Sony Bravia Z5500 TVs to launch in two waves

What a scandal: Sony's new Bravia Z5000 line is on sale already, but it still hasn't been tested by DigitalVersus!  Please accept our apologies--but it really isn't our fault: it's because Sony is launching these new products in two stages.

Sony 40Z5500	Sony 46Z5500	Sony 52Z5500
Jack in the Box Electrical  970.00  Multizone AV  977.00  Digitech Electronics  977.70  Beyond Television.co.uk  1096.90  Hiwayhifi.com  1099.95  Comet  1195.00  Compare prices	Digitech Electronics  1511.70  Electrical Discount UK  1512.00                  Compare prices	Pixmania.co.uk  1887.00  Multizone AV  1979.00  Hiwayhifi.com  1999.95              Compare prices

As far back as the start of May, some of these TVs arrived in Europe with no accompanying publicity.  We heard about them back then, but ever since, there's been no word.

Sony has just explained what's going on: the Z5500 will be launched in two waves.  They've been available in limited numbers in a small handful of stores since the beginning of the summer, but their official launch will come in September, when they will be much more widely available.

Will more competition lead to lower prices?  We certainly hope so ...