As of 5 minutes ago, the cheapest Blu-ray standalone player Amazon.com sells directly is going for $316.95. It’s an example of how prices could stagnate without the format war, at least until infighting within the Blu-ray camp kindles.

The Sharp Aquos BDHP20U 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player wins the award for cheapest player sold direct by Amazon (not an affiliate link).

In contrast, Toshiba’s HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player (not an affiliate link) was selling for $121.00.

A format may be only as good as the content it provides, but the barrier to entry is still high for Blu-ray standalone players.

Still, as Blu-ray’s compelling list of exclusive titles grows, there is some speculation that Toshiba may react by upscaling regular DVD players, though there is no official announcement from the company yet.

CNET writes “Toshiba could choose to change its marketing strategy and sell the HD-A3 as a so-called upscaling DVD player which, for a bit more, also plays HD DVDs. Instead of the main draw, HD DVD could become a bonus feature: it’s an entirely different value proposition to buy a regular DVD player which, as a bonus, is able to play HD DVDs for a slightly higher cost, as opposed to feeling like you’re dropping $150 on a player based on a format that might not be around in a year.”

Another potential game changer would be the release of affordable HD DVD or Blu-ray burners which would appeal to a different audience.

A lackluster interest in upgrading to high definition formats from mainstream consumers may be enabling the prolonged format war, but as most good negotiators will tell you, that will only push the price down.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 5:49 pm under Opinion.

Read more entries by Matt Jansen.
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