Post by dkennedy on May 31, 2007 6:02:18 GMT -5
Panasonic: That $599 Blu-ray Player Is Coming...We Swear
The high-def DVD player is still not available two weeks after the company announces its "availability."
May 30, 2007
By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com
On May 15, Panasonic issued a press release announcing the "availability" of a new Blu-ray high-def DVD player for just $599.
The suggested retail price is roughly $200 less than the suggested retail price of any other standalone Blu-ray player on the market. To further entice high-def owners, Panasonic said it was bundling five free Blu-ray movies with the set-top.
With that offer, many HDTV owners rushed to the store, or their favorite e-commerce web site, to purchase one.
However, the player was nowhere to be found. It wasn't at Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeter, Amazon.com. It wasn't anywhere. And today, more than two weeks later, the Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player is still not "available" at any retail store or web site.
But Jeff Samuels, a Panasonic spokesman, told TVPredictions.com today that it will be available -- soon.
"It will be available in the second week of June," he said.
Samuels added that it might first be available at Best Buy, but it should show up at all participating retail outlets soon thereafter.
The May 15 press release was simply to let everyone know that it will be available shortly.
The Blu-ray format is battling the HD DVD high-def disc in a format war unseen since VHS edged out Beta in the 1980s. While Blu-ray disc sales have far surpassed HD DVD this year, both formats are struggling due to consumer confusion and high player prices.
By setting the price on its new DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player at $599, Panasonic hopes that it will be the trigger that high-def owners have been waiting for.
But it appears they will have to wait a bit longer.
The high-def DVD player is still not available two weeks after the company announces its "availability."
May 30, 2007
By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com
On May 15, Panasonic issued a press release announcing the "availability" of a new Blu-ray high-def DVD player for just $599.
The suggested retail price is roughly $200 less than the suggested retail price of any other standalone Blu-ray player on the market. To further entice high-def owners, Panasonic said it was bundling five free Blu-ray movies with the set-top.
With that offer, many HDTV owners rushed to the store, or their favorite e-commerce web site, to purchase one.
However, the player was nowhere to be found. It wasn't at Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeter, Amazon.com. It wasn't anywhere. And today, more than two weeks later, the Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player is still not "available" at any retail store or web site.
But Jeff Samuels, a Panasonic spokesman, told TVPredictions.com today that it will be available -- soon.
"It will be available in the second week of June," he said.
Samuels added that it might first be available at Best Buy, but it should show up at all participating retail outlets soon thereafter.
The May 15 press release was simply to let everyone know that it will be available shortly.
The Blu-ray format is battling the HD DVD high-def disc in a format war unseen since VHS edged out Beta in the 1980s. While Blu-ray disc sales have far surpassed HD DVD this year, both formats are struggling due to consumer confusion and high player prices.
By setting the price on its new DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player at $599, Panasonic hopes that it will be the trigger that high-def owners have been waiting for.
But it appears they will have to wait a bit longer.