Samsung announced today its high definition combo player (HD DVD/Blu-ray) model BD-UP5000, (first reviewed by HD Guru™) will ship by this December. A number of websites have been inaccurately reporting the player has been withdrawn from release.

Below is a copy of Samsung’s press release regarding its combo BD-UP5000 and the (Blu-ray only) BD-2400.

Since the announcement of the BD-P1400, BD-P2400 and BD-UP5000, Samsung assessed its product lineup and after discussions with our channel partners, decided to focus on the BD-P1400 and the BD-UP5000 to make its next-generation offerings more efficient. As a result, the BD-P2400 was removed from the 2007 Holiday Line-up.

Status of BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player:
· The Duo HD Player will ship from Samsung factories at the end of October and will be available to consumers at retail by mid to late December
· The Duo HD Player will be BD Profile 1.1 Ready – this means it will include the necessary hardware to play BD Profile 1.1 discs
· A firmware update will be available at the end of January 2008 to allow playback of BD Profile 1.1 discs***

*** Profile 1.1 discs are currently not available and compatibility must be fully tested before we can assure complete compliance to BD Profile 1.1 requirements.

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