Audio Video News

By Samsung's estimation, the market for combo Blu-ray/HD DVD players collapsed on itself when Toshiba exited the HD DVD business last month. Consumers still interested in purchasing such an obsolete machine will have to make do with just one Samsung model, the company said Thursday. Its forthcoming combo player, the BD-UP5500 won't ever see the light of day, though the company had previously said it would launch in May. 

Meanwhile, Samsung's other combo player, the BD-UP5000, is still around while supplies last, even though the player never received great reviews. Samsung hasn't said whether it plans to phase out combo players entirely, but now is as good a time as any to buy a BD-UP5000: An Amazon seller is hawking the device for under $500, while Samsung still lists the price at $999.99.

Samsung's priorities are obviously focused on Blu-ray players. Before announcing the demise of its combo players, the company said it was moving up the release date of its newest Blu-ray player - the $399 BD-P1500 - from May to April. Another Samsung Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD50, is also coming down the pike, though Samsung hasn't announced a release date. This player will feature BD-Live compatibility - meaning that for certain discs, it will be able to download additional content over the Internet. -Rachel Rosmarin

PC World