Zensonic, an Australian consumer electronics company, earlier this week announced they were going to be bringing to American shores in July their HDMI network DVD player. The Z500 will be available for a price of $429.
The Z500, said Zensonic, incorporates HDMI technology with HDCP support to offer a high definition viewing experience. Besides playing standard DVD and CD formats, the Z500 is also designed to serve as a media server capable of using integrated 802.11g wireless, Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity to play video and audio from a wide range of formats stored on a PC or streamed over the Internet. The player also comes with a backlit remote control with joystick control and has a reportedly simple on-screen menu.
“The Z500 simply links your home entertainment system with the increasing amount of digital content stored on your home PC,” said Zensonic Corporation CEO Raaj Menon, in a statement. “We are expecting strong sales because the Z500 satisfies the demand for easy and affordable integration of high definition entertainment sources in your lounge room. There’s nothing like this in the U.S.”