Will price cut brighten Blu-ray's day?

Sony will launch a cheaper player for Blu-ray discs this summer, the company said Monday.

The new BDP-S300 will cost $599, but will be essentially the same as the $999 BDP-S1 currently available, according to the Associated Press. Sony's Blu-Ray technology has been in a battle with a rival format, HD DVD. So far, consumers have stayed on the DVD sidelines, not wanting to get caught up in another VHS-Beta battle.

Blu-ray has had a slight edge with movie buyers, since the discs can also be played on Sony's PlayStation 3 video game machine.

Whether Sony's move helps boost sales of players or not, bloggers were happy to see a price war start to break out, saying that will only help consumers.

Blog community response:

"Whatever format wins the battle for your wallet, this is good news for next-gen movie buffs."
--Ars Technica

"Which makes you wonder why they'd announce such an attractive 'low end' model model so early when it's got all the same features as the current generation. Perhaps because consumers still aren't as confident about picking up a Blu-ray as Sony might have hoped? We don't know, but we have a feeling they just killed S1 sales through summer."
--Engadget

"For non-gaming consumers who do not want a $499/$599 PlayStation 3, Blu-ray has just become far more affordable. This is good news for HD DVD lovers as well; if you ask me, a price battle is exactly what the high definition war needs."
--Neowin