Panasonic Debuts Portable Blu-ray Player

Itching to take your Blu-ray content with you on the go? Panasonic's DMP-B15 will sport an 8.9-inch screen and three hours of video playback time.

Electronics giant Panasonic (née Matsushita) has introduced what it claims to be the world’s first portable Blu-ray player, the DMP-B15. The portable player will feature an 8.9-inch display and a rechargeable battery offering up to 3 hours of video playback time.

“As a pioneer in the development of DVD and Blu-ray expertise, Panasonic has always been in the forefront of cutting edge, consumer friendly technology,” said Panasonic consumer electronics director Richard Simone, in a statement. “With the introduction of this unique portable Blu-ray Disc player, the consumer can take this HD entertainment experience when they travel.”

The DMP-B15’s 8.90-inch display will offer a 1,024 by 600-pixel WSVGA resolution and will integrate Panasonic’s Viera Cast technology, so it will be able to access the Internet and tap into additional content on BD Live titles. The unit will be driven by Panasonic’s PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology, and users will also be able to use is as an external Blu-ray player by connecting it to a large-screen HDTV via an HDMI cable. The DMP-B15 will also offer an optional headrest mounting bracket for in-vehicle use, and the unit will sport an SD card slot so users can view photos and video recorded on SD media.

Panasonic says the DMP-B15 will be available in May; no pricing information has been released.