Circuit City: $197.99 Toshiba player + 5 free HD DVDs

As reported yesterday Wal-Mart has started selling the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player for $198 in its stores but not online.

Circuit City has decided to follow and now sells the HD DVD player for $197.99 both online and in its stores.

Next week will show if even more stores will start selling the player below $200.

Players sold at the new low price also include the 5 Free HD DVDs mail in offer.

[JokesOnYou]

Report History:

Spam: (12 minutes ago)
Reported by: kingofps3

Lame: (12 minutes ago)
Reported by: kingofps3

Lame: (17 minutes ago)
Reported by: Bigmac573

Other: (26 minutes ago)
How does this have to do anything with videogame industry?
Reported by: ngg12345

you sonykids can't be serious?, this isn't your first visit to n4g right? its posted under industry news both micro and of course sony play a big part in making both next gen movie formats a revelant part of the videogame industry news, personally I would rather read news about videogames all day long vs this stupid format war stuff, but in fairness it should be either we are going to stop reporting ALL HD format news or ALL news about both formats/hardware from a legit source is acceptable, and frankly it will be a cold day in hell before sonykids stop posting news about HD DVD being dead or "OMG bluray has already won!" hmmm, OK I'm not sure but you gentlemen didn't report this GOOD NEWS for HD DVD because you favor the "other" HD format, did you?, nah of course not, how silly of me to think such a thing, my apologies, Gentlemen=

JOY

vvvv I disagree with you, your report says "How does this have to do anything with videogame industry?" as I stated above both micro and sony make it revelant because they both support two opposing HD formats, micro indirectly with a add on and sony directly since it is included in every ps3,

your report is baseless since hardware price points for bluray and hd dvd has been posted and accepted on n4g as news by gamers who are interested in these formats, at the very least you should avoid this news rather than report it, fact is this IS big news because it COULD have a significant impact on HD DVD movie sales increasing dramatically "IF", I said "IF" alot your avg joe consumers decides to pick up this player= Walmart alone already accounts for 45% of the DVD market in the US, now Circuit City is going the same route by selling these Toshiba players under $200= who are you kidding this is big news, whether or not it turns out to be the big boost HD DVD needs, we dont know, maybe I wouldn't call you a sonykid if you dont patronize me while acting as if this is some sort of sale going on down the street at some Mom&Pop corner store= we both no better.

[ngg12345]

I report news that is not worthy of news, and I'm a 'sony kid'. I guess, I could be a 'xbot', 'sony droid', 'wiitard', or many dumb tasteless fanboyish comments, when I report a topic that isn't news worthy that is pro ps3/xbox360/wii. But guess what, this news is lame, and way off topic. First of all it has nothing to do with videogame at all. It is like stating this "because ps3 has blu-ray, and hd-dvd is its competitor. And because hd-dvd is selling cheaper at circuit city, this has to be news". Hardly, then industry section should discuss how "superbad sold 31.4 million on first weekend, and this is news because sony owns colombia pictures which makes superbad". Tell me which one is more news worthy, because both use the same logic.

And please dno't call me a sony kid, becaus I report blu-ray news as lame as well.

Why did I get so many disagrees?

[Antiomo]

When your a kid yourself.

[jaja1434]

@ngg12345

You got so many disagrees because while this is a gaming site in general any and sometimes all news related to the tech field can be posted. Thats the point of having an industry/tech/mobile tab.

And in general the people who populate this site are interested in the tech toys that will making their entertainment center look/sound better. In any case, since its under the industry tab...what the hell is your problem with it?

Its a 198 HD player and that includes 5 movies. That one damm good deal so stop being a prissy snob and learn that 'new for gamers" doesn't always have to be about games.

[Rooftrellen]

Jokes, I actually do agree this has nothing to do with the video game industry. There is a place on this site for tech, after all.

However, bluray seems to fit in industry news without objection, though it has nothing to do with the industry either, so I must say it's more than a little suspicious that this news has been reported, when the multiple news about bluray outselling HD DVD 1.5:1 is fine by the same people in this very news section.

