Toshiba HD DVD players at least $100 cheaper next month
Toshiba continues to be the main pusher of HD DVD hardware, and plans to maintain the format’s position of being more affordable than Blu-ray. On April 1, Toshiba will reduce the price of both of its second generation HD DVD players by at least $100, reports High-Def Digest.
As of next month, the Toshiba HD-A2 will be $399 and the higher-end HD-A20 will be $499. The top-of-the-line HD-XA2 will be $799, a $200 savings over the previous price.
Last month, Sony announced its own more affordable entry into Blu-ray movies. Coming this summer will be the Sony BDP-S300 at $599, which looks to be the successor to the current BDP-S1 at $999. Of course, the absolute cheapest way to play Blu-ray remains the 20GB PlayStation 3 at $499, if you can find one.
While high-definition players are becoming more affordable, the next-generation format war is still as confusing as ever for the consumer. The latest count has Blu-ray slightly edging HD DVD in terms of overall movie sales, though the recent numbers may be skewed in due to the greater number of new releases in 2007 for Blu-ray.