Honestly, we were taken aback when Toshiba released version 3.0 firmware for its launch HD DVD players two years after release, but that has been replaced by absolute shock, at a 4.0 software update for the long-dead format. The whole family can join in on this one, either via the player or downloading and burning a copy from the website, with updates available for the whole line: HD-A1, HD-XA1, HD-D1, HD-A35, HD-A2, HD-A2W, HD-A2C, HD-D2, HD-A20, HD-XA2, HD-A3, HD-D3, HD-A30. The only official word is this patch "addresses certain playback issues" -- forum posters report 1080p/24 playback jaggies on MPEG-4 AVC-encoded titles like Transformers is no longer a problem. If everything is working fine (and, of course, you're still using your HD DVD player) it may be best to wait until more reports to avoid any potential compatibility problems.

[Via Slashgear]

Read - AVS Forum
Read - Resource for : Firmware Update Information for Owners of Toshiba HD DVD Players:

We were wondering how well HD DVD was doing with those new price cuts, and now here's Video Business with the answer: according to sources at retailers, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Circuit City -- among others -- were able to move 90,000 stand-alone HD DVD players this weekend. Most of them were last year's entry level HD-A2, which sold for the low, low price of $99 -- but not all. This dramatically increases the user base for the HD DVD camp, but that's not saying much since the format only sold about this many stand-alone players in its first year. In the world of consumer electronics, 90k isn't that impressive, but considering the estimated loss Toshiba took on each unit, we can see why they'd want to limit the supply. The problem for the HD DVD camp is that they're really up against the PS3's sales, and even though only 40% of PS3 owners realize that there is a Blu-ray player built in, that's still about 750,000 people in the US. But ultimately, this format war is about selling movies, and we'll be keeping a close eye on the weekly sales numbers to assess the impact of this early holiday sales blitz.

[Thanks, Utah!]

With the plummeting prices seen over the past week for Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD players, the real winner is consumers. At these prices, it's worth picking one up just for any HD DVD exclusives you're interested in. It's true that supplies were limited and the HD-A2 is a closeout, but it's a great deal still. In the virtual world, shoppers who clicked a little too late at Best Buy's website were issued backorder notices, and rightfully expected Best Buy to fulfill their orders. The discontinued status on the HD-A2 looks like it will result in a double-bonus, though. Customers who got in on the deal late were sent an email from Best Buy informing them that they would be receiving HD-A3s instead of the HD-A2. For those keeping score, this nice bit of customer service nets a $200 discount from MSRP!

The only thing better than buying last year's entry level HD DVD player for $99, is buying the latest for $87. While this might not be the most honest hack, we're pretty sure it's not illegal. Our friend Tyler from Format War Central decided to pick up an HD-A2 from Best Buy yesterday -- why not at $99? -- and noticed that in addition to getting two free movies, the receipt said he bought an HD-A3. So he figured he'd take Circuit City up on their "Low Price Guarantee" and upon displaying his Best Buy receipt they happily sold him a $300 HD-A3 for $87 (out the door) -- which also had two free HD DVDs in the box to boot.

Still waiting to jump into the high def disc game? Or just wanted another weaker, cheaper player for the last-gen TV you phased out to your rumpus room? Well, whatever your reasons, some (not all!) Wal-Mart locations will be selling Toshiba HD-A2s for $100 -- down from $200 -- this Friday. Ridiculous, we know. Blu-ray gonna fight back? We hope so, we'd really like to get our hands on one for under $300, and not just by using our hookup that sells gear out of his trunk, you know?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

When they say "competition's good," they obviously meant "competition means cheap HD DVD players": Wal-Mart's $198 Toshiba HD-A2 has been copied by Circuit City, which is now selling the same player for $197.99 online. Add it to your cart, and see for yourself. As one tipster said, with deals like this popping up this early, signs are looking good for one helluva Black Friday.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

During the Sony press conference yesterday at CEDIA , Sony put up some charts to show how starting about 12 weeks stand-alone Blu-ray players were outselling HD DVD. They tribute this to the release of the $499 BDP-S300, but we're not so sure about that. Assuming the numbers are indeed true, we don't suppose the announcement of Toshiba's 3rd generation players would have anything to do with it, not to mention the fact that none of our local Best Buy stores even have the HD-A2 in stock. But what we really want to know is, who is buying all these Blu-ray players, with Profile 1.1 right around the corner?

