Toshiba cuts HD-DVD player prices

[dugpa]

God, they just don't get it. They can throw out all the cheap players they want, but if there's nothing to watch on it, what's the point? And improving the marking now is a little too late. Maybe if they did this a year ago they wouldn't be in the situation they are now. How do these people stay in business?
Anyway, new MSRP are HD-A3 for $149.99, the HD-A30 for $199.99 and the HD-A35 for $299.99.

Toshiba Deploys New HD DVD Marketing Initiatives Based on Strong Fourth Quarter Unit Sales



Mass Market Acceptance Confirms that HD DVD is the Consumer's Choice for
Next Generation High Def Entertainment

WAYNE, N.J., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Consumer Products,
L.L.C. ("Toshiba") today announced that it is stepping up its successful
marketing campaign for HD DVD as it experienced record-breaking unit sales
in the fourth quarter of 2007. Major initiatives, including joint
advertising campaigns with studios and extended pricing strategies will
begin in mid- January and are designed to spotlight the superior benefits
of HD DVD as well as the benefits HD DVD brings to a consumer's current DVD
library by upconverting standard DVDs via the HDMI(TM) output to near high
definition picture quality.

As Toshiba achieved the #1 sales volume in the next generation DVD
category with an approximately 50 percent market share in 2007, HD DVD is
proven to be the format of choice for consumers. Coupled with an 80 percent
plus market share of all next generation DVD equipped notebooks for the 4th
quarter 2007, the HD DVD format has already paved the way to a high
definition digital AV solution by eliminating the boundaries between the
consumer's living room and on the go.

HD DVD not only creates the ultimate high definition entertainment
experience, leveraging all of the promise of the format such as superior
audio/video performance, Web-enabled network capabilities and advanced
interactive features - it also has a high-level of compatibility with DVD.
With DVD upconversion via the HDMI output, HD DVD players instantly make a
movie lover's existing DVD library look better than ever.

"HD DVD is the best way to watch movies in high definition," said Jodi
Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba's Digital A/V Group. "Our HD
DVD players not only play back approximately 800 HD DVD titles available
worldwide and deliver an entirely new level of entertainment but also
enhance the picture quality to near high definition on legacy DVD titles by
all studios. In short, we added high def to DVD which already is the de
facto standard format created and approved by the DVD Forum that consists
of more than two hundred companies."

New Marketing Strategy for Mass Market Adoption

Taking the holiday season sales based on promotional prices into full
consideration, these new manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) are
designed to meet the potential demand for HD DVD players in the U.S.
market. Effective on January 13, 2008 the MSRP of the entry-model HD-A3
will be $149.99, the HD-A30, with 1080p output, $199.99, and the high-end
HD-A35, $299.99.

"While price is one of the consideration elements for the early
adopter, it is a deal-breaker for the mainstream consumer," said Yoshi
Uchiyama, Group Vice President Digital A/V Group. "Consumer sales this
holiday season have proven that the consumer awareness of the HD DVD format
has been elevated and pricing is the most critical determinant in
consumers' purchase decision of

the next generation HD DVD technology. The value HD DVD provides to the
consumer simply cannot be ignored."

Extended Advertising Campaign

Toshiba plans to execute an extended advertising campaign that will
further enhance consumer awareness of the benefits of HD DVD and drive
sales to retail among potential consumers. Advertising strategies will
include television, print and online media channels. Toshiba will also work
with its dealers and studio partners on joint marketing and promotional
initiatives to promote HD DVD. Current promotions include "The Perfect HD
Offer" - a mail-in offer allowing consumers to select five HD DVD titles
for free from a selection of 15 with the purchase of any Toshiba HD DVD
player.

Consistent Viewing Experience and More

With advanced interactivity and Web-enabled network capabilities built
into every HD DVD player through a dedicated Ethernet port as mandated by
the specifications approved by the DVD Forum, Toshiba delivers on the
promise of a consistent entertainment experience through firmware updates
as studios launch new applications. HD DVD allows studios to flex their
creative muscle in ways never before seen. The latest of these new
experiences is online streaming. Now, when consumers connect their HD DVD
player to the Internet, they can stream new content or trailers, as
available, directly from a movie studio's server.

Universal Home Video, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG
have reported that an average of 30 percent of HD DVD owners have accessed
Web- enabled network features and continue to do so regularly.

