Toshiba to Offer $100 HD DVD Instant Rebate

Beginning Sunday, Toshiba will be offering a $100 USD instant rebate on its entry-level HD DVD player for a period of one month, with the savings eventually being available on any player it sells.

The promotion will run from May 20 to June 16. For the entire period, the $100 instant rebate is applicable to the HD-A2 model, bringing the price down to $299.99 USD. During the final week, the rebate applies to any player.

This brings the prices down to $399.99 for the HD-A20, and $699.99 for the top-of-the-line HD-XA2. Additionally, during that final week period, if a consumer purchases a Toshiba made HDTV at a screen size of 42 inches or larger, the rebate would double to $200.

"We know that price is a powerful driver for consumers to adopt new technology," Toshiba marketing vice president Jodi Sally said in a statement.

In addition to the rebate, new marketing campaigns will also be launched. An HD DVD trailer will begin appearing during film screenings at 932 theaters nationwide, including to movie chains Regal, AMC, and Cinemark. The ads will air over a four week period.

Although a complete list of participating retailers was not provided, Toshiba noted that Best Buy, Circuit City, HHGregg, and Amazon.com will be participating.

According to surveys, Blu-ray is catching up quickly after trailing HD DVD by a wide margin. Data released in April indicated that three out of every four high-definition discs sold in March were in the Blu-ray format.