Blu-ray Players with Amazon Video On Demand Hitting Stores

The first line of upgraded Blu-ray players from the houses of Panasonic and Samsung are coming packed with a new feature: wireless steaming capabilities for Amazon’s Video On Demand service. The new players will sport the functionality in June, no firmware updates required. Dig it:

Panasonic and Samsung are among manufacturers hoping their players now hitting stores will capture consumer attention with their stepped-up capabilities. Panasonic’s $299 DMP-BD60 and $399 DMP-BD80 will stream Amazon content this June, with no firmware updates required. The company also is selling the industry’s first dual VHS and Blu-ray player, the $399 DMP-BD70.  Plus, Samsung’s $299 BD-P1600 introduces wireless Web access for a set-top.

Despite the advance in tech, the manufacturers (and retailers) are still feeling the pain of the weak economy. Many of them don’t believe the advent of new features will be enough to stir up shopping activity. In fact, many analysts are calling for price drops on Blu-ray players to entice new HDTV owners to jump into the large capacity disc format.

For more info, check out the full article over at VidBiz.