[ngg12345]

Which is where it belongs, I'm complaining where it was palced, and why it was placed there. Where does the industry section becmoe rellivant, and irrellivant to games? Because sony/microsoft are made up of a many parts, almost everything is relevant. Can I state a review for backstreet boys is rellevant to industry section because of sony bmg? Can I state that Superbad sold 10x on dvd's because it is by sony studios? Or can I state how microsoft sold 5 million zune's. These are all irrelavent to the GAME INDUSTRY, and the TECH section was for what I would suspect to be geforce graphics/ 3 core cpu/ many other pc hardware things. But seeing how that doesn't matter, and instead seeing a hd dvd toshiba player being less the 200 $'s is more worthy then be it.

[blackmagic]

The ps3 is a blu-ray player and the 360 has an HD-DVD add-on. Like it or not, the hd formats are strongly tied into the gaming industry.

[pwnsause]

This is going to help boost HD-DVD sales, but for how long, I see the BDA responding to this soon BTW, the HD-A2 player is currently ranked 3 in DVD players in amazon.

[jiggyjay]

The only thing they can do is drop the 40GB PS3 to $199 which they won't do at all! I can now definitely see HD DVD players being $99 on Black Friday! I might have to camp out at BB or CC for that!! If this price patterns keeps going on(Blu Ray being $200 more than it competitor) than I expect HD DVD to be standard by next year!

[shmee]

That player was 250$ and nothing happened cuz it can play till 1080i and not 1080p.

BD is already the standard in Japan and Europe.Na would also give in next year. None of the Japanese manufacturers except 1/2 are supporting the HD DVD .

Transformer flopped too with 89 000 1st week sales. Spiderman 3 and Pirates 3 would be out this year . Expect some real BD fireworks

Keep dreaming unitil all your dreams are shattered this Fall.

the 100gig BD disc is also due in December

:)

[socomnick]

Well im buying one Ive been waiting for a Sub 200 dollar Hd-Dvd player it doesn't hurt that its a Toshiba thats a good brand. Cant wait to see transformers in HD.

[unlimited]

you do know that blue ray have the better end of the deal..they have way way more exclusive movies..sooner or later transformer will be on blue ray..bet on it..even if you guys hate the ps3 just use it as a regular blue ray player...let the battle end..hddvd will be basiaclly be dead by the time it hit 2009..

EDIT- Also there is bond to be a few exclusive game for the ps3 you want ..i am sure of it.

[socomnick]

Theres only 1 exclusive that might intrigue me on the ps3 and thats mgs 4 and im almost 100 percent sure that games coming to the Xbox 360 4 to 6 months after the ps3 release im not going to buy a console for 1 game .

[wageslave]

Just a recommendation; buy the Xbox 360 add-on.

It works with your PC. When HD-DVD starts shipping as a data-format (Toshiba is including them next year..), you'll be able to move the drive.

Further, because you can move the drive, you'll be able to use Windows Media Center to stream the playback to any extender in the home. And, in this quarter, some Plasma/LCDs (HP of note) are going to start to include WMC in thier TVs.

Get the external add-on, it is more versatile.

[JokesOnYou]

Report History:

Fake: (0 minutes ago)
none of the BD offers are being made into a thread
Reported by: shmee

Lame: (1 minute ago)
This need not be reported as lot of threads have been created on this
Reported by: shmee

Other: (6 minutes ago)
So the myriad of Blu-ray offers is news and should be allowed, but HD-DVD stuff is spam? It's funny how things work, isn't it?
Reported by: ReBurn

Spam: (8 minutes ago)
HMV is offering 2 free BDs with the purchase of a 40 gig PS3. do we create a sales thread on this . You get 5 BD movies with the purchase of a ps3....do we create stories on this ?
Reported by: shmee

shmee/nasim you are abusing the reporting system, in fact your arguement is flawed since ps3 bluray offers have been posted as legitimate news, and this news is NO different from the Walmart thread which was approved and had over a hundred comments= now all of a sudden this news "fake" "lame" and "spam" or in other words you're going to tell mommy 'cause you dont like the news=

JOY

[shmee]

There are numerous stores offering numerous deals on PS3 and Blu ray. Not every deal has to be made into a thread

[fredy]

get him outa here...doesn't he know this is n4g.

anything goes..

