Toshiba not throwing the tower after all some might think its a fire sale offer but think again . Consider this as Toshiba's retaliation on BD's $500mil Warner hijack . Toshiba has officially reduced the MRSP prices of its HD DVD players as follows

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/12836/P...VD_Players.html

bhphotos.com ships to malaysia

ah ha, bhphotos.com further drops the prices for their HD DVD player

HD A3 = $119 (RM445+RM358 courier = RM803) at RM3.3 currency exchange rate
HD A30 = $149
HD A35 = $225



Now all i have to do is to wait for the new prices to reflect on bhphotos.com

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™ 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. ISome 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.

This post has been edited by g5sim: Feb 19 2008, 05:58 PM

wow .... 129 or 149 wow ???
but both also nice price ~ !!! look like we can have HD-DVD soon liao ~ hooray ~

depend on movie titles...

This post has been edited by justone: Jan 14 2008, 11:04 PM

soli soli - corrected $149 lah

I'll grab the A35 when the price dropped to USD199...maybe as an upconversion DVD player ....

wah lau ehhhhh. they really trowing the price.

Oh no. HD DVD made such a big boo boo. I highly doubt, slashing the price will bring them victory. Bluray also have a cheap player wut, the PS3. Everything being equal, HD DVD will still end up the loser. Big time.

i just waitng more bogo to come hahaha

yes, i will grab it too. hope someone will bulking this.

as upscaling DVD player ok la.. hehe!

remember to budget money to buy HD-DVD discs...

Now wait for the HD-DVD camp to slash the price of HD-DVD titles as well, then followed by price reduction for Blu-ray titles in retaliation . All out war !!!.

When Toshiba HD-DVD players are cheap enough, can buy both HD-DVD player and PS3 and enjoy best of both worlds .

This post has been edited by Ngto: Jan 15 2008, 10:30 AM

looking forward to that and hope not too long waiting ahhwhwhh

yawwnnn.....

I don't mind price war with blu-rays, get get more BOGO titles again then.. hehe!

anyway, with more HD-DVD standalone players sold before christmas period compared to Blu-ray standalone players (red boys say don't count PS3 sales mah) and still lose to blu-ray movie sales every week in 2007, makes one wonder, if many of these cheapo HD-DVD player owners actually afford to buy HD-dvd discs or not?

most of my fried who own ps3 relocate their buget to bd as not many games in ps3 for now.

ah ha. the new prices are reflected at bhphotos.com NOW. they ship to Malaysia

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/12836/P...VD_Players.html

finally.......

---

Added on January 16, 2008, 11:37 amA3 and 30 wats the main difference? both can decode DTS hdma internally?

This post has been edited by rx330: Jan 16 2008, 11:37 AM

so? rx u buying?

send to spore only rm 770 ler... sony upscaler aredi cost 499....
somemore no tax.... but i wan macbook air so much....and i dunno why i wan a hd dvd player for... cheap?

lust for HD movies, but at the same time dosent care which side winning

sheesh... so many things to buy, yet $$ so little...

yaya lucky i havent check my big sweep recently. who knows

hoepfully u kena, but confrim u tak kena jackpot

hahhahaha for me 2nd price good enought. jackport have to buang negeri

i dun think the A3 and A30 can do DTS HD MA internally. Only the A35 will decode it and send it out as bitstream. A35 = $299. Previously it was $499

err.. I tot if send out by player via bitstream means not yet decode internally? after decode (in player) become LPCM mah..

well @ least it can send out mar, A3 /30 cant even send out

Yup, that's what i thought. Now, I am confused

don't worry, HD-dvd fellas buy the low cost players for DVD upscaling only, no need to decode HD audio wan..

kekkekeke, buy hd dvd player for upscaling purposes

Whoa..... Damn Keng Chow! Now, I am turning into green eyes monster.

Dolby digital plus - considered hd audio n its mandatory even on the $149 A3 HD DVD player or even the china mari Venturer

Care to share more info on the China Mari punya Venturer? TIA

its basically a rebadged A3 - according to insider info. Toshiba gave away the reference design of the HD A3 to three main DVD player manufacturers in China. So expect more chinese players using the reference design to market their product beginning April 2008

hopefully, the Chinese mfg did not go for cost cutting exercise on the machine. However, I ll be on the BD camp 1st. If got moolah to spend, then HD-DVD.

