Two weeks ago, Microsoft unveiled Xbox One S that supports UHD Blu-ray. Even though it is first and foremost a game console Xbox One S stands to become the cheapest UHD Blu-ray player on the market with its $299 starting price.
The cheapest UHD Blu-ray player
Xbox One S will be available in three price classes, depending on the capacity of the built-in hard drive. The cheapest option will cost $299 / €299 when it hits the US and Europe in August/September, Microsoft has confirmed.
Even if you are not interested in gaming the price point will make the console the cheapest UHD Blu-ray player by a good margin. For comparison Samsung is currently selling the most affordable UHD Blu-ray player (UBD-K8500) on the market for approx. $399 in the US and €399 in Europe. Panasonic is offering the DMP-UB900 that will set you back €750 in Europe. With Xbox One S you get a complete game console, too.
Samsung and Panasonic obviously have time to adjust prices before the Xbox One S arrives but even if Samsung shaves off $150, Microsoft’s Xbox One S will likely still be a better deal.
Will support HDR10
In addition to being capable of spinning UHD Blu-ray discs, the new console from Microsoft will support 4K streaming from services such as Netflix and Amazon Video.
Xbox One S also supports HDR (high dynamic range) via the “open” HDR10 format (but not Dolby Vision). By supporting HDR Microsoft is laying the foundation for a major picture quality improvement that many believe is more significant than the jump from HD to 4K resolution.
Xbox One S will be available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB models for $299 (€299), $349 (€349) and $399 (€399), respectively. The 2TB model will launch in “early August" and the others will follow shortly after.