Ongoing Customer Commitment

In order to ensure that its customers will receive complete
satisfaction from their new players, Toshiba introduced the "HD DVD
Concierge" earlier this month. Consumers can now call 1-888-MY HDDVD
(1-888-694-3383) for answers to general questions about HD DVD, for
operational assistance or for assistance with various promotions.

About Toshiba HD DVD Players

With the HD DVD format, select HD DVD players allow consumers to
experience true high def 1080p for extraordinary resolution that matches
the latest state of the art 1080p HDTVs. These same players display images
at 24 frames per second, the same frame rate used by directors when using
film to create motion pictures, for a smoother, more film-like, viewing
experience.

Important Notes:

HD DVD with high-definition content required for HD viewing. Up-
conversion of DVD content will result in near HD picture quality. Viewing
high-definition content and up-converting DVD content may require an HDCP
capable DVI or HDMI input on your display device. 1080p capable display
required for viewing content in 1080p. Firmware update may be required for
some interactive features depending on content, which may also require an
always-on broadband internet connection. Some features may require
additional bandwidth. To take advantage of web-enabled network content,
installing the latest firmware (ver.2.4 for HD DVD player models HD-XA1,
HD-A1, and HD-D1; ver.2.7 for HD-XA2, HD-A2, HD-A2W, HD-D2, HD-A2C, and
HD-A20; and ver.1.3 for HD-A35, HD-A30, and HD-A3) is required. Web-enabled
network features require an always on broadband connection along with
specific movie titles that include this form of content. For 24p output,
content that was created in 1080p/24 frames/sec is required. Viewing 24p
output requires an HD display capable of accepting a 1080p/24Hz signal. Use
of REGZA Link, which is a feature based on HDMI-CEC, requires an HDMI-CEC
compatible display device. Depending on the specifications of your TV, some
or all REGZA Link functions may not work even if your TV is HDMI-CEC
compatible. Dolby(R) Digital Plus, Dolby(R) TrueHD and DTS(R) support for
up to 5.1 channels (DTS HD(R) support for DTS(R) core only). MP3/WMA audio
files not supported. HDMI audio output requires connection to a PCM capable
device. Because HD DVD is a new format that makes use of new technologies,
certain disc, digital connection and other compatibility and/or performance
issues are possible. This may, in rare cases, include disc freezing while
accessing certain disc features or functions, or certain parts of the disc
not playing back or operating as fully intended. If you experience such
issues, please refer to the FAQ sections of http://www.toshibahddvd.com or
http://www.tacp.toshiba.com for information on possible work- around solutions or
the availability of firmware updates that may resolve your problem, or
contact Toshiba Customer Solutions. Some features subject to delayed
availability. While every effort has been made at the time of publication
to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product
specifications, configurations, system/component/options availability are
all subject to change without notice.

About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is owned by Toshiba America,
Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high
technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba is a pioneer in HD
DVD, DVD and DVD Recorder technology and a leading manufacturer of a full
line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TV, combination
products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is
headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. For additional information, please
visit http://www.tacp.toshiba.com.

[biglyle]

Originally Posted by dugpa

God, they just don't get it. They can throw out all the cheap players they want, but if there's nothing to watch on it, what's the point? And improving the marking now is a little too late. Maybe if they did this a year ago they wouldn't be in the situation they are now. How do these people stay in business?

Heads really need to roll at Toshiba imo. This just screams fire sale "please help us clear our inventory". Too little, too late.

[Sehnzeleid]

Granted though, these new MSRPs are the usual "online price" of these models for awhile now...

[dugpa]

Which means the online price should be even lower now.

It's the marketing people who's heads need to roll the most. They just completely dropped the ball. This weekend I was catching up on watching stuff off my DVR, most of which was off HD-Net. After every single program there was an add for blu-ray, showing clips of the Pirates films and Spider-man films and others in HD, pushing the format. It's been like for most of last year as well. Where was hd-dvd with that kind of push? Yeah, every now and then I saw their boring ad with that Sopranos guy droning on about how much he likes his hd-dvd player. But that was maybe once in a while. Blu-ray marketed the hell out of their format. HD-DVD almost deserves to die just because of Toshiba's poor support.

[Sehnzeleid]

Originally Posted by dugpa

Which means the online price should be even lower now.

...and they are, looking at Amazon.

