"manufacturers and retailers appear to be preparing for a strong 2008 holiday shopping push"

Maybe they should read the paper or the Internets - the world economy is crashing and I have to wonder how many people will be buying worthless trinkets....

Especially Bluray and alll it's accompanying DRM baggage.

I was going to shop this season but with the current standings of the world not just the US I have put upgrading things now on hold.

Yep, anyone with a lick of sense is using the destroyed dollar to pay down debt- such as a home loan and then also putting some away in case of an emergency. It is nice to pay off my house with these worthless papers I keep getting from the bank though! What is odd is the euro is losing ground to the dollar at the same time! I guess things are getting rough over there as well. the dollar is up to 74 cents against the euro from a low of 62!!! And that is after the FED gunned the printing presses in the US for several weeks now - flooding nearly a trillion worthess dollars out there. I think it is going to get real ugly by 4th quarter...

This economic issue is world wide as of today not to get off topic but if this didn't happen I would of said this would of been the year that a lot of folks would begin to upgrade. Note I said a lot not all or you.

Does the DRM really prevent Joe Blow from buying into bluray?  If Joe Blow buys and plays the original disc, he's never even going to notice it has DRM?  Only if he also buys a blu-ray reader for his computer and wants to make a backup his he going to notice, and its just like DVD, they'res programs you can download that circumvent the DRM.

Oil is down to under $97 USD a barrel, the Canadian dollar is plummeting fast (91 cents today, down from a high of $1.10), people who have stocks are seeing their value decline by more than half... yeah, I think I'll keep my money in my bank account. We aren't heading for a recession anymore, folks. We're talking depression now. That $700 billion USD bailout didn't even make a dent in this ugly financial mess. I have to renew my mortgage next month and I'm locking in at 5.15%. Rates might go down to help spark the economy, but I can't take that chance. I'd rather lock in so I can sleep at night for the next 5 years, whereas people with a variable mortgage rate will be wondering if their world is about to collapse. People are losing their homes as I type this. Trust me, Blu-ray sales will stay in the toilet until this blows over.

Don't get me wrong. It's nice to see that players and movies are coming down in price, but it has nothing to do with Sony and the hardware manufacturers realizing they're overcharging us. They're doing it because the economy is sliding off the edge and they want to unload their stock while they can still get something for it. In another month, what's left will sit in a warehouse collecting dust because most of us will be wondering how much longer we'll get to keep our jobs.

Well said Duke. I personally don't need a player and just looked at "Don't mess with the zohan"  BD and for 26.99 it really isn't that bad of a price but as you said we are headed for doom.

You guys are watching too much TV news and believing everything they say. 

"Trust me, Blu-ray sales will stay in the toilet until this blows over."

Uh this article begs to differ.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/05/nielsen-videoscan-high-def-market-share-for-week-ending-septembe/

A 23% increase from the week before doesn't sound like they going down any kind of toilet

@ ferd

"You guys are watching too much TV news and believing everything they say."

Say? Oil, stocks, and currency have plummeted. Nobody is "saying" anything. It's a fact. You must be well sheltered in that money bin of yours, Mr. McDuck. Good for you. The rest of us don't want to take the chance, and we'll make necessary changes to our lifestyle in order to feed and shelter ourselves and our families. Hmm... iPod Nano or soup and bread for the family this week? If you think the Great Depression was a once-in-a-lifetime event, then you are truly an ostrich.

@ psychoace

Prices are coming down, so it's only natural that you would see a temporary boost in sales. Those stats are for one week. I'm talking the next year or two.

price cuts wern't announced til yesterday and earlier last week with some of the players. This chart is from 2 weeks ago before Iron man and the cuts. In 2-3 years we could finacially be back on our feets and prices for blu ray and it's media could be dirt cheap. What would you think consumers buy then?

The Canadian $ is doing relatively well, the Aussie $ has been completely trashed. Not long ago it was worth US.98c but today it's down to 65c! No more cheap shopping from the US for a while! Everyone retreats to the US$, the Pound and the Yen in times like this.

I am not shopping at all this holiday season not even for myself I have other priorities such as food and shelter . I will only be sending out cards this year as I have no cash flow at the moment Wall Street never will have to worry very unfair.