HD DVD to Make Last Stand During Super Bowl
January 29, 2008 | by Nick Mokey
A 30-second commercial will attempt to win converts to HD DVD based on the format's significantly reduced player prices.
Rings and a trophy won’t be the only things on the line at this year’s Super Bowl: Toshiba recently revealed that it has laid out $2.7 million for a 30-second spot during the game to highlight HD DVD, which could represent either a last gasp, or the beginning of salvation for the struggling format. Toshiba’s vice president of marketing, Jodi Sally, confirmed the move to Home Media Magazine in its latest issue.
According to Sally, the ad will showcase Toshiba’s HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35 players, which had their prices cut to as low as $149.99 earlier this month in an effort to compete against significantly more expensive Blu-ray players. The HD-DVD group has routinely used the Super Bowl as a promotional in the past, due to the connotations the game has with high-end home theater systems.
Unlike the Toshiba’s price cuts, which saw a Blu-ray counter move a week later, the Blu-ray group confirmed to Home Media that it has no intention of running a Super Bowl ad of its own as a response, due mostly to time constraints that would hurt production quality.
Post Your Comment...Comments
John on Jan 29th, 2008 at 10:23 AM:
It's not over, until it's over. Since when video must "have one format"?????? Games for gamer junkies have how many? PC, ps3, Wii, XBox, PSP, DS, and so on. Why must video have just "one format"??? No one has ever answered that one.
chris on Feb 2nd, 2008 at 7:58 PM:
since sony was involved they tried to monopolize the market which at the time was advanced (beta) ,but on this one its about screwing the consumer with unfinished inferior equipment,not tohave the better product and because the poostation which is the worst selling game console created to date has no games because bluray software is basicly programmer unfriendly there using the numbers to manipulate the consumer to go poo.sony suxx and so does poo-ray
Jim on Feb 3rd, 2008 at 7:16 AM:
I think it's great . I hope it makes all the movie studio's rethink. We want a choice !! .
Jim on Feb 3rd, 2008 at 7:16 AM:
Yes I hope it makes all the movie studio's rethink and especially Walt Disney. My grand kids won't be watching any of there movies unless it's Hd .I refuse to buy any do to the fact that we don't have a choice
thehifidoc@sbcglobal.net on Feb 4th, 2008 at 12:25 PM:
I was impressed with the HD-DVD initiative here. Once again competition benifits the consumer. What would Blu-ray cost if they had No competition? So now many people will be watching HD-DVD on the sub $1000.00 42 inch plasma they bought a Wal-Mart. I say HooRah for Joe 6 pack!
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sufferpuppet on Jan 29th, 2008 at 8:57 AM:
" the Blu-ray group confirmed to Home Media that it has no intention of running a Super Bowl ad of its own as a response, due mostly to time constraints that would hurt production quality."
Yeah cause superbowls just sneak right up on you. Did Sony not think we were going to have one this year? Or, maybe they are still hurting from the $500 million they had to pay Warner to side with them.
Go Format War! Nobody wins, and the consumers loose. Yeah!