Samsung rolls out new mainstream Blu-ray players
Samsung has announced two mainstream Blu-ray players at CES 2010, with the step-up BD-C6500 having built-in Wi-Fi and support for the company's Samsung Apps streaming content platform.
LAS VEGAS--Samsung's flashy CES 2010 Blu-ray news may be the BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player and ultraslim BD-C7500, but the company also rolled out two mainstream models, the BD-C5500 and BD-C6500. Like most of Samsung's CES 2010 home theater announcements, details are scarce, but here's what we know so far.
Key features of the Samsung BD-C5500:
- Low power consumption (13 watts during playback; .1 watts in standby)
- Wi-Fi ready (requires USB dongle, sold separately)
- Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter
- Meets Energy Star 4.0 guidelines
- No release date or pricing announced
Key step-up features of the Samsung BD-C6500:
- 15-second disc load; 15-second boot-up
- Built-in Wi-Fi
- Meets Energy Star 4.0 guidelines, but doesn't have the same low power consumption as the BD-C5500
- No release date or pricing announced
Editors's note: This section has been updated with more information about Samsung Apps
Internet@TV and Samsung Apps are Samsung's new proprietary content portals for home theater products. As of now, it's not perfectly clear exactly how it will work; Samsung says that the first free apps will launch in the spring, with premium apps following in the summer. When we talked to a Samsung rep at the booth, he said that standards services like Netflix, Pandora and Vudu would all be free; he used Tetris as an example of something that would be a premium app. We get the feeling that a lot of the particulars still have to be worked out.
Overall, there's not much info released about these players, although we're happy to see that the step-up BD-C6500 has built-in Wi-Fi, a step-up over last year's BD-P3600. We'll update this post as we get more information from Samsung.
