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Is Blu-ray Worth More Inside A PlayStation?
Electronics | Oct 24, 08
With the price of Blu-ray players falling, you might think the Blu-ray laden PlayStation 3 would be marked down as well. So far, you’d be wrong.
Strand-alone Blu-ray players have been falling in price in the face of general weakness in electronic retail sales (see “Recent Price Drops in AMD Processors, Blu-ray Players May Auger Retail Weakness”). Consider for example Sony’s BDP-S3250, currently the most popular Blu-ray player on PriceSCAN. it was seling in July for $400, and is now offered by merchants for less than $260.
Time Period: 6/30/2008 through 10/20/2008
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
Further, Microsoft recently cut the price of its entry level Xbox system to $199. Yet despite competitive pressure and a soft economy, as of this writing Sony has not cut the price of the PS3, so that we’re still seeing the console priced at $399.
This is interesting because it might imply that Sony feels Blu-ray embedded in a PS3 retains more of its value, perhaps because of some synergy with the gaming environment. The PS3 may have also already represented a “bundled” discount, since even with the current drop in Blu-ray pricing it’s only about $150 more than a stand-alone Blu-ray player, a difference which is some $49 less than the price of the cheapest Xbox.
It will be interesting to see if PS3 prices stay firm as we enter the holiday shopping season, or if general economic weakness and lower cost alternatives like Xbox the ever-popular Wii take their toll. Whether Sony’s pricing is dumb or smart may turn on whether the PS3 is more than the sum of its parts.
Hey, that last line sort of rhymes…nothing like the poetry of a rapidly deteriorating retail environment.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 11:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Weak Retail Sales, Lower Oil Take The Gas Out Of GPS Prices
Electronics | Oct 16, 08
As the economy slows and gasoline prices ease, it appears even gas-saving automotive GPS units are getting cheaper.
After significant price declines through 2007 and the first half of 2008, GPS pricing seemed to have stabilized somewhat. This may have been at least partly due to the high gasoline prices of a few months ago, as automotive GPS units can save consumers money on gas by finding efficient routes to destinations (see “Why Al Gore Should Want You To Buy A GPS”). However, as noted in a recent PriceSCAN press release, general economic weakness and falling gas prices seem to be contributing to renewed downward pressure on GPS prices. The PriceSCAN Automotive GPS with Voice Recognition Index declined by 8% during the five weeks starting at the beginning of September, and you can see this reflected in the price movements of the most sought after GPS units on this site. For example, the Garmin Nuvi 760, currently the most popular auto GPS on PriceSCAN, would have run you at least $360 a little over a month ago, and is now offered by vendors on this site for under $310.
Time Period: 9/10/2007 through 10/13/2008
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
Simnilarly, TomTom’s most popular automotive GPS, the TomTom GO 720, may be had for just under $230 verus $275 a few weeks ago.
Time Period: 9/10/2007 through 10/13/2008
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
If retail sales further weaken and global economic softness continues to hold down the price of petroleum, we may see further declines in GPS prices as we head into the holidays. Of course, that’s the downside of cheap oil: it reduces the consumer’s incentive to conserve.
Haven’t we seen this movie before?
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 6:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Turning Your Computer Into A High-Def Digital Television With The AverMedia Volar
Electronics | Oct 2, 08
This coming February’s government-mandated switch to digital broadcast was supposed to boost television sales, but with economic growth lately going the way of the dodo, many consumers may look for alternatives.
One interesting option is AverMedia’s AVerTV HD Volar USB 2.0 HDTV Tuner. This portable device, slightly larger than some USB flash drives, is billed as a “plug and play” portable ATSC digital tuner and is offered by vendors on PriceSCAN for under $50. It simply inserts into one of your computer’s USB slots. With the installation of the accompanying AverTV software and the use of a digital antenna (a small indoor one is included) your PC becomes a television, and, in the case of those with HD LCD screens, a high-def TV at that (up to 1080i/720p). The software includes a recording feature for video capture, and is Windows Vista Premium certificated/Windows XP MCE compliant. The tuner, antenna and cables are compact enough to fit in a laptop case, making the Volar a portable solution for road warriors.
I offer the usual caution about digital signals: they are notoriously directional and subject to interference, and depending on where you are and the building you’re in, this could be an issue.
But with budgets stretched to the breaking point and broadcast digital offering a high-def alternative to cable (see “Is Digital Broadcast Television A Cheap Way To Unplug Basic Cable?”) many consumers may want explore low-cost alternatives allowing them to deal with digital television in HD style while leveraging the value of their PC. Hey, with Congress talking about using your money to buy bank assets for more than anyone else will pay, isn’t t nice to see someone trying to maximize the value of your investment?
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 6:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
