Sony Launches Sub-$500 Blu-ray Player, Not Named PS3
Sony's move is intended to strengthen Sony's Blu-ray disc format, but juts awkwardly against its PlayStation 3 marketing.
Sony has announced a pre-emptive $100 price cut [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070604/ap_on_hi_te/sony_blu_ray_player;_ylt=ArwfUWBKr9wNu20jipo4ANQjtBAF] on its newly-released Blu-ray disc player, bringing the cost of the BDP-S300 down to $499.
Sony officials attributed the move to lower costs of production and greater demand, but Blu-ray's rival platform, HD DVD, is available for less than $300.
The price cut may also be intended to shore up the market position of PlayStation 3, which features a Blu-ray disc player - but at the same time, consumers who have been buying the system mainly for that capability would likely now eschew its noise and extra cost in favor of the BDP-S300.
Neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD have yet garnered decisive support among technology consumers, though the latter has taken the lead [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070418-dedicated-hd-dvd-players-outsell-blu-ray-counterparts.html] when it comes to standalone players.
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Sony's move is intended to strengthen Sony's Blu-ray disc format, but juts awkwardly against its PlayStation 3 marketing.
Sony has announced a pre-emptive $100 price cut [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070604/ap_on_hi_te/sony_blu_ray_player;_ylt=ArwfUWBKr9wNu20jipo4ANQjtBAF] on its newly-released Blu-ray disc player, bringing the cost of the BDP-S300 down to $499.
Sony officials attributed the move to lower costs of production and greater demand, but Blu-ray's rival platform, HD DVD, is available for less than $300.
The price cut may also be intended to shore up the market position of PlayStation 3, which features a Blu-ray disc player - but at the same time, consumers who have been buying the system mainly for that capability would likely now eschew its noise and extra cost in favor of the BDP-S300.
Neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD have yet garnered decisive support among technology consumers, though the latter has taken the lead [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070418-dedicated-hd-dvd-players-outsell-blu-ray-counterparts.html] when it comes to standalone players.
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