Audio Video News

Philips got out of the US TV market, but Philips-branded Blu-ray players, marketed under the Funai banner will be hitting shelves soon, along with a Magnavox-branded LCD/Blu-ray combo unit.

Three new units will be available: the $299 BDP-3010, the $249 BDP-5010, and the BDP-7310 which will sell for $299.  The 3010 will be Profile 1.1, while the upper two models will support Profile 2.0 with BD-Live. But, these players have a difference.

Most players rely on a USB flash drive to provide the 1GB of memory needed for Profile 2.0 functionality. These players will require an SD card, and only the BDP-7310 will come with the necessary 1GB SD card.  You'll have to buy your own for the BDP-5010.

They're also coming out with a Blu-ray HTiB.

Does it matter to you: USB or flash? Or, is it more annoying that they're not including the SD card with all the players? For $249, the BDP-5010 really should come ready to go out of the box. —Leslie Shapiro

Funai