The arrival of high definition Blu-ray player Samsung BD-P1000 to the store shelves has resulted in more confusion rather than sales in the United States. According to the source the U.S. consumers are not aware of the differences of HD-DVD and Blu-ray. On the other the fact that Samsung is the first Blu-ray player available is a bit confusing as well, as Sony is and has been the clear leader of the Blu-ray camp - and honestly Samsung is not really recognized as a high end home A/V vendor, even though they do have many decent products especially in the lower price range.

Hollywood news website MovieWeb reported that Samsung's BD-P1000 DVD player, which hit the shops five days after the first seven Blu-ray films on 20 June, aroused "little sales activity" but "plenty of confusion" among consumers.

Samsung may find comfort in the news that Toshiba's rival HD-DVD player is also said to be selling slowly.

With the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player retailing at between $447 and $549, according to pricegrabber.com, and Samsung's Blu-ray player costing around $999 (£540), consumers seem reluctant to make such a heavy investment before they know which format will have the greatest long-term success.

Source: Computing