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.

By Electronista Staff