Marantz displays Blu-ray player

Marantz displays Blu-ray player

For some reason, CEDIA was surprisingly lacking in big HD DVD/Blu-ray news. One of the Blu-ray announcements was that Marantz, a highly respected consumer electronics company, was supporting Blu-ray with an early 2008 Blu-ray player.

The Marantz BD8002 is scheduled to retail for $2,099 in the first quarter of next year, and closely resembles the previously announced Denon player. This is no surprise because Denon and Marantz are both owned by parent company D&M Holdings (D&M standing for Denon & Marantz, of course). Both players sport the same form factor, same Silicon Optix Realta chipset, same v1.1 spec, same MSRP and same price point.

Marantz logo

While it’s always nice to see another company supporting high-definition optical media, I’m more interested in finding more options in multiple categories (including price) than finding the same player with different names on the front to fulfill different distribution channels.

I have a pile of literature from CEDIA on my desk to go through, and I’ll find the more interesting new products and achievements to deliver.

About Steven Kippel

Steven Kippel has worked as a systems designer for a leading high-end audio/video custom integrator in Southern California since 2003. He is responsible for researching new technologies and integrating them into existing systems and new construction projects. He has designed several high-profile systems for discriminating clients on the cutting-edge of technology. When he is not hard at work, Steven is spending time with his wife, playing with his band or promoting concerts and bands in the Inland Empire. His favorite bands include The Cure, U2, Eisley, Living Sacrifice and DragonForce.

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