Sony began shipping its new Blu-ray Disc (BD) player to major consumer electronics retailers and specialty dealers nationwide for a list price of $499. The BDP-S300 is expected to broaden the high-definition disc player market while delivering new features including the advanced Dolby® Digital Plus audio codec.

“The BD format gained great momentum in the past several months, and we’re going to capitalize on that with the new model,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Product Division. “The player gives a broader consumer segment the opportunity to experience the exceptional quality of Blu-ray Disc format at a competitive price.”

The new model can output 1920 x 1080/24p high-definition video, currently the highest resolution high-definition signal available through an HDMI™ connection. The player supports various video formats, including MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC1.

For those who own an HDTV set without HDMI, an analog component output for 1080i (interlaced) is available as well.

The new BD player is compatible with most standard DVDs and has the added feature of 1080p upscaling through HDMI to 1080p capable HDTVs, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.

Source: Sony