Sony and Pioneer Delay Blu-ray Players

Sony quietly revealed today that the release of their first Blu-ray disc player has been pushed back. It is now releasing August 15, 2006, two weeks after their previous July 30 release date. Pioneer is also delaying the release of their Blu-ray player, but Samsung's Blu-ray player is holding fast to the June 25 release date.

Blu-ray is Sony's next-gen DVD format that is being incorporated into the PlayStation 3. The delay of Sony's Blu-ray player is unlikely to have any effect on the PS3's planned worldwide November launch. Blu-ray is competing with Toshiba's HD-DVD to be the next de facto disc movie format.