August 28, 2008

Sherwood Breaks Into Blu-ray With BDP-5003 And BDP-6003

US-based Sherwood is taking aim at the growing Blu-ray player market with a couple of new Blu-ray players-the BDP-5003 and BDP-6003. The BDP-5003, with a suggested price of $299, will hit shelves in October. Of course with a price that seems to good to be true, the 5003 is only Profile 1.1 compliant so it won't have BD-Live capabilities. The BDP-6003 on the other hand is a Profile 2.0 player, but you'll be set back $499 for the added features when it's released in September.

Both players upscale DVD's to 1080p, have a front panel USB port, and feature component, composite, S-video and HDMI 1.3 outputs. Other features common to the new Sherwood duo include DivX, JPEG, and MP3 playback plus coaxial and Toslink digital audio outputs, 192kHz/24-bit audio DACs and an Ethernet port for firmware upgrades. The BDP-5003 sports a two-channel analog output, while the BDP-6003 supports 5.1-channels.

Sherwood will also be re-entering the TV market with December release of a 32-inch and 42-inch LCD TV pair under its Newcastle brand. Specs and pricing are an unknown at the moment, but we do know the 32-inch model will have 720p resolution, while the 42-inch model will boast full 1080p.

It'll be interesting to see if Sherwood can maintain the quality they display with their award-winning audio hardware with their new home theater products.