09-23-2008, 06:27 PM
Will Collier wrote:
[quote=Mike Sellers]
Remember, this was a technology that people were supposed to rush out and buy after Blu-ray won the HD format battle with HD-DVD.
Another prediction that Blu-ray player prices would drop below $250 by Thanksgiving was judged three months early after one model hit $249.47 (with a rebate). How low can prices go for the players? This morning, another reader pointed us to news that models by Sony and Samsung are selling for less than $200, including shipping.
Uhhh, has it occurred to anyone that the reason Blu-ray disks haven't taken off is because they still cost twice as much as a regular DVD? Who cares how cheap the player gets?
Bingo. Sony figured that once they finally achieved the dream of format monopoly after all those failures, they'd be able to name their own price and watch the money roll in.
Didn't quite work out that way.
Sony sells players, not movies (well, they sell movies too, but no one could accuse them of having a monopoly there). Prices are dropping on players; it's movie pricing that people seem to consistently (and incorrectly) gripe about. I recently purchased The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Independence Day, and Men in Black, all for $15 each. I picked up Pixar's Cars and Ratatouille earlier this year for $12 each. I picked up each of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies for $15 or less each. All big name titles, all for less than a new day and date DVD. Many of the Blu-Ray discs in my collection were purchased for $10.
