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NEWS: Toshiba confirms UK price cuts for HD DVD players

Clare Newsome 18 January 2008 12:35

Following US price cuts earlier this week, Toshiba has confirmed price drops for its UK line-up of HD DVD players.

Effective as of today, the entry-level Toshiba HD-EP30 will cost "below £150" and the higher-end HD-EP35 will be "below £250" .

Retailers have responded swiftly: we've already seen the players on sale for £149 and £219 respectively.

“While price is just one of many purchasing considerations for the early adopter, it is a deal-breaker for the mainstream consumer,” said Masaaki Kimura, Vice President Digital A/V Group, Toshiba UK.

“Sales this Christmas have demonstrated, once again, that consumer awareness of HD DVD has been elevated thanks to its close association with DVD and recent successful promotions. Pricing is – without doubt – the most critical determinant in a consumer’s decision to purchase next generation high definition DVD technology. The value HD DVD brings to the consumer simply cannot be ignored.”

The announcement didn't mention price-cuts to Toshiba's older HD DVD players, including its flagship HD-EX1 – but this is already available for at least £200 less than its original £650 launch cost.

The cuts follow the format's major setback in its 'war' with competing HD format, Blu-ray, due to Hollywood giant Warner announcing it'll stop producing HD DVD discs in May 2008.

How much impact Toshiba's pricing move will have remains to be seen - HD DVD has been the cheaper HD option for some time now, and previous price cuts and promotions (including the ongoing free-disc giveaway) haven't had the market-turning effect the format's supporters would have hoped for.

As ever, we'll keep you updated with all the news and opinions on the HD disc battle as it happens....

Technorati Tags: Blu-ray, HD DVD, Toshiba, Toshiba price cuts

Comments

bot bot January 18, 2008 14:08

Sorry Sony etc.but HDDVD definitely has the edge here,HDDVD is far from dead.

felicia January 18, 2008 15:31

toshiba uk online shop has just reduced the hd-xe1 to £399.99

piopaul January 18, 2008 15:32

desperate measures now by toshiba,not good for people who bought before xmas,hoist the white flag and surrender graciously.hddvd is dead.

clayts January 18, 2008 18:17

Great news for HD-DVD fans and good on Toshiba for not going down without a fight.

Cynical people would suggest it's no more than a fire sale, but I think these new prices will be attractive to Joe Public, more so because they are standalone DVD players that not only offer Hi-Def but also dramatically improve standard DVD playback too.

I reckon a lot of consumers are put off by having to buy a games console to get into Blu-Ray (as the PS3 is the cheapest bit of hardware out there for Blu-Ray playback) - these Tosh HD-DVD units are the finished product with no future compatibility issues, unlike Blu-Ray where older machines will struggle to play newer profile 2.0 discs.

HD-DVD certainly is not dead - indeed, this is the awakening of a very angry beast. Toshiba have already stated that there will be a blaze of advertising to support the format, with the studios joining in too.

Whilst the Warners statement about dropping HD-DVD films may have been a huge step back for the format, this latest announcement (and the ones Stateside last week offering similar price cuts) will significantly boost player sales - indeed, check Amazon US for their biggest selling electronics products at the moment....

womble9 January 18, 2008 19:42

At £219 for the HD EP35 with 7 fims chucked in personally I'm more than happy to chance it!!

Nick From Philly January 19, 2008 10:30

"FIRE SALE" that's what this is know as! Thank you clayts I could not remember what the term was. HD DVD is not dead but come the end of the pararmount deal it most certainly will be. I feel bad for HD DVD though, apparantly 120 million dollars doesn't go as far as it used to. If I had paid Paramount that much I would expect them to keep their mouths shut until the end of the deal. But then again what do you expect from a company that's owned by Sumner Redstone.

Bullseye January 20, 2008 18:40

If you guys are keeping an eye on the American Market where this FW will finally be decided there are strong rumours that Best Buy and Wal-Mart will not be re-ordering these HD-DVD players once they are sold, if they are sold.

Eddiewood January 21, 2008 15:34

EP35 £180 at Amazon...interesting...

haychris January 21, 2008 17:29

HD-DVD is very dead, the format is not dynamic enough to rival the brilliant Blu-ray, these things have much more scope for use.

The studios know this now and as soon as the exclusivity deals run out we will all see a huge shift and these HD-DVD players will come down in price again.

kacey68 January 22, 2008 14:17

After seeing the Toshiba HD DVD EP-35 demo at my local Sevenoaks sound & vision I was amazed. The guys there were raving about it and i could see why. The menu systems very similar to normal DVD and with Dolby True HD on board it sounded awesome. I was only in the market for a decent upscaling DVD player but instead i got the EP-35 for £189 with 7 films so whether to format dies or not i'm quids in. Epspecially as the films will be cheap too if everone wants Blu Ray.

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About Clare Newsome

Clare Newsome has been a technology journalist for 17 years, the past 9 years as a consumer electronics specialist. As well as being editor-in-chief of What Hi-fi? Sound and Vision, whathifi.com and the Ultimate Guides series, Clare is a regular contributor to The Guardian and other national newspapers and magazines, and often comments on all aspects of home entertainment technology and trends on TV, radio and online.