doing this after the holidays when many people just bought or received HD DVD players.

Yes, that's really disrespectful of their customers.

Unfortunately for a lot of companies, it's not about respecting customers. It's all about how can I generate the greatest profits.

Unfortunately for a lot of companies, it's not about respecting customers. It's all about how can I generate the greatest profits.

My thoughts exactly!

Yes, that's really disrespectful of their customers.

All I have to say is that if LOTR doesn't come out before May 2008 in HD DVD, I am going to be one pissed off HD DVD owner.

Disrespect does not mean business, it means disrespect. Repeat business is the cornerstone of long term viability and maximum profits. Disrespect is BAD business.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba") today announced that it is stepping up its successful marketing campaign for HD DVD as it experienced record-breaking unit sales in the fourth quarter of 2007. Major initiatives, including joint advertising campaigns with studios and extended pricing strategies will begin in mid- January and are designed to spotlight the superior benefits of HD DVD as well as the benefits HD DVD brings to a consumer's current DVD library by upconverting standard DVDs via the HDMI(TM) output to near high definition picture quality.

As Toshiba achieved the #1 sales volume in the next generation DVD category with an approximately 50 percent market share in 2007, HD DVD is proven to be the format of choice for consumers. Coupled with an 80 percent plus market share of all next generation DVD equipped notebooks for the 4th quarter 2007, the HD DVD format has already paved the way to a high definition digital AV solution by eliminating the boundaries between the consumer's living room and on the go.

HD DVD not only creates the ultimate high definition entertainment experience, leveraging all of the promise of the format such as superior audio/video performance, Web-enabled network capabilities and advanced interactive features - it also has a high-level of compatibility with DVD. With DVD upconversion via the HDMI output, HD DVD players instantly make a movie lover's existing DVD library look better than ever.

New Marketing Strategy for Mass Market Adoption
Taking the holiday season sales based on promotional prices into full consideration, these new manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) are designed to meet the potential demand for HD DVD players in the U.S. market. Effective on January 13, 2008 the MSRP of the entry-model HD-A3 will be $149.99, the HD-A30, with 1080p output, $199.99, and the high-end HD-A35, $299.99.

Extended Advertising Campaign
Toshiba plans to execute an extended advertising campaign that will further enhance consumer awareness of the benefits of HD DVD and drive sales to retail among potential consumers. Advertising strategies will include television, print and online media channels. Toshiba will also work with its dealers and studio partners on joint marketing and promotional initiatives to promote HD DVD. Current promotions include "The Perfect HD Offer" - a mail-in offer allowing consumers to select five HD DVD titles for free from a selection of 15 with the purchase of any Toshiba HD DVD player.

It has also been rumored that Toshiba (and the rest of the HD-DVD camp) is just setting themselves up for Sony to "pay them off" to stop making HD-DVD.

Buying out your competition just seems wrong.

A little more bad news for HD-DVD.

Link

[snip]
I find it highly unlikely that the announcement made by Warner had any impact on the bulk of the movie buying customer base out in the world. Most people who aren't addicts like us, didn't even know about it, let alone care about it. They go on with their days not knowing of such changes without any concern.

So this isn't really any "new news", just a different regurgitation of what has already been said, but with a different negative spin on it. Nothing against jakewash, just afterdawn...

Again, things are looking bleak for HD-DVD, I know that, I am just pointing out how these numbers, which as I stated above are almost exclusively due to 3:10 to Yuma sales, are slanted, skewed, and otherwise turned into the same type of propaganda that Sony has used from the start knowing that most consumers don't research the truth behind the statistics and put blind faith into what they read online or in print. Holy crap that was one long run-on sentence...

We can all disagree, and yet keep the conversations civil and adult.

Maybe that will be their final HD-DVD release, LOTR trilogy in both BR and HD-DVD, we can always dream.

Sales data for HD-DVD and Blu-ray players and movies has been misconstrued lately by various outlets, with reports implying that HD-DVD sales have fallen at an amazing pace while Blu-ray sales have blasted through the roof.

The NPD Group attempted to quiet the storm of online scuttlebutt with the following statement:
"The facts are that during the week that is being singled out, both Blu-ray disc players and software were being given away for free with the purchase of 1080p TVs. It is also important to note that the instant rebate promotions that had previously netted Toshiba's players' MSRPs to $199 and $249 had actually ended on Jan. 5th -- causing an increase in HD DVD's MSRP back to $299 and $399 during that same week. Since Toshiba's retail price move on Jan. 13th to $149 / $199 -- Toshiba is seeing very positive sales trends at retail. This reinforces the fact that price is a significant driver of sales."
"Toshiba's HD DVD players represent a significant value to the consumer and the marketing campaign that just began is proving effective."

We're happy to announce that we're lowering the price of the popular Xbox 360 HD DVD player from $179 to $129 (estimated retail price) in the U.S. and Canada, effective immediately.