The first ever UHD Blu-ray player is now available to buy – if you’re lucky enough to be living in California.
CES 2016 last month detailed a handful of forthcoming UHD Blu-ray players, which are capable of playing a brand new 4K Blu-ray disc format. Now the first of these is out in a limited number of shops.
It’s perhaps unsurprising to find out which UHD Blu-ray player it is. Samsung was the first to spill news on its own 4K media player back in September, and it’s the Samsung UBD-K8500 that can now be purchased for $400 (£275) from Fry’s Electronics in the San Diego area.
USA Today also points out that the Video and Audio Center in Santa Monica will be offering the device from Friday.
Meanwhile, as Engadget points out, those who pre-ordered the Samsung UBD-K8500 through US mega-retailer Best Buy are receiving notifications of a revised February 10 shipping date.
Related: Everything you need to know about UHD Blu-ray
Needless to say, this all seems to be ahead of schedule, with most people not expecting Samsung’s 4K player to hit shops until March.
We’ve gone hands-on with the Samsung UBD-K8500 already, and we found it shaping up to be a decent value player that didn’t quite have the high-end chops of the rival Panasonic UB900. Of course, that could all have changed in the final model currently shipping out to lucky Californians.
Will you be buying a UHD Blu-ray player? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.