hd-dvd-player
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Amazon offering $50 credit to HD DVD adopters
Amazon is joining the ranks of a few other retailers in offering a consolation prize to those who purchased an HD DVD player. Engadget HD has a letter from Amazon stating that customers who purchased an HD DVD player (including the Xbox 360 drive) prior to Feb. 23, 2008 are entitled to a $50 store credit. If you purchased an HD DVD player from Amazon be sure to check your email. While we're on the subject, don't forget to grab that spiffy new update available for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.
Microsoft rolls out 360 HD DVD player update
Even though HD DVD died a slow and painful death, Microsoft is still showing current Xbox 360 HD DVD player owners ongoing love with the release of today's auto update. Once connected to Xbox Live with a HD DVD player firmly integrated into your 360, you'll be prompted to download a new update that's said to help with compatibility issues with some titles and will add additional support for network features. Even though this update won't resurrect Toshiba's commitment to HD DVD, it should make your HD movie experience a tad bit more enjoyable.
Best Buy Canada offers 'free' 360 HD DVD players
There's an "interesting" deal up north for our Canadian friends who are still (for reasons we don't understand) interested in owning an Xbox 360 HD DVD player. From now through May 2nd, Best Buy Canada is being generous by offering a free $50 gift card to anyone who brings in a receipt proving that they have purchased a HD DVD player after January 1, 2007. And wouldn't you know some Best Buy's in Canada still have a few Xbox 360 HD DVD players laying around for $50. You see what we're saying? The "free" offer? That's right, you can grab a new 360 HD DVD player for $50 AND get a $50 gift card in the process, thus making your purchase technically free. Yes, your mileage will vary as our tipster xenocidic had to try two locations to get Best Buy to pony up a gift card, but it's worth a try if you're feeling some nostalgic HD DVD love.[Via xenocidic]
Rumor: 360's HD DVD player to drop to $50
According to one of Ars Technica's insider moles, Microsoft will be either announcing or secretly informing retail stores that the Xbox 360 HD DVD player's new retail price is (drum roll) $50. Yup, $50. A drop of $80 from the recently announced price drop to $129. Ars Technica says that the new $50 price tag was to be revealed yesterday the 21st, but so far we haven't heard anything from Microsoft regarding any price cut. We also searched a few major online retailers for a magic $50 price tag, but were unsuccessful. We'll just have to wait and see what becomes of the 360's HD DVD player as we expect its price to drop significantly as it dies a slow, tortuous death. The same death that the entire HD DVD format has been experiencing. But on the brighter side of things, we hear the 360's HD DVD player makes a fantastic door stop, so be sure to keep that in mind.[Thanks, jmurzzy911]
Microsoft holding off on HD DVD reaction, thinks "games" sell consoles
Microsoft hit us up with a statement today regarding its Xbox 360 HD DVD player in light of the format's current woes. The company seems to think the news won't have "any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace." Microsoft goes on to reiterate its line about the largest next-gen games library and its belief that "it is games that sell consoles." For those of you hoping for some sort of Blu-ray attachment for the 360 -- or a sense of purpose for that increasingly obsolete HD DVD player currently hooked up to your 360 -- Microsoft does say that "we will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player," which seems to imply there's something to announce once HD DVD finally kicks the bucket, but at this point the prospect of a Blu-ray add-on still seems rather optimistic.
Quick! 360 HD DVD player $90 with free King Kong
Sure, HD DVD might be knocking on Death's door, but that won't stop us from posting a good deal. 1saleaday.com (we haven't heard of them) is currently offering the Xbox 360 HD DVD player for $89.99. Not only that, but the deal includes a free HD DVD copy of King Kong as well. Unfortunately, that's about all we know. No where on the site does it mention if the item is in new condition, for example. Still, it's a hell of deal, especially when you throw in the 5 free HD DVDs deal on top of the $90 price. If you're interested, you've got about ten hours to make the purchase as of this posting.[Thanks, william buckley]
360 HD DVD player dropped to $129.99
Well folks, the time is now. If you're planning on picking up an Xbox 360 HD DVD player, it's not going to get much better than this. Major Nelson just announced that the 360 HD DVD player's price has been officially reduced to $129.99. Combine that with the 5 free HD DVDs offer, and Microsoft is essentially giving away the player for free. In fact, Best Buy is already selling them for $119.99, making the deal even sweeter. Keep your eyes peeled fanboys, because there are likely to be similar price cuts and deals elsewhere. If you find any, let us know.
