Why would anyone buy a Blu-ray player (other than the PS3)?
Whether or not you believe the latest price rumor about the PS3 ($399 US according to PSM) we can be pretty sure it will be less than $999.95. Not so coincidentally, that is the current pre-order price for Sony's own top of the line BDP-S1 Blu-ray player. We still have no idea what the final features of the Playstation 3 will be, however we've been shown dual HDMI outs and expect DVD upconversion, hard drive and probably a snazzy new videogame or two that won't be on the BDP-S1, which brings me to my main question.
Why would anyone pay probably twice the asking price of the PS3 for additional features that appear to begin and end with "rigid beam construction"?
As Matt and Ben alluded to in the podcast, profit margins will likely be higher on the Blu-ray players when they are released compared to Toshiba's HD-DVD player, but will they stay that way?
We also have to consider that the Playstation 2, at launch, wasn't a very good DVD player compared to others on the market and this may or may not be repeated. Every Blu-ray player is required to support certain options regarding audio, interactive menus, etc., so it is hard to say what the difference between the devices will be. The Xbox 360 could present a similar issue for HDTV owners, however if the $100 price rumor is true, it would equal the price of an HD-DVD player in total, instead of being only half.
Are you considering buying a Blu-ray player and if so, does the promise of the PS3 make you more or less inclined to buy a standalone player?
