Blu-ray Disc players from Samsung, Sony and Sharp are now the most expensive they have been all year, presumably because HD DVD exit from the high-definition disc arena has removed some of Blu-ray’s pricing pressure.

Although HD DVD was always seen as a distant second in the HD format war, it constantly received attention because of the lower cost of its players. The majority of Blu-ray Disc movie purchases have to date been for consumers who own a Playstation 3, which has BD playback capabilities. Because of this, standalone Blu-ray players were not moving off store shelves very steadily.

In a move to expedite HD DVD’s downfall, Blu-ray manufacturers & retailers aggressively cut prices earlier this year, to the point where it was possible to buy a standalone BD player for less than $300.

Now, however, according to Pricegrabber.com’s most recent information, the average price for Blu-ray hardware is around $400, which is right around where it was last year.

The players from Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Panasonic are the least expensive on the market and also the most widely available. (Source: rlslog.net)