HD-DVD players 98.00 usd

[Joe Carney]

Tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. Wally World is having a one day sale, marking down the Toshiba HD-DVD player from 199.00 to 98.00. And selling various HD-DVD titles at 14.99 each.
According to Wal Marts web site, there are at least 10 players per store.
Which means they will be sold out in 2.5 minutes.

Guess they will be selling the player as a loss leader but make it up in HD-DVD sales.

[Greg M]

Best Buy is also matching the price

[Tom Lowe]

Only problem is, this player does not do 1080p, only 1080i, as far as I know.

[jbeale]

http://holiday.ri-walmart.com/?section=secret&utm_source=Walmartcom&utm_medium=POV1&utm_content=secret1&utm_campaign=holiday&povid=cat14503-env15844-module117144-lLink1

The Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD does up to 1080i. What I didn't realize before is that (apparently) 1080i at 59.94 fields per sec puts out the same data as 1080p at 29.97 frames per sec. More details here: http://blog.hometheatermag.com/geoffreymorrison/0807061080iv1080p/

[Greg M]

Only problem is, this player does not do 1080p, only 1080i, as far as I know.

yes, but its $99

[Manfred Lopez]

Speaking of walmart, they are the ones who first marked it down to $98. Everyone else is following. This was reported in the New York Times.

http://bfads.net/

[Manfred Lopez]

Oh, by the way... I would still wait for black friday which is only a few weeks away.

[Gavin Greenwalt]

The most important thing is to just get a newspaper clipping with the ad. Then take it to [insert store of choice which offers price matching].

No store is an island. Just about everyone offers price matching now.

[Häakon]

yes, but its $99
This begs the question, what's more important - quality or price?

Depends completely upon who you ask, of course. When buying a next-gen format whose sole purpose is to give you the best looking images possible from your content, I would say why skimp out on the feature set just to shave a few bucks? This move will really solidify HD DVD as the cheaper, "Wal Mart" flavor of HD... then again, a lot of people shop there. Will be interesting to see how this affects the "war."

[Tom Lowe]

For those who have nice 1080p TVs and HD players, is there a major difference in terms of viewing quality between 1080p and 1080i on an HDTV?

[Jeff Kilgroe]

For those who have nice 1080p TVs and HD players, is there a major difference in terms of viewing quality between 1080p and 1080i on an HDTV?

I have a 72" Samsung 1080P DLP. For HD-DVD, some of it comes down to the disc and the actual transfer. In many situations, 1080i is indistinguishable to 1080p because the TV does such a good job at reverse telecine and de-interlacing. But occasionally interlace combing artifacts do present themselves.

There are lots of factors at work, like the TV's own image processing, the player's processing, etc... But 1080p can show a benefit with fine details that can otherwise be obscured with the interlacing.

The <$100 HD-DVD unit at Wal-Mart (and other price matching locations) is a great deal. Most people don't have a 1080p capable TV. Most LCD and Plasma sets are in the neighborhood of 720-768p anyway.

I stopped by Wal-Mart this morning because the movies are on sale along with the player. i picked up Big Lebowski and Lucky # Sleven. The guy said they set out the HD-DVD players (they had 18 of them) at 8:00AM and there were already a dozen or so people waiting for them and all were gone off the cart in about 10 to 15 minutes. They're also selling the $399 PS3 like crazy too. That still positions the PS3 as one of the cheapest Blu-Ray players and it includes the SpiderMan3 Blu-Ray. Wal-Mart didn't advertise it locally here, but they were giving away 3 Blu-Ray movies with a PS3 purchase today. You could pick the 3 movies out of a selection of 10 or so. It was mildly tempting, but I'm going to wait for a regular Blu-Ray player to drop in price a bit more or for a good universal player to materialize for a reasonable price. ...I don't need another game system, I already have an XBOX 360 that I never play.

[Häakon]

Most LCD and Plasma sets are in the neighborhood of 720-768p anyway.
You're absolutely right, though I've never really understood this. I have a 3-year old laptop with a 15" 1920x1200 screen - certainly it should not be so difficult to make 1080 sets available and affordable? Especially at the larger sizes, 720p should be a crime.


