BD standalone prices at new low!!

[JoeSp]

Let's see, the Samsung BD1400 has been reduced to $449 at Costco. And with the new firmware update it should be ready to go with most of the bugs fixed now. Over at HHGreggs they have Sony's BD300 at $349!! This is a WOW price for a nice BD standalone. And it get a real nice picture. Last time I check both of these players had ethernet abilities. Can not answer if they can be 1.1 with a firmware update. I read somewhere that the Samsung should be able to be updated but I am not sure about the Sony.

If this is happening before XMAS -- I can see sub $300 BD players before XMAS!! I guess Toshiba and their HD-DVD players will not have the considerably lower price point to push their standalones. Man, I wonder if when BD standalones get under $300 bucks if their sales really take off?

 

[SatinKzo]

The prices are starting to make people take notice and I think BD manufacturers had to do something. I like it and I like what the competition has done for the consumers. I cringe to think what pricing would be on players and discs right now if the war was over already.

If they get a sub $300 player (not just $299 either) then I suspect a bigger group will buy-in.

As for Samsung and their new FW. I am done with Samsung for a while after I tried 3 players of 2 different versions (1 1200 and 2 1400's) and all failed miserably on simple stuff like PLAYING A DISC ALL THE WAY THROUGH

 

[haertig]

I guess Toshiba and their HD-DVD players will not have the considerably lower price point to push their standalones.

I consider $98 considerably less that $349. $98 may have been a one-time deal (who knows?), but I got in on it so I'm happy.

Man, I wonder if when BD standalones get under $300 bucks if their sales really take off?

I hope they can get their prices down. For me, $200 is the price point where I'd start considering getting a BluRay player.

It will be a great day for HD if BluRay players come down in price. $349 is not low enough for me, but it certainly may be for others. The real deal are the media prices. I'll bet it's a small group of dedicated folks willing to pay the current prices. Not me. People on these forums and over at avsforum are definitely in the "dedicated folks" group, but I'm willing to guess that other people are less inclined to spend so much on a single movie. I could be wrong of course - this is just my guess.

 

[JoeSp]

I can see your point haertig, but this is the move that most of the loyal BD owners were looking for. A move to meet Toshiba on a level playing field on price. It is just a matter of time now for BD to be selling at the same price as HD-DVD where standalones are considered. This is a good move for BD -- a better one would be to get 1 or two players down to the $200 range before XMAS and see if that really pushes folks into BD's corner.

 

[TheForce]

But isn't this like comparing Mac with PC?

I have stayed out of the BD vs HD DVD until this Fall when I decided to get into the game a bit earlier than originally planned for a variety of reasons. In that move I am reading all the pros and cons of the two formats. Much to my surprise, there has been little development in the technology in these players compared to 2 years ago when first introduced. This is especially true with Blu Ray. eg. I come to learn that the technical featureset is better on HD DVD for hal;f the price. Only as of 10-31 did Blu Ray require profile 1.1 and this is already known to cause much instability in the lower cost player I purchased. HD DVD also has instability in these Toshiba players causing error codes and stuttering, but at least comes with PIP and multiple HD audio. BluRay while just introducing features in 1.1 still won't have media to take advantage of until next spring. The greatest fascination I had with BluRay was the media integration with the internet which is slated for profile 2.0, which has no estimated release date. Bottom line- I wait two years and still feel like an early adopter of these formats.

Price will push people into HD. Media content ie titles will push people to one format or the other but eventually, people who like HD and movies will have both or one of the combo players. The real solution will be the player that does both and has all the features announced for both. When will that be? Hopefully in another 5 years! Meanwhile I'll just suffer with having to figure out which disk goes into which player. I think I can handle that while you warriors continue your battle of which will win the war.

 

[WalksInDarkness]

BB is advertising the BD-P1200 for $299, but you have to find a store that actually has them in stock (no web orders). Unfortunately, then nearest stocking store is about 2 hours away. If it was $199, it would be worth the drive in my SUV.

 

[tnale]

What is 1.1 you keep referring to? I went to the glossary and could not find it.

