Sub-$500 Blu-ray player to hit stores this month

Foster City (CA) - A second generation Blu-ray Disc player will make its way to stores this month as the first to carry a list price of under $500.

The BDP-S300, first announced in February, was originally planned for an MSRP of around $600, but Sony confirmed today that it slashed the price by $100, bringing it down to $499.

It’s the first Blu-ray player to retail for less than a Playstation 3, which remains the dominant hardware for BD sales. Toshiba is winning the price war, though, with its HD-A2 HD DVD player, currently selling for a limited-time price of around $300.

Sony attributes falling production costs and increasing consumer demand for the new, lower price. Sony says the BDP-S300 should be available within the next week and a half.