Sony drops Blu-ray player prices

As expected, Sony has lowered the price of two of its Blu-ray players $100, while also adding BD-Live capability to one of its players.  The Sony BDP-S350, now a BD-Live Blu-ray player via firmware update, will cost $299, and the upcoming Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray player will be available for $399.

Aside from the lowered price, this marks the first time a Sony standalone player will cost less than the $399 Sony PlayStation 3 game console, which remains the most popular Blu-ray player.

The Sony price cuts come a couple weeks after Panasonic lowered prices on its Blu-ray players in preparation for the 2008 holiday shopping season.  Rumors about both companies reducing prices have been published since late spring, but consumers were left waiting until September.

The Sony BDP-S350, Panasonic DMP-BD35 and Samsung BD-P2500 are making it more appealing for interested consumers who have been waiting for lower prices and increased functionality from their standalone players.

Price cuts are expected by Philips, Insignia, Magnavox, and Sylvania, although each company does not receive the amount of press as Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung.

Now that the companies have lowered the retail pricing, it will be interesting to see if retailers are going to lower the price further to help spur sales.  It’s possible each company will reduce costs again prior to the Thanksgiving, as Black Friday, the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, features lots of low-cost consumer gadgets.