 

[riffjim4069]

I hope they can get their prices down. For me, $200 is the price point where I'd start considering getting a BluRay player.

Yep, $199.99 is that magic point where the typical consumer takes notice. Of course, the typical consumer is still holding on to their dirt cheap DVD players.

 

[navychop]

What is 1.1 you keep referring to? I went to the glossary and could not find it.

There are 3 "profiles" for Blu-ray players. All Blu-ray players introduced (certified) after 10/31/07 must meet the profile 1.1 specs. Profile 2 is optional. Existing profile 1.0 players may continue to be sold.

1.0

64 KB of persistent memory required
no outlining support for text based subtitles required
no SD PiP decoding required
no secondary audio decoding required
no internet capability required

1.1

64 KB of persistent memory required
256 MB of persistent memory capability required
outlining support for text based subtitles required
SD PiP decoding required
secondary audio decoding required
no internet capability required

2.0 (aka "Live")

64 KB of built in persistent memory required
1 GB of persistent memory capability required
outlining support for text based subtitles required
SD PiP decoding required
secondary audio decoding required
internet capability required

Once the 1.1 firmware update for the PS3 hits late this year (presumably) it will also likely be considered 2.0 capable also.

Movies using 1.1 features will start appearing in early 2008, or in the spring, depending upon which source you are reading.

There are 3 profiles because the BDA wanted to get machines on the market while waiting for chipsets to be developed/come down in price that could handle dual audio/video streams. HD DVD had this capability from the start. But the Blu-ray versions must support higher bit rates. Might be other capabilities also. Profile 2 is to have an "upgrade" version of the Blu-ray players for those wanting a "fancier" machine with internet capabilities. A lot of Blu-ray player buyers do not have broadband connections or home networks and may not be interested in paying for the internet connectivity. All HD DVD players must have internet connectivity.

 

[JoeSp]

The only player currently on the market that can meet all these profiles is the PS3 with a firmware update. The PS3 is the only one with all the hardware already under the hood. Samsung has stated that their new BD5000 dual format player will be able to do all these profiles also with firmware updates. It will be interesting to see what all the other BD players start showing as 1.1 is supposed to be mandatory in new player introduced after Oct 31.

 

[WalksInDarkness]

I went to BJs at lunch to price some luggage. They have just dropped the price of the Sony 301 (aka 300) to $279!!! That is the lowest price I have seen yet. Too bad that in one afternoon they sold out thier remaining stock. No biggie to me, I am holding out for the $200 on purely philisophical grounds.

 

[bsk116]

Let's see, the Samsung BD1400 has been reduced to $449 at Costco. And with the new firmware update it should be ready to go with most of the bugs fixed now. Over at HHGreggs they have Sony's BD300 at $349!! This is a WOW price for a nice BD standalone. And it get a real nice picture. Last time I check both of these players had ethernet abilities. Can not answer if they can be 1.1 with a firmware update. I read somewhere that the Samsung should be able to be updated but I am not sure about the Sony.

If this is happening before XMAS -- I can see sub $300 BD players before XMAS!! I guess Toshiba and their HD-DVD players will not have the considerably lower price point to push their standalones. Man, I wonder if when BD standalones get under $300 bucks if their sales really take off?

The pot is a little sweeter with Walmart offering the BDP-S300 for $348 plus 10 Blu-ray moviesWalmart.com - Always Low Prices! - Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray HD Disc Player w/ 10 Free Movies

 

[SatinKzo]

Wow, that movie selections for walmart SUCKS!

 

[ramimac]

you can say that again!!!!

 

[bsk116]

Let's see, the Samsung BD1400 has been reduced to $449 at Costco. And with the new firmware update it should be ready to go with most of the bugs fixed now. Over at HHGreggs they have Sony's BD300 at $349!! This is a WOW price for a nice BD standalone. And it get a real nice picture. Last time I check both of these players had ethernet abilities. Can not answer if they can be 1.1 with a firmware update. I read somewhere that the Samsung should be able to be updated but I am not sure about the Sony.