[Via FormatWarCentral]

There's really never been a better time to jump into HD disc land. The format war isn't going anywhere anytime soon, the players are the cheapest yet, and there are free discs by the bucket-fulls just for signing up. The latest promo on Amazon gets you three free HD DVDs if you buy an HD-A2, HD-A20 or HD-XA2 Toshiba player. Add that to the five free HD DVDs Toshiba will give you through mail-in rebate and you're practically getting the player for free. Amazon's currently having trouble keeping the HD-A2 in stock, and HD-A2s sold by third-party merchants don't qualify for the three free promo, but stick around and you just might be able to nab one. The promo runs from now to September 23.

[Via AVS Forum]

There is no doubt that both Hi-Def disc formats are a work in progress, and the latest update (for second-generation HD DVD players only) from Toshiba keeps HD DVD's interactive content at least one step ahead of Blu-ray. This latest update will help HD DVD fans enjoy web-enabled content included on a few titles like Warner's Blood Diamond, which hits the streets tomorrow; the update also resolves a few other issues such as the dreaded chroma bug. Like previous updates, you can download it directly to the player (if it's connected to the Internet), or request a free update disc from Toshiba.

Read -- Blood Diamond's web-content
Read -- HD DVD chroma bug
Read -- Firmware download

Although money talks, nothin' speaks volume to major manufacturers like, well, volume. In a presumed attempt to keep the recently increased flow of HD DVD player orders steady, Toshiba has reportedly announced a final decision to stick with the prices seen in recent promotional deals. More specifically, the company stated that the MSRP on the high-end HD-XA2 would sink to $799 (versus close to $1,000 before), while the mid-range HD-A20 would instantly become $100 more affordable after dropping to $399, and both of these units are set to receive 24p output through an update scheduled for September. The most attractive option (that would be the HD-A2), however, will soon be listed for a mere $299, and while none of these prices are apt to incite fits of uncontrollable jubilation, it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Now this is more like it. Sure, we've seen the prices of HD DVD players slowly but surely sinking over time, and while there's been more than a few inconvenient rebate offers of late, it looks like a new precedent has been set. Crutchfield is now offering up Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player for a mere $199 after a $100 instant rebate, but we wouldn't count on this thing showing up anytime soon. According to the site, not only is inventory sitting at zero, but it also admits that the ship date is unfortunately "uncertain." Still, $199 for a second-generation HD DVD player ain't too shabby (have you seen one for less?), so be sure to check out the previous impressions before grabbing your place in the ever-growing line of customers trying to take advantage.

[Thanks, Andrew]

UPDATE: Too bad -- looks like Crutchfield was forced to jack the price up by a Benjamin or face an order backlog beyond belief.

The recent rebates from Toshiba on stand alone HD DVD players has gotten us pretty excited, and it seems we're not the only ones. Toshiba is claiming that "player sales are up 5-10 times higher than before" and at least the one retailer that shares its data confirms this. In fact over the weekend the HD-A2 was rated the number 1 selling DVD player on Amazon -- no, not just in the HD category, but in all DVD players. While this is great and all, we're not sure how this is going to affect the overall outcome of the format war, but one thing is for sure, this holiday season is going to be very interesting for HD fans.

Attention owners of the HD-XA2, HD-A20, HD-A2, HD-A2W, or HD-D2 - really all of the second-generation HD DVD players. Toshiba just released a new firmware for your player that should addresses certain disc playback and HDMI/DVI related problems. O.K. there is two ways to get the update: 1st - simply download it via your broadband connection through the Ethernet port on the back, or - 2nd you can contact Toshiba Customer Solutions at (800) 319-6684 and ask for a firmware update disc. We are still wondering if all this updating is better for the consumer or the CE company. On one hand it does allow the consumer to always have a current edition product with all the right updates without worrying about what serial number they must buy. Then on the other hand, it allows CE manufacturers to produce a product not fully tested and then simply release an update when more testing is completed. Oh well, only time will tell.

It hasn't been on store shelves very long, but the folks at Home Theater Blog have put the few weeks since the HD-A2's launch to good use, taking the time to put the new entry-level HD DVD player on the block through its paces for a complete review. After going through the usual round of tests, they came out squarely in favor of the player, finding that it delivered the performance to match its new good looks, in particular showing a marked improved in load times over earlier players. Those not ready to ditch their massive DVD collections will also be pleased to hear that the HD-A2 will make 'em look about as good as they can, with up-scaling on par with the Toshiba's earlier HD-XA1 player. Of course, if you want to go 1080p this ain't the player for you (don't worry, Toshiba's still got a fix for ya), but if you're sticking with your 480p, 720p, or 1080i set for a while yet, it looks like the HD-A2 will deliver the goods without putting too much of a hurt on your bank account.