Sony Introduces Cheaper Blu-ray Vaios

The Vaio NS and CS series can both be optioned with Blu-ray drives for around $1,000.

With the prices on standalone Blu-ray players finally starting to slowly tick backwards, Blu-ray drives in computers are beginning to follow. Sony introduced two cheaper Blu-ray equipped notebooks on Friday with the NS and CS series Vaios, which will sell for as low as $1,000 in Blu-ray-equipped form.

The two notebooks are primarily differentiated by their form factors: the NS gets a standard 15.4-inch screen while the CS gets a more compact 14.1-inch screen. Both have been tailored for high-def viewing with Xbrite-Eco LCDs, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and 4GB RAM in the Blu-ray configurations. They also get dedicated A/V modes  to cut down on the number of steps needed to get a movie playing or control playback.

Like the NR series that preceded both the NS and CS, Sony will market the new notebooks as fashionable budget machines. The NS will come in nightfall blue, silk white, and granite silver, while the CS will come in four glossy shades: sangria, cosmopolitan, dove and black.

The NS series will start at $650 and rise to $1,000 in its cheapest Blu-ray form, while the CS will start at $920 and leap to $1,070 with the player. Both will debut in retail stores and online this fall.