July 12, 2007
Reuters is reporting that HD DVD players are outselling Blu-ray players by a 3-1 margin in Europe, according to The European HD DVD Promotional Group says.
The promotional group says it has a 74% market share for standalone HDTV players in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, the Reuters article states.
HD DVD backers, which include Toshiba and Microsoft, made a similar claim in the U.S. recently, saying it had a 60 percent market share here. According to Blu-ray supporters, the PS3 gives the Blu-ray format a 5-1 advantage over HD DVD in the U.S., and the European HD DVD group’s sales totals, which have not been revealed, do not include the PS3 console sales.
Both Blu-ray and HD DVD have lowered prices in recent weeks with Toshiba’s entry-level player now at $299 and Sony’s Blu-ray player at $499, but due to high prices and consumer confusion over the format war, sales have been disappointing for both high-def DVD formats.
A spokesman for the HD DVD group told Reuters that surveys indicate that 70 percent of consumers would buy a high-def disc player if the price was under $200. He refused, however, to say when prices would hit that level. Nonetheless, he assured Reuters that prices will drop into that range.
July 9, 2007
Sony will announce today its plans to lower the price of its PlayStation 3 video game console from $599 to $499. Sony saus that the new $499 price will be effective Thursday.
Sony President Ryoji Chubachi denied reports of a PS3 price cut in an interview with Reuters last Friday, but he later qualified his statement, saying there were no “immediate” plans to lower the price.
To date, the PS3 has experienced disappointing sales, due in large part to the $599 price tag, which was roughly $200-$300 more than XBox 360 (Microsoft) and Wii (Nintendo). The PS3 features a built-in Blu-ray player, so the newly-priced PS3 could boost Blu-ray HD disc sales, as well as those of the game console. Blu-ray supporters immediately said it would give the format an edge over its rival, Toshiba-backed HD DVD.
Sony will also announce a new 80-gigabyte PS3 for $600, which will eventually offer high-def movies and shows via downloads. The now $499 PS3 is 60-gigabyte. Sony last year offered a 20-gigabyte PS3 for $499, but discontinued it early this year.
The new entry-level $499 price is the same as Sony’s new standalone Blu-ray player (BDP-S300), which was introduced last month at $499.
The PS3 price drop has been rumored for the past week. Several Internet posters and TVPredictions.com readers have reported seeing the PS3 priced at $499 at Target stores across the country.