It's still a deal in our book, $149 360 HD DVD player
A few days back, Amazon.com was quick to pull the plug on their super discounted $129 Xbox 360 HD DVD player and we know a lot of you missed out on the deal. But now today, Amazon.com miraculously "found" some additional stock, raised the price a bit and is offering the HD DVD player for $149 ($30 off of MSRP) as part of their gaming Deal of the Day. Yes, we know that this replacement deal won't fully fill the money savings void of the last offer, but it's still a deal in our book. And you can't be angry at the $30 savings either. Pick it up if you choose or wait a bit and continue playing the neverending Xbox 360 HD DVD player random price tag lottery!
Xbox 360 HD DVD player now on sale for $129
Holy cheap, cheap, cheap Xbox 360 HD DVD player Major Nelson! Late in the day yesterday, eagle-eyed consumers spotted the HD DVD player online for $129, which is $50 cheaper than the $179 MSRP. The $129 price tag was seen at Amazon.com, but the price has since jumped back to its $179 levels. Lame. Though, there is still some good news. Toys R Us is filling in where Amazon.com left off by offering the Xbox 360 HD DVD player for $129 and it's available (in-store) right now! And you get five free movies too! You should jump on this holiday deal ASAP before it goes away ... wait a moment. Is this really a holiday deal or is it simply a foreshadowing of an impending Microsoft okayed HD DVD player price drop that's coming down the pipes? Hmmm ...[Via Engadget, Thanks Wes]
Sunday ads: Heroes HD DVD and some free stuff
We woke up this morning thinking of all the great deals the Sunday paper would bring. We already knew about a certain Heroes HD DVD deal, but we were semi-optimistic about others. Anyway, speaking of Heroes, that offer is 100% valid, starts today and will net you a free Heroes: Season One HD DVD when you purchase the Xbox 360 HD DVD player at Best Buy. Other Best Buy offers include a free comic book with the purchase of Conan, a free wraslin' demo (which is available on the XBLM too) when you pre-order Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, and a free bonus disc loaded with gamer pictures, trailers and songs when you pre-order Mass Effect. And if you're looking for other deals worth mentioning this week, then sorry, but there really isn't any. Circuit City, Target and everyone else were let downs. But cheer up, because a little birdy told us about next week's Circuit City retail ads and all we're saying is a free guitar stand with Guitar Hero III purchase and a free Homer ball with The Simpsons Game purchase. Shhh, you didn't hear that from us.
Sunday: Get Heroes HD DVD free with player purchase
Per some leaked scans of Best Buy's October 21st retail ad, this coming week you'll be able to get Heroes: Season One on HD DVD for FREE instantly with the purchase of a new Xbox 360 HD DVD player. The free Heroes HD DVD offer (which is valued at $99) will go into effect this Sunday and piggybacks the five free HD DVD offer and King Kong movie that's already included in the box. So, as things stand, you can now get the player, King Kong, Heroes and five other movies for $179. This week may be just the time to jump into the HD DVD world, especially if you're a Heroes fan.[Thanks, eLiNeS]
5 free HD DVD offer makes its way to the UK [update]
Update: Oops, looks like our American calendar reading habits got the best of us again. This offer is for any HD DVD players purchased after October 1st and not January 10th like we originally stated. Color us embarrassed.Good news for our friends in the UK, because now they're getting in on the free HD DVD fun too. Microsoft recently made The Perfect Offer available to UK Xbox 360 HD DVD player owners, offering up five free HD DVD movies with player purchase. And just like the offer Stateside, the five free HD DVDs have to be sent for via snail-mail and must be chosen from separate categories of pre-selected movies (full list after the break). But what makes this offer even cooler is the fact that anyone who purchased the 360 HD DVD January 10th, 2007 October 1st, 2007 or later is eligible for the offer. That means if you picked up the player anytime after October 1st and have your receipt, then you can simply print off this form and send for your free movies. The Perfect Offer is one sweet deal and we're glad to see that the marketing execs are allowing our friends in the UK to get in on it. HD DVD FTW![Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Hands-on with Integra's DHS-8.8 HD DVD player
While Toshiba was off boasting about its third-generation HD DVD player lineup, Integra was quietly showcasing its very first player to handle the high-definition format. Interestingly, we had no issues getting a number of closeups, and while the player seemed to sneak under the noses of most folks there, we were able to get a little insight into the firm's future HD plans. 'Course, you'll have to visit our next door neighbor to find out more, and give those snapshots a look while you're over, will ya?
