Panasonic 4K UHD Blu-ray Player Hitting Retail in September
7 Jul, 2016 By: Erik Gruenwedel
Panasonic is launching its 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray Disc player in domestic stores in September, priced at $699.99. First unveiled at CES in January, the DMP-UB900 will be the most expensive UHD Blu-ray player on the market.
The wireless unit, which can also stream music and 4K content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other sources, features dual HDMI outputs, 7.1 channel analog audio output, backlit remote, DLNA support, THX certification, and high-res audio playback, among other features.
Interestingly, Panasonic, which 10 years ago bowed a Blu-ray Disc player for $1,300, made the DMP-UB900 available in the United Kingdom in April, priced at £599 ($775).
A total of 45 Ultra HD titles have been released on Blu-ray Disc in the U.S. since March — and according to Home Media Magazine market research, consumers bought more than 228,000 discs as of June 24.
By comparison, Blu-ray Disc moved just 57,000 units in the comparable time frame in 2006.
Samsung earlier this year bowed the UBD-K8500 for $399.99, and Xbox in August will launch the similarly priced Xbox One S. A less-expensive model ($299.99) reportedly is debuting later this year.