Panasonic: Blu-ray Close to Victory

[coolmilo]

http://www.tvpredictions.com/panasonicblu100207.htm

Hey, didn't the P-man allude to some sort of price cut on something a couple of days ago??? I wonder if this could be what he was referring to

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Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2007) -- A top Panasonic executive today said Blu-ray could defeat high-def disc rival HD DVD by the end of the year.

That's according to an article at CNET.com.

Kazuhiro Tsuga, who runs Matsushita's home electronics unit, says Blu-ray manufacturers will soon sharply cut player prices and launch a major promotional effort for the format. (Matsushita is the parent of Panasonic.)

The two actions will give Blu-ray a wide lead over HD DVD by the end of the holiday season or by the end of the first quarter, he said, according to CNET.

Apparently, according to Tsuga, HD DVD backers, led by Toshiba, would then be forced to either drop out of the battle and/or negotiate an agreement with the Blu-ray forces for a single format.

"The BD (Blu-ray disc) companies will try to do our best to promote Blu-ray," he said. "The studios want us to put money in to promote it...By the end of the year, you will see good products with very good promotion."

The lowest-priced Blu-ray player (Sony) is now $499 -- $200 more than Toshiba's entry-level $299 HD DVD. Consequently, HD DVD leads in overall standalone player sales.

However, thanks to the PlayStation 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, Blu-ray has enjoyed a 2-1 advantage in disc sales.

Many industry analysts have said Blu-ray could pull away if Blu-ray manufacturers dropped their player prices to under $300.

However, despite those predictions, others say the war is destined to last at least another year because of Paramount's decision in August to endorse HD DVD exclusively. The studio joined Universal as studios that back HD DVD exclusively while four major studios support Blu-ray exclusively.

Tsuga, however, downplayed Paramount's commitment, suggesting the studio was paid off to back HD DVD.