As Prices Fall, Blu-ray Players Are Invited Home [New York Times]
The New York Times had two stories on the dropping average price of high definition televisions and Blu-ray disc players, just in time for the holiday season. While HDTV's have been with us for years, electronics manufacturers continue to slash prices to keep sales moving during the economic downturn. Comparing prices to three years ago this time, average prices for 23 and 32 inch LCD HDTVs has dropped by around half.
Blu-ray disc players have dropped also, as manufacturers look for a price point that will lead to widespread adoption of the HD format. It's noteworthy that Blu-ray has a higher penetration rate today than the DVD format had at the same point in its history. That's being driven by a number Blu-ray players that are priced below $150, some around $100. That compares to prices that were double or more at the time the format was introduced. According to this article, Amazon reports that eight of the top ten players it sells are in the Blu-ray format. Many of those players also have the capability to connect to a user's broadband connection to provide streaming HD content in addition to a number of movies available in physical format.
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