Toshiba Plans HD DVD Push

As the next generation war rages on between HD DVD and Blu-ray consumers remain cautious in their spending ways until a winner is decided. Toshiba, hoping to tip the scales in their direction, has intends to reload going in the new year with an aggressive push at CES. Certainly not to exciting, however his quote about possible price drops did raise a few eyebrows. Toshiba already enjoys a nice price lead in the stand alone player market and further price cuts would certainly help their cause. 

If you already own a HTPC, a very cheap alternative is to pick up the Xbox add-on player. The add-on player retails for under $200 and has been confirmed to work with a HDCP video card and the proper CODECS. Certainly the over investment is great, but if you have already invest the time and effort in building a HTPC, an additional 200 dollars seems like a pretty small investment for HD DVD goodness.

From the article:

When asked if Toshiba would be announcing cheaper players, Fujii
remained tight-lipped on the company's plans but said, "At first I
though the price threshold is $499. Maybe coming next is $399 and after
that is $299." He didn't give a timeframe for this possible drop in
prices.

While both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have appeared in
stores during 2006, sales of both formats remain relatively low. Prices
of compatible machines are high and the formats continue their battle.
That means consumers buying either format risk being left with a
machine on the losing side that could end up being nothing but