Toshiba Fights for HD DVD Market Share

Price cuts, ad blitz attempt to counter Blu-ray's advances

By Laila Weir, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 14, 2008 4:10 PM CST

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Toshiba Fights for HD DVD Market Share — Scott Ramirez, Vice President of Marketing of Toshiba, speaks about Toshiba's HD-DVD, flat panel screens and other Blu-Ray players during a news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008 before the start of the convention on Monday. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) (Associated Press)

Toshiba is stepping up efforts to keep HD DVD a contender in the battle between high-def formats, the company said today. Toshiba will cut prices and increase advertising, reports MarketWatch. It's battling rival Sony’s Blu-ray technology, which doubled HD DVD's US sales last year and scored a major win recently when Warner Bros. said it would go exclusively Blu-ray.

Toshiba said it would slash prices on its players—one model that was $400 a few months ago will cost $199.99. And the cost of a Toshiba HD DVD player will include five HD DVDs of the buyer's choice. "While price is one of the consideration elements for the early adopter, it is a deal-breaker for the mainstream consumer," said a Toshiba rep. (Read more HD DVD stories.)

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