ITWire

Under pressure from the growing momentum building behind the rival Blu-ray format in the wake of the defection of Warner Bros, Toshiba and the HD DVD camp knows that the only chance the format has of surviving the onslaught is to get as many players into homes as quickly as possible in the hope of keeping Paramount and Universal on board.

The new price points of the Toshiba HD DVD in Australia are so ridiculously cheap, that it is difficult to believe the company isn't bleeding cash with each sale in order to stay in the game. Australian retailers will now offer the Toshiba range of HD DVD players at the following prices:

•    HD-E1: $299 with one title inbox plus three titles via redemption

•    HD-EP10: $399 with one title inbox plus five titles via redemption

•    HD-XE1: $599 with one title inbox plus ten titles via redemption

Leading consumer electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi confirmed that an average price of an HD DVD title in Australia is about AUD$40. This would mean that a consumer could effectively be paying just $159 for a high end HD-XE1 player in addition to the $440 cost of 11 movies that come bundled in the deal. Given that it's hard to find HD DVD movies to rent at local video stores at present, buying a player with a stack of movies would appear to be a good way to go for consumers who prefer the format to Blu-ray.

Meanwhile, Toshiba continues to put a positive spin on the new firesale prices of its players.

“While it’s still early days for HD on optical disc, we can confirm that HD DVD performed strongly in 2007,” said Mark Whittard, General Manager, Toshiba (Australia) Pty Ltd ISD. “These new marketing investments, coupled with our aggressive new recommended retail pricing, will ensure HD DVD remains at the forefront of consumers’ minds in Australia.”