Slim fad continues with Samsung Blu-ray

08 Jan 09 01:13 by Jared Newman in category Uncategorized To news archive

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There’s a joke in the journalism business that when something happens three times, it can automatically be dubbed a trend. If there’s any truth to that statement, then this year’s Consumer Electronics Show suggests a Year of the Slim on the horizon.

First, Lenovo introduced the IdeaCentreA600, an all-in-one desktop computer that measures one inch at the thinnest point on the monitor. Then, Samsung unveiled an HDTV that’s only 6.5-mm, (0.26 in.) thick. Both products claimed to be the slimmest in their respective classes. LG was also looking to compete in the television category with a 24.8-mm (0.98 in.) offering.

Now, Samsung is reaching for that slender accolade once again with its new Blu-Ray player, said to be thinner than all its competitors by measuring 39 mm (1.54 in.) tall. Hinted at in previous days but officially revealed today, the BD-P4600 is wall-mountable and the BD-P3600 is a traditional set-top model. Both are Profile 2.0 players sharing similar specs, according to CrunchGear.

Samsung claims that these are the thinnest Blu-Ray players to date. But if this is truly the Year of the Slim, it’s really too early to tell which manufacturer will become the biggest loser.

Would you like to see any of your beloved technology trimmed down? Or is this whole fad bound to go out like the Atkins diet?

12 Comments

Blu-rayFreak: Posts: 367; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 01:40

Thinner, lighter, more compact is always welcomed in my book, but not always when there is a significant price premium. Blu-ray players should continue to get more compact as their designs and components evolve. This one is certainly an interesting looking Blu-ray player offering from Samsung.

ferd: Posts: 251; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 02:08

I see in the CrunchGear article that the price is being withheld. I wonder why? My guess is that the price is inversely proportional to the thickness, plus being Profile2.0...I would wager that it will *not* be sub-$100.00.

yilu: Posts: 3; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 02:48

deleted spam

JaredNewman: Posts: 714; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 03:06

If it tops $400 I'd opt for the super-thick Playstation 3 version

psychoace: Posts: 351; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 06:04

It seems now like a lot of computer devices from CES are coming with Blu Ray Live support and also Blu Ray backup support. This has been a feature mentioned for the longest time now it's going to be coming to market. So no worries about disc's getting damaged.

xded: Posts: 3; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 14:33

If it's electronics, thinner is better... If there is even the smallest mechanical thing, thinner means shorter life. So, for a drive of a rather new technology, I won't spend more money for a smaller, weaker device that's anyway gonna sit forever in the same place.

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 16:40

Since they mention wall mounting, I take it that to make it thin, they had to put the buttons on top or they did away with buttons altogether, relying solely on a remote, which seems unlikely. From the looks of it- if this has buttons, they may be touch sensitive and fingerprint magnets. Keep the cleaning cloth handy.

I would think only a small percentage would wall mount as it defeats the purpose of making it thin - you suddenly have a giant black wart on your wall with wires dangling, or you are drilling holes in the wall and snaking wires around inside them. Either way, you have a thing on the wall that people will constantly ask: "WTF is that?!?!"

I am also a bit leery running a disc player at a right angle to the Earth. It seems it would make disc handling even more annoying and prone to dropping than usual.

Or, you can set it on top of something, which seems more likely and you could still access the menu buttons easily if needed.

BD-P4600 popularity prediction: Fail

psychoace: Posts: 351; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 17:46

Wow you give it a fail for just it's optional functions and not actual performance. Good job with that. Also this I would assume is slot loading so no real fussiness with the right angle disc handeling. Anyway this is definetly a niche product and wont be the future look of Blu Ray

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 19:52

No, I give it a fail on the design. I think it is not going to make it due to the way it is manufactured, the materials etc. I cannot see any advantages to it over a "normal BR player and it is going to be even more expensive. If you are some sort of a fan of minimalist design, then maybe you will cough up for it. But, we agree on the outcome at least!

ferd: Posts: 251; Posted on: 08 Jan 09 21:10

If it has a disk tray that slides out (which seems unlikely), I think the likelihood of failure is greater. Loading disks into a tray at an angle perpendicular to what it was designed for is more prone to problems.
However, given its likely price, it will probably be a slot, which would make loading at any angle somewhat less problematic.

yilu: Posts: 3; Posted on: 09 Jan 09 03:04

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yilu: Posts: 3; Posted on: 10 Jan 09 02:40

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Slim fad continues with Samsung Blu-ray

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