Blu-Ray Players Dropping Below $200 in 2009?

Sony still has a long way to go before its Blu-Ray format becomes the standard in home entertainment, and player pricing is certainly one issue. According to Twice.com, Sony president Stan Glasgow said at a press conference, he believes that Blu-Ray players will be sub-$300 by the end of this year, and below $200 by 2009.

"The battle really begins now to move people away from DVD to Blu-ray," Glasgow said. "We have a lot of work to do now, so we are not gloating. Upscale DVD players have gotten better and better. We need to explain the additional feature sets, PIP, BD live and other features." He added that Sony "will build as many Blu-ray decks as we can."

He also believed that 5 million Blu-Ray players will be sold in 2008, and that between 75 and 80% of them will be sold in the U.S. He also commented on high-definition movie downloads, and doesn't feel that it will affect their business in the short-term.

"You have the issue of a movie being an overnight rental that you can't move and don't own. [Broadband] will happen, but it won't derail a packaged format for a decade."