Re: New list price on Toshiba HD DVD players?

dguisinger said,

Quote:
If the Bluray folks really thought the war was over, they wouldnt have come out with a similar 50% off movie deal after the HD DVD camp did.

The Blu ray camp is showing consumers that even with Warner backing their format there will be no changes as far as BOGOS. A nine page list, good job Blu ray. Now I'm seeing alot of Blu ray/Wal*mart commercials, what ever happened to the Mal*mart/Ventura brand HDDVD player?

All I know is this - I'm thrilled that I got a Toshiba HD-A3 for $139. I had officially given up on watching HD-DVDs on my Xbox 360 add-on because the Xbox is as loud as a small airplane when it runs, and movies were unbearable.

For $139, I now have a slim, QUIET player that upconverts and plays HD-DVDs, which is a format I still love, Warner Bros. and Blue-Ray be damned. The free movies are a clear plus as well. I may be thinking short term, but I hope to get years of enjoyment out of the player, and greatly appreciate not only the quality of the unit, but also the price when compared to other options currently available.

I purchased two players today. The HD-A3 and the HD-A30. Had to hit circuit City and Best Buy. They matched the Tiger Direct price for me on the HD-A3

Now I have ten free movies coming to me.

So you bought 2 HDDVD players? Why? Is one a gift?

Well, I have an HD-A2 and HD-A20, and when I noticed the price drop this morning I bought these two as back-ups.

I have a friends who is on the fence about HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, although he agrees the HD-DVD is the superior format... anyway his TV is 1080i so i will loan him the HD-A2 unit so he can see what it can do and if he digs it I will sell him the A2 for $100-$120 or maybe he will go out and grab one of the players for $149.00

I just wanted to make sure I have back-up players for my units in case they go bad. However, the 1080i model was taken out of the box tonight and installed in place of the HD-A2. The 1080p was put into storage. However, now I have 3 copies of 300 and 3 Bourne Identities...

eBAY!

The HD DVD players are selling fast. The A-3, A-30 and A-35 are all in the top 10 bestselling DVD players on Amazon. BB and CC are running low on them. People will always want a bargain, especially when the bargain happens to be the best available HD player in the market today.

I just bought an A-35. My neighbor did the same. Toshiba's Trojan Horse is low pricing on a superior and "working" product.

You're not a good friend. You should give your friend the player, you'll have 3 more. Did you put one in your nuclear bunker. Toshiba loves you. You'll probably single handely bring Warner back.

[Post edited by tony1569 on Jan 13, 2008]

Quote:
I think the biggest thing they could do to end it, is introduce a dual-format player at $150,
and sign both Universal and Paramount to a 10 year exclusive deal.

What I think is that they should sell a dual format player at around the same prices as standalone Blu-ray players and sell HD DVD players at the same price as upconverting players (perhaps just emphasizing that they are HD players, upconverting or HDM). I think this would have a more positive long term effect for HD DVD than just selling cheap dual format players.

The price reductions seem to be effective, this morning the A3 was #23 in all electronics (though #1 for DVD), right now it is at #15 in all electronics. The A30 had gone down in rank and was selling like at #7 in DVD, behind the a Blu-ray player. Now the A30 is at #2 in DVD, right after the A3. This is on Amazon, btw.

It looks like these new prices were being set in preparation for the following statement:

Quote:
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. 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.

Pretty powerful statement IMO and shows that Toshiba is in it for the long haul. I like the emphasis now on going after the mainstream market, giving equal consideration to upconversion as well as HDM - a true HD player as an entry level consumer will see it. A large percentage of consumer believe that an upconverting player is an HD player, and this gears HD DVD players right at that market. Emphasizing that they can play their existing DVD library in HD, but also have access to a large library of titles with both next generation capabilities and video truly optimized for HD. Basically I see it as a subtle shift in emphasis.

[Post edited by Blurry on Jan 14, 2008]

Blurry whoever ran Toshiba's advertising for the last year should have been fired. Where was all this information they are just now posting when people were choosing sides over the past year?? I think it's great that Toshiba is finally pushing the product, but it might be too little too late....I hope not.