Name brand Blu-ray players break the $200 barrier
EngadgetHD has been keeping a close eye on the prices of Blu-ray players, and recently noticed that both the Samsung BD-P1500 and Sony BDP-S300 have fallen below the $200 mark at certain stores (RadioShack and Amazon.com, respectively.) This is right in line with previous reports of falling Blu-ray prices, and while the BDP-S300 is pretty old, the BD-P1500 is currently Samsung's most recent Blu-ray player. In many ways, these cuts are more important than the budget players we've seen from Insignia and Memorex, since for many people it's a lot easier to drop $200 on Blu-ray if they know they're getting a "Sony."
EngadgetHD's link to RadioShack is no longer working, and we couldn't find the BD-P1500 on the site by searching--we're guessing they're sold out. But if you can find the BD-P1500 for $200, it's a much better deal than the BDP-S300. When we tested the BDP-S300, we found it painfully slow and it only supports the older Profile 1.0 standard.
The BD-P1500, on the other hand, is currently Profile 1.1-compatible and is upgradeable to Profile 2.0, and considerably faster to use than the BDP-S300. The BD-P1500 is also on deck to get DTS-HD Master Audio decoding in the future, which means you'll be able to get high-resolution soundtracks using most HDMI-equipped AV receivers.
Sources:
Samsung's BD-P1500 Blu-ray player dips under $200Sony's BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray player sinks below $200
This may help Blu-Ray players reach a wider audience, but what about Blu-Ray Discs?
One could always rent BDs, and only buy ones considered special enough to own.
In my mind, it's hard to justify buying ANY movie, be it DVD or BD, since you'll likely only watch it a couple of times, then it just sits on the shelf. This is unlike music, where if it's an album you like, it will get played over and over.
I could see spending $200 on a BD player, as long as it's upgradeable to Profile 2.0.
I can only hope that it'll still make it through; I really like my PS3 as a gaming device; as a BD (or DVD) player, it's too noisy for its own good though I do admit it does have a great picture to it. Shame that BD disc prices hardly make me want to actually BUY any of them, unless the flick happens to be one of the weekly specials down at Fry's.
Brandon
1. Durability. No more tapes tangled up in the VCR
2. Easier storage. Less space used on the movie shelf.
3. Random access. No rewinding.
4. Dwindling VHS movie rental availability.
Ignoring the interactive features, Blu-ray brings better picture quality to the game, but that's about it. The vast majority of the public either can't tell the difference in picture quality or don't care. There is no real "must-have" with Blu-ray. Maybe when 42"+ HDTVs are the norm in homes, the public will be ready for the upgrade.
If you have a 40" + LCD or plasma, why did you even get it if your not going to watch it in HD is the real arguement. For anybody else, don't include yourself in the conversation until you get a big screen.
- by wmplpi November 21, 2008 1:19 PM PST
- www.woot.com sold new Memorex Blu-Ray players for 139.00 this past week
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