November 1, 2007 10:09 AM PDT

HD DVD players hit $99 at Wal-Mart, Best Buy

(Credit: Wal-Mart)

Earlier this week it was big news that HD DVD broke the $200 price barrier. Well, in the same week it looks like HD DVD has broken the $100 price barrier as well. As previously reported, Wal-Mart is running a "Secret In-Store Specials" sale this Friday and one of the heavily discounted items is the Toshiba HD-A2 selling for $98.87. Of course, this isn't a true price drop, as the sale is only good as long quantities last and the Toshiba HD-A2 won't be available at all Wal-Mart locations. On the other hand, it is representative of HD DVD's significant advantage in hardware pricing -- the least expensive Blu-ray player is the $400 PlayStation 3, which also hits stores tomorrow.

The $99 price tag is sweet, but the deal is even better than that. Toshiba continues to give away five free movies to anyone that buys an HD DVD player--all you need to do is fill out this form (PDF link) and mail it in. If you're not thrilled about Toshiba's selection of free movies (we're not either), Wal-Mart is also running on a sale on HD DVD movies tomorrow, priced at $14.96 each. That's a pretty significant discount, as most of the HD DVDs we saw at Amazon were priced from $20 to $30.

Not to be outdone, it also looks as if Best Buy is selling the Toshiba HD-A2 for $99 as well. You can't order from Best Buy online, but it seems like if you get to your local Best Buy before they run out of stock, you can nab an HD-A2 for $99.

It remains to be seen whether these rock-bottom prices are the result of retailers blowing out extra inventory or a sign of continually falling prices for HD DVD. Technically, the HD-A2 has already been replaced by the new Toshiba HD-A3 which still costs $250 at Best Buy (and isn't sold at Wal-Mart). Either way, this is a great deal for high-def movie fans who can get their hands on one of these $99 players.

Originally posted at Crave
Recent posts from News Blog
Yahoo tries to conceal lawsuit documents
HP to launch fall line of teen PC products
Hooray! Yahoo Mail ditches tagline ads
Conde Nast buys Ars Technica
Sugar Labs will make OLPC interface available for Eee PC, others
Add a Comment (Log in or register) 8 comments (Page 1 of 1)
"We don't have any"
by gsmiller88 November 1, 2007 11:43 AM PDT
That's what I got when I called my Wal-Mart to see if they just happened to have any Toshiba HD DVD players, and like always they don't know when they'll get any. I say bullcrap! Because the cashier answered my question too quickly without even looking.
Reply to this comment View all 2 replies
Not mention 720P model only
by bigjames001 November 2, 2007 7:32 AM PDT
I am a big fan of hi-def and would love to get my hands on a HD player at this price but it is only 720p. Despite what people say you can see the difference between 720p and 1080p. Even if I could find one today I think I am going to hold off until black Friday to see if I can get a 1080p for the $100-$200 price point. BigJames
Reply to this comment View all 2 replies
HD-DVD Player
by coelmo November 2, 2007 11:11 AM PDT
I know it is only 720p or 1080i, but as you know, most people who bought HD over the last 5 years can only go as high as 720p and 1080i. I just got one of those HD-DVD players and was watching King Kong, and it looked great. Now both my older HD TV's have HD-DVD players. I have a XBox 360 and bought it when it came out, and am happy with both. Not only do I have a new HD-DVD player, but I will get 5 free movies with it. NOT BAD for $98.00.
Reply to this comment
Powered by Jive Software
advertisement
  • About News Blog

  • Recent posts on technology, trends, and more.

Add this feed to your online news reader
Google
Yahoo
MSN

Most popular stories

  1. Images: Microsoft telescope puts universe on your desktop

  2. Photos: Cracking open the Atari 2600

  3. This VC forecast scares the pants off of me

  4. End of Intel, AMD duopoly near? Via readies Isaiah chip

  5. Photos: Microsoft previews 2008 Xbox games

Latest tech news headlines

Featured blogs

Beyond Binary by Ina Fried

Coop's Corner by Charles Cooper

Defense in Depth by Robert Vamosi

Geek Gestalt by Daniel Terdiman

Green Tech

One More Thing by Tom Krazit

Outside the Lines by Dan Farber

The Iconoclast by Declan McCullagh

The Social by Caroline McCarthy

Underexposed by Stephen Shankland

advertisement
On TV.com: MILEY CYRUS photographs
Advanced
search
Advanced
search
Visit other CNET Networks sites: