Sony Ships Lower-Priced Blu-ray Players

SAN DIEGO — Sony Corp. has begun shipping a Blu-ray Disc player with a suggested retail price of $499 to major consumer electronics stores and specialty dealers across the U.S., the company announced.

Referring to it as “popularly priced,” Sony representatives said they expect the new BDP-S300 to broaden the high-definition disc player market.

“The BD format gained great momentum in the past several months, and we’re going to capitalize on that with the new model,” said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for the Home Product Division of Sony Electronics. “The player gives a broader consumer segment the opportunity to experience the exceptional quality of Blu-ray Disc format at a competitive price.”

The price of the BDP-S300 is a full $100 less than Sony originally projected it to be when the player was first announced, and the $499 price is roughly half the price of the first Blu-ray players, which were released just six months ago. Fawcett attributed the reduction in price to a decline in production costs and growing demand for Blu-ray products.

The BDP-S300 is capable of outputting 1920x1080/24p hi-def video — which is currently the highest resolution HD signal available over an HDMI connection, according to Sony. The player also supports a wide range of video formats, including MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC1.

In terms of audio output, the BDP-S300 features multichannel linear PCM digital audio output via HDMI, and can decode Dolby Digital Plus to deliver quality surround sound to any appropriately equipped receiver. The unit also offers 5.1 channel decoding capability to provide backward compatibility with existing receivers.

The player also supports DVD video and DVD playback from DVD/DVD+R/+RW encoded discs, CD playback, BD-ROM, AVC-HD Media, as well as MP3 audio files and JPEG images stored on DVD recordable media.

According to the release, the BDP-S300 will be available “shortly” at Sony Style stores, online at SonyStyle.com, and through other retailers nationwide.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Canadian Senator Revives Push for National AV Law

Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne, whose previous multiple attempts to legislate national age verification requirements all failed, has introduced a new bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

Show More