The cheapest Blu-Ray drive...

Sony has cut $100 USD off their BDP-S300 Blu-Ray DVD player - coincidentally stealing the PS3's position of the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market.

Sony claim that the price cut is due to falling production costs and the growing demand for Blu-ray products. One can't deny that Toshiba's $300 HD DVD player influenced the decision. Before the plummet, Sony's BDP-S300 player cost $599, today you can grab one for $499 (USD).

Since the price deduction, Blu-Ray players now cost half of what the first few models did a mere 6 months ago.

Neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD players have caught on strongly with consumers, who have been waiting for the market to settle on one of the formats. But dropping prices for players and HDTV sets in more homes mean a big showdown between the discs may be looming this holiday season.