A partial list of new BluRay players announced and demoed at the CES 2008: Panasonic DMP-BD50 BD Live 2.0 Internal decoding of Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA 7.1 Analog Outs MSRP TBA Street Date TBA http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/specs...s-new-dmp-bd50/ http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/C...ray_Player/1335 Samsung BDP-1500 Profile 1.1 Bitstream transmission of Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA thru HDMI 1.3 MSRP $399 Street Date June 2008 http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/samsu...0-combo-player/ http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/C...ray_Player/1336 Philips BDP-7200 Profile 1.1 1080p/24 and Deep Color support MSRP $349 Street Date April 2008 http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/hands...blu-ray-player/ http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/C...ray_Player/1338 Sharp BD-HP50U Profile 1.1 Bitstream transmission of Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA thru HDMI 1.3 MSRP $699 Street Date May 2008 http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/sharp...le-1-1-support/ http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/S...ay_Player_/1339 Marantz BD8002 Profile 1.1 Internal decoding of Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA 7.1 Analog Outs Realta HQV Video Processing SD Card Reader MSRP $2100 Street Date Q2 2008 http://www.avrev.com/news/0108/03.marantzbd226.shtml http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/M...his_Spring/1347 Funai NB500 Profile 1.1 MSRP Under $300 Street Date Q2 2008 http://funai.us/BDPrelease010208.pdf http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/F...ray_Player/1341 Note: Funai is a Japanese CE company that manufactures most of the brands they sell at Walmart (Sylvania, Symphonic, Emerson, Durabrand, Magnavox). This player will reportedly bear the Sylvania brand and is targeted for the Walmart chain and other retailers. Pioneer BDP-95FD No specifics yet. http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/09/08/han...blu-ray-player/ Sony Sapphire 1 and 2 Prototype players demoed at CES 2008 BD Live 2.0 XvYCC Colorspace MSRP TBA Street Date TBA http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/sony-...lu-ray-players/ No word on the Denon yet. Sony also announced BD Live 2.0 for the PS3 with a future software update. I'll update this list as more news comes in.
The Panasonic does look to be the most attractive when you factor in specs and expected price range (around $500 to $600 maybe?). The Realta HQV processing in the Marantz - and also reportedly in the Denon - could also be an important factor for the high end consumer and custom installer.
