Philips: $349 Blu-ray Player Going to $399

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Philips: $349 Blu-ray Player Going to $399
The company says HD DVD's exit is not behind the price increase.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2008) -- In January, Philips issued a press release saying its BDP7200 Blu-ray player would be released in April with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $349.

Scores of print and online publications reported on the Philips announcement, noting that it would be the lowest-priced Blu-ray player on the market -- $50 less than Sony's BDP-S300.

However, late last month, Toshiba announced that it was exiting the HD DVD business, ceding victory to its high-def disc rival, Blu-ray. Since then, no longer concerned about low-cost HD DVD players, Blu-ray makers have increased the price of their players, albeit slightly.

And Philips joined the crowd today, telling TVPredictions.com that its BDP7200 will be $399 next month -- not $349 as stated last January.

However, Philips spokeswoman Katie Bromley said the new price "was not related" to HD DVD's exit.

"(Philips) thought ($349) would be the cost at the time (in January)," she said.

However, when TVPredictions.com first asked about the new price tag, Bromley said the $349 price in the January press release was a "typo."

Bromley was then reminded that scores of publications had written about the $349 price last January -- and that Philips had never issued a correction saying the price should be $399.

After that conversation, she called TVPredictions.com back and said the $349 price was not a typo after all. Actually, she said, the price had changed sometime after it was originally set at $349.

Bromley said she did not know why Philips decided the price had to be raised to $399, but she said it definitely had nothing to do with HD DVD departing.

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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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