DailyTech - Toshiba Drops HD DVD Player Price to $299

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Hardware Toshiba Drops HD DVD Player Price to $299
Marcus Yam (Blog) - July 2, 2007 5:29 AM

36 comment(s) - last by bozilla.. on Jul 4 at 8:03 AM

Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player

Toshiba selling standalone HD DVD player for under $300

One of the biggest divides between high-definition and standard definition movies is the price of the machines required to play them. While DVD players on the market today are incredibly affordable, high definition players are rapidly dropping in price.

As if July 1, Toshiba is permanently reducing the suggested price of its entry-level HD-A2 to $299 and its mid-range HD-A20 to $399, reports Video Business. The top-tier HD-XA2, however, will remain at $799.

“We know that price is a powerful driver for consumers to adopt new technology,” said Jodi Sally, VP of marketing at Toshiba America Consumer Products.

Ken Graffeo, executive VP of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, also echoed those statements, saying that price is the biggest motivating factor for consumers when it comes to buying a player.

The Toshiba HD-A2 and HD-A20 machines were previously available at those price points, but only after a now-expired $100 rebate. On top of the new pricing, Toshiba is offering five-free movies on all new player purchases until July 31.

On the other side of the high-def format war, the Blu-ray Disc camp has also been dropping prices and offering incentives. Sony dropped the price of its BDP-S300 to $499, and is also offering five free movies with all new Blu-ray players, including the PlayStation 3.

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bah

By mdogs444 on 7/2/2007 8:26:56 AM , Rating: 2

Im quite happy with my regular Philips DVD player that also plays Divx movies.

Until I can get a nice 42"+ 1080P LCD for under $900, and an HD-DVD/BD-DVD Combo for under $100, im going to lay off. No need to rush on 1st/2nd gen technology. Wait till the prices stumble from overproduction & under-demand, as well as till they work out all the kinks and Bd/HD movies start going on sale for $5.99-$9.99 each week at CC/BB.

RE: bah

By luhar49 on 7/2/2007 9:14:46 AM , Rating: 2

If all customers think like this, there will be no innovation and we would be stuck watching black and white VHS tapes.

I am a happy "early" adopter of High Definiton and enjoy every moment of it. Worth every penny I paid for it.

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RE: bah

By phatboye on 7/2/2007 9:26:55 AM , Rating: 2

It's customers who think like you which is why we are in the current state that we are in today. Had no one bought into that BD/HDDVD crap both Sony and Toshiba would have been forced to make a universal format. Instead people like you continue to buy into this pos dual format BS and now we the consumer are forced to choose sides.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against early adopters at all. But I do wish people wouldn't buy into BD or HDDVD cause it's only making matters worse.

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RE: bah

By masher2

(blog) on 7/2/2007 11:49:01 AM , Rating: 4

> "I do wish people wouldn't buy into BD or HDDVD cause it's only making matters worse."

Had no one bought HD-DVD or BD, manufacturers would have (quite rightly) concluded there was little to no appetite for HD films, and impetus would have died entirely for at least five, if not ten more years.

As it stands now, in another year or two, we'll have dual-format players selling cheaply, this format 'war' will die without a peep, and early adopters will have driven prices down to the point where the average consumer is now showing interest.

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RE: bah

By theapparition on 7/2/2007 12:11:36 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Had no one bought HD-DVD or BD, manufacturers would have (quite rightly) concluded there was little to no appetite for HD films, and impetus would have died entirely for at least five, if not ten more years.

While your conclusion is appropriate for many products/industries, I don't think it's valid in this case (that HD medium would be 5-10years out without early adopter support). The main driving point is the switch-over to digital and HD signals. With the mass markeet purchase of new HDTV's will come the need to playback and record HD content. So the change is coming, consumers will demand it. It just hasn't happend yet.

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RE: bah

By BMFPitt on 7/2/2007 1:10:08 PM , Rating: 2

I doubt that anyone will be going out and buying an HDTV because of the switchover. If you're only getting TV from OTA signals, it's not likely that you're going to go out and spend that kind of money on a new set.