3 weeks ago:

A3: $198
A30: $232
A35: $312

Today:

A3: $135
A30: $175
A35: $280

[ganthc]

Wow, those are pretty low. Perhaps the strategy remains that lots of players buying just Universal and Paramount titles will show that hd-dvd can compete and win back Warner. It's hard to see that working. I agree with dugpa. The Q4 push was too little, too late. It needed to happen since the start of 2007 when hd-dvd had the momentum.

[limacharliewhiskey]

I'd been looking to getting an upconverting player for the past few months, but just haven't yet. With prices these low and not much more than upconverters, I might just get the A3 since my TV is 1080i. I think I paid $130 for my current DVD player back in 2002.

Don't know if I'll get any HD-DVDs yet, might pick some up for cheap on eBay.

[Ruined]

IMO its just a way to move stock before the players are seen as paperweights.

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Ruined

IMO its just a way to move stock before the players are seen as paperweights.

If that was all they were doing they wouldn't be ramping up their marketing effort that much.

[biglyle]

The thing that gets me is that they are in essence competing against themselves. They just released a new upconverting DVD player at CES with a picture "as good as HD", and now drop the prices of these into that same range. Seems they are cutting their own throats more than Sony who already has the majority of studio support and media BUZZ. Whats the point?

[Sehnzeleid]

Originally Posted by Ruined

IMO its just a way to move stock before the players are seen as paperweights.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by dugpa

If that was all they were doing they wouldn't be ramping up their marketing effort that much.

What good will marketing do with no content to back it up? 2 studios (1 of which underproduces) = fail.

And going by the press release, it looks like they are focusing more on the upconverting abilities of these players as opposed to their ability to play HD DVDs.

I say its a way to move players, but even if they move players I don't see how that is going to change public perception.

[powerknowledge]

Originally Posted by Sehnzeleid

Oh my god, I had that exact same LD player! I sold it to upgrade to the DVL-919 DVD/LD combo player: a dual-format paperweight that should be calling out a ghostly warning right now...

[bloodstainedwings]

Would this new pricing effect the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Add-on?? I am not planning on getting one, as I don't even have an HD TV I am just curious is all.

Thanks
BSW

[supercutz]

found this:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/...leID=205604607

In a nutshell the article suggests that Toshiba might be prolonging the HD format war in the hopes of a quick payout from Sony.

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by bloodstainedwings

Would this new pricing effect the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Add-on?? I am not planning on getting one, as I don't even have an HD TV I am just curious is all.

Nope. This only effects Toshiba productions. The pricing on the Xbox is up to Microsoft.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by dugpa

Nope. This only effects Toshiba productions. The pricing on the Xbox is up to Microsoft.

It appears Microsoft has little interest in the war, so I don't expect dramatic cuts from them.

[Mikado]

Originally Posted by dugpa

Yeah, every now and then I saw their boring ad with that Sopranos guy droning on about how much he likes his hd-dvd player.

It cracks me up that he calls himself a director. All I can think about is him directing Cleaver on the show.

[Iguana Man]

Question: Are there any upconverting players out there that beat these prices right now?

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Question: Are there any upconverting players out there that beat these prices right now?

Most upconverters I see at places like Best Buy range from $50-100. When I see the A3 at $135, I think it's not a bad idea to spend an extra few bucks to get the HD-DVD player.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by limacharliewhiskey

Most upconverters I see at places like Best Buy range from $50-100. When I see the A3 at $135, I think it's not a bad idea to spend an extra few bucks to get the HD-DVD player.

Thanks, and I should have stated my question better. I'm wondering if these firesale prices make these players the BEST upcon players out there now for the money.

[sub780lime]

Most upconverts to 1080p are right around $100. If I could upgrade to a 1080p player, A30 for $100, I might just do it.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Thanks, and I should have stated my question better. I'm wondering if these firesale prices make these players the BEST upcon players out there now for the money.

Yes.

[chlngr1970]

By the looks of it, this isn't so much a fire sale as an attempt to flood the market in the hope that studios will see a market thay can not ignore. I hope it works, but I'm not holding to much hope

j

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by chlngr1970

By the looks of it, this isn't so much a fire sale as an attempt to flood the market in the hope that studios will see a market thay can not ignore. I hope it works, but I'm not holding to much hope

j

If the best upcons out there are now $150, I guess I don't care what I may have mistakenly called it!