Sony looks set to cut the price of its consumer-centric Blu-ray Disc player this summer, knocking $400 off the price of its current model, the BDP-S1, a reduction of more than 40 per cent.

The move will be made using a new machine, the BDP-S300, Sony said yesterday. It'll be priced at $599, which is still $100 more than the 20GB PlayStation 3, but should still appeal to consumers who don't care about games and want a BD player that'll fit into their home entertainment system better than the clunky PS3 will. It'll certainly appeal more than the $999 BDP-S1.

Sony also indicated the new model will be somewhat slimmer than the BDP-S1 and will also play music CDs. Essentially, it's benefitting from the wider availability of blue-laser diodes and increased miniaturisation in BD optical pick-ups.

All of which will help other vendors too, and it's a good bet Samsung, LG and co will also come up with cheaper models too. Indeed, Samsung said in January it was preparing a second-generation BD player, the BD-P1200, at the Consumer Electronics Show.