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RE: bah

By phatboye on 7/3/2007 12:56:51 AM , Rating: 1

I highly doubt that would have happened, i'm pretty sure they would have come to their senses and released a universal format.

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RE: bah

By geddarkstorm on 7/3/2007 5:51:41 PM , Rating: 2

No, Masher is right. If no customers bought into the HD formats, then the industry would have said "screw it" till a later time, not tried to make a "universal" format. Nor is it bad there are multiple formats! What is wrong with multiple formats? Nothing in the least. Both are simply different ways of doing the same thing, each with their pros and cons. That the market gets the choice to choose which media would be best for it is a great thing. That the market benefits from lower prices and better quality because both groups of businesses want to have their format adopted is also a great thing for us.

I don't know why you hate the fact there are choices out there for you. If a person would rather be spoon fed their technology, fine, but I only see advantages for us all. There are alternative formats for all roles of technology out there--there are many DVD formats too (and CDs even. Look up the different specification books, like Red and Blue, to find out what the different CD types are. Mostly dealing with Audio CDs verses Data CDs and so forth), if you didn't know. Masher is totally right, once players come out that can do both, as was the eventual case for all the DVD formats, then the issue will be moot.

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RE: bah

By mdogs444 on 7/2/2007 1:13:17 PM , Rating: 2

Dont get me wrong, i love HD. I have a 37" 1080i LCD Tv, and digital HD cable box from Time Warner. I get probably 15-20 HD channels, which are great quality, but I get them for an additional $5/mo on my already $85/mo Cable bill (includes DVR, High Sp Net).

$5/mo for 15 HD channels & $50 for an upscale 1080i (also there are 1080p) DVD player is great. I would love an HD/BD Standalone player, but im going to just open my pocketbook to these people. Its just something new, like everything else when it first comes out. They charge outrageous prices, why - not because it really costs that much to make, but because people who are obsessed with having the latest and greatest will pay for it! More power to them. Someone can pay $1000 for that HD/BD combo player today, and ill wait till next year when i can buy 10 of them for that price.

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RE: bah

By bryanW1995 on 7/3/2007 2:36:43 AM , Rating: 2

what tv do you have now?

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RE: bah

By mdogs444 on 7/3/2007 11:01:31 AM , Rating: 2

I have the 37" 1080i Westinghouse LCD. HDMI input from the 1080i upscale Philips 5960 Divx playing DVD player.

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Price cuts

By nayy on 7/2/2007 9:51:47 AM , Rating: 3

I hate the format war as much as anyone else, but it certainly has helped to lower the prices quickly, of course that prices would have come down eventually, but not as fast. With single standard companies know people are going to migrate sooner or later, there is no pressure other than sales targets, but with to competing standards if you don’t grab some serious market share quickly you run the risk of being left out of a very profitable business and all that R&D investment goes to waste.
I just wish this will end soon.
I can imagine Toshiba admitting defeat in a by the end of 2008 if it where the case, but Sony is to proud, even if they get whipped out they are going to continue pushing BR for a long time.

RE: Price cuts

By steven975 on 7/2/2007 12:43:13 PM , Rating: 1

HD-DVD is gaining market share, so don't count them out.

Blu-Ray got it's lead from the PS3 launch, but PS3s don't sell well now and most are not used as movie players. Basically, the momentum on Blu-Ray has fizzled.

HD-DVD, with the low prices, increased their INCEPTION TO DATE player sales by 50% in six weeks. These things sell EXTREMELY well. Best Buy in my area can't keep them in stock. I think the disc sales for each format is around 60 BD/40 HD now from inception.

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RE: Price cuts

By corduroygt on 7/2/2007 2:09:25 PM , Rating: 3

It has been losing market share to Blu-Ray continuosly since the PS3 launch. The lastest Nielsen sales figures are 70:30 blu-ray.

