Blu-ray special: $499 player from Sony

Sony's figured out that $599 really is a lot more than $299, saying today that the price of its new Blu-ray player will be $499, not the previously announced $599.

Toshiba's now selling standalone HD DVD players for $299 (HD-A2 HD-DVD Player), so you're still getting a $200 discount for buying the superior (but lagging) high-def format.

The $499 list on the new Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player is $100 less than the PlayStation 3 game console, on which most people seem to be watching movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Movie watchers gripe about fan noise from the PS3 units, so the new Sony unit appears to be the way to go, if you want Blu-ray.

I have long disliked Toshiba as a brand -- based on godawful experiences with their satellite PC laptops and their Nixonian customer service -- so I bought the Xbox 360's add-on HD DVD player. It's just OK -- a cheap machine in all respects -- but once the movie starts, you're transported by A/V magic, as with any of these players.

My best guess is the idiotic format war will drag on for another two years. Don't count on universal players for more than a Band-Aid.

Recommendation: Weigh the quality of product and low price (nod to HD DVD) vs. availability of titles and likely format winner (Blu-Ray, which has Sony and Disney as exclusives). Factor in your game console situation. And your tendency to upgrade players and titles.

For my personal use, this adds up to HD DVD, since I care a lot about A/V, the kids are too old for most Disney discs and I have an Xbox 360. For many others, playing it safe equals buying Blu-ray. So today's news could be very good indeed.

In any case, if you have the high-def monitor (TV) and a few bucks, you can't go too far wrong. High def is the immediate future and DVDs are the past. Waiting is the only big mistake.

Update 8/21/07: "Buy a Blu-ray, become a beta tester" on the DVD blog.

Read more about the Blu-ray price cut
Read "The Matrix" an HD DVD stunner

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Comments

[AVForums]

Who is complaining about the PS3 fan noise? It is virtually silent, if you can even hear it at all. My 360 is the one with a loud fan. The thing sounds like a jet taking off and would never work in a HomeTheater.

[Glenn]

Hey AV:

From AP: "Most people buying Blu-ray discs are apparently buying them for their Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles. The cheapest version of the console costs $499, but its game-oriented wireless controller and relatively loud fan makes it a less than ideal movie player."

from Google (the console vs. console fan-noise debate goes on for pages)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=PS3+fan+noise+&btnG=Google+Search

From AVS: "When reading about the PS3 as a BD player they all say that the PS3 fan is quite loud when compared to stand alone players."

Guess it depends on the unit. Glad to hear yours is quiet. My Xbox 360 is relatively quiet, never an issue, but the thing that does bug me is the HD DVD side unit's cheap construction and balkiness in starting up with a disc.