[cuco33]

this is for Circuit City

This is great news for HD DVD. I didn't think the HD-A2 would be the sub $200 that we were all waiting for. Maybe the Venturer or Chinese models will hit the sub $150 or, dare I say, $100 player?!

This is great for both those who want to enter HDM or want to embrace both and already have a BD player.

As for people like nasim reporting news as false, this shows EXACTLY how ass backwards this site is. He, along with others (and from both sides) should have by now been booted and banned from here but alas, the trolls still speak and apparently, according to what I read here, have the power to report news? CMON!!! It's like anything pro360, proHD DVD, etc will get sideswiped.

What is this? N4G.com or Bluray.com?!

[sanderFVCKINcohen]

this is the first afordable HD player yet....and believe me, this is the opposite of gameing, where the sales of players define the sales of movies.

Like.No.Choices=blu-ray

If Sony did not try to monopolize the Movie industry by bringing its blu-ray, for the benefit of us all we would have naturally upgraded from DVD 2 HD DVD.

[Plasmana]

The reason this is news is because there has been some speculation that "price point" may be the deciding (or at least a heavyweight) factor in the Format War. In fact, $200 has been touted as a significant milestone (via the history of the rise of the DVD format) regarding the "price point" theory. Therefore, it is news to see HD-DVD getting some $200 love from major retailers.

And... Let's not pretend that Blu-Ray winning or losing the Format War has no implications for the Next-Gen War.

[wageslave]

The sony kids have been spiking my stories too by "chatting" nonsense in the reporting system.

The reporting system has been comprimised by the rabid sony fans. N4G is clearly been broken by their 1-sided rhetoric.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

There have been numerous reports about Blu-Ray. Now this is a report about HD-DVD. What's the diffrence?!

[JokesOnYou]

there is tons of stuff posted about bluray, I dont care but at least play fair, shmee/nasim reporting saying threads about BD offers haven't been posted before, wtf?

now he's reporting it "fake" because hd dvd is "dead", lmfao honestly its more funny to me to see him and other sonykids so desperate than anything=

JOY

[shmee]

is approving this thread when several threads on a 199$ HD DVD drive exists already.

do we make threads on a 199$ HD DVD deal of Best buy /FS/ mazon too

desperate??

Transformer flopped in NA . It couldnt even beat 300s sales . It sold around 90 000 copies in the first week. HD DVD couldnt beat BD even for a single week in NA.

In JAPAN HD DVD is dead and non existent. IN EUROPE no one knows about HD DVD

In XMAS millions of ps3 owners would be purchasing BD discs and there would be millions of new BD owners (who purchase the ps3)

:)

[Snukadaman]

the most hated reporter on n4g...same horsesheit..different account..

[DJ]

http://www.pcworld.com/arti...

The basic warning is that the device, while well stylized, has a glitch that turns the unit off randomly and it only supports 1080i. It's audio capabilities aren't all that great either. For people who can't afford 1080p tvs or good sound systems though, it's a steal.

[shmee]

that player has been 250$ for some months and you saw the standalone player sales 55:45

not to mention millions would be purchasing a ps3 this year that comes with Spiderman 3 and other BD titles

[DJ]

Blu-ray is still the better format to invest in, but some people still prefer HD-DVD, so I'm just giving advice to them. I'm a PS3 owner, so obviously I only buy Blu-ray movies. Blu-ray movies are usually higher quality in terms of audio and video anyway, so it's definitely a good choice.

[hahahabutt]

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both support the same audio and video codecs. It all depends on the movie studio. Also many blu-ray releases just have regular dolby digital compare to HD-DVD which all releases must have at least Dolby Digital Plus to be a standard. Also many blu-ray releases from Sony/Colombia/and Disney still use MPEG-2. While many of HD-DVD releases from Universal, WB, and Paramount use VC1, and AVC MPEG-4. :) just some clarification Don't believe me? go to highdefdegits.com

[DJ]

But Blu-ray's storage advantage allows for higher quality, less-compressed audio and video represented by that technology. We already saw with the release of Transformers on HD-DVD that they didn't have enough space for higher quality audio.

