Prices on HD DVD drives dropping dramatically
updated 04:40 pm EDT, Tue March 20, 2007
HD DVD player price drop
Without fanfare, prices on Toshiba's HD DVD drives have begun dropping dramatically, note members of AVS Forum. OneCall is cutting the prices of the HD-A2 and HD-A20 to $400 and $500 as of April 1st, while the HD-XA2 is now $800, a full $200 less than its normal MSRP. The price cuts are even more severe at Amazon, where the XA2 is a full $400 below MSRP. In all cases customers can use Toshiba's offer for five free movies.
The move is likely a response to the increasing success of Blu-Ray, which has been gaining ground since January, possibly as a result of Sony's Playstation 3 console. While owners of the Microsoft Xbox 360 can buy an HD DVD drive, PS3s feature Blu-Ray built-in, giving the technology an automatic installed user-base. Sony is the primary backer of Blu-Ray.
