New Low-Cost HD-DVD Players Not So Low Cost
 

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...zL._SS384_.jpg

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000W7O43U

$249. Only $50 less than the entry level model out now, and that comes with free movies. In some ways, this budget player is MORE expensive, factoring in that.

They really needed to come in below $200.

My first DVD player, which I got two or three years after the format debuted, cost $229. $250 ain't bad for a format that's less than two years old.

$250 is bad when you consider it is an offbrand player and only $50 cheaper than a Toshiba with free movies.

Everything I have read said $199 MSRP with street price at $149.

I wouldn't get too excited about a pre-order price from Target.

I agree this is a terrible price point and don't expect it to hold.

As of tonight, the A2 at Amazon is $230.

i believe the press release from Venturer stated the MSRP was $199. i wouldn't place too much importance on the pre-order price listed on Target's website. they likely have it there so that they can reduce it when the player is actually available and state that it's discounted. this is a fairly common practice at retailer websites, apparently.

that said, regardless of the price point, i'm hesitant to predict that this player will have much impact. i had honestly never heard of Venturer until this player was announced. if it gets rebadged to a better known, low-tier brand, it might do something, but who knows?

My hope for these players is to raise awareness of the HD-DVD market to being with as well as the already low price point on the Toshiba players, which I think many are unaware of.

It won't be incentive for Toshiba to drop prices even further, nor should it be.

Walmarters can pick these up for their new Walmarty HDTV's and others will realize the value in the Toshiba. Either way, more players is a great thing. Hopefully software prices come down this holiday season as that is the biggest current deterrent in my eyes for both formats (not studio exclusives, which most are unaware of to date). I'm not getting my hopes up for that, however.

I think this is the "list" price, so when they drop it to $199 it will seem like a deal, and when $150 on Black Friday it will seem like a steal.

My thinking as well. However, with the A2 at $230, and likely to drop further as xmas approaches, is even $199 truly budget?

Isn't the MSRP of the A2 $299, and yet it sells for $230-250?

Think about a street price of an HD-DVD player at $130-150 like the venturer . That'd move some units. A 100 bucks is a 100 bucks.