Blu-ray supporters will sit on pins and needles this holiday season, hoping consumers finally begin to adopt the high-definition format that has struggled in recent months.
Older Blu-ray models can finally be found for less than $200, but many consumers, especially due to global economic problems, have been reluctant to spend hard-earned cash on a rather unneeded technology.
Amazon plans to have a Samsung Blu-ray player and four movies available for a price around $200. Other retailers are expected to announce what kind of deals they'll have on Blu-ray, HDTVs, and other products in the next few weeks -- if not, deal sites will publish leaked Black Friday deals.
A common criticism is that even with declining Blu-ray player prices, the cost of HDTVs has remained too high. This may have been true just six months ago, but the cost of HDTVs able to support Blu-ray also have declined, and deal savvy consumers could have a Blu-ray player, TV, and a few movies for under $900.
To get a jump on the competition, Wal-Mart again is hosting a Saturday sale in which it will offer a Sanyo 46" LCD 1080p HDTV for $798, but does not have any Blu-ray player deals ready for tomorrow. The popular American retailer is expected to have both Blu-ray players and movies available for lower prices on Black Friday.
"Blu-ray vendors and dealers are starting to realize that for Blu-ray to become the next DVD, they need to lower player prices in order to generate interest and build volumes," said ABI Research principal analyst Steve Wilson. "They are also getting more competition than they expected from download alternatives such as Xbox 360 and the Roku Netflix player, TiVo and Amazon."
Even though streaming content poses a serious threat to Blu-ray, Wilson points out why it will help Blu-ray in the continued effort to overtake DVDs. "The more the Blu-ray players adopt these download capabilities, the better they will be able to differentiate themselves from standard DVD players."
If you've been thinking about purchasing a Blu-ray player but have sat on the fence, this holiday season could finally be the time to splurge. Declining prices due to lack of interest, increased competition from streaming services, and economic troubles have helped make Blu-ray more affordable than ever.
I'm not ready to say Blu-ray will be dead if it doesn't succeed this holiday season, but most of you should agree that it needs a strong showing if it hopes to survive in the future. I'm going to
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Karma: 51620 , Fri 7 Nov 2008 22:38
I think I saw for this Saturday at Wal-mart a 80 gig PS3 for 399 that comes with a 100 dollar gift card. If you have money this winter, you will be able to get some hellacious deals. I am just not sure whether the best deals will be before xmas or after....
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Karma: 20090 , Sat 8 Nov 2008 02:40
Damn, I was hoping for 4 more years of George W. Bush. He knows how to ruin an economy and *really* bring prices down.
LMFAO I always buy my electronics after christmas "looks behind best buy's counters and asks I can take that off ya.. 50% off please"
I always buy the returns after christmas when they slash the returns some 50-70 % off lol to hell with buying on christmas time lmao I stopped doing that years ago...
Good luck this year on those after christmas returns bargains muhhahahahaha
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Karma: 13910 , Sun 9 Nov 2008 03:01
Coolios, you are right about the deals after Christmas. I would even bet, during January, you could get better deals when stores are doing inventory.
Yes After Jan 15 ( last deadline for returns) 1 day after all you see is blowout stickers everywhere DO NOT MISS this day after Jan 15.
I stopped shopping retail and only buy returns slighted used of course have not bought anything new in years.. Call me cheap call me an idiot call me a moron if you want... I dont pay what you pay I pay 70% less so get the same product ...I am cheap so I will continue to live that way for a long time
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Karma: 20090 , Sun 9 Nov 2008 05:29
@ Coolios
Cheap. Idiot. Moron.
There, happy?
BluRay Sucks! why would I want to buy a player that needs to be constantly updated from the internet (a cable from my router to my living room??) so I can watch movies I bought?? why would I do that??? the world is taking big strides towards SolidState storage and movie (even in HD) files! bluray is the way of a dying industry to grab some more dollars before it dies completely.
Too bad that even solidstate storage hasn't lived up to expectations. I'd love it if you could give me some examples of HD movies available on solid state storage.
Also, try researching about the 'HD' that is available for download before complaining about Blu-ray. Here are some things you won't find with 'HD' movies available for download: 1080p resolution, uncompressed audio and better interactivity (if you're into that).
You don't have to have a cable from your router to your living room! You could just use a USB key drive to update your player. BluRay will eventually die, but meanwhile, for the next 10 years or so, why not enjoy high def movies?
Thanks duke, Now I am at peace!!! 
I will see you at Best Buy january 16 right?? heheheh
In my opinion it is the price of the movies that need to come down. I am not going to go out and replace dvds that i already have with blu ray. I am also not going to spend $25 on a new release.
