It seems like all the fire and furor over the cost of Blu-Ray players is at a manageable simmer.
Before several recent meetings with industry analysts in New York and Boston, Chris Fawcett, the VP of Sony's Home Video business, and I were expecting some tough questions about the Blu-ray player market, especially after the announcement of a sub-$140 player from a mass market manufacturer.
After all, we were talking about our new Blu-ray player with built-in wireless connectivity, which hits retail next month at $349. It'll join our entry piece at $299 and our ES model ($2,000)
Naturally, we were asked if Sony might enter the lower price arena (sub-$150). But when Chris replied he didn't see it happening at any point this year, the analysts weren't fazed.
In fact, most nodded in tacit agreement.
They know and understand the real manufacturing costs; they also know that there's a broad delta between inexpensive chip sets and those that can deliver what consumers expect. They also know full HD video when they see it, and most of the blu-ray players on the lower end simply aren't providing a compelling entertainment experience in their view.
One analyst even quipped, "If I needed a hearing aid, I wouldn't want to bottom feed when it came to price."
I heard that.
So count Sony out of the $150 (or lower) Blu-ray player market and so-called "The Battle at the Bottom" in 2009.
We seem to be OK right where we are….at least in the minds of those that track our industry.