Hands-on with Toshiba's third-generation HD DVD player lineup
As you're well aware by now, Toshiba came out today and got (really) official about its third-generation HD DVD lineup, which includes the HD-A3, HD-A30 and the HD-A35. The company was most certainly pushin' HD DVD at its booth today, so it made sense that these three units were the first most people saw when entering through. Each device looked fairly similar to its siblings, but we went ahead and grabbed photos of 'em one by one just to be safe.%Gallery-7031%
Integra unveils first HD DVD player: the $1099 DHS-8.8
Just before the wheels of CEDIA really get rolling here in Denver, it looks as though we'll have one more contestant in the standalone HD DVD player market: Integra. The firm has announced its first HD DVD player, dubbed the DHS-8.8, and judging by the specs, it's no slacker. This unit touts HDMI 1.3a compatibility, obligatory support for all the lossless audio formats, 1080p24 playback, onboard Reon VX HQV video processing, DVD upscaling to 720p / 1080i / 1080p, and component outputs to boot. Furthermore, you'll find "Wolfson and Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit audio DACs for conversion of audio sources for analog output," and the built-in Ethernet port allows buyers to take advantage of any web-based extras that they may encounter. Notably, this bad boy rings up a full Benjamin higher than the couple of hybrid players we heard about yesterday, and is slated to hit the market in Q4 for $1,099.[Thanks, Ryan]
Circuit City offers up all kinds of deals
This week Circuit City is offering all kinds of deals, some we've seen before while others are new. But be sure to note that most (if not all) are in-store only deals, so let's get to it. This week they brought back two deals including the two free HD DVD offer with the purchase of the Xbox 360 HD DVD player and the 4' tall Master Chief wall graphic with a Halo 3 preorder. For new deals we have a free tshirt with the purchase of Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia and an offer for our PC fanboys. This week you can get Halo 2 Vista for $39.99 and with the purchase you'll get Shadowrun Vista for free! Two PC games for $40, not too shabby at all. So, that's it and be sure to remember that most of these deals aren't available online. Happy spending!
360 HD-DVD player sold for $60
We've seen our share of great deals here at Xbox 360 Fanboy, but this one absolutely takes the cake. It seems a Wal-Mart in Metairie, Louisiana has discounted the $199 peripheral by a staggering $139, reducing the price to $60. A shopper has posted photos of both the price in question and a receipt as proof. Before you speed to the nearest location, endangering countless civilians, you should know that Wal-Mart.com still lists the device at $199.82 (a whole 17 cents off MSRP!). Still, if you live in Metairie (or know someone who does) you'd better act fast. There's no telling when someone at the corporate office will get word of this chicanery.
Free movies with 360 HD DVD player purchase
If you're in the market for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player and want to jump start your movie library, then this week may be the time to make the purchase. At both Best Buy and Circuit City you'll get two HD DVDs for free with a 360 HD DVD player purchase. Which leaves you with a total of three free movies, because the King Kong HD DVD is included with the player. Now only if they offered a free 50" 1080p HD television as part of the deal, then we'd probably pick up two. Read - Best Buy offerRead - Circuit City offer
HD DVD player add-on gets an update
Over on the AVS forums, Microsoft's own HD DVD insider Amirm confirmed that an update will be released sometime today for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player add-on. The auto update is rumored to fix various sound output problems, include a night mode fix, and patch up a few overall HD DVD compatibility issues. And to get the new update simply pop in any HD DVD into your fancy player and you'll be prompted to download the update. Simple, yet effective.[Via TeamXbox]
360 HD DVD doesn't play by AACS's rules
The DRM enforcing AACS has officially gone into a tizzy. The hacking communities of Xboxhacker and Doom9 came together and found a way to view Volume IDs for any HD DVD played in the Xbox 360 HD DVD player add on. This of course allows any disc to be played, bypassing any AACS authentication and even playing Volume IDs that the AACS previously revoked. Ultimately, the 360's HD DVD player is pretty much the easiest way to bypass DRM and is an integral part of "backing up" your HD DVDs. It'll be interesting to see how the AACS combats this new hack (which makes last week's effort a wash), will they revoke the entire lot of Xbox 360 HD DVD players or will they force a simple firmware update? Be afraid HD fans, this is when DRM enforcement gets scary.[Via Engadget]
