P&F USA To Market Philips-Brand Ultra HD Blu-ray Deck Next Month at $399

Philips will become the second brand to field an Ultra HD Blu-ray player in the U.S. if P&F USA, the Funai-affiliated Philips licensee in Alpharetta, Georgia, follows through on plans announced Tuesday for delivering the product beginning next month. Though Panasonic and Samsung have commercialized Ultra HD Blu-ray players in markets outside the U.S. (see 1602290064), Samsung has maintained the sole U.S. presence in the category with the $399 UBD-K8500 deck it introduced in March. P&F will position the Philips deck at the same $399 price point as the Samsung, the company said. The product will be available in two finishes -- the BDP7501 in “real brushed aluminum,” and the BDP7301 in “piano black,” it said. P&F representatives didn’t comment on whether the product will be offered with a software bundle or whether it will vie for the UHD Alliance’s Ultra HD Premium certification logo, which Samsung’s UBD-K8500 attained earlier this month (see 1605030038).