Sony just announced two interactive Blu-ray players.
For those bidding their time, waiting to pounce on cheap HD deals, you may be rewarded for your patience—someday.
Stan Glasgow, Sony’s president, says that cheaper Blu-ray players will be coming, just not this year. “Next year $200 could happen. We’ll be at a $300 rate this year; $299 will happen this year,” he said today (via Gizmodo).
So for now, the average consumer might not clamor for a new Blu-ray player. Sony probably doesn’t mind. Glasgow said they still expect to sell five million Blu-ray players this year.
But will cheap prices even help people adopt Blu-ray? It certainly couldn’t save HD DVD. However, now that movie studios have settled on one high-def format, it could make the leap a lot easier.
Sony just announced two new Blu-ray players last week. The BDP-S350 ($400) will be available this summer. The BDP-S550 is coming in the fall for an extra $100.

Well, of COURSE it was about which studios sided with Blu-ray. Believe me, if I knew that everyone was going to go one way so quickly, I wouldn’t have made the investment.
Still… everyone loves a fire sale—but in this case, it didn’t seem to help very much. That’s all I’m saying.
You said:
But will cheap prices even help people adopt Blu-ray? It certainly couldn’t save HD DVD.
===
First of all.. regardless of the fact that HD DVD is not dead, I find it completely ridiculous from someone who writes for electronic house to make this statement.
We all know why HD DVD didn’t succeed. It was backroom deals and retailer sabotaging that caused Blu-Ray to win, not pricing.
I am buying Blu-Ray now, but I always get pretty upset with people making these statements. We all know what the deal is here (how Blu-Ray won) and we all know why we won’t see $200 Blu-Ray for a long time. It’s called GREED and complete disregard towards consumers.
The fact that BDA is not licensing Blu-Ray to manufacturers also tells us what their plan is.
In one way I am glad. I am glad because they are making the same mistake they always make (Sony). They think that by forcing a standard through retailer blackmails, payoffs and backroom deals, Blu-Ray will somehow replace DVD.
No way in hell and I am really looking forward to seeing their reactions when super-upscaling DVD players come next year. I guess consumer will have the last laugh.
The woven acoustic screen is now available in a retractable, masking version.
Centralized home control and automation plus boatload of A/V options including dropdown theater screen revitalize 12K-square-foot home.
Should TV manufacturers offer dumbed-down TVs that focus on image quality rather than apps?
Say hello to home control in this high-tech palace, circa 2006.
Wow, how one sided people can be. Hey ‘Just a Guy’, do you think that Sony was the only one making these ‘backroom’ deals? Come on, pull your head out of fanboy land…Toshiba and the HD-DVD camp did the same thing. They had a bag full of cash for Warner just like Sony and do you really think that Paramount, Universal and DreamWorks sided with HD-DVD because they thought it to be the better format…please. They got paid just like the studio’s that sided with Blu-ray got paid. Thinking anything else only shows how gullible you are.
What is this retailer sabotaging you’re ranting about? Retailers did make a decision to drop HD-DVD but not until after the writing was on the wall which was after Warner made their announcement. I also love the stories fanboys come up with on why their format lost the war and their sad comments of HD-DVD not being dead.
Now, let’s face facts here…this wasn’t a real physical war and your country didn’t lose and you are not being ruled by a dictator like Saddam Hussein and your life is not in jeopardy. Get over it…you lost.