Sony to Release Cheaper Blu-ray Player

Sony announces new, cheaper Blu-ray BDP-S300 high-definition DVD player for summer 2007

February 2007 By Stephen Silver

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Consumers looking to jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon will catch a break this summer, when Sony releases a smaller and cheaper player with all of the same capabilities, but for $400 less.

The product, which goes by the brand name BDP-S300, will retail for $599, compared to the $999 price tag of Sony’s original BDP-S1 player. Sony executives also announced they expect the price of the new player to drop below $500 by the end of 2007.

The move is the latest salvo in the ongoing format war between Sony’s Blu-ray technology and the Toshiba-backed HD-DVD format. The Toshiba players start at an MSRP of $499.

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