A lot of activity on the Blu-ray front in the past few days. Here's the latest:
1. Sony announces PS3 price drop
Sony confirmed today that it is dropping the price of its current PlayStation 3 to $499. This brings the Blu-ray compatible game system into the same price range as the format's standalone players. The hardware giant also is rolling out an 80-gigabyte PS3 ($599) that will be of interest primarily to gamers. Xbox just started selling its bigger hard-drive model for $499. For the HD DVD format, this is further bad news as consumers now have two attractive choices for lowest price players. Still, HD DVD players remain several hundred dollars below the friendliest Blu-ray player price. As you can see in the press release, Sony thinks the big news is the new gaming console. PSP3 would have been a stunning failure without the purchases made for the Blu-ray players, most analysts agree.
2. EC taking look at Blu-ray deals with studios
Team HD DVD scored a win in Europe as antitrust watchdogs agreed to dig further into the Blu-ray group's agreements with the major Hollywood studios. Disney, in particular, has been a major cheerleader for the format with releases such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." The Wall Street Journal broke the story.
3. Five-pack of pics with Blu-ray player purchase
HD DVD players enjoyed a sales boost with the free-movie promotion earlier this year. Now, the Blu-ray group is running a similar promo for purchases of players, including the new Sonys and the PS3. The deal for five discs runs through Halloween. The movies are no great shakes -- I'd be hard-pressed to find five worth playing -- but your mileage may vary. Access the coupon via bluraysavings.com
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