A month ago Toshiba announced the first HD-DVD player, the Toshiba HD-A1. One month later Samsung answers with the release of the first Blue-ray disc player, the Samsung BD-P1000 signaling the begining of the high-definition disc player video experience.

The experience comes at a cost however; the Samsung Blu-ray disc player retails for one thousand dollars and the Toshiba HD-A1 retails for $499. If you are an early adopter of technology, the sticker price should not come as a shock to you. In fact, the very first CD and DVD players retailed for roughly $999.99. Manufacturers know that early adopters are willing to pay the price since this an experience they can not get anywhere else. As those with money hats scoop up these units, we recommend you stay away, wait for the dust to settle and the prices drop. However, if you got an itchy wallet, the quality you get from this Samsung BD-DVD player is absolutely ridiculuos, specially when it is connected to an HDTV that can display images at 1080p.

The Nitty Gritty
The Samsung BD-P1000 is backwards compatible with standard DVDs and CDs (including recordable) and it will upconvert your original DVDs to near hi-definition via HDMI. On top of that, the player also allows you to view digital photos and listen to music (mp3s) through an included "combo player" that accepts nearly all memory card formats currently on the market. Most importantly, the player can be connected to your TV via S-Video (1), composite (1) or HDMI (1) and supports native HD resolutions of 1080p, 1080i, and 720p.

Read the Samsung BD-P1000 review at ZDNET or at USA Today for the lowdown on picture quality. We however, highly recommend you stop by your local electronic store and see this monster in action to experience it yourself.