Sony: $200 Blu-ray players next year

Patience, HD video fans. Those of you hoping that the defeat of HD DVD would usher in a new era of lower-priced Blu-ray players will have to wait at least until the next calendar year.

In comments made to reporters at a New York press gathering Wednesday morning, Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow said, "I don't think $200 is going to happen this year. Next year $200 could happen. We'll be at a $300 rate this year; $299 will happen this year," according to Gizmodo.

There's been quite a bit of media discussion over whether or not Sony and other Blu-ray supporters will start cutting prices on standalone players in the aftermath of HD DVD's death. Seeing as how the answer is "no" from Sony for now, that decreases the likelihood that Blu-ray will make major inroads with mainstream consumers, as a plurality cite price as the biggest barrier to their purchase of an HD video player.

At the same event, Glasgow also dished on other Sony-related news:

* Even in the face of a downturn in the U.S. economy, Glasgow says Sony's electronics sales are still going swimmingly. He said the company expects to sell 5 million Blu-ray players by the end of 2008. The company unveiled two new models last week.

* Sony has no plans to make digital converter boxes for next year's digital TV switchover, and will leave that to the lower-tier CE companies.

Glasgow will be in San Francisco to chat up West Coast reporters Wednesday night. Check back here for updates and additional comments from him.