With Black Friday only a few days away, U.S. retailers have slashed the price of entry-level Blu-ray players in an attempt to bring shoppers into their stores. With these players being channeled to the Japanese and American markets, media research firm Screen Digest expects that affordable Blu-ray players will be in short supply in Europe this holiday season. Screen Digest also stated that this shortage, combined with the recession, will slow the adoption of Blu-ray in the European market.
"A shortage of cheaper Blu-ray players means that the sub-$300 machines that are already appearing on U.S. shelves are unlikely to materialize in Europe this Christmas," Screen Digest analyst Richard Cooper said in a report.
"Combined with the recession, this means the format is unlikely to move much beyond the early adopter market this year," he said.
