Following a week of shock studio departures from the HD-DVD camp, significantly bolstering the position of Sony’s rival Blu-ray format in the process, consumer electronics giant Toshiba is seemingly turning to is mainstay source of market reliability - its consumers.
Specifically, although HD-DVD has recently lost Warner Bros, New Line Home Entertainment, and HBO Home Video, prices of its third generation 1080i HD-A3 player have dropped to just below $140 USD via online retailer Amazon.com. Similarly, the 1080p HD-A30 is now priced at a little under $180 USD.
Other reports currently popping up online indicate that various other retailers are also dropping the prices of their HD-DVD hardware, with the likes of Tiger Direct and Costco selling the HD-A3 for under $130 USD, while the HD-A30 is selling for $180 USD.
Despite the obvious HD consumer benefits, this latest round of price cuts may well be interpreted as desperation in light of several notable studio defections - not to mention persistent rumours that remaining HD-DVD backers Paramount and Universal are also considering a shift to Blu-ray.
Toshiba’s move to further distance the pricing of its HD hardware from its Blu-ray counterparts comes not long after it dropped its second generation HD-A2 to below the ‘magic’ sub-$100 USD mark back in November of 2007.
Furthermore, the new $180 USD price point of the HD-A30 brings the 1080p player in line with the standalone HD-DVD unit available for Xbox 360 users.
glrJan 14th, 2008 - 15:00:11
They are really desperate now! I think this is a sign that they are conceeding victory and are simply trying to minimize their lost by selling the existing units as fast as they can...
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