As of January 1st 2008 a 1080P/24 3rd generation HD-DVD player is only $34.51 cheaper compared to a 3rd generation 1080P/24 BLU-RAY player.


A factory new Samsung BD-P1400 with HDMI 1.3, Ethernet port, and 1080P/24 support can be purchased as low as $278.49 with free shipping.
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-996835/DVD-Players/Samsung-BD-P1400-Compare-Prices?q=bd-p1400 (http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-996835/DVD-Players/Samsung-BD-P1400-Compare-Prices?q=bd-p1400)
A factory new Toshiba HD-A30 with HDMI 1.3, Ethernet port, and 1080P/24 support can be purchased as low as $243.98 with free shipping.
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-1008498/DVD-Players/Toshiba-HD-A30-Compare-Prices?q=hd-a30 (http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-1008498/DVD-Players/Toshiba-HD-A30-Compare-Prices?q=hd-a30)

When one compares the cheapest factory new 3rd generation BLU-RAY player with 1080P/24 support to the cheapest factory new 3rd generation HD-DVD player with 1080P/24 support then one will discover that HD-DVD players are only around $34.51 cheaper when compared to BLU-RAY players.


Of course there is a third choice in the format war now. Dual format combo players

A factory new Samsung BD-UP5000 with HDMI 1.3, Ethernet port, and 1080P/24 support can be purchased as low as $749.99 with free shipping.
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-1010611/DVD-Players/Samsung-BD-UP5000-Compare-Prices?q=bd-up5000 (http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-1010611/DVD-Players/Samsung-BD-UP5000-Compare-Prices?q=bd-up5000)
The advantage of dual format players is one can play both BLU-RAY and HD-DVD discs and just collect movies again without having to worry about the format war. If dual format players become popular then consumers will start to replace all their DVD players with dual format players. The mainstream consumer is never going to purchase both a BLU-RAY and HD-DVD player for every room in the house. The problem with dual format players is when they reach the under $500 level it could cause both formats to coexist just like the Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio format coexist with universal players available.Currently a dual format player costs $227.52 more then owning two of the cheapest HD 1080P/24 players. Sometime this year most likely dual format players will cost at least $100 less then owning both a 1080P/24 BLU-RAY and HD-DVD player. A dual format player can be made cheaper then two separate players. The dual format player only needs one case, power supply, remote, circuit board, and many of the chip sets can be shared. Unless one format is able to secure 100% studio support dual format players will become the best solution for movie collectors.

The difference is Blu-Ray players are being liquidated for that cheap price due to the fact they are the old profile 1.0 versions.

Once the profile 1.1 & the later & more expensive profile 2.0 BD players come out, the price will sky rocket once again with HD DVD leading in cheap player prices by far.

Maybe in late 2009 we will see BD SAL players (Full Profile 2.0) costing the same as HD DVD SAL players. But not anytime soon.

Dual Format players are a waste of money. It would cost cheaper to buy HD DVD & BD SAL players separately.

The difference is Blu-Ray players are being liquidated for that cheap price due to the fact they are the old profile 1.0 versions.

Once the profile 1.1 & the later & more expensive profile 2.0 BD players come out, the price will sky rocket once again with HD DVD leading in cheap player prices by far.

Maybe in late 2009 we will see BD SAL players (Full Profile 2.0) costing the same as HD DVD SAL players. But not anytime soon.

Dual Format players are a waste of money. It would cost cheaper to buy HD DVD & BD SAL players separately.
Yes you are correct the Samsung BDP-1400 is profile 1.0. Profile 2.0 BLU-RAY players most likely will only add around $100 to the cost of the player. I like the higher bit rates that the BLU-RAY format provides with the 50GB disc capacity.
Here is a link to my un-edited post on why I like BLU-RAY better. Over at High-Def Digest they have an area in their forum where people can have professional debates between BLU-RAY and HD-DVD supporters. I wish every forum had an area like High-Def digest that allowed people to professional debate back and forth. :)

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showpost.php?p=576906&postcount=1
(http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?p=577523#post577523)

The A30 is not HDMI 1.3 (and will not pass advanced audio via bitstream like the Samsung).

The difference is Blu-Ray players are being liquidated for that cheap price due to the fact they are the old profile 1.0 versions.

Once the profile 1.1 & the later & more expensive profile 2.0 BD players come out, the price will sky rocket once again with HD DVD leading in cheap player prices by far.

Maybe in late 2009 we will see BD SAL players (Full Profile 2.0) costing the same as HD DVD SAL players. But not anytime soon.

Dual Format players are a waste of money. It would cost cheaper to buy HD DVD & BD SAL players separately.

The Panasonic BD30 can be shipped for around $400 and is profile 1.1 - I hardly call that a "sky rocket" price. It also does bitstreaming and is about $75 more than the comparable Toshiba A35.

The A30 is not HDMI 1.3 (and will not pass advanced audio via bitstream like the Samsung).
The specs on the Toshiba HD-A30 on many websites list HDMI 1.3. Are they not shipping the HD-A30 with HDMI 1.3? You are correct that the Samsung BDP-1400 supports advanced audio via bit stream. :)

Please use the appropriate forum area. The price delta between BD and HD DVD is noteworthy but this is not the arena. I'm interested in Universal players that will save me space and cabling considerations.

Well currently the cheapest dual format player is the LG Drive that I purchased last week from Best Buy for $256 shipped! It will do everything except for the HD audio codecs. It also offers something that no other player can. It can backup your content! Heck, if this player was $500 it would still be a good deal because of its ability to backup the discs.

My drive gets delivered today. I will let you know how it works out for me.

Well currently the cheapest dual format player is the LG Drive that I purchased last week from Best Buy for $256 shipped! It will do everything except for the HD audio codecs. It also offers something that no other player can. It can backup your content! Heck, if this player was $500 it would still be a good deal because of its ability to backup the discs.

My drive gets delivered today. I will let you know how it works out for me.

Cool, let us know.