The Debate Rages On: Blu-Ray Vs. HD DVD Format
For those wondering who will eventually win the Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD contest for consumers—there’s no end in sight. But Sony’s Blu-Ray may have just gotten a little help from its parent company. A $100 dollar price slash might help the more aptly named of the dueling blue laser technologies squeeze out some much needed market share. The new Blu-Ray Disc player, dubbed the BDP-300, will debut at an average price of $499, instead of $599.
This means that the price of the entry level Blu-Ray player has dropped from close to a grand to about half that in the first six months Sony’s player has been in the states. This still puts in well higher than the average Toshiba HD DVD player, which can retail for under $300 dollars in some places. While HD DVD is probably the easier format to create content on, Blu-Ray has the backing of a slight majority of Hollywood studios.
So who have the consumers chosen? The short answer: No One.
This is because most savvy technology buffs no better than to make the same mistake many quick-buyers did when they cashed in their paychecks and bought Betamax during the VHS wars. Or LaserDisk. One of the reasons that Sony is in a position to keep it’s Blu-Ray players below the cost of third party companies is that Sony actually manufactures it’s own Blue-laser diodes, an essential component in both technologies. Toshiba sells it’s player for less, but in many instances is forgoing profits to do so.
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