Samsung launches first Blu-ray player

Dubai: Samsung has unveiled the Middle East's first Blu-ray disc player, a high-definition alternative to the DVD format championed by some of the biggest players in electronics.

Blu-ray is the product of an industry consortium composed of LG, Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung and others.

In rivalry reminiscent of the VHS-Betamax wars, Blu-ray is facing off against a rival format, HD DVD, led by Intel, Microsoft, Toshiba and NEC.

Following its rollout in North America, East Asia and Europe earlier this year, Samsung yesterday held the Middle East release of its BD-P1000, a player capable of reading Blu-ray discs that hold six times as much data as DVDs.

Arvind Nair, COO of Jumbo Electronics, said the new standard should make a big splash among consumers. "It is without doubt the most amazing technology to come into the area of storage devices," he said."

Hefty price

The new technology comes with a hefty price, however. Samsung's new Blu-ray player, about the same size as a regular DVD player, will cost consumers Dh4,800.

To complement the new player Samsung also released the latest incarnation of its high-definition LCD television sets with 40-, 46- and 52-inch screens.

"With this time to market we are very confident that we will dominate and consolidate our position in the high-definition market across the globe," said Ashraf Sajid, senior sales and marketing manager of Samsung in the Middle East.

With a dual layer reading system, Blu-ray disks hold 50 gigabytes of data, or enough for a two-hour movie of far greater clarity and high definition than DVDs. The name derives from the blue laser used to read the disk, which uses a substantially shorter wavelength and thus allows for more storage per disk.

According to Samsung, eight of the nine biggest Hollywood studios are betting on Blu-ray and have begun plans to release future movie titles on Blu-Ray disks.

Talaat Captan, executive vice-president of Prime Pictures, a UAE-based distributor of Sony and Discovery Channel entertainment, said at the press conference he expected 200 Blu-ray titles in the coming year.