Sony BDP-BX1 Blu-ray Player

[elwaylite]

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Sony BDP-BX1 Blu-ray Player? | Format War Central

It seems Sony has once again made a special model of their Blu-ray player just for Costco and Sam’s Club (to prevent price matching w/ BB, CC, ect.) Last time it was the BDP-S301 vs. BDP-S300, now it seems Sony is really trying to throw off J6P.
Their new Blu-ray player has just landed at our local Costco (Seattle Area), and is badged as the Sony BDP-BX1 Blu-ray Player. The unit looks to be the Sony BDP-S350 (BDP-S350 Dissected), but with a 1.5m HDMI cable included in the box and a price of $379.99.

[John Kotches]

I hate when they play these games!

[elwaylite]

Yeah, seems like a waste of time and effort.

[navychop]

Try looking for a washing machine or dishwasher. Consumer Reports, even if you could believe them, is of little help. It seems every store has it's own model numbers and slight variations.

[elwaylite]

I guess its to make the uninformed think their local Costco has something special??

[tnsprin]

Originally Posted by elwaylite

I guess its to make the uninformed think their local Costco has something special??

I don't know about this player, but often these special models have something left out that is in the similar regular player.

[bhelms]

I'm guessing the prime reason as mentioned is to defeat "meet comps" between the major competitors since the models/numbers don't match exactly.

I believe the models offered at the low-end outlets are intentionally down-scaled from the fuller-feature models found at the next level like BB, CC, and on-line outlets as the clientele that shop in those low-end stores won't care or understand about almost anything other than lowest price. Given the volumes those stores command why wouldn't a manufacturer cater to them even if it means compromising the brand image a bit? We're in a new kind of internet-based global economy now and competition is fierce. Quality is implicit in terms of reliability (not always the case) but "quality" is also defined as "what the customer will buy", i.e., value...

[JoeSp]

Originally Posted by bhelms

I'm guessing the prime reason as mentioned is to defeat "meet comps" between the major competitors since the models/numbers don't match exactly.

I believe the models offered at the low-end outlets are intentionally down-scaled from the fuller-feature models found at the next level like BB, CC, and on-line outlets as the clientele that shop in those low-end stores won't care or understand about almost anything other than lowest price. Given the volumes those stores command why wouldn't a manufacturer cater to them even if it means compromising the brand image a bit? We're in a new kind of internet-based global economy now and competition is fierce. Quality is implicit in terms of reliability (not always the case) but "quality" is also defined as "what the customer will buy", i.e., value...

I don't believe there is any scaling down at all. They are the exact same product with differant model numbers and the reason has already been stated -- so that competing stores do not have to price match. So now you have to find the product you want and spend about $40 in gas driving around to differant retailers to find the best price on the product you want -- the consumer is getting smacked by everyone!

[bhelms]

Maybe not with this BD player, but there are plenty of down-scaled models sold at Wally World, Vizio TVs being a good example...

Agreed the "numbers game" is frustrating and caveat emptor applies now more than ever! But a modicum of internet research and price comparison, possibly followed-up with a phone call to verify in-stock status if you choose to buy in a B&M outlet, will likely eliminate the driving around you're talking about. As I mentioned before, those who are buying at WM et al without "shopping around" aren't concerned about anything other than price. Those of us who know there could be a difference will do our homework first...

[teachsac]

Last I heard, BB and CC don't match Costco and Sam's anyways as they are membership clubs and neither advertise to the public.

S~