Sony's BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray player sinks below $200
[Thanks, Tyba]
[Thanks, Tyba]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
WallyB @ Sep 21st 2008 7:39PM
At that price, I had to pull the trigger. Now I'll have my Sammy P1400 in the bonus room and this in the den. Woohoo!
Gus @ Sep 21st 2008 8:11PM
Great for the consumer, but how would you be if you are another CE manufacturer trying to compete with sony, first the pS3 with 95% market share and now this, they have always tried to strangle the life out of other CE producers, and now they are in control of blu ray it's like the fox is control of the hen house, scary times indeed if you are partnered with them!
dj496 @ Sep 21st 2008 8:32PM
Even if that is true (the market share, not the strangling other CEMs remark), Sony are STILL not making money from the PS3. So lay off them and just enjoy being the consumer and receiving the highest quality HD movie experience available, ok?
[disclaimer: that might sound like Sony fanboyism, but I assure you, I eat Sony fanboys for breakfast.] ;)
Gus @ Sep 21st 2008 8:43PM
Sooooo, because sony subsidize their players and loose money, making it nearly impossible for other manufacturers to compete with them, and in the process giving themselves total market domination we should somehow give sony a break? My guesstimate would be, of the remaining 4-5 % being divided up amongst every other producer, sony probably has a 50% slice, meaning everyone else is fighting for about 2.5% of the market.
Give them a break, strange logic that one.
minimalist @ Sep 21st 2008 9:40PM
I'm pretty sure this is just a clearance item. The BDPS350 has taken the S300's place.
JoN @ Sep 21st 2008 10:36PM
exactly - this is a subsidizing thing... this is a clearance model... it has been replaced by the S350.... which has built in Ethernet, profile 2.0 capability via firmware update, and extremely shorter load times
Nick Catalano @ Sep 22nd 2008 2:32AM
The only major thing I see in the update is that you can upgrade the firmware via the ethernet port and use interactive features that require internet connectivity.
You can still update the firmware on these... I have no idea how (burn it to a CD maybe?) but I know it is possible
All of the bad reviews on Amazon are there because of people not updating their firmware
Byrdman @ Sep 21st 2008 8:15PM
this is great. If players are going to start hitting this price now they may be even lower during the holidays. great news for Blu-ray. there is no denying the fact that it is here to stay now
shawnmos @ Sep 21st 2008 8:18PM
Sharp BDHP20U Blu-Ray Disc Player - Refurbished $169.99
http://www.secondact.com/c=HADcT7XUIijCCXdSj7vKuXNzu/product/BDHP20URB?sp_mid=1210725
shawnmos @ Sep 21st 2008 8:27PM
Sharp BDHP20U at secondact for $169
worldbfree4me @ Sep 21st 2008 9:00PM
Supply and Demand (High Supply and Low Demand) = under $200...To really get this moving, we the consumer need to see even lower price points due the cost of media generating more than enough margins...ie BD Live Under $300, BD 2.0 Under $200 and BD 1.0 $100
Sinful Lust @ Sep 21st 2008 10:21PM
hell, il buy blu rays when they get to the 15 dollars price point. till then, no no for me hehe
Spiza @ Sep 21st 2008 11:15PM
You can get a PS3 for $300 by putting it on a Sony card at the Sony style online store:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentDisplayView?cmsId=sony_card&XID=A:361116:10383604:FW6zzisw:CJ&ref=http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/853677/
Xyzzy @ Sep 21st 2008 11:58PM
There are frequently MUCH better deals than $100 store credit for signing up for a credit card. In addition, don't sign up for a card just for the $100, as it will negatively affect your FICO score.
shawnmos @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:38AM
I agree. It's stupid to sign up for another credit card just to get $100 cash back.
mntwister @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:53AM
That's a darn good price, it's a very good player. Still, I don't think it is worth the money because many studios are using DTS Master Audio, which I don't think this player decodes or bitstreams (maybe I am wrong). As far as not being 1.1 or 2.0, alot of people could care less about picture in picture or internet extras or lossless audio, so it is a good value for them (and I would suppose alot of consumers don't have high def audio receivers anyway). For those seeking the high def picture, it's a great buy.
shawnmos @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:13AM
Found this on AVS:
samsung bdp1500, $199 @ http://radioshack.com
click on home entertainment, dvd players, then cart for discount.
This is a profile 1.1 player and can bitstream all of the codecs so it's a better deal than what's posted here.
Michael @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:04AM
OK, so maybe I don't get it. When Toshiba did this with their HD-DVD players they were reviled and scorned for dumping cheap players onto the market. When Sony does it, they are brilliant trend setters who understand what the market needs to get real market penetration. What's the deal???
You guys are as bad as the media covering the Presidential race.
Michael
daaper @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:25AM
I think the major difference is that Toshiba's price was the permanent price. In this case, it's a discontinued model and they're clearing out stock. I don't think anyone is revering Sony as a trend-setter for this, it's just a good price.
squiggleslash @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:25PM
daaper - when the A2 dropped to below $200, this was because it was a clearance item, like the BDP-S300 above. The later, post WHV screw up, drop of the A3 was certainly a more permanent change, but the A2's original drop was, like this example, because they were trying to get rid of the older model.
Multi-format-mayhem @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:01AM
$200 for an old & dead Blu-ray model that is noted to be very poor at regular DVD playback?!
You have got to be kidding.
Personally I preferred to go $300 for the far more capable LG200
(it's just a firmware away from profile 2.0 and is able to playback all the $5 - $10 HD DVDs I've been getting).
This Sony, just like the old dead discounted Sharps, & Samsungs, is (still) poor value considering what an additional $100 more will get you.
Randall Lind @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:40AM
Load time seems to be pretty bad reading some reviews on that page. It says firmware update helps a little speeding it up.
georgi55 @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:42PM
Engadget, you report the "news" as if this an official price drop and new low standard price point for entry Blu-Ray player, when it's just a clearance sale to make room for thew new models....
Simon @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:14PM
Not bad for something the size of a boat anchor, looking at this unit makes me feel like I am stepping back in time, looks like the size of a laser disc player!
anseK @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:21PM
I understand why this is news for someone looking to pick up a low cost Blu-ray Player but I don't understand how a simple clearance sale on a discontinued model represents big news or a paradigm shift. Is there something I a missing?
Tom @ Sep 28th 2008 7:05PM
This unit did not get very good reviews from users -- many of whom complained of really long load times. A much better deal was the Samsung BD-P1500 we saw on sale at RadioShack last week. If you're looking for a good deal on a Blu-Ray player, I'd suggest creating an email alert on the term at SlickDeals or http://www.TechDealDigger.com. Here are the details on the expired Samsung Blu-Ray deal http://www.techdealdigger.com/deals/samsung-bd-p1500-180-at-radioshack/4327