I work with video on a constant basis, and the difference in quality between two transfers using the exact same codec can be wildly different depending on audio and video bittrates and compression levels.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

The sound quality on my 7.1 Surround Sound for Transformers HD-DVD knocked pictures off my walls. You got to remember one thing, everyone does not own a 1080p HDTV and have a "state-of-the-art" surround system in their homes.

[cuco33]

why do I say this? Because after you whole heartedly defended the PS3, you admitted it publicly on here that you JUST got a PS3 some 6-9 months after launch.

But to add to your posts, I call massive and major taco bullshit about you claiming you work in the field. Let's not kid ourselves guys. At least I can attest, DJ you went from being borderline nasim to being much better but your fanboyism still shows through.

I think BD is great, it's just not as great as all the PS3 and bluboys say it is. It's by no means any better than HD DVD. If you want to know more, do your own research but please, DON'T do it on sites that favor BD like bluray.com. The amount of FUD there is beyond hysterical.

[hahahabutt]

This is a steal for sure. My surround sound does not support TrueHD so i dont care. My t.v is only up to 1080i. Its perfect for me :) and if these prices are to stay true forever, then HD-DVD is going to sell and stay. No matter what this is a great deal. Supporter of the format or not. I also read a site that said these player cost 160 to make so Toshiba isn't to stupid (if i knew the website I would of post it). Either way this is great

[OOG FunK]

coo not a bad deal and since i bet 80%+ of the hdtvs sold out there are not even 1080p im sure others will be interested as well

[mgbass13]

You complain and b*tch about fanboys and the console war blah blah f'n blah more than anyone else but you seem to be the one instigating on every board. You're calling all these people out for taking sides when it's obvious you've already taken one.

[JokesOnYou]

fact is you cant and will never see me "dictate"(report) what news gets approved based on my preference, I'm a 360 fan make no mistake and its obvious looking at my posts I dont even try to "act" neutral but unlike sonykids I'm grounded in reality if I dont like some 360 news I dont go rabbid and "report" it just cause I don't like it, sounds like you are just angry I pointed out the hypocrisy and you sonykids are the worst hypocrites I have ever seen, no standards, all you believe in is the ps logo, try again sonykid=

JOY

[OOG FunK]

will you all grow up like really wasnt it like 1 or 2 days ago i read about Paramount lying about transfromers sales er something and all the ps3 blu ray kids postn lame comments about it.....

If people can make threads about that why not this???????? hmmm yea thats what I thought

Like honestly all of yas should jus shut the mouth like really its retarded if you think you comments means anything in the real world......

go back to your parents basements and let the companies talk for themselves like I swear almost everyone in this place are judgemental hypocrits and all you do is cry all day no one caressssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss s ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss s ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss s sssssssssss

if you have a good comment about the actual topic thats coo but other then that get a life

[ironwolf]

I was there when the store opened, but even so two guys were in the checkout line ahead of me with the HD-A2. The lower price is getting buyers.

Incidentally, I picked up the Transformers movie in HD on my sisters recommendation. I didn't really care for it that much, a bit to juvenile for my taste, but I must say it looks abso-bloody-lutly awesome.

[solidt12]

They ae trying to sell them while they can because soon no one will want them. All of the good movies are on Blu-Ray and everyone is finding this out, Plus Japan has done away with HD-DVD making Blu-Ray the new standard to follow DVD.

[hahahabutt]

If you would know by now, CHINA choose HD-DVD as thier goverment standard. For good reason to, secondly if toshiba is not going to support HD-DVD no more then why did they release a new Player called the A30?? please stop being fanboyish and make good and valid statements :)

[Ri0tSquad]

next to a 400 dollar blu ray player!!! But the 400 ps3 is going to do some serious damage.

[ReBurn]

I've yet to see either a Blu-ray player or an HD-DVD player in WalMart. Unless you count the PS3.

[myabsolution]

despite fact that blu-ray machines outnumber Hd-DVD players 10:1 (ps3 count).. the disc sales are only 2:1, obviously price matters to consumers and the attache rate for hd players is massive. HD-DVD is not dead, not even by longshot, the ps3 is only reason blu-ray is even existing right now.

Next time im in states ill pick this up. even IF Hd-DVD loses... wow I LOST 198 dollars, compared to losing 400+ dollars on blu-ray if it loses..

