AfterDawn: News

Blu-ray player prices to see steep fall this holiday season, says ABI

According to ABI Research, prices for older model Blu-ray players should drop to $150 USD for the holiday season, a steep price drop over their current average $200-250 USD price tags.

The analyst group says the price drops will be necessary to fight off pressures from emerging HD movie download services. The group also believes the studios will need strong Blu-ray sales for the holiday following the current economic downturn.



The sales prices will most likely be on older Profile 1.0 and 1.1 players that lack BD-Live Internet capabilities.

“Blu-ray vendors and dealers are starting to realize that for Blu-ray to become the next DVD, they need to lower player prices in order to generate interest and build volumes,” notes ABI Research's principal analyst Steve Wilson.

HD download services, especially those rolled out recently by Netflix, TiVo and Amazon, will be Blu-ray's biggest competition for the time being, noted ABI.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 8 Nov 2008 16:26

• Previous article

• Warner offers digital rentals in China to undercut piracy

• Next article

• Wal-Mart starts Blu-ray promotions

• 10 comments

• atomicxl

  Not bad for a 1.1 player. I was highly tempted to buy a HD-DVD player when they dropped that low.

  8.11.2008 19:25 #1

• iluvendo

  Come on Black Friday !
  

  "The flimsier the product,the higher the price"
  Ferengi 82nd rule of aqusition
  
  

  8.11.2008 22:14 #2

• windsong

  And blu-ray pc drives will be less than a 100 bucks. Oh wait..they already are. :)

  9.11.2008 01:38 #3

• ZippyDSM

  Ah could momentum!

  9.11.2008 19:17 #4

• hermes_vb

  You know. I have the money to buy a $300-$400 BR Player, and yet I refuse to it. There's something about the current HD situation that makes me sick. Already some companies are talking about new and better HD formats. When is it gonna end. Pick a standard and stick to it. On top of that is the whole DRM thing and the outrageously expensive blank media. I just don't see myself buying more technological crap.

  18.11.2008 09:11 #5

• Toshibot

  Originally posted by hermes_vb: When is it gonna end. Pick a standard and stick to it. ???
  
  It's never going to end. It's just the normal forward progress of technology. You should know that by now.

  18.11.2008 09:43 #6

• hermes_vb

  I know it's the nature of the beast, but you must agree it's annoying. When I say stick to it, I just mean let it settle in for awhile.
  

  If I always hear voices surrounding me, does it mean I'm crazy or that I hear in Dolby 5.1?
  
  

  18.11.2008 15:31 #7

• Icanbe

  Originally posted by iluvendo: Come on Black Friday !No black friday in Canada, I'll wait for boxing day sales, Should be nice and cheap by then.

  18.11.2008 19:50 #8

• gnovak1

  I can't see lowering prices on obsolete blu ray players. Why would i want to buy something that's already outdated?
  
  BD live is the next step in technology for Blu Ray players and i cant see buying players without it no matter what the price is.

  25.11.2008 09:49 #9

• juankerr

  Originally posted by gnovak1: BD live is the next step in technology for Blu Ray players and i cant see buying players without it no matter what the price is.BD-Live 2.0 Players Black Friday Deals:
  
  Sony BDP-S350 - $179 (Sears and K-Mart)
  
  Samsung BD-P1500 - $199 (Circuit City, Sears etc)
  
  http://www.blackfriday.info/
  
  There was a one day sale yesterday on the BD-Live 2.0 Panasonic DMP-BD35 at the Sears online store for $149.99:
  
  http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:BLmm...P%3FadCell%3DA2
  
  Some people over at avs printed out the ad and they said their local stores were matching the online price.

  25.11.2008 10:57 #10