By Matthew Henry

SYDNEY: Panasonic has become the second consumer electronics maker to release a Blu-ray Disc player to the Australian market after announcing the launch of the DMP-BD10 player this afternoon for RRP $2,749.

Panasonic joins Samsung in the fledgling high definition disc category, which finally appears to be heating up with Toshiba also today announcing the launch of HD-DVD in Australia – a rival format which will battle with Blu-ray for adoption as the next defacto industry standard.

The BD10 features 1080p resolution video output for full high definition images, which are optimised by the new P4HD image processor which processes more than 15 billion pixels per second for natural images.

Panasonic will market the BD10 to consumers through an extensive in-store marketing campaign in selected retail outlets and a national print campaign aimed at the early adopter and majority market segments.

“Panasonic’s in-store display of Blu-ray focuses on demonstrating a powerful full high definition experience to the consumer,” said Panasonic consumer electronics director, Paul Reid.

“It showcases Panasonic’s total Blu-ray home theatre solution in an eye-catching display module – the DMP-BD0 Blu-ray Disc player, Panasonic’s 65-inch full HD plasma and the Blu-ray compatible home theatre receiver and home theatre speakers.”

Panasonic will also partner with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, which will support the launch of the BD10 with a complimentary Blu-ray movie title.

“We are very happy to have entered into an international partnership with Panasonic who are a strong supporter of the format,” said Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment International senior vice president – brand marketing, Vincent Marcais.

“As part of this, Australian consumers buying the first Blu-ray players will get a Blu-ray Disc of Fantastic 4.”

The BD10 will also ship with a promotional disc previewing the upcoming releases from Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment, which will also be useful for demonstration of Blu-ray’s image and sound capabilities.