Blu-ray finally killed off the HD DVD format early this year meaning that many were expecting to see Blu-ray players drop in price quickly. That didn’t really materialize with Blu-ray players staying at levels about the same as before HD DVD died. At least one Blu-ray player has finally come down into the reach of most consumers.

Sherwood has announced a new Blu-ray player called the BDP-5003 that retails for $299.95 and offers upscaling, 1080p resolution and video playback at both 60Hz and 24Hz. The player is fully compatible with HDMI 1.3 and supports Dolby TruHD and DTS-Master Audio HD.

Other supported features include BD Bonus View profile 1.1. This is all fine and good, but the PS3 is still one of the best Blu-ray players on the market thanks to its ability to add Blu-ray features via updates. Still, the 80GB PS3 retails for $399 making it about $100 more than the Sherwood player. Movie fans looking to step into Blu-ray on the cheap may find the BDP-5003 to be the best way to do so.

Sherwood