It was mildly tempting, but I'm going to wait for a regular Blu-Ray player to drop in price a bit more or for a good universal player to materialize for a reasonable price. ...I don't need another game system, I already have an XBOX 360 that I never play.
That's an interesting perspective. :-) Given that the PS3 has widely been touted as one of the best Blu-ray players on the market in several areas - and now that it's under $400, is it merely a psychological reason that you wouldn't pick one up? In other words, if it was in a rectangular shape and didn't play games (but played the movies exactly the same way), would it change your opinion? Seems like you're actually getting more for the money with the PS3 (media center options, internet connectivity), even if you don't use it to play games. Just curious on your reasoning.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

That's an interesting perspective. :-) Given that the PS3 has widely been touted as one of the best Blu-ray players on the market in several areas - and now that it's under $400, is it merely a psychological reason that you wouldn't pick one up? In other words, if it was in a rectangular shape and didn't play games (but played the movies exactly the same way), would it change your opinion? Seems like you're actually getting more for the money with the PS3 (media center options, internet connectivity), even if you don't use it to play games. Just curious on your reasoning.

To clarify reasons I didn't just buy it:

* Didn't really want to spend $400 this morning.

* I can wait until Blu-Ray players are $250 or a good deal on a universal player, then I can move the HD-DVD player to the other TV.

* Didn't want to listen to the wife bitch about my purchase.

I'm still thinking about it though. I may just get rid of the XBOX 360 and the 3 games I have for it and go the PS3 route. Amazon has them for $399 just like Wal-Mart, free shipping and no tax. ...Ah, but no 3 free movies.

Interesting note, the PS3 is the only Blu-Ray player that Wal-Mart sells or at least in this area. But I didn't see any real Blu-Ray movie section other than a small end display. They had the Spider-Man Blu-Ray trilogy boxes mixed in with the Spider-Man 3 DVD display.

[Joel Kaye]

This move will really solidify HD DVD as the cheaper, "Wal Mart" flavor of HD... then again, a lot of people shop there. Will be interesting to see how this affects the "war."

They are the biggest seller of DVD's. 60% of all dvd's are sold by Wal-Mart. So yeah, they will have an impact.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Holy shiznit! I just got a call from a friend who went to Best Buy to pick up his $99 A2 player since they're matching Wal-Mart... Well, he didn't get the A2... He got the A3 instead, it was actually a better deal -- Best Buy has the Toshiba HD-A3 for $199 and you get 9 free movies with it!

The retailer price wars over HD-DVD have begun. The Blu-Ray camp better do something pretty quick, IMO.

Edit> I should clarify the 9 movies. You get 300 and Bourne Identity in the box with the A3 player. You get to pick any two off the shelf priced at $34.99 or less and you get 5 more by mail-in rebate form. Best Buy has it on their web site too for store pick-up.

[Tom Lowe]

Holy crap! Are you kidding me? I'm gonna go by Best Buy on my way home, in that case. How long will this last, Jeff?

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Not kidding. It's a good day to buy an HD-DVD player.

Here's the promo link on Best Buy's site (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat133500050008). I didn't look to see when it expires. The HD-A3 player is on sale for $199 and is essentially the updated version of the A2 that is going for $99. It's still not a 1080p player, but at this price (essentially you're buying the movies and getting a player) it's hard to pass up. I'd jump all over it if I didn't already have a player or most of the movies being offered. You get to pick two movies at the store, mail in for 5 movies and there's another two in the box with the player.

Edit> It looks like this rebate works with the HD-A2 at $99 as well (if the stores have any left). The A2 doesn't have any movies included in the box, but it's $100 less and just about as good.

[Häakon]

Here's an interesting article from Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt on the topic:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

I must say, even though I also feel that Blu-ray is by far the better format, having HD DVD around probably serves everyone well by keeping the prices as low as possible. With all this crazy talk of $99 players, the Blu-ray guys are going to have to drop prices sooner than they probably would have liked (and that means faster adoption of HD formats for all of us).

[Tom Lowe]

I haven't invested in an HDTV yet, and I plan to get a 1080p one.

Can I use the A3 with my Dell 24" LCD, Jeff? It doesn't have HDMI, and I think component cannot do 1080p, can it? DVI?

