Cheaper Blu-ray players finally on the way?

Word is that the Blu-ray Disc Association is poised to license Blu-ray technology to almost a dozen Chinese electronics manufacturers—and that means budget (and by "budget," I mean south of $199) Blu-ray players could be on the horizon.

Engadget HD found a report claiming that the BDA will grant licenses to a total of 11 Chinese companies, which would allow them to crank out a flood of inexpensive Blu-ray players.

Now, would you actually want to buy a Blu-ray deck from a little-known or no-name manufacturer? Maybe, maybe not—but a flood of cheap players would (presumably) force Blu-ray prices to drop across the board, and it's about time.

Up to this point, the Blu-ray camp had only granted a handful of licenses to China-based companies, Engadget HD notes—and that's allowed big-name manufactures like Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony to keep Blu-ray prices in the $300-and-up range.

Indeed, Sony's last-generation BDP-S300 deck—which is still saddled with the old BD Profile 1.0 (we're now on Profile 2.0, which allows for Net-enabled features and picture-in-picture video commentaries)—is selling for a whopping $350 and up.

The story adds that we probably won't see Blu-ray players from Chinese companies until next year, so don't expect prices to drop just yet.

OK, Blu-ray holdouts—how low will BD prices have to go before you spring for a player?

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BDA granting 11 China-based manufacturers with Blu-ray licenses? [Engadget HD]