New Chinese Blu-ray Players Due Later This Year

 

The Chinese held their annual Chinese International Consumer Electronics Show (SinoCES) this past week, and the BDA and Blu-ray player manufacturers were out in force. While many people won't be familiar with the names of the Chinese manufacturers showing off players, much like the existing Funai players already on the market, many of these players will make it to US and European shores rebadged as "house brand" players for various retailers.

I haven't added any of these players to the main player database as no formal US release announcements have yet been made.

Desay A&V Science and Technology

Desay showed off 6 Blu-ray disc player models BDP-8010, 8020, 8030, 8040, 8050, and 8060. It appears that all six players have the same specs, with the only differences between players being cosmetic. The players are BonusView enabled (Profile 1.1), have decoders for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD, and have 7.1 channel analog outputs and an ethernet port, though they aren't advertised as being BD-Live capable.

Hotwell Electronics

Hotwell had their upcoming BD-9288 Blu-ray disc player on display, which is currently working with BonusView (Profile 1.1) titles, and the company is currently devloping an update for BD-Live. The player features TrueHD decoding, optional DTS HD decoding, and 7.1 channel analog outputs.

Hualu

Hualu showed off Blu-ray player BDP-0800 that features full BD-Live capability (Profile 2.0). The player has logos for TrueHD and DTS HD, but it isn't known if the player can actually decode those formats or simply pass them through to a compatible receiver.

Vtrek

Vtrek had two player models on display, the BDP-880 and the BDP-881. The players appear to be different only in their cosmetics. They both feature 7.1 analog audio outputs, are BonusView (Profile 1.1) capable, and feature an ethernet port, though the aren't advertised as being BD-Live capable.

Gowell

Gowell was the first Chinese manufacturer to announce their support for Blu-ray last year, but they have yet to put out a player. At SinoCES, they showed off three models, the BHD-8865, 8866, and 8868. Their brochure states the players support 7.1 analog audio outputs and Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD compatibility, but it doesn't state whether the players can decode the formats or merely pass the audio through to compatible receivers. It is also unknown what profile these player's adhere to, and whether or not their are functional differences between the player models.

Again, these are primarily OEM manufacturers, so don't expect to see players with these brand names on them in stores. It's very likely that at least some of these players will be available under various store brand names in time for the holiday rush. While some consumers have complained that Blu-ray Disc players haven't fallen in price as quickly as they would like, the addition of these Chinese manufacturers should lower the starting price for BD players considerably this fall.