I almost hesitate to bring this news to the front, as the last time I suggested a cheap HD player by year end, it turned out to be a rumor. So you have been warned. In any case, Pioneer has announced a $300 Blu-ray drive for internal PC use, with the ability to read BD and write to regular DVDs and CDs. Included software will allow DRM content, assuming you have gone through all the hoops so that your hardware meets all the requirement.
This could be the start of mainstreaming HD hardware, but I would still hold off if you want HD for your computer. Given that laptops are steadily moving toward HD as the standard, we should see these things under $100 in a reasonable amount of time. I still don't see this becoming popular, but it will still be what we all have in a few years, whether we use it or not.
Submitted by: GristyMcFisty