If anything, just get those fire sale HD DVD player for upscaling purposes.

do wait for the cheaper complete 2.0 spec before jumping on the wagon, or else if you are interested in gaming too, the ps3 is by far the best choice - Sony can definitely upgrade the firmware to support BD profile 2.0

aikss.i foresee some one with possiblity to come over blu.....

let's see whether your prediction correct or not

studio support is never definitive in this early age of the format war (except for Sony Pictures) - any studio can flip anytime

---

Added on January 19, 2008, 11:07 pmand Opss - bhphotos sold out of A35 - they are restocking and is accepting orders now. The player had a massive $200 price reduction few days back

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jan 19 2008, 11:07 PM

one as in a single person....
@ least htkaki catch my drift.....

A35 eh.. the price dem nice on amazon

just get BD la.. no need prediction... build your software collection with the right format.. in the long run, supporting the wrong format will be more costly (due to buying the obsoleted original priced discs) than just tempted to getting a cheapest HD player..

But PS3 still can't decode DTS-HD even it can support profile 2.0 so it's more like a win - lose situation.

PS3 is a software player. A software player can easily be updated . better still wait for the 2.0 BD stanalone players to hit the street at $135. Anything more than that is a scam that should be avoided BY ALL COST

i think anything tat isnt free for u is a scam

i support your view

Well, I would be happier if I can get a Blu-Ray / HD-DVD combo player at USD135 with 7 free movies. That's a much sweeter deal to encourage me to abandon the dvd format for good.

everybody's wish

wow .. hope will get 1 around this year. found this about Samsung BD-UP5000

Yup, that's the one ...... my precious but then .......... Samsung blu-ray players have incompatibility issues with certain blu-ray movies and they're slow in releasing firmware updates so maybe you wait until your neck long long also you still can't play your blu-ray movies unless with a PS3. Not sure about hd-dvd though as Samsung never released a hd-dvd player before. This BD-UP5000 ain't cheap, should cost RM3K to RM4K but our Asian model is BD-UP5500, will be released in the middle of this year, it's Profile 1.1 ready but no mention of Profile 2.0 or DTS-HD onboard decoding.

that is the same prices as Sony's BD player - there was a full page ad for in TheSun on friday on Sony's two BD players

Well, I wouldn't spend a single buck on those BD players from Sony, overpriced and with old specs. PS3 is different, at least it's still a gaming console so if blu-ray failed like umds, we can still use it to play games, that's a safer investment. Of course, everyone here says that HD-DVD will be dead soon but the online petition to save the HD-DVD format has been encouraging thus far, guess that many people don't want Sony to monopoly the whole market with their blu-ray format. Some competition is still healthy.

Blu-ray format not only for Sony lar...
look at the list of their member which includes Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung, LG, Philips, Dell etc...
It just that Sony had a bigger role and the main force to push it because of the PS3 and they also have a movie studio making software for it....their stakes are higher....
To be frank, both format ultimate objective is $$$$$$ and the royalty that comes with it....Toshiba had it for SD DVD and they will never want to lose that for nexgen DVD software....Microsoft just wanna kacau only....

as usual, fark M$
*sorry g5sim

Sony's proprietary formats are often shortlived, betamax, minidisc, umd and who knows maybe blu-ray? It might start with a bang now but if other movie studios are not making good money by going hi-def, they might focus more on standard dvds instead. Of course, I don't wish that to happen because I'm starting to love hi-def movies now.

Don't worry, g5sim doesn't work for M$, he works for Toshiba.

u can say "Fark Toshiee too. see if i care

Do all think now is the time to buy HD or BD players? I mean the price is still kinda expensive and the technology has yet to stable, plus there aren;t a lot of choices in the market yet.

if there are combo players (HD & BD) price below RM2K, sure i'll go for it.

ar188, I told my fren to nego for a special price for 1 BD player meant for display purpose. If dapat good price, sapu balik. At the mean time, planning to buy PS3 after CNY (if the deal doesnt go thru)

Honestly, you shouldn't rush to get one if your main purpose is just to watch HD-DVD or BD only. For myself, I happened to own a PS3 and XBOX 360 so that's a different story as I'm also into gaming too.

Yup, I'll be the first to buy one provided it's problem free.

Why after CNY? Potong steam leh, should be on new year's eve mah.

kekekekek, i lap hi def

But I luv my money more.
Pricey hobby ler .......

yea, tat i agree.... wen ikea last weekend, wanted to buy one rack to put my bluray, but no place to put in my house

New prices on BhPhotos:

HD A3 = $128 (RM422+RM358 courier = RM780) at RM3.3 currency exchange rate
HD A30 = $165
HD A35 = $299

haha - buy the A3 now and pay only RM780 NETT - direct to your door step - no tax applicable as the player price is below RM500

Thot tax is based on total cost (incl. shipping).

