CEDIA: Sony Introduces Two New Blu-ray Players

Sony has unveiled two new Blu-ray players for the US market -- the BDP-S500 ($700), and the brand new BDP-S2000ES ($1,300).

Although the BDP-S500 was first introduced last week for the European market at Berlin's IFA trade fair, today's announcement confirms a US release for the mid-range player, and introduces a new high-end player for the very first time.

Both new players share the same key features: 1080/60p and 24p video, support of all high-resolution audio formats via HDMI version 1.3a, plus support for AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color.

While the operating feature set on the higher-end BDP-S2000ES is identical to the BDP-S500, the higher end player includes several fortifications to the player's build, including "dual shield construction" and separate boards for audio and video, which Sony says will provide for even better quality performance. The BDP-S2000ES is the first Blu-ray player to carry Sony's ES ("Elevated Standards") designation.

Each of the two players are due to hit stores in the United States sometime this fall, joining the already-released lower-end BDP-300 ($499).