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Yup I'm staying out until I can get a combo drive

By Chudilo on 7/2/2007 10:49:59 AM , Rating: 4

Without a combo drive, buying either one will lock you out of the other side. I'm staying out.
Let them get their act together. I'm not spending my money until I can be sure that I'm not getting screwed.

RE: Yup I'm staying out until I can get a combo drive

By steven975 on 7/2/2007 12:39:35 PM , Rating: 2

$300 isn't a lot to invest. Plus, even that cheapest HD-DVD player is an excellent DVD player with great upscaling.

Of course, it's no HD-XA2, the king of high-def players.

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close but no cigar

By Gul Westfale on 7/2/2007 7:45:44 AM , Rating: 2

the price drop is nice, but i'm still not buying one of these things until i can get a decent HD/blu-ray combo player for $300. otherwise, with a single format, there's always a chance that you get stuck with next year's version of betamax...

RE: close but no cigar

By phatboye on 7/2/07, Rating: -1

RE: close but no cigar

By phatboye on 7/2/07, Rating: 0

RE: close but no cigar

By BMFPitt on 7/2/2007 1:39:10 PM , Rating: 2

I would bite on the $300 price point if the 5 free movies included 5 titles that I would want to buy anyway. I think I'm going to hang on for $150 or $200.

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RE: close but no cigar

By Shawn on 7/2/2007 2:04:20 PM , Rating: 2

I got in on the $199.99 deal/price mistake and I am so happy that I did. I love this player. Even if HD DVD loses the format war I'll still be able to play my current HD DVDs including Planet Earth and it is also a great upconverting DVD player so I can continue to use it for that.

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Great price

By tk109 on 7/2/2007 11:41:30 AM , Rating: 2

Toshiba sold 70,000 players during the promotion they just had. The HD-DVD players were the number one sellers on Amazon (even outselling DVD players). With this permanent price drop this should keep them rolling right along.

RE: Great price

By BladeVenom on 7/2/2007 1:45:38 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Amazon.com will begin selling high-definition independent films in the HD DVD format through its on-demand DVD printing service, the company said on Sunday.

The company said it would waive processing fees for the first 1,000 films it accepts for production by its CustomFlix Labs subsidiary.

-NYT

That should help sell HD-DVD to film enthusiasts. That will be a huge boost to the number of titles available in high definition.

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What about the $279 HD-D2 model, it's identical in function!

By Alexvrb on 7/2/2007 10:56:02 PM , Rating: 2

They're got another HD-DVD model, the HD-D2. It's only $279, and it does everything the HD-A2 does. In fact, the Detailed Specs tab does not reveal any difference. It may be using a revised board or drive, but all the features and capabilities are there. Once the retailers adjust their prices, it is going to be very difficult to pass up an HD-DVD player. By Christmas prices may be even better - I forsee a lot of HD-DVD players under the Christmas tree this year!

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvd/product.asp?model=...

Great! but no sense in buying into it now

By Zensen on 7/3/2007 1:42:53 AM , Rating: 2

I don't actually agree that it was the consumers who urged for this to begin with. those who yearn for better tech and that inch of bit of better demanded it but the mainstream certainly dont care as much as, and like many of you are still quite happy with dvd recording. It is the likes of companies in the video and movie industry that have been pushing for these sorts of things.

It is companies that have chosen sides. HD DVD offers a compelling argument for region free movies whilst bd arent. Companies are choosing for whom would have have better security as well as many other things.

The view of the mainstream is to have some great but not overly expensive yet would like to have the knowledge that it wont be obsolete. Early adopters love all things shiny and don't seem to be fazed by the higher prices. There's nothign wrong with that because it is these people who iron out the bugs for us and give us an inkling of what these products are like.

DVD was a great step up from vcrs but obviously consumers need a lot more convincing and this price drop is a beginning.

It is after all an industry that is looking for more ways to make more money and keeping things away from pirates. the latter is very much left to be argumentative for another day.

