Pioneer Delays Blu-ray Player

Confirming recent rumors, Pioneer disclosed Tuesday that it was delaying its BDP-HD1 Blu-ray disc player due to production issues. Originally scheduled for launch in June, the player is now not expected until sometime in the autumn. With the latest delay, it appears that only one set-top Blu-ray player made by Samsung will be available by the summer.

Pioneer additionally announced that it would end production of regular DVD players and only support the Blu-ray format. The move may be a dangerous gamble at this point, as neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD seems to be gaining much traction among consumers due to high costs and a fragmented market.