HDI Dune BD Prime: world's first hybrid Blu-ray player / HD streamer

Unbeknownst to many (us included), HDI's Dune BD Prime has been making the rounds for a little while now. The deck, which is primarily marketed and sold outside of North America, claims to be the first bona fide multimedia player that's also a Blu-ray deck. The unit is available in four variations: the vanilla package, one with 802.11n WiFi, one that adds Ethernet and another that packs twin eSATA ports. The unit essentially plays dual roles by sucking down HD content from network-accessible drives / PCs while spinning up the latest Blu-ray Disc in its spare time. File format support doesn't look to be an issue, though a critical review over at MPCClub definitely found a few faults. Those with Euros to burn can find the player for around €449 ($638), though we don't get the feeling this is heading stateside anytime soon.

Read - Announcement
Read - Review

[shawnmos Posted Dec 30th 2008 12:52AM]

Looks cool, but a little expensive.

[landoncube Posted Dec 30th 2008 1:42AM]

I don't care what it is or what it does. I want it.




How cool are those antennae?

[Galley Posted Dec 30th 2008 7:08AM]

Surely the PS3 supports streaming of HD content.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 30th 2008 7:48AM]

Why is it that every piece of REALLY cool HD kit is only available outside the U.S.? Are manufacturers afraid we might actually want to buy this stuff? It's just amazing that for every device that I think to myself, "Ooh, I want that," Engadget's post ends in "but don't expect it stateside anytime soon." Good grief.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 30th 2008 11:13AM]

Is the reference to Frank Herbert's Dune in the name intentional or not?

[z0phi3l Posted Dec 31st 2008 12:34AM]

Because the MPAA would flip out if any manufacturer makes it easy for us to enjoy any content

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 30th 2008 2:31PM]

Dune BD Prime Review in french (the test of the player) :
http://www.hdsoir.com/2008/12/dune-hd-prime-test.html

Translation :
http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hdsoir.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fdune-hd-prime-test.html&langpair=fr|en&hl=fr&ie=UTF8

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 2nd 2009 8:59AM]

Actually these are coming to the US. The BD Prime (no hdd bay, different case build) being ready and the HD Center coming later. I pre-ordered the euro version but am thinking about cancelling and paying a bit more for the US version (region 1/A locked and US power cords being the issue). The only shop I've found so far however is, http://duneplayer.com/shop/

But I'd check the homepage out for reseller additions: http://hdi.co.il/index.php?do=resellerlist