Blu-ray Player Price-cuts Hurt Entry-level Manufacturers

Many Chinese and Taiwanese OEM Blu-ray Disc player manufacturers are seeing their products sit on store shelves while players from major manufactures - such as Sony and Samsung - maintain strong sales. According to reports, this is due to major manufacturers lowering their player prices to the sub-$200 level for the holidays, a move which places them at the same price level as the majority of entry-level players.

In October and November, the Chinese and Taiwanese OEM manufacturers began sending Blu-ray Disc players to the US and Europe in anticipation of strong sales ate the $200 price point, which was expected to be $50-$100 less than the majors. As the holiday shopping time neared, the majors dropped prices more than expected, and retailers focused on promoting those players, rather than the store brand equivalent.

Because of this, no new orders have been placed in December (as retailers look to clear out stock before reordering), and these manufacturers fear no new orders will come until the end of Q1.