[jaja1434]

So I read a few "this player doesn't support 1080." For now I'll completely ignore than there pretty much isn't a person alive who can tell the difference when a movie is playing and also that most TV don't even support 1080p.

So lets say you own one of TV's that has 1080p and chances are for that TV you paid somewhere over 1000$ for it. Then you probably have a stereo setup capable of making your nice TV sound great, which would also cost a pretty penny. So now you go to buy some form of HD player and you know what, your probably going to completely ignore the 200$ one because its not the best...

See were this is going. Its a budget player, who gives a rats ass if it can't play 1080p. You don't buy budget items because they are the best, you buy them because they are cheap. And fact of the matter is, budget sells a hell of a lot more than higher more costly items.

[ThisIsWaiting]

blu-rays ass?

Should I just sell my PS3 now, since all I really use it for is to watch a movie here and there?

[jaja1434]

Enh this alone wont "blu-rays ass." Hell is could do absolutely nothing as far as the war goes. Or on the other hand it could be a tipping point. I'm not a marking or business major so I really couldn't tell you. And I doubt even the people in the field could.

So my personal advice, I haven't one clue. :)

[hahahabutt]

It won't hurt your pocket. You still get 5 free movies and also you have a great player. You also get the Paramount and Universal exclusives so if your a movie lover, I recommend it.

[ParaDise_LosT]

Blu-Ray does because its on the Ps3 and if that fails then
The console can be in deep trouble as we Have Nothing to lose if
HD-DvD goes down in flames...

Still...Thats no reason to start a flamewar :\

some peoples heads are so deep in their ass that they fail to see that this is actually a good deal for new adaptors...
(for the most part.....It does prolong the 'format war':which I want to end asap so people can stop b*t*h*ng about it -.-'') and thats never good..)

anyway....can't we all just get along? D:

[Darkiewonder]

Games will still be made on Blu-ray Disc. It's Sony and the rest that is supporting Blu-ray movies. Even if Blu-ray were to flop the games will still be on BR.

[hahahabutt]

Games will be made on HD-DVD Disc. Even if HD-DVD were to flop the games will still be on HD-DVD in the new Xbox. That's my little theory...lol (don't take this serious people)

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

You'll be losing 200 bucks, dignity, your job, and probably your girlfriend.

Is that enough...?

Should I keep going?

[ITR]

There is a rumor that HHGregg will give away HD DVD players with any flat panel sale coming up next month. Free player will be the HD A3.
BB is suppose to be doing something similar like CC and Wal-mart.
My guess Target will just fall in line as well.

[Primetimebt]

High Movie Prices, no blockbuster movie rentals, no 1080P, dead last in movie sales yeah pretty sure people are going to jump right on aboard sinking boat to just to watch Universal, and Paramount movies. If you going to spend $200 don't you think people will do a little research?

[Snukadaman]

You get 2 extra dvds when you purchase hd-dvds...so its 8 free hd-dvds....and i think news like this matters too video gamers because if it wasnt for sony throwing in blu-ray into the playstation, none of this format war BS would matter...it would only be about games.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Would you rather watch Transformers...or...a good movie?

[chrno]

Transformer is not that good seriously. POC3, Transformer, and spiderman3 are all pretty medicore.

[jaja1434]

Agreed though out of the bunch I liked Transformers the best,but thats not exactly the highest praise. Ohh and throw Fantastic Four into the movies that should have been good but weren't category. :<

[Snukadaman]

but i did watch it on bootleg..ill watch it on hd-dvd sometime this week.

[power of Green]

LOL That Shmee kid bugs the sh*t out of me too. lol

Once one super Sony fanboy falls another one always takes "its" place and is often worse than before.

How are so many PS3 fans getting 6 or 7 bubbles?.

On topic: Thats one hell of a deal...

[Snukadaman]

Im in the hd-dvd camp...news like this can only be good for all consumers...where the ps3 gets another price drop....how is that a bad thing for people who has not purchased a ps3 yet....

