Expensive Blu-ray Player

Hot on the heels of Toshiba’s concession to Sony in the high definition format war, luxury home theatre manufacturer Goldmund has released, in their words, the “first high-end Blu-ray player.” If nothing else, Goldmund’s Eidos 20 BD is certainly the most expensive Blu-ray player on the market.

The player has a number of features to justify its price, of course. The “AC-Curator” power supply circuit, for instance, supposedly improves audio and visual stability. The player is also specially constructed to eliminate vibration and thereby reduce video errors. Furthermore, the player is lovingly crafted with all the aesthetic appeal of an original model VCR (for those of you born after the Industrial Revolution, videocassette recorders are what your primitive forefathers used to pirate movies).

Goldmund is well known in the audio industry for producing high-end, expensive equipment. The Eidos is their first foray into the high-definition video market.

So how much is the world’s most expensive Blu-ray player? It can be purchased for the extremely low price of $16,900.

written by Jeremy

Expensive Cognac

Cognac, like Champagne, is named after the area of France from whence it originates. In order to be considered worthy of the name, the brandy must be produced in the area surrounding the town of Cognac and it must be made at least 90% from three varieties of grapes that grow in the region—Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche or Colombard grapes. In fact, those are only two of the criteria required by the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC), the body that has ultimate control over whether or not a brandy may be called Cognac.

Considering the specific processes required to produce the most basic variety of the drink, the most expensive Cognac in the world must be something special indeed.

Called Henri IV Dudognon Heritage after the French king whose descendents have been producing this wine since 1776, this particular wine was aged for 100 years in barrels that were air dried for five years before use. The final product is 41% alcohol (82 proof).

That alone wasn’t enough to make it the world’s most expensive Cognac, though. The priciest aspect isn’t the wine itself, but the packaging. Dipped in 24k gold and sterling platinum, the bottle was adorned with 6,500 brilliant cut diamonds by its designer, jeweler Jose Davalos.

The final price of this costly Cognac is £1 million (around $2 million USD) and, if you’ve been paying any attention at all, it shouldn’t surprise you that Tequila Ley, the Mexican distilling company responsible for the expensive brandy, is planning to sell it in Dubai.

written by Jerremy