Richmond (CA) - Standalone HD DVD players as low as $80 and free movie offers are just the beginning of what will be a massive clearing out of stock of the failed format over the next several weeks.

Circuit City is the first major retailer to cut prices on HD DVD hardware and software.  Toshiba's HD-A30 is now available for just under $130, a $70 cut from what its price was two months ago.

Additionally, through the end of the week the chain is running a promotion for buy three HD DVDs, get two free.  

"We are in clearance mode, and we expect to go through the remaining inventory in the next few weeks," said Circuit City spokesperson Jim Babb in a Video Business article.

Online retailers are also pushing prices down to record lows.  Tiger Direct is now offering the low-end HD-A3 player for around $80.  Overstock has marked down the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on to just $35.

Best Buy has not yet marked down prices on its titles, but it no longer has an "HD DVD player" section on its website.  It is still selling the players, however they are listed as "DVD upconvert with HD DVD playback."

"The end of the format conflict will mean people can invest with a lot more confidence in gear that they know will be useful for years to come," said Babb.

prices on blu-ray players do up :)))

Mar 05, 2008 09:42     

very interesting
HD report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Dumb thing is

Mar 05, 2008 09:59     

If HDDVD would have done this before they last all the studios they might have won. Oh well, that's why I bought a PS3.
Action Jackson report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

who cares

Mar 05, 2008 12:26     

are cassettes on sale too!?!??!? and HD guy. im pretty sure you meant go up. but nice of u to not know anything. blu ray players just got cut down in price about a third.tg daily reported on it!
john report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Prices on HD DVD would go up as well if they won.

Mar 05, 2008 14:22     

Prices on HD DVD hardware would have gone up as well if they won the format war. The people in the HD DVD camp are under the faults impression that Toshiba was trying to save it's customers money, when the reallity is they were trying to save them selfves money by not replacing their manufacturing lines to Blu-ray. It's time for the HD DVD fanboys to face the fact that they were duped.
Shark report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

prices going up?

Mar 05, 2008 18:33     

not really, the price is going back to where it needs to be in order to pay off the huge ammount of money they used for development costs, hardware costs, and bonuses for stores that stuck with them in their thin times. I dont understand why people expect HD anything to be int he DVD range when the format is only a year old. Iven though the format war is over it is still a new technology, and it is still going to take 2 years for all the movies we love to be on hand and for players to come down in price for the average person. Granted that will be just in time for quad HD to come out in full force (wiki it, it's beautiful)

Caeden report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

LD was more expensive than Blu-Ray

Mar 05, 2008 20:55     

Even adjusted for inflation, Blu-Ray players are less expensive than the average (not to mention high-end) laserdisc players that were on the market 10years ago. Looking through the perspective of history, we already have it better as HD customers today, than LD consumers did back then.
Fredo report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Bet ya they'll make HD-DVD's now again

Mar 06, 2008 05:34     

I bet ya this is Toshiba's plan all along .. now that prices have droped everyone buys ones then they start production again .. and everyone will now buy HD-DVD cause they all have one.. ? just a guess
Andrew report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

New HD DVD website

Mar 07, 2008 00:37     

There is this site that launched after Toshiba dropped HD DVD. If your interest you can check it out at www.hddvdplayerownersunite.com
Todd report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0