Sony, Pioneer Delay Blu-ray Players

Sony has updated the entry on its Sony Style website for the upcoming BDP-S1 Blu-Ray disc player to indicate that the hardware is now projected to launch "on or about August 15, 2006," and not on June 30, as was previously indicated. In addition, Pioneer Elite's BDP-HD1 Blu-ray has suffered a similar setback, being delayed from July to September. These delays leave just Samsung's $999 BD-P1000 as a the sole Blu-ray player currently scheduled to launch on June 25, around the same time the first Blu-ray movie titles are scheduled to be released. Some reports have suggested that the efforts by Sony to manufacture 4 million PlayStation 3 consoles, which will also be able to play Blu-Ray movie discs, in time for the the system's global launch in November could be monopolizing components necessary to construct the players. Others suggest that lukewarm consumer anticipation for the new format could be a driving factor. The format continues to battle the rival HD-DVD optical disc type, which will be playable on the Xbox 360 thanks to an add-on drive later this year. Whatever the case, no official reasons have been cited by either Sony or Pioneer as to the cause or causes for the delays. Likewise, it is currently unknown if Sony's delay will in any way impact the impending release of the PlayStation 3 itself.