Why doesn't Sony lower their prices?

[Stinkin Mushroom]

I know that the war is kinda over, but why isn't Sony lowering one of their players to 249 or something just to totally embarass toshiba and sell many more players to end this war quicker? I mean wtf if toshiba can sell theirs at 129.. they could at least lower it just a bit don't you think? ..customer friendly..

[maximiza]

Blu doesn't need to lower price right now.

[181]

they are probably waiting for their new players to come out before doing a price drop so they have a "reason" to do one. If they did it now, consumers would expect another price drop when they see a new player on the shelf.

[photorebel]

It's like other price wars. Competitors keep cutting prices until one wins the war. There's no reason for Sony to cut their prices even more, on the players. Toshiba is cutting prices for one reason, and that's to be a thorn in the side of Sony and the other Blu-Ray backers.
As posted on Digital Bits, (and elsewhere) I believe the intent is to be such a pain, that Sony will pay Toshiba to go away.
Toshiba and the other HD-DVD backing companies aren't run by fools. They know the format war is over, and they want to recoup as much as possible of their loss. If the means forcing Sony to pay them to go away.. then so be it.
And Sony probably will, because the time is now to have the industry support ONE format.
All IMHO, of course.

[bkbluray]

It would be bad business sense to lower prices while the players are sold out at many stores. Once sales begin to drop, then we might see a price cut.

I expect $200 1.0 players by the end of this year for sure.

[mystiksuicide]

Originally Posted by Stinkin Mushroom

I know that the war is kinda over, but why isn't Sony lowering one of their players to 249 or something just to totally embarass toshiba and sell many more players to end this war quicker? I mean wtf if toshiba can sell theirs at 129.. they could at least lower it just a bit don't you think? ..customer friendly..

Most BB stores are completely sold out of Sony 300 and 500. Sharps and Panasonics are also in short supply so do they need to drop prices yes, do they need to do it right now? NO

Besides Toshitbas are right now dirt cheap and every store is loaded with them. Price is important but not the only factor.

[OokieSpookie]

There is no reason to at all.
Toshiba committed suicide by dropping their prices so low so fast.
If people want in they will buy, and the prices are not bad at all.
By dropping the prices too much you may get a player in a home but that person isn't going to buy movies.
And if you can not afford a blu ray player right now then you probably aren't going to have an hdtv worth looking at them on yet either.

[darkpoet25]

Toshiba touted that having low cost players was their key in the format war and look what happened to them. People have either been returning the players or not buying them at all. We will see price drops, just not until later on in the year closer to the holidays maybe. Like the saying goes, "You get what you pay for." There are a lot of people who equate a cheap price with a cheap product. Toshiba proves that statement well.

[upnorthsox]

Right now, with the the big pre-super bowl HDTV buying rush approaching is to package those BD players with the HDTVs. They have alot common Joe's out there that were waiting for the end of the format war, now that it is and many of them will be looking to get their new HDTV anyhow a bundle would be something they'll jump at.

[julyccc]

now we are at the mercy of sony. I don't think we are going to see any BOGO or profile 2.0 player at low price anymore



that why I support both format

competition keep the price lower.

[UltimateFighter]

The biggest thing that needs to happen is another PS3 price drop. I know the PS3's are selling well, but the 360 is still passing it in sales by a substantial amount. Another PS3 price drop plus more exclusive games = success for the PS3.

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by julyccc

now we are at the mercy of sony. I don't think we are going to see any BOGO or profile 2.0 player at low price anymore



that why I support both format

competition keep the price lower.

Uh no.. We are not. Yes we will still see BOGO. 2.0 will become cheaper. Supply and demand.

[bkbluray]

Originally Posted by julyccc

now we are at the mercy of sony. I don't think we are going to see any BOGO or profile 2.0 player at low price anymore



that why I support both format

competition keep the price lower.

Remember what happened with DVD? The players started at $300-400 and competition between CE companies took over, driving player prices down.

The same thing will happen with competition between retailers. We're already seeing crazy deals like the Spidey trilogy for $40 and many other Blu-rays for under $20.

[Elandyll]

My Prediction:

Next siginificant price drop - FATHERS DAY
(along with new 1.1 models and in conjonction with the Fox Master & Commander special)

That is .. unless the BDA notices a concerning trend (unlikely) on volumes with the HD DVD price drops. As the (by far) leader, Blu Ray has a lot of margin to adjust to the market. HD DVD .. not so much

[meckel]

Originally Posted by julyccc

now we are at the mercy of sony. I don't think we are going to see any BOGO or profile 2.0 player at low price anymore



that why I support both format

competition keep the price lower.

Sony is just one company making players. They do not control how the other CE makers price there good. Phillips will have a 2.0 player for $350 this summer. The BOGO's are offered by the reseller and are given MDF by the studio's on the backend. While I do not see BOGO I do see B2GO in the future until holiday 08 anyway.

[Rike255]

now we are at the mercy of sony. I don't think we are going to see any BOGO or profile 2.0 player at low price anymore



that why I support both format

competition keep the price lower.

Disagree. Now that the "format war" is over it's time for the BDA to push people away from DVD which will be an even bigger hurdle to overcome. If you want competition, that's where you'll find it.
There are rumors of a Ps3 price drop in the next little while going around. Whether they're true or not remains to be seen. Hope so!

[iNCREDiPiNOY]

I have the bonus RZ coupon in my hand for any Blu-Ray players including the PS3. I can saved more than 12%+ off.

[Stinkin Mushroom]

Oh yeah another thing: Why isn't there any freakin BOGO or something in Europe...? BD and HDDVD doesn't sell that good here: not much advertisement and no BOGO or special prices

[Prometheus59650]

Originally Posted by UltimateFighter

The biggest thing that needs to happen is another PS3 price drop. I know the PS3's are selling well, but the 360 is still passing it in sales by a substantial amount. Another PS3 price drop plus more exclusive games = success for the PS3.

I wouldn't drop price just now. I'd time another cut to something like, say, MGS4 or something. Make what will already be a system mover into an even sweeter deal.

[SpikesBluBlooded]

For the record: the war is not officially over yet. There are still two (2) supporting studios, and so far, a commitment by retailers to continue carrying both formats. Until this war is officially over, going after the DVD base will be a secondary requirement of the BDA. Of course, I'm speaking as an outsider, but as has been discussed time and time again, until we eliminate consumer confusion, mass adoptation will not occur, and that has yet to be fully accomplished. That said, we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were just three (3) weeks ago.

Another thing: why is Blu-ray always being assumed to equal Sony? Sony is only one member of the BDA, and only one of several CEMs that produce players. Their pricing, by the way, is right on par with DVD player pricing at the same stage in its development, so nobody's being greedy here. Toshiba is taking a huge loss to continue this war, fire-saling their players and giving away studio product for nothing more than an attempt to sell off what remaining inventory they can before the final nail is hammered into the coffin. In doing so, they continue to confuse the public at large, and hurt the overall mass adoptation of the hi-def media. Enough of this crap already...