According to the general manager Shuji Minami from the product business group of Sony NEC Optiarc, Blu-ray disc drive pricing will drop to around 50% its current pricing by 2008, following strong development by brands and manufacturers of Blu-ray drives, going by a DigiTimes report.
The demand for Blu-ray drives is expected to be pushed with the growing market of High Definition displays, particularly once the Olympic games start in Beijing in 2008.
From what I can see, if this actually turns out to be the case, the pricing then would be more like the current pricing of HD DVD drives and players, since HD DVD players are already selling for around half the price of Blu-ray players. If HD DVD drives and players fall at the same rate by 2008, it will certainly help keep the lead, unless Blu-ray manages to grab the market some other way or if the PS3 turns out to be a major success as a budget Blu-ray disc player in the meantime.
