June 9th, 2009
Harman Kardon introduces its first Blu-ray player for $499
Harman Kardon is one of the most respected names in home theater products, primarily for its audio lineup, though it’s also offered DVD players in the past. The company has finally decided to stick its toe into the Blu-ray pool, announcing its first unit in the BDP 1.
Reading the specs reveals a fairly standard device, featuring 1080p upscaling of conventional DVD, BD Live, Ethernet port, HDMI v1.3, and optical and coaxial digital audio outputs. So you might be wondering why the BDP 1 costs $499, or about twice as much as competing products. There’s nothing in Harman Kardon’s press release or on its Web site that distinguishes the player from the competition (like proprietary audio or video processing), save for the “unique Harman Kardon user interface [that] simplifies setup and operation. ” It’s also perhaps a bit sleeker than the average Blu-ray player, though not more so than the wall-mountable Samsung BD-P4600, which also offers built-in Wi-Fi for the same price.
Is the Harman Kardon name attached to the BDP 1 enough to make you want to buy it? Let us know in the TalkBack section.
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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