Now that the format war is over, some HD DVD owners are seeking out combo players as a way to keep their HD DVD collections viable while they transition to Blu-ray. If you’re in this group, then you may need to pay closer attention to pricing and availability of these models in the near future as Samsung and LG have both announced that the end is near for these machines.

In statements to The Korea Times, a Samsung spokesperson revealed that they already stopped making these units in February, and an LG representative said they’ll stop their dual-format efforts in the second half of the year.

Many months ago, people advised that purchasing a combo HD DVD and Blu-ray player would be a safe way to avoid getting stung too badly in the format war. The thinking was that you’d have a single player that could handle whichever of the disc formats eventually won, and always have the option to pick and choose the best discs in the formats that they happened to come out in.

One of the biggest problems with this approach was that buying a combo player would cost more than buying two players, one for each format. And in the beginning, the LG players only partially met the full HD DVD spec because they left out any web-enabled features.

In the last couple of months, prices on these players have come down quite a bit, and the more recent LG player model is now fully compliant with the HD DVD specifications. Except for the fact that they’re not going to be upgradeable to the latest Blu-ray spec, buying one of these machines is finally a more palatable decision.

If all you’re really looking for is a back-up machine to ensure that your HD DVD collection doesn’t go to waste, then you might want to consider the current sale at TigerDirect (who also now run CompUSA), where you can get an HD-A3 plus four movies for only $80. Two of the four movies are The Bourne Identity and 300, which already come with the player, and TigerDirect is throwing in Apollo 13 and Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift.

Besides that deal, you can also find many used players on eBay and Craigslist, or perhaps an “open-box” unit at an electronics store.

• HD-A3 Player Bundle at TigerDirect.com
• Samsung BD-UP5000 Dual-format player at Amazon.com
• LG BH200 Super Blu Combo Player at Amazon.com
• Samsung, LG End Combo HD DVD Player Line at The Korea Times

Star Trek Season 1 is only $49 at Amazon.ca. That’s the Canadian Amazon, but they do ship to the US.

Don’t worry about the exchange rate, because Canadian and US dollars are about the same.

Don’t worry about shipping, because even if it cost $20 or $30, this is still an amazingly good deal. (Shipping is actually closer to $10)

This box set normally went for around $130 on a good day and is currently selling for about $96 at the US store.

Go!

• Star Trek Season 1 at Amazon.ca

UPDATE: Pay with your American Express card and use code MAPNEWNCSAVE to save an additional $10. Try VISA10OFF40 with a Visa card. Seems that the codes aren’t working for everyone, but it’s worth trying. You might want to try doing it with a new Amazon.ca account.

According to a story at Engadget, lucky shoppers in Ireland can pick up Xbox 360 HD DVD players for the equivalent of just under $16 at stores like GameStop. Kotaku had reported earlier that the drives were going for twice that price in the US, but those were refurbished units.

Irish shoppers can also take advantage of the big sales at British DVD sites such as dvd.co.uk who are selling HD DVD titles, including American Gangster, for as little as £6.95, which is about USD $14 (shipping to the USA isn’t too expensive either). If you’ve been following this site recently, then you’ll know that prices from Australian stores have also