Blu-ray players to reach $299 in 2007?
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Mar 3rd 2007 4:23PM
posted Mar 3rd 2007 4:23PM
We have said that a MSRP of $299 was the magic number for most consumers when buying into either Blu-ray or HD DVD. The question is which format would be the first to hit this number? Some have assumed that it would be HD DVD considering they started at $499 instead of $999, but while HD DVD players can be found online as low as $400, the big box stores don't get close to that price. According to Stan Glasgow, the Sony Electronics President and COO, Blu-ray players will see significant price reductions this year and might just hit the magic number. While this would certainly be good for consumers we're still not sure if it would mean the end of the war.[Via Crave]
As somebody who consistently is biased on the side of Bluray I have come to take every news you say with a grain of salt.
Anyways, a $700 price drop? Keep dreaming. I'd be inclined to believe $400 or $500 price drop from any other company, but with Sony saying it "might" hit $299 this year is crap. The company consistently lies and overhypes its products to gain an edge over their competition. Scummy tactics if you ask me. Don't hold your breath for this drop, especially after they just released their new BD player which retails for $600? or $700? I can't remember the specifics.
The new BD player IS their price drop for this year, I'd put money down on it.
You can say whatever you want about my coverage, but you can follow the link to the article and read the quote yourself.
Do I believe it? No, but it would be monumental if it was.
Geoff is right about how sony likes to lie to steal press from the competition.
They did with ps3 vs 360..saying the ps3 would be out at the same time then march of 2006, then spring, then finally after trying to convince consumers not to buy the 360 for about 6 months they had another new date.
Sony knows the HD DVD is going to be the lowest price for a long time..so their job is to make you think they are right behind...ALL LIES.
BTW - I've seen the HD DVD online for under $400 at many places. Costco has it for $429.99 and the extra $30 was ok with their "old" return policy. So I bet even they lower the price soon.
From the Cnet article this blog refers to.
"When will Blu-ray players drop in price to become a mainstream product?
Glasgow: If you go back to when DVDs came into play, it took about three years until they got into price points of $299 to $399. I suspect it's about the same thing here with Blu-ray. I think it's going to take up to three years to get down to those price points, possibly a little longer. But I would assume it's similar to DVD.
We have some control over (the cost of the) components. There are a lot of components in that product. Once you get volumes up, you get yields up, and you get efficiencies up; the prices go down on the components."
http://news.com.com/Sonys+brave+Sir+Howard+-+page+2/2008-1041_3-6150661-2.html?tag=st.num
How does anyone get end of the year out of that?
I really don't think it will take 3 years like DVD... electronic product cycles/improvement cycles are much faster these days than they were 20 years ago. I'd say we'll hit that pricepoint sometime in 2008. Whether it's hit by one or both formats next year, who really knows... but my humble guess would be that yes, by sometime next year we'll be seeing both formats at $299.
Opps I submitted before I should have. If there is that big a turn around in just two months I smell something fishy. This sounds like the misleading stories they spun out before the PS3. This is like declaring the war over at CES.
IF your going to do a story you should call them on their bull. If you want spin stories for HD-Dvd, as said in your podcast, you should not be spinning stories for BluRay. Ben, you owe it to your readers to put these things in context in the main story not just the comments.
Let's not forget that they sure as hell may be looking at 2 HUGE issues, declining sales due to more folks going HD, and declining sales as a result of the "war between the formats." IF BD came out with a $300 player, it would certainly go a LONG way towards reducing/eliminating the effects of those 2 issues. Making the razor's at a loss to get the blade business is a very valid strategy.
Of course, the economics of such a move are very complex, so it's not that easy to judge if they can or can't make such a move. It sure as hell would provide a rocket boost to player sales.
Riverside guy, you mention 2 huge issues. Too bad these issues only exist in your mind. BD sales are not declining, they're increasing. More folks aren't going HD, but actually the opposite (HD owners getting a Blu-ray player). Even the biggest HD DVD fanboys on the AVS and highdefdigest boards have bought PS3s to get Blu-ray. Oh yeah, and Nielson and NPD say Blu-ray continues dominating high-def sales, and the margin increases every week.