Samsung and Sony are showcasing their latest Blu-ray player flagship models at the IFA 2008 tradeshow. Both players are priced outside the mainstream market and may not see especially high production volumes. But the arrival of more BD-Live players carries the hope that there is room for previous-generation and entry-level Blu-ray players that are more interesting for mainstream buyers.

Toshiba today announced its “near HD” DVD player, which effectively succeeds the company’s HD DVD players that were removed from the market earlier this year. Toshiba’s first XDE player will debut later this month, are promised to offer better image quality than standard DVD players for a price that is twice that of other 1080p upconverting DVD players, but only half the price of Blu-ray players.