Scheduled to be released in summer 2006, Blu-ray high-definition DVD players from Pioneer, Panasonic and Samsung set forth to conquer the world of video. Though initial models that were estimated at selling between $1000 and $1800 were deemed pricey, that did not last long as competition from HD-DVD and more manufacturers geared up.

HDTV sets with the newer, potentially sharper, 1080p resolution were on their heels, coming out over the same time frame. And sales of the players were predicted to help drive those of the sets and vice-versa.

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