If this is happening before XMAS -- I can see sub $300 BD players before XMAS!! I guess Toshiba and their HD-DVD players will not have the considerably lower price point to push their standalones. Man, I wonder if when BD standalones get under $300 bucks if their sales really take off?

Your spot on Joe
Great deal this weekend for the Samsung BD-P1400 for $299.77 with free 3 day Fed Ex shipping at onecall.com.
They are a standup business and authorized dealer, I've purchased many items from them in the past with excellent results.
And no, I do not work for nor am I affiliated in any way. Just trying to point out some great deals.Weekend Sale December 8-9, 2007 - OneCall.com

 

[vurbano]

If this is happening before XMAS -- I can see sub $300 BD players before XMAS!! I guess Toshiba and their HD-DVD players will not have the considerably lower price point to push their standalones. Man, I wonder if when BD standalones get under $300 bucks if their sales really take off?

last time I checked, I could buy an HD DVD player for under 200 bucks. PreferredPhoto.com - Toshiba*HD-A2, High Definition HD DVD Player That is still a $150 dollar real price difference. Not based on you wishing for a price drop from $350 to under $300. Even at that its still 100 bucks difference. And it meets all HD DVD standards for that price. So Joe, all Sony has to do is continue to subsidize giving half the movies aways for free, losing 3/4 to 1 billion a quarter on the PS3 and subsidize a price cut to 150 bucks per player for that 300 dollar model and they will have a winner. Oh and make sure its profile 2.0.

 

[vurbano]

Wow, that movie selections for walmart SUCKS!

sure does.

 

[bsk116]

last time I checked, I could buy an HD DVD player for under 200 bucks. PreferredPhoto.com - Toshiba*HD-A2, High Definition HD DVD Player That is still a $150 dollar real price difference. Not based on you wishing for a price drop from $350 to under $300. Even at that its still 100 bucks difference. And it meets all HD DVD standards for that price. So Joe, all Sony has to do is continue to subsidize giving half the movies aways for free, losing 3/4 to 1 billion a quarter on the PS3 and subsidize a price cut to 150 bucks per player for that 300 dollar model and they will have a winner. Oh and make sure its profile 2.0.

Hey Vurb, why don't you take your hddvd FACTS and post them in the hddvd forum where someone might care. And while your at it, post the rest of your opinion/speculation in the war zone where it belongs.
You don't have to keep reminding everyone that you hate Sony, oh and remind us all again what you own for HD players.

 

[vurbano]

Hey Vurb, why don't you take your hddvd FACTS and post them in the hddvd forum where someone might care. And while your at it, post the rest of your opinion/speculation in the war zone where it belongs.
You don't have to keep reminding everyone that you hate Sony, oh and remind us all again what you own for HD players.

No speculation in my post. Only in Joe's. Hes got 2 weeks for those prices to get down to 300 bucks to justify his speculation. Please show me what is untrue or shut your trap. I am a BD user and will post the facts wherever I please. Id suggest you run off to Blu-Ray.com where no real thought is tolerated.

 

[bsk116]

last time I checked, I could buy an HD DVD player for under 200 bucks. PreferredPhoto.com - Toshiba*HD-A2, High Definition HD DVD Player That is still a $150 dollar real price difference. Not based on you wishing for a price drop from $350 to under $300. Even at that its still 100 bucks difference. And it meets all HD DVD standards for that price. So Joe, all Sony has to do is continue to subsidize giving half the movies aways for free, losing 3/4 to 1 billion a quarter on the PS3 and subsidize a price cut to 150 bucks per player for that 300 dollar model and they will have a winner. Oh and make sure its profile 2.0.

No speculation in my post. Only in Joe's. Hes got 2 weeks for those prices to get down to 300 bucks to justify his speculation. Please show me what is untrue or shut your trap. I am a BD user and will post the facts wherever I please. Id suggest you run off to Blu-Ray.com where no real thoguht is tolerated.

All right vurb, you cannot be reasoned with, you win, I will not let you drag me down to your level. Merry Christmas
Oh and I hope I never go to a place where no real thoguht is tolerated it sounds awful