Hi-Def Wheeling And Dealing
By Shane C. Buettner July 1, 2007 — Looking to continue the sales tear that was sparked by recent promotions that included a $100 in-store rebate on its HD DVD players, Toshiba has made its price reductions on its HD-A2 and HD-A20 permanent. On the other side of the HD fence the Blu-ray camp is responding with a summer-long promo campaign that offers consumers five free Blu-ray titles with the purchase of a player.

Toshiba's permanent price drops leave the MSRP of the HD-A2 at just $299, and the HD-A20 at $399. According to recent reports, while Toshiba sold 100,000 standalone HD DVD players in the US during the format's first year, but sold another 50,000 players during the month-long promotion that featured the $100 price drop on the players.

The Blu-ray promo starts today, July 1st, and will be supported by a major print and online media campaign. For more information visit www.bluraysavings.com.

Players eligible for the Blu-ray promo include Sony's PlayStation3 and the BDP-S300 and BDP-S301 (the latter of which we're not familiar with and will try to get some info on), Panasonic's DMP-BD10K and DMP-BD10KA, Pioneer Elite's BDP-94HD, and Samsung's BD-P1200. Among the BD titles available are Pearl Harbor, Corpse Bride, Underworld Evolution, Babel, and The Last Waltz.