if200

If you still care, the HD-D3 has been reduced to $79.99

dx23

Let the fire sale begin!!! Great price for the player.

critterdvd

Yet, still not worth it IMO...

ehilbert

I don't see why anyone would buy one now. I understand why people that have one are buyng up the actual HDDVD's,but I would never buy a player now.

BSTNFAN

Many people are buying them as second HD-DVD players if they had invested in that format. If nothing else, where can you get an upscaling DVD player of that quality for that price? Keep in mind that the player comes bundled with 2 HD-DVDs (Bourne Identity and 300) and a 6 ft HDMI cable in the box, as well. I think it's a steal at that price.

My Other Self

I've always been Pro-Blu, but I have to agree. That's not a bad deal at all considering some regular DVD players are still selling for over the $100.

Mind you, the film library is a lot more limited now with HD DVD but I've spent $80 in worse ways before...

zekeburger1979

Like that one time in Vegas.....

I'm tempted to get one and then get HD-DVD titles on clearance.

JiM T

I was in Costco twice this week, two days in a row, spending a lot of time at the customer service desk (due to a fiasco of our own making). While I was waiting, I saw two HD-DVD players come in as returns, one each day. If I saw two come in during that little bit of time, I can only imaging the influx of these things coming back into stores...

$80 for one of them is tempting, but I think I'd be better off putting the $$ toward a Blu-ray player, since I have no hi-def player yet.

strawberryshortcake

My knowledge on high definition technology is still rather limited. But is it true that all DVDs will be playable and upscaled on HD-DVD players? If so, it's not a bad bargain for those with a huge DVD library.

Do Blu-Ray players also have the same capability (DVD playable and upscaled)?

Boba Fett

It's a very, very good upscaling player. I bought mine at Costco, sold the Bourne disc, kept 300 and use it to play upscaled SD-DVDs.

I wonder now though if I can get money back since the purchase was less than a month ago.

The other $80 upscaling SD players they had were flimsy pieces of garbage as well; the D3 is sturdy and consistent with SD-DVDs.

Tolhurst

yes to both questions

$80 for an upconverting DVD player with included hdmi cable and the option to play hddvds
is decent imo.
also there are two movies included

MGR

I wonder how long before the price drops more... there might be tons of these in the warehouse...

Pbear

Wonder if the 5 free HD-DVD offer would still work. I believe the rebate form just said that you had to purchase the unit by 2/28/08. Might have to jump on this if I can get the player and 7 movies for $80.

Sweet Baby James

I'm going to pick one up this weekend as a back-up. I can always return it to Costco if I find a better deal later on. DVD players still fall under the no time limit return policy. Thanks for the heads-up, if200.

ehilbert

Those are some great points. If I didn't already have a PS3 that upscales I would probably get one. Thanks for the info.

bearkiss

just got home from costco buying one... they had 7 left (brentwood, tennessee)... the 2 movies inside are the 2 bourne movies - not 300... I bought it primarily as a back up to my other players and to get the free movies (yes - I called and they are honoring the rebate for 5 free movies still) and as an upscaler... thanks op!

Pbear

Thanks for posting that you called regarding the 5 free movies Bearkiss. I'm definetly in for one this weekend now.

Goldberg74

Me too.

Jah-Wren Ryel

No, it is not true. All region 1 DVDs will be playable, but AFAIK, there is no easy way to make the toshiba HD-DVD players region-free for DVDs.

FWIW, that is the one reason holding me back from buying one of these as an upscaler.

vietduckboi

if i didnt have 2 players already, i'd buy this.

$80 for a player, 7 movies and an hdmi cable?

this is a much better deal than any upconverting dvd player out there.

Silverscreenvid

For anyone looking for an upconverting DVD player, this is a great deal.

One word of caution. The D3, like the A3 which is the least expensive Toshiba you will find at most retailers, is 1080i. If you want 1080p capability, you would need the A30 (which currently lists at $199 but will undoubtedly be coming down in price very soon).

Of course, if your TV set is not 1080p, then the capability of the DVD player won't make a difference.

Bob_F1

Here's a link to the "Get 5 Free HD-DVDs" Rebate form:

Rebate Form: 5 Free HD-DVDs

Be aware that the offer is good for HD-DVD players "purchased between 10/1/07 and 2/28/08". So don't wait too long if you want to buy one of these players.

Also note that there are two identical UPC labels on the A3-D3 box. So you can send one in with the rebate submission and still not lose the ability to return the player if there's a problem with it. Thanks to Rtrain82 over on the Fatwallet Hot Deals forum for that tip.

Costco will allow you to return it after "a year or two" according to the service counter folks I talked to the other day before I bought one of these.

dsa_shea

What retailer allows you to return stuff after a "year or two"? I think that employee just got back from his or her crack break.

Bob_F1

That retailer would be Costco.

Costco recently reduced the return window to 90 days for some big ticket items but they have always been known for extremely buyer friendly return policies.

lizard

Since you bring this up, please be aware that the A30 and A20 are reported to do a poor job of 1080p output (check the Cnet review) and this bug has not been fixed by a firmware update.

Regardless, any 1080p display can accept a 1080i input, since that is a broadcast standard, and most should do a good job of converting that to 1080p (check display reviews). The notion that if one has a 1080p display that one must use a player with 1080p output is a myth. I could give more details as to why this is so, but the bargains forum is not the place for it.