Andre Yoskowitz
29 Jun 2007 14:21
After a month long promotion that sent sales skyrocketing, Toshiba announced that it would permanently lower the prices on its two entry level HD DVD players, the HD-A2 and HD-A20.
Beginning on July 1st, the HD-A2 will be offered at $299 USD while the A20 will be offered at $399 USD. Both are MSRP without any rebates necessary.
For the month, thanks to a $100 rebate promotion on both players, Toshiba saw stronger than expected results, with some retailers seeing 500% increases in sales for the players.
The HD-A2 is the cheapest standalone player available (not including the Xbox 360 add-on drive) and the new price reflects a $200 cheaper pricetag than the lowest priced standalone Blu ray player, the Sony BDP-S300.
Ken Graffeo, co-President of the HD DVD Promotions Group, seemed to state the obvious when he explained to Video Business that his organization "has found that price is the biggest motivating factor for consumers when it comes to buying a high-def disc player."
Source:
HD Digest