Toshiba Slashes HD DVD Player Prices

January 14, 2008 By Nick Mokey

The company will give the HD DVD format one last hurrah with players cut to half of what they retailed for just months ago.

Despite widespread predictions of doom for the HD DVD fomat following the defection of Warner Bros. Studios to Blu-ray, Toshiba is doing its best to keep the format alive by appealing to consumers with the one tactic they (seemingly) can’t resist: slashed prices. The company announced on Monday that it will begin “extended pricing strategies” in mid-January, the likes of which are already being spotted at online retailers.

Toshiba’s new HD-A3 player, which retailers only recently cleared shelves for before the holidays, debuted with an MSRP of $299.99, but that figure has recently been dropped down to $149.99. Retailers such as Amazon and Tiger Direct have cut prices even further below list, offering the player for $134.98 and $129.99, respectively. The pricier HD-A30 model with full 1080p resolution has dropped to a list price of $199.99, from an original price of $399.99 just back in September.

Meanwhile, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and Sharp all have entry level Blu-ray players priced at $499.99. While retailer discounts drop this price into the mid-$300 level, HD DVD will still have the upper hand in affordability for the time being. Whether or not it will be enough to save the format remains to be seen.

Showing 9 comments

Eel at 6:49pm 21st January 2008 It does seem like desperate move, but a smart one at this juncture. Time will tell if the gambit works.

Still, if you need a player TODAY, there's no question that the HD is the better player at a better price. I don't plan on building a collection of HDDVDs so there's no addition investment costs. And like another poster mentioned, what's a better deal, an upconverting DVD player for more $ or the HD-A3?

No brainer.
The_Omega_Man at 10:04pm 20th January 2008 Geez! There are over 400+ HD movie titles available in the US today! There are more in Europe and the rest of the world! In Fact many Blu-Ray only titles are available for import. What is it with the Blu-Ray folks that think that there is no support for HD DVD anymore! When in-fact there was more total studio support for HD DVD than for Blu-Ray before the Warner/New Line/HBO defections!

Geez, get over it already! Plus you can play all of the DVDs out there and up convert them very well!

Brilliant first move Toshiba!
The_Omega_Man at 10:04pm 20th January 2008 Hmm let me see, High quality up-converting DVD player for $150 to $179 or HD DVD player for $149 with excellent up-converting capability, real HD DVD disc playback capability and WORKING today, Internet and disc based interactivity! 1080i, HDMI, 5.1 surround sound with advanced Video and Audio codec support plus PiP support with over 400 HD DVD titles available today? HMMM, Seems like a, "No brainer," to me!
GjP at 8:40am 19th January 2008 What most consumers fail to remember is that although this intial investment of $150 to $200 sounds like a bargain, they will stil have to pony up for the HD-D movies. And at over $20 a pop that's no bargain when you want to own more than a few.

I have been sitting back and waiting to dive into the waters of Blu-Ray or HD-D. I believe the muddy waters are beginning to clear. My money is going for the obvious one that floats.

I can tell you that I never owned an 8 Track Player...lol
Jake in LA at 2:30pm 15th January 2008 HD-DVD is Sooooo yesterday after CES's meltdown from VP Jodi. This is an act of desperation. If I had wherehouses of beta's, I would be slashing prices as well.
Mike at 12:05am 15th January 2008 HD-DVD can lose all the major studios and still establish a market for itself. It's called movie piracy. China's already got a significant black market of ripped Blu-ray movies burned onto HD-DVD discs, which is fueling demand there for HD-DVD players.

Heavy promotion of HD-DVD writers will create the same market here, especially if $100 players are readily available. This will force movie studios to make a decision in supporting the format or bear the loss of sales due to piracy. This will impact SD DVD sales too, since I couldn't imagine many people will buy a DVD version of a movie they just pirated in HD. Some of these pirates may also be people who would have bought legitimate copies of movies, but the HD-DVD format wasn't supported. They just refuse to pay $400+ for a movie player.
Ari at 9:36pm 14th January 2008 Scott, please pass me whatever you are smoking. HD DVD does not stand a chance now. There will be very little content to watch on it. They are trying to recoup what money they can buy selling these players cheaply.
scott at 6:44pm 14th January 2008 I don't think they are clearing stock, I think this is a VERY intelligent move on Toshiba's part. This will move 100's of thousands of units over a few months. Look at it this way, an OPPO upconverting 1080p DVD player is about $200. For the same price you can get a true 1080p HD DVD/DVD upconverting player. The choice is simple. Not to mention the HD-A3 will eventually retail for $99, within a month or two we should see that price. You have nothing to lose at these prices, end of story.
Simon at 9:34am 14th January 2008 Do not be tempted folks, this is Toshibas way of clearing out all their players before they close the HD DVD shop.