Toshiba A3 HD DVD Player Now $199

In yet another price drop for HD DVD, Best Buy and Circuit City are now offering Toshiba's latest third-generation A3 player for $199, $100 off the original price. Although the older A2 player can be picked up for $98 while supplies last at a number of retail outlets, the A3 has only been out for one month, making the sale quite a surprise.

Further enhancing the $199 deal, the A3 includes 7 free HD DVDs - two of which can be selected instantly and another 5 sent via mail-in offer. Sears previously announced plans to sell the A3 for $169 on just the day after Thanksgiving, but Best Buy and Circuit City's sale doesn't appear to be limited, and units are in stock online and at stores. Blu-ray plans to offer discounts for the holidays as well, but Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow said prices of Blu-ray players will not likely fall below $400.