The news
Sony teasingly revealed today that its first dedicated set-top Blu-ray Disc player to reach the UK and the rest of Europe will be arriving some in the summer, without naming a date. The model that's coming will be the BDP-S1E - a European version of the upmarket BDP-S1 reference player launched in the USA last August at $1,000 (£510) but now available from some outlets across the pond for $750 (£382).
Astonishingly, although the press release issued today (see page two) doesn't include a price, when we asked, the company's UK PR outfit told us that this will be - wait for it, wait for it - £900!
We were so shocked, though, that we requested confirmation. An email came back saying that the price is indeed correct and that the product will be appearing shortly with that ticket on the UK pages of Sony Style - the company's online store.
Fair enough, that £900 does include VAT, so let's make like-for-like comparisons by bunging 17.5 per cent on top of those two US prices (twiddle, twiddle, click, click) - okay, we're looking at £600 for the suggested price in the USA but, more realistically, £449 for a good street price.
So, seemingly, Sony is expecting Brits to pay twice as much as US buyers - £450 more!
Now, of course, the Sony Style price is likely to be pitched high, so that resellers' noses aren't put out of joint by being undersold (just as Sony Style USA still has the BDP-S1 at $1,000). Even so, how much cheaper are UK resellers going to be able to offer it for? Maybe £100 less or, perhaps, even £150 less?
If so, that still means that the street price here is going to be between £300 and £350 more than in the USA, or £450 more if buying direct from Sony. And, even comparing like-for-like - the Sony UK price is still £300 more than the Sony USA price!
BDP-S1E (click for larger image)Of course, if you think that the penalty you'd be paying for living in the UK is unacceptable but don't fancy entering the lottery to emigrate to the Land of the Free, you can actually remain in this damp old isle, spend a whole lot less and actually start viewing high-def movies on Blu-ray Disc right now - following last Friday's UK introduction of the Sony PS3 60GByte games console.
Trouble is, if you buy one of these Blu-ray-Disc-compatible gaming consoles, you're also going to be stiffed, though not as comprehensively but in one additional way.
UK online stores are selling the so-called 60GB Premium version of the PS3 at a variety of prices that start at under £410 (Blah!'s offering it at £408). Big resellers, though, including Amazon UK and HMV, are typically asking £425.
Over in the USA, the street price for a similar 60GB console is typically $600 (£305). So, let's again try to be fair, and add VAT. This brings the US street price up to £359 - and that's still leaves the UK price considerably more expensive.
Making matters rather worse, though, the console being sold is in the USA is, seemingly, a good deal more expensive to make than the UK version, despite it's lower price, and also offers better backwards compatibility with PS2 games.
D'oh!
Returning to the BDP-S1E (and are we alone in thinking it an ugly-looking brute?), this appears to be targeted at deep-pocketed and dedicated home-cinema enthusiasts, rather than folk who happen to own HD TV sets and might fancy a bit of gaming on the side.
We don't yet have full info on the European version, so you might care to check out the base spec of the US variant on Sony Style USA.
But, to save you the trouble, here's the features list that you'll find (though we've unhidden the small print):
* Blu-ray Disc / DVD
Playback (as
with other optical media devices, circumstances may limit compatibility
or prevent Blu-ray Disc playback)
* Video Codec Format: MPEG2/MPEG4-AVC/VC-1
* Full HD 1080p Video Output Through HDMI Connection (requires HDMI Compatible HDTV)
* DVD Upscaling to 1080p (image quality will vary)
* Picture Mode Settings
* Uncompressed Multi Channel Linear PCM Output
* Dolby Digital Plus (Dolby Digital audio stream only), Dolby TrueHD (Dolby® Digital audio stream only) dts-HD --- (dts audio stream only) Digital Out and decoding capability
* Dolby Digital and dts 5.1channel Output
* Multi Channel 192kHz/24bit Audio D/A Converters
* Rigid Beam Construction
* Separated Audio Circuit Board
* Highly Tuned Audio Parts
* Drive Bracket for Stability of Drive System
* Individual Speaker Setting
* Off Center Insulator Feet
* Pop-up Menu
* Quick Set Up
* FL Off/Dimmer Mode
* Screen Saver
* MP3 and JPEG Playback from DVD Media (dependant on recording conditions)
* Parental Control
* IR In
* Multi Brand TV Control Remote
* Sophisticated Box Design with Blue Glass Front
* Video Codec Format: MPEG2/MPEG4-AVC/VC-1
* Full HD 1080p Video Output Through HDMI Connection (requires HDMI Compatible HDTV)
* DVD Upscaling to 1080p (image quality will vary)
* Picture Mode Settings
* Uncompressed Multi Channel Linear PCM Output
* Dolby Digital Plus (Dolby Digital audio stream only), Dolby TrueHD (Dolby® Digital audio stream only) dts-HD --- (dts audio stream only) Digital Out and decoding capability
* Dolby Digital and dts 5.1channel Output
* Multi Channel 192kHz/24bit Audio D/A Converters
* Rigid Beam Construction
* Separated Audio Circuit Board
* Highly Tuned Audio Parts
* Drive Bracket for Stability of Drive System
* Individual Speaker Setting
* Off Center Insulator Feet
* Pop-up Menu
* Quick Set Up
* FL Off/Dimmer Mode
* Screen Saver
* MP3 and JPEG Playback from DVD Media (dependant on recording conditions)
* Parental Control
* IR In
* Multi Brand TV Control Remote
* Sophisticated Box Design with Blue Glass Front
Need more info? Dive over to page two to read Sony UK's press release - and don't forget to share your thoughts on the product, the technology and the pricing in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle news forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle - news :: Adobe still ripping off EU buyers?
HEXUS.lifestyle - opinions :: 10 things that software makers should and shouldn't do
HEXUS.lifestyle - opinions :: Apple TV media player now available in UK. But why?
HEXUS.gaming - news :: New European PS3 hardware specs uncovered
HEXUS - all Blu-ray Disc articles
External.links
Sony Style UK - What's newSony Style USA - BDP-S1 home page
Blah! - Sony PS3 buying page
Amazon UK - Sony PS3 buying page
HMV - Sony PS3 buying page
