If you've tired of the over-hyped battle between the next-generation video disc formats and have decided to join the Blu-ray camp, you might want to wait a few months for Sony's new budget model to hit the shelves.
The Tokyo electronics giant made the unexpected move on Monday of revealing that the BDP-S300 Blu-ray player would go on sale in the US sometime this summer for $600 (£305) with more features than the $999 (£509) BDP-S1 that it is certain to kill stone dead immediately.
Alternatives abound
On the other side of the fence, the cheapest HD DVD player is the Toshiba HD-A2 ($499, £254), although it doesn't scale the 1080p heights the same maker's $999 (£509) HD-XA2 machine can. However, Toshiba is due to release the HD-A20 within the next few weeks and that can output 1080p video just like the S300.
With so many options, and let's not forget the 1080p-capable PlayStation 3, only one thing is certain for UK-based consumers - you'll be paying considerably more than shoppers in the likes of Japan or the US until HD TV machines reach the rock-bottom price of current DVD players.