RCA HDV5000 HD-DVD Player
RCA’s First HD DVD Player on the Block
Dutch manufacturer Thompson Electronics, a.k.a RCA, is going to be the first company to release an HD DVD (high definition DVD) player to the general public. With their support of the HD DVD format, RCA is adhering to the same formatting as Toshiba and will be releasing the HDV5000 for about the same cost as Toshiba’s own HD-A1. The new RCA HDV5000 will sell for a surprising low price given the advanced technology being offered to the consumer. For the low price of just $500, you’ll be able to own the only available set-top box device capable of playing back high-definition media discs.
The player is set to be available in April, 2006, about the same time as the Toshiba models. It stands to reason that RCA and Toshiba would be releasing these products at about the same time: the two models look suspiciously similar. The similarities between the two models could be related to the fact that the RCA HDV5000 is just Toshiba’s HD-A1 with a new name and face plate. The re-branded copy of the HD-A1 should sell for about the same cost and have all the same features.
Like Toshiba’s HD-A1, RCA’s HDV5000 is a stripped down version of an HD DVD player. They’ll support all the decoding required of HD DVD: Mpeg2, Mpeg4, AVC, and VC-1. Complete A/V outputs will include the following: S/PDIF audio options will include both coax and optical digital along with a complete set of multi-channel 5.1 analogue audio outputs. HDMI will support the units HDCP requirements, and it will have a set of component outputs for the older digital TVs out there. There will also be a component S-Video for NTSC compatibility.
The low price tag might not seem like such a surprise especially to the Blu-Ray camp. RCA and Toshiba are selling their players at a loss and this is probably a good strategy for HD DVD. So far, the HD DVD format appears to be losing the format war. The HD DVD has received less support from the studios to release their movies in this format. Cost is a good marketing strategy to use, especially when you are trying to capture a larger market share and generate consumer confidence in your product. $500 for an advanced system of technology is a compelling reason to choose this format over the Blu-Ray players.
The early-tech adopters are sure to pick it up. They’re the ones with the disposable income to help shape and control market forces through collectively buying or ignoring the next iteration of DVD technology. There are plenty of manufacturers who have come out in support of Toshiba and HD DVD. However, Sanyo and LG have determined it will be better to wait and see what happens in the next gen optical storage war before choosing a side. An uncomfortable fact is that many manufacturers who are in support of Blu-Ray technology are doing the same thing when it comes to North American releases of their offerings. Consequently, by the middle of next year, there will be many more Blu-Ray players floating around in Japan than in North America.
