Asda has dropped the price of its entry-level ONN DS-BD52 Blu-ray player in the run-up to Christmas.

The supermarket says Blu-ray is at a turning point, and about to overtake DVD as the primary digital film format: “The Blu-ray player has not experienced the meteoric rise that DVD players had over their VHS predecessors, largely due to the more subtle, though significant, difference in image quality between DVD and Blu-ray,” said the company.

But with HD TVs now common in many homes, the chain believes that Blu-ray’s superior sound and picture quality is about to fulfill its potential.

Wayne Steenson, vision expert at Asda, said: “More and more UK homes are now equipped to enjoy the full benefit of high-definition Blu-ray discs and we’re pleased to be offering Blu-ray players at the lowest price in the market.”

Asda is further pushing the format by cutting the cost of many Blu-ray titles, with some recent releases selling for less than £10.

The Asda ONN Blu-ray player is available now in larger Asda stores and from the company’s website.