Quote:
Sonnie wrote:
 What I fear is if Toshiba does finally pull the plug is all of the sudden BD cost going to $30 with no discounts and new players at ridiculous prices. If it were not for Toshiba, I don't think we would see BD players as cheap as we have, which still aren't that cheap. Had we not seen BOGO on HD-DVD, would we have seen it on BD? Competition is good IMO. I prefer both formats survive. I just don't see the confusion that others claim to see. |
What you have to realize is that within the buffett of Blu-ray manufacturers, there is great competition to sell players. I don't think any manufacturer wants to give an edge to the competitors. You will continue to see fierce competition between Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sharp, Samsung, and then you throw in the budget China players and you'll see prices continue to drop. Also, you have the high end jumping on board, with Denon and Marantz Blu-ray players that will satisfy your high end enthusiasts.
Now, software is controlled by the studios, so there is no telling what that means moving forward. Either way, pricing will come down. Even with a single format,(HD DVD or Blu-ray), pricing will continue to come down. Its the technology life cycle. Expensive at launch, then drops over time. Besides, the DVD model is what can keep prices in check for Blu-ray because no matter how slick the cool new technology is, if people can't justify the added expense, they'll just buy DVD. Blu-ray may not fall as low as DVD has, but you will continue to see BOGO's and sales and promotions.