How long until we get $199 HD-DVD/Blu-ray combo players?

[Kaido]

Are we looking at this holiday season or longer than that?

 

[jpeyton]

August 4th, 1997.

 

[jjones]

I'm betting on longer, if they don't show up by this holiday season.

 

[R Nilla]

No way in hell will hi-def combo players reach that low of a price this holiday season. You probably won't be able to find a standalone Blu-Ray player for that cheap.

 

[Genx87]

I think combo players are a pipe dream. They cost more than their straight cousins and retail shops arent interested in providing shelf space for HD-DVD and BluRay over the long term.

I'd say when we see a 199 combo player HD-DVD will be 90 bucks and Blu ray not far behind it.

 

[Slick5150]

Considering there is still only 1 combo player on the market (that I know of), and despite being beyond awful still costs a fortune, its gonna be a long while before a combo player hits that price point.

 

[Schadenfroh]

not in the near future (6-months)

 

[Shawn]

probably by next christmas (2008).

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

I bet the only time you see one that cheap in the next 3-4 years would be after one of the formats ceases production and they start closeouts.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

It may happen quicker than you expect it....

http://www.pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=DVDRW-LG-GGC-H20L

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson
It may happen quicker than you expect it....

http://www.pccyber.com/?v=Product&i=DVDRW-LG-GGC-H20L

In the grand scheme of constraints, how would you rank the issues that prevent combo drives from being more publicly available.

Is it:

A) technical reasons for laser types/media thickness
B) costs due to having to accomidate different types of lasers/hardware to read the media types
C) concessions made by the format associations that are lost since you aren't pushing *only* their format

Obviously it's some combination of all of them. But what really is the leading reason why there is very little advancement in the combo market?

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Market diffusion and the "Law of constant media expenditures".

And a little math showing DVD media to be the least expensive solution available to anyone - and 100% compatible.