Saturday, October 21, 2006

Blu-ray Blues: Could Sharp Be Sony's Savior?


The news from Sony seems to just get worse and worse these days. Fresh off a major battery recall and cutting their annual profit projections by 61%, the folks at Sony have more than enough on their hands. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. Sony Style is now displaying that the much anticipated BDP-S1 Blu-ray player is now delayed again until December 4th, most likely due to laser supply issues. While the laser issue is not exactly new news; it is probably also to blame for Sony announcing that they may miss their year end PS3 production targets. In the midst of all of this there is some good news. Sharp has just announced that they have produced a new low power blue laser diode. The press release however fails to mention any increase in yield. Samples will begin shipping in a couple of weeks. Hopefully this new diode offers a ray of hope for the ailing Sony.

With the launch of the PS3 now only weeks away it seems as if Sony will be lucky to meet their launch commitments. However, with all the new hardware on board its nice to hear that there are no current problems with the cell or RSX. If you want a PS3 before Christmas, I hope you're ready to camp. It doesn't look like Sony will be able to come through with the promised systems by years end. (think Xbox 360 and PS2 launches)

The entire Sony corporate family is banking on this years PS3 launch. It's no secret that the Playstation brand has been propping up the aging electronics manufacturer as they seem to have bit off more than they can chew. Do you really need the movie studios, record labels, etc. etc. Its not looking good for Sony right now, a limited supply means cash in the bank for Microsoft and Nintendo. I guess we'll see soon if Ken and his boys can do it again.

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Posted by TheTech @ 6:19 AM

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