[TheExodus]

How 'bout we take pause to consider why Sony wants to force Blu-ray as a standard so badly that they'd risk the PS3 to do it. Ever heard of UMD? Ever wonder why a movie at 1/3 the resolution of a standard DVD still sells for $10 to $15 more on UMD than DVD? Do you actually believe that you'll ever see new releases at $15 to $20 again if Blu-ray wins the HD format war? Looking forward to videogame pricing for movies?

I enjoyed the hell out of my PlayStation & PlayStation 2, but until Blu-ray looses the HD format war there is absolutely nothing that will ever persuade me to buy a PlayStation 3 because it is in the best interest of consumers that Blu-ray fail.

[wageslave]

"How 'bout we take pause to consider why Sony wants to force Blu-ray as a standard so badly "

Because unlike Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony has a RIAA and MPAA division.

100% total reason for BR in PS3.

[tordavis]

It's all here man!

http://www.thebitbag.com/in...

[Salvadore]

It's okay to post news about Blu-Ray related articles, but not news related to HD-DVD? Gosh, this site has very sensitive fanboys.

[ukilnme]

Indeed.

[ukilnme]

Double post.

[rockem13]

sweet deal.

[daboonies]

I guess there are plenty of blockbusters around that forgot to get the memo... My blockbuster have a whole section on HDDVD for rental... And they still put out new releases so I guess it depends on the area. But the biggest provider of HDDVD rentals happens to be NetFlix... I'm pretty neutral on both sides. I rent both BLURAY since I have a PS3 and I have the add-on HDDVD version for the XBOX360...But HDDVD has shown me more value where as BLURAY has not added other interactive features. I think Microsoft made a great move by not gambling on any format and going with digital and just provide a stand-alone unit. This gives me the choice to choose. When I wanted to rent Return to House on Haunted Hill on a HD format blockbuster didn't even have it.
So I looked on Marketplace and there it was. So with this war going on I think digital distrubution is going to slip back door and take a piece of the pie. 18 months worth of fighting to determine a format will give Sony or Microsoft a chance of providing this type of service. But so far Microsoft has the upper hand.

[kn]

Then the politics and greed will be removed and the studios will focus on content instead of cutting a deal with the hardware maker. For me, content is king. There are movies I want on BOTH formats which seals it for me. I'll get neither. They also haven't pushed the family titles well enough just yet. They are trying to grab the hardcore audio/videophiles with the latest sci-fi, drama, horror, and other R-rated content. Dreamworks is HD-DVD. Why the hell didn't they release all of their mega-hits for this holiday if they really wanted to win? Titles like Shrek 1 and 2, Over the Hedge, Shark Tales, etc. would help encourage more early adopters... In that same vain, Disney needs to release the best of their family titles as well... The Incredibles, Ice Age (the first one), and some of their better titles.

Content sells hardware. Not features, not marketing... The Xbox 360 is proof that content is King...

[Cherchez La Ghost]

6 million PS3's worldwide = 6 million Blu-Ray players

Unknown number of "Stand-Alone" Blu-Ray players

11 million 360's worldwide (optional HD-DVD)

If every PS3 owner brought at least "1" Blu-Ray movie, that's 6 million Blu-Ray movies sold.

But if only 2.6 million brought Blu-Ray movies, what's the numbers between the PS3 and Stand-Alone Blu-Ray players?!

But yet, HD-DVD movies trails behind by 1.4 million?!

If Microsoft intergrated HD-DVD wthin the 360, Blu-Ray "might" be struggling behind HD-DVD.

Now you have China with their CD-DVD players that are compatible with HD-DVD. Sooner or later, they'll introduce their $200 High Def players. And if these "Stand Alone" HD-DVD players start to move faster that Blu-Ray players, Hollywood Studios will be watching. If Blu-Ray want to keep their lead, they need to drop some prices now for their "Stand Alone" players and not to rely on the PS3.

We all here are tech savvy. But you have alot of people who are not. How many consumers know about 50-51gig HD-DVD's or 100gig Blu-Ray disc?! Not alot. This is one of the cheapest players out there and it will sell. Sony fanboys screaming the same thing over and over...

Spiderman Trilogy
Pirates
100gig Blu-Ray disc

Let me feed you boys some food for thought, everybody don't own a 1080p TV. Everybody don't play video games. Everybody don't know the diffrence between HD-DVD o