blu-ray

Are Blu-ray prices dropping faster than expected?

Customers aren't exactly flocking to Blu-ray players and that might be accelerating cost cuts.

Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics president, told reporters in a press briefing in the East Coast on Friday that Blu-ray players should drop to $399 at holiday time, according to Twice Magazine. Right now, the players go for $499 and up. Meanwhile, Stan Glasgow, president of Sony Electronics told reporters in a briefing on the East Coast that Blu-ray players should drop to $399 at holiday time, down from the current $499.

That seems to be a little lower than earlier predictions In September 2006, … Read more

Deal or no deal? HD DVD player cracks $200 barrier

I know that no one's going to be terribly shocked by this, but I thought I'd point it out, just in case you missed it. Engadget HD, after another stroll through AVS Forum's message boards, is reporting on how Circuit City, Wal-Mart Stores, and Amazon.com have reduced the price of Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player to $198 (Amazon's deal includes free shipping).

This kind of price drop on standalone HD DVD players has been widely expected, and we think you may see $180 by Black Friday. Of course, if you're an Xbox 360 … Read more

Who else has stopped caring about the Blu-ray/HD DVD war?

Am I the only person who couldn't care any less about the HD DVD/Blu-ray war? For a while, I was captivated by the prospect of a Sony format winning the format war or the possibility of another Betamax debacle. At one point, I actually cared who won the format war and told everyone which format I believed would win.

But with Wednesday's news that cited figures showing Sony's Blu-ray format had outsold HD DVD by almost 2-to-1, I finally had enough.

Let's be honest with ourselves: at this point, who really cares which format is outselling the other? After each report of higher sales, the backers of the opposing format come out and proclaim their own dominance due to factors a and b. Once that's complete, the winning victor (in this case, Blu-ray) comes out and cites those sales figures just one more time.

Suffice it to say, I'm just plain tired of this war.

As everyone is too well aware, this high-def format war will go on for at least another two years. Regardless of where you stand, movie studios will continue to support whichever format they believe will bring in the most money without actually standing firm on one format or another.… Read more

Samsung combo player news; BD-P2400 officially canceled

Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of speculation regarding the status of Samsung's upcoming Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player--the BD-UP5000--and the high-end Blu-ray player, the BD-P2400. Finally, Samsung has made an official announcement. First, the bad news: The BD-P2400 is officially canceled. The BD-P2400 was supposed to be the step-up to the BD-1400, adding HQV video processing, but now those who want HQV will have to go for the combo player.

Now for the good news. Here's exactly what Samsung told us about the BD-UP5000:

Status of BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player:

The Duo … Read more

Sony cuts price on PS3--is it enough?

Way back on September 12, we reported on rumors that Sony would be releasing a $400 40GB PS3/Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray bundle for the holidays. The not-so-secret new system has now been officially announced by Sony, with a November 2nd launch date in the North America. At the same time--effective immediately--the current 80GB model will be available in North America for $500.

In Sony's press release, CEO Jack Tretton is quoted as saying, "We're pleased to offer the consumer a lower price point without sacrificing the core technology components that make PS3 the most advanced high-definition entertainment … Read more

Panasonic to launch HD recorders in Japan

Panasonic has caught up with its Japanese compatriot Sharp by introducing three HD recorders equipped with Blu-ray and hard drives for the Japanese market. The top of the line is a 1-terabyte DMR-BW900 capable of recording up to a whopping 381 hours of HD video. To accomplish this, the new entries are all outfitted with advanced MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 in addition to the usual MPEG-2 encoder. The former is the same compression technology found in Blu-ray and HD-DVD products.

Besides a pair of high-definition broadcast tuners, the higher-end DMR-BW900 and 500GB DMR-BW800 models also claim "judder-free 1080p24," … Read more

PS3 price cut rouses HD DVD group

Barely a week goes by without at least one member of the Blu-ray disc association claiming victory already/by next week/by the new year. Let's be honest, it gets a little annoying hearing them blabber on about how HD DVD doesn't have a chance. Traditionally, the HD DVD promotional group has been less vocal when it comes to the mudslinging, but it appears the PS3 price cut has slightly roused them from their slumber.

The good news is that they aren't worried. Ken Graffeo, co-chairman of the group and vocal HD DVD promoter, said: "The … Read more

Episode 573: Hard out there for a PMP

… Read more

Panasonic: Blu-ray will win the war by New Year's Day

CHIBA, Japan--The decisive battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD is at hand, says a prominent Panasonic exec.

Blu-ray manufacturers are going to start cutting prices and go out on a promotional binge this holiday season, Matsushita Electric Industrial's Kazuhiro Tsuga said during a briefing with reporters at Ceatec, a large tech trade show that started here Tuesday. At Matsushita, which is best known for its Panasonic brand name, Tsuga is an executive officer who oversees networking efforts, some home electronics technologies and overseas labs, and other areas.

By the end of the Christmas season or the end of the … Read more