According to technology site Gizmodo.com, Sony “quietly announced” the news of the delay.
Sony officials did not officially comment on the reasons for the delay.
The Sony-backed Blu-ray format is designed to compete with Toshiba’s HD-DVD to become the next worldwide standard for high definition DVDs. To facilitate that goal, Sony has scheduled the release of its Blu-ray player, the BDP-S1, to more closely precede the arrival of Sony’s Playstation3, a new video game console built, in part, to support the format. The PlayStation 3 is slated for release in Nov.
Following Sony’s lead, Pioneer ditched its June release date and opted to launch after Sony in the late summer or early fall. The company cited interoperability issues as reason for the delay.
Meanwhile, Samsung has held firm, vowing to launch its Blu-ray player June 25 to coincide with the release dates of the first movie titles in the new format. For the time being, Sony is promoting the release of the BDP-S1 by bundling it with a copy of “The Fifth Element.”
According to CNET.com, news of the delay will only add to the fears of consumers already wary of adopting either format.
While the decision to delay the Blu-ray player hurts Sony, the electronics giant will not be without a Blu-ray product for long. Despite issues with the launch of the player, the company will release its Sony Vaio AR Premium, its new notebook, with a Blu-ray drive late next week.