PRIVATE STORES

By GlassHouse69 on 7/2/2007 2:27:33 PM , Rating: 1

note: if you buy the unit at a private non bestbuy/circuit city type of store, the rebate is still valid to be mailed in and the date of the ticket can easily be changed.

200 dollar hddvd player until end of summer.

whens blu ray going to 300?

Which is it?

By SunAngel on 7/2/07, Rating: -1

RE: Which is it?

By AlexWade on 7/2/2007 8:11:23 AM , Rating: 2

Neither. The Toshiba HD DVD consistently sells well on Amazon and other sites. It is Toshiba trying to overcome the PS3 effect and fast.

By the way, I saw the lower end player for sale one time at $199 at crutchfield.com. I almost pulled the trigger and bought it. $199 is a sweet deal. If HD DVD does go belly-up, you won't be out much.

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RE: Which is it?

By bob661 on 7/2/2007 9:47:05 AM , Rating: 2

It won't go belly up. There will be two formats and dual format players will become the norm. Sony's not going to give up and HD DVD players are too cheap to pass up.

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RE: Which is it?

By steven975 on 7/2/2007 12:37:36 PM , Rating: 1

plus HD-DVDs cost way less to make.

Studios care about money, nothing else.

When dual format players are the norm, they will go with what makes them more money, and that is HD-DVD. Well, everyone but Sony, I guess.

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RE: Which is it?

By corduroygt on 7/2/2007 2:11:17 PM , Rating: 4

Yeah BD's cost about $1 more to make...not a big difference. Please stop spreading the laserdisc, sorry HD-DVD FUD around here.

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RE: Which is it?

By Oregonian2 on 7/2/2007 3:05:38 PM , Rating: 2

Dollar a disk is significant when one is selling hundreds of millions to billions of them yearly (which would be the expected level eventually). Even niche DVD's can sell in the million copy sorts of numbers. That money would go to the bottom line.

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RE: Which is it?

By h0kiez on 7/2/2007 10:55:12 AM , Rating: 2

Not sure how competition leading to lower prices and manufacturers selling things making at a very small (if any) profit is bad for consumers and good for manufacturers.

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RE: Which is it?

By Shadowmaster625 on 7/2/2007 4:57:22 PM , Rating: 2

competition doesnt necessarily lead to low prices.

it sometimes leads to indecision which ends up raising prices.

You have to think about free market competition vs the kind of manipulation of the market we see going on here. Huge movie studios, conspiriing with hardware manufacturers to force the more expensive format onto the consumer. Hardware manufacturers spending billions subsidizing hardware to attempt to capture the market. Hardware manufacturers using naive gamers to subsidize one format over the other. It's not quite what I'd call totally free market economics. So, naturally it's not safe to assume that the laws of free markets will apply here!

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RE: Which is it?

By geddarkstorm on 7/3/2007 6:00:42 PM , Rating: 2

How is this different from any other scenario involving to alternate products that can get the same job done? There isn't manipulation going on here anymore than what always goes on. Nor does it lead to greater prices since the only way to get customers to buy their products is if their benefits to cost ratio is high enough. Moreover, with all this HD technology coming out, standard DVD technology has plummeted in price. How is that a bad thing? Everywhere you look, you only see gains from this. This is indeed free market economics, a text book case even!

The only danger is to those who buy the format that goes out the window--but dual format players will solve that and these players apparently are backwards compatible with DVD and CD, so it's more like buying a super DVD player then.

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RE: Which is it?

By bozilla on 7/4/2007 8:03:16 AM , Rating: 2

"competition doesnt necessarily lead to low prices.

it sometimes leads to indecision which ends up raising prices."

What a stupid statement. Do you actually remember how much were the initial HD players (both HD DVD and Blu-Ray). HD DVD were $600 the cheapest and Blu-Ray was over $1000. Now, due to the competiton we have $199 HD DVD add-ons, $150 HD DVD PC Drives, and $299 HD DVD standalone players.

You don't know what you're talking about.

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