Panasonic announced the future availability if its next generation Blu-ray disc standalone player, the DMP-BD10A, aiming to deliver a HD video player for less than (US$600): $599.95.
It features high end surround audio (7.1 channel surround, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital and dts decoding). Concerning video capabilities, the DMP-BD10A will come with HDMI, full HD 1080 support, while being able to play SD-DVD with an automatic 1080p up-conversion via HDMI.
Taking into account the price of the 5 BD movies, this player might be the first serious consumer-oriented standalone BD player to be seriously considered, especially if you like the bundled movies (Disney 'Pirates of the Caribbean', 'Curse of the Black Pearl' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest', 'Transporter' and 'Fantastic 4' from Fox and 'Crash' from Lionsgate.)
