JVC Blu-ray Comes to the USA.

JVC have used the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas to announce the decision to bring their Blu-ray products to the USA. JVC Blu-ray has proved popular in Europe and Asia, especially with the manufacturer's competitive pricing, and up until now, the USA has had to admire them from afar, but starting from March anyone who wants to will be able to snap one up on home soil.

March sees the release of the XV-BP1 player - a first not only for the States, but JVC too - featuring profile 2.0 for BD Live, playback of the JVC-used AVCHD format, HDMI v1.3 with Deep and x.v. colour plus support for Dolby True HD, DTS and DTS HD. A retail price of a touch under $300 has been suggested.

Hanging on until April is the JVC TH-SB100, an all-in-one Blu-ray system for the home to cost around $699. This package is a great starting point for the Blu-ray or home cinema newcomer as it features a BD Live enabled player and a 3.1 sound system. However, the built-in amplifier has two channels in reserve ready for an upgrade to a full 5.1 sound experience whenever your wallet allows. Just like the BP1 player, it supports the AVCHD format found on some HD camcorders, JVC included.

There are concerns the TH-SB100 won't have support for TrueHD like its European counterpart, however there is a good chance JVC will have fixed this oversight before it reaches the shelves. Regardless, it's great to see JVC taking their impressive hardware stateside.