[Häakon]

I haven't invested in an HDTV yet, and I plan to get a 1080p one.

Can I use the A3 with my Dell 24" LCD, Jeff? It doesn't have HDMI, and I think component cannot do 1080p, can it? DVI?

I have to tell you, Tom, component input on the 24" Dell looks terrible. It's really not even worth your time. The DVI port looks very sharp, however, and there are HDMI -> DVI adapters readily available. If you are planning to hook an HD DVD or Blu-ray player into your Dell, I would find one of the adapters and go the HDMI route. Also, be aware that the A3 does not do 1080p. Here's a rundown of Toshiba's three new players:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/08/06/toshiba-releases-3-new-hd-dvd-players-under-500

To get 1080p, you need to step up to the HD-A30, which, at $399, costs the same as the new PS3. You get what you pay for. :-)

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Which 24" monitor do you have, Tom?

Not all of Dell's monitors will accept EIA/TIA video signals, which are output by HDMI / HDTV devices. If yours can accept the video formats, then you can just get an HDMI to DVI cable.

If you'll be using your computer monitor for the time being, what about just playing the movies through your computer? You can get the LG dual-format Blu-Ray / HD-DVD drive for about $299. It just reads HD disc formats, but will burn CD and DVD discs too. Cyberlink's best DVD player software for $99 will play both disc formats. Something to consider there too, but once again, you kinda miss out on the free movie deals and whatnot.

Too bad BestBuy killed their 7 free movie promo before getting the new $399 PS3 or I would have definitely gone that route for a BluRay player.

[Tom Lowe]

Jeff, I was thinking about it, and I think I am going to hold off for now on HD. I can download bluray and hd-dvd rips and watch them right on my computer for now. And before people start blasting me, I always make a point of buying DVDs of movies I support and download at 720p. I usually give them away to girlfriends, friends and family.

Once I get an HDTV, I will get a player. Even with a deal this sweet, I'm sure in six months I will be able to get a similar deal, since prices on technology like this always go down. The only thing that is so sweet about this deal is the free media. And those prices never go down! :)

Oh well.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Just another update on that $399 PS3 I mentioned. Today is the official day it went on sale and Sony was pretty quiet about it. So not too many people are really aware of it yet. Amazon has updated their web site since this morning when I first looked at it (they still have them in stock), but they have a new form for 5 free movies with certain Blu-Ray players and it works with PS3. Seems like a good deal to me, I'm going to go for it if the wife approves here in the next few minutes.

Another good possibility is the Panasonic A10K player - it does 1080p and is highly reviewed. Amazon has it for $399 as well and it also comes with 5 movies in the box (don't know which ones) so that one gives you a player and 10 Blu-Ray movies for the $399. Unfortunately it's a retired model that has just been replaced with the A30K (which is also listed on the free movie form), but Amazon doesn't have them in stock yet. The A10K is profile 1.0 as it's older -- don't know if it will get a firmware update or not.

Anyway, I'm rambling... That 40GB PS3 is looking real good though. Comes with SpiderMan3 plus mail-in rebate for 5 more BD titles.

[Gavin Greenwalt]

Arghh! I want that $99 HD-DVD player but I'm going to be tracking and comping all weekend at work. No time! No time! Someone want to pick one up and mail it to me? I'll send you a check :D

[ChrisLyon]

Blu-ray 4ever!

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Arghh! I want that $99 HD-DVD player but I'm going to be tracking and comping all weekend at work. No time! No time! Someone want to pick one up and mail it to me? I'll send you a check :D

You might just have to go for the HD-A3 for $199 with the 9 movies deal from bestbuy.com -- it's available, it's easy to do. In the end it works out about $50 more than the HD-A2 ($100 more, but you get 2 more movies), but it's the newer model player. Still no 1080p, not that it matters much at this price. The HD-A2 is actually discontinued, so as stores sell out of them, their stock isn't going to be replaced. I'm surprised Amazon and Circuit City didn't match the $99 deal.

[Fredrik Callinggard]

Guys! If you(')r(e) planning on getting a TV make sure you get one that runs 1080p - 24p and 25p. You don't want to sit with a RED camera and not have those options and it's also silly to go less by now.

what's :spidy: in 24p :w00t: