Samsung's next-gen DVD combo player ships

Despite rumors of delays, the Korean electronics maker says its dual-format player is still on track for a release this month. The BD-UP5000 will also ship with a lower price than originally announced. Samsung said that it will lower the price to $799, $200 cheaper than its original listing. According to a spokesperson, the player has begun shipping and will appear on retailers' shelves soon.

Even with Samsung's assurances, the Amazon.com list page for the product still says the player will be released on January 15, 2008.

The player, only the third yet on the market behind LG's two dual-format models, will support both formats in resolutions up to 1080p, as well as perform upconversion of standard DVDs. In addition, the BD-UP5000 will support 1080/24p playback, support for Dolby and dts-HD audio formats, and HDMI 1.3 outputs.