Blu-ray Players Taking Aim at $300
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: blu, ray | Themes: Digital Entertainment
Chicago (IL) - As Microsoft announces a $299 Xbox 360, we are noticing Blu-ray player prices diving as well and distancing themselves from the Blu-ray-equipped PlayStation 3 for the very first time. Patience and luck may get you a $300 Blu-ray player in the not too distant future.
$300 is seen as a critical price point that will help Blu-ray to be adopted by a much broader audience. Browsing this weekend’s ad sections in your local newspaper indicates that first-gen Blu-ray players are on their way to drop below $300. Among the offers we spotted is Sony’s BDP-S300 for $359.99 (down $40 as part of a closeout) and Panasonic’s DMP-BD30K for $449.99 (down $50) at Circuit City. Best Buy is offering a house-brand Insignia player for $329.99, which even comes with a $100 instant-coupon that can be used towards Blu-ray movies. Yes, it is marketing, but since you have to buy Blu-ray movies anyway, this rebate is almost as good as cash. And if you are looking at this deal from this side, this deal may be the very first Blu-ray player in the U.S. breaking the $250 mark.
We briefly checked average retail prices of Blu-ray players and there are clear signs that Blu-ray player prices are dropping, most likely in preparation of the introduction of next-gen BD-Live players. The cheapest Blu-ray player you can buy today appears to be Samsung’s BD-P1400, which currently sells for an average of $288. Following are Sony’s BDP-S300 with $348, Philips’ BDP7200 for $370, Samsung’s BDP-P1500 for $376 and Sharp’s BD-HP20U for $392. All other generally available Blu-ray players are listed with average selling prices of more than $400.
Supplies of HD-DVD players are pretty much gone, but you may still be able to get your hands on a device, if you have to. Pricegabber says that Toshiba’s HD-A3 is selling for an average of $141, while Samung’s BD-UP5000 Blu-ray/HD DVD player is selling for about $450 and LG’s BH200 hybrid player for an average of $532.
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People that pickup profile 1.0 or profile 1.1 players expecting 2.0 features are not going to be happy.
Keep in mind final profile HD DVD players sold pretty well at $250.
PS3 is still the best bet.
Well, it's about time SONY lowered the prices on these players. Although I don't see a future for a hard storage format if not one more DVD type format. it would be great if the BD Disks were affordable. If BD-Players hit the $200 sweet sale point, I bet their movie sales would incrementally increase by tens fold of what their distributing now. Now if only 1080P TV's were cheaper.. hmm...
I agree, the PS3 is still king of Blu Ray players. Also 1080p TVs need to drop in price also!
No. HD DVD players were as low as $99 before prices crashed. Yes, this was during the holidays, but who cares $300 is BS. I will never buy one for $300. This is the only reason the PS3 sells. Why buy a BR player for $300 when you can get a whole gaming system and the best BR player for $399? I can't see people adopting these until they hit $150. LCD tv prices dropping steadily, but not this crap.
No. HD DVD players were as low as $99 before prices crashed. Yes, this was during the holidays, but who cares $300 is BS. I will never buy one for $300. This is the only reason the PS3 sells. Why buy a BR player for $300 when you can get a whole gaming system and the best BR player for $399? I can't see people adopting these until they hit $150. LCD tv prices dropping steadily, but not this crap.
this website still sucks at allowing you to post....
Its a glitch, it still posts.
On the topic. BD is the future(at least until someone wants more money). so the prices will continue to drop more and more as time goes on, The profile thing does suck for any players that are not flashable.