companies? couldn't any of them suggested to include xde feature? This would of been an award wining machine if it did. Toshiba you flopped bigtime!
They missed a trick by not
Bobby D (not verified) - 5 September 2009 - 3:51amThey missed a trick by not using xde technology for dvd upscaling use. Toshiba are great at making dvd players. What kind of idiots work for these companies? couldn't any of them suggested to include xde feature? This would of been an award wining machine if it did. Toshiba you flopped bigtime!
UK price?
Jeb (not verified) - 5 September 2009 - 5:03amI think the US retail will be $249 according this article: http://www.hd-report.com/2009/09/03/toshiba-to-release-blu-ray-player/
but what about UK? Anyone know?
Given the speed at which
Steve May - 5 September 2009 - 11:11amGiven the speed at which Toshiba launched into Blu-ray and the nature of the deck itself, I'd wager that this is an OEM player that will be used to bridge the gap until a genuine Toshiba-made model appears. This would explain the lack of XDE. I've updated our story accordingly.
Steve is the Editor of Home Cinema Choice and www.homecinemachoice. com.