Sony cuts $100 off Blu-ray Disc player prices
Other companies' hardware also dropping
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 10/2/2008
OCT. 2 | Sony’s latest Blu-ray Disc players have dipped $100 in price, as widely expected by retailers.
The manufacturer's current BD Live-ready model, the BDP-S350, is now tagged at $299. Sony’s just-launched BDP-S550 is $399, down $100 from previously announced pricing. Unlike the BDP-S350, the BDP-S550 can playback Web-enabled interactivity without a firmware upgrade.
Answering back this week, Best Buy and Circuit City are among retailers selling Samsung’s BD Live-ready model, the BD-P1500, for $299, which also is $100 less than its original pricing.
Likely responding to pricing pressure as well, Panasonic is launching its latest BD Live player, the $399 DMP-BD35, with a tag $300 less than its last BD Live model, the DMP-BD50.
As fourth quarter nears, retailers have been anticipating manufacturers will slash pricing to boost holiday sales.