Nope, they can't decode DTS-HD internally, just the DTS-Core track, only A35 can output DTS-HD (bitstream) via HDMI. RX 'sap yuk yuk' wanna buy one leh?

Sadly, no one here wanna bulk this player anymore.

wanna join if someone bulking this player

huh - not retail product value meh? need to check my Abercrombie invoice - will let you know

It should be total cost and shipping fees as well. Last time, they taxed me on both amount combined. Apalah, shipping fees pun kira.


Are you gonna volunteer to bulk the player for us?

No lah ... i mean, i would like to join, if you or g5sim or anyone else to bulk this player. sorry kalau buat u salah faham.

This post has been edited by tHeRiDdLeR: Jan 31 2008, 07:58 AM

g5sim 1st time buy things is it?

they tax u on the shiping as well
spore also the same
initially wanted to bullk with a fren, to save on shipping, but in the end, only realise will kena GST wen bulk, can only save rm 1 or usd 1 dollar nia... no point

im still waiting, see if string is bringing back an A3 for me, if not, then only i buy
if buy now my wife sure kill me.. and furthurmore im at a loss... my tv console has no more space liao

aiyo - cabut the PS3 cable lah

i mean the area placing the things lar.. hdmi input i still got one spare

No problem ...... misunderstanding aje. Well, I also hope got someone wanna bulk this player, initially we got one forumer doing the bulk but cancelled it due to lack of interest, maybe if we can gather a few more people, we can ask him again. With the current pricing, it's a steal. I don't have any lubang when it comes to customs clearance so I dare not order from US. Some people has connections one, can import things by paying minimal taxes (in other words, it's called duit kopi or duit rasuah.)

RX just like me, neutral punya, supports both formats. Not sure, RX got support EVD or not? Hahaha.


Can stack on top of each other mah if no place but don't stack on top of the Onkyo lah.

can the HD DVD player play CH DVD disc ar....
next time sure a lot of CH DVD come out one

This post has been edited by mpyw: Feb 1 2008, 12:59 PM

kenot stack aredi, currently stacking rotel CD player with astro decoder and tvix player

Itu CH DVD, ar? Sadly, cannot ler ..... if can play, Toshiba sure marah-marah Microsoft one.

You can sell the Rotel cd and use the PS3 to play audio cds.

tak mau lar... the ps3 torublesome, and have to bukak tv

rotel can display in front, easier for my wife to navigate
somemore tis rotel got history one

I use my DVD player to play CD

A35 also cheap. Too bad that it is HD-DVD.

A35 an do HBR......

maybe that's why it's cheap... stock clearance? hehe!

I use my dvd player to listen to mp3s and to view my photo cds. Hahaha.

Don't forget, all the good movies are from Paramount and Universal, plus Toshiba hd-dvd players are cheap and doesn't have the problematic profile problems that put some of the first generation blu-ray players obsolete for good. I'm neutral even though I buy blu-ray movies.

anjua? anybody else gettin one?

How to get one wor?
Any suggestions?

sure boh, you mean the other studios releasing 500titles on bluray now don't produce even a single good movie?

---

Added on February 2, 2008, 11:33 amwhy are you wasting more money on this la.. just get Popcornhour first..

This post has been edited by ar188: Feb 2 2008, 11:33 AM

anjua? kenot ar?
cos i dun have an upscaler mah

oh...that's so 2006..

If there's a bulk, I'd be interested too. BTW, what's CH DVD???

China HD DVD - additional chinese video codec included in the list

You're too sensitive lah, I'm not talking about blu-ray movies here but at least I'm enjoying the current movies out for hd-dvd, Transformers, Fast And Furious, Van Helsing, Face Off, etc. Toshiba hd-dvd players are affordable, who wouldn't want one, better than spending a few times more on a dedicated blu-ray player (not PS3).

Both formats have their pros and cons but I can see that Toshiba's format is much more stable and have less hardware problems which is an added plus. PQ and SQ wise, I guess nobody will say that hd-dvd is inferior to blu-ray. Just some greedy movie studios will hope here or there if given some candies under the table.


Can, can, why not?

if full spec 2.0 stand bd players are selling at $127 (well known brand) i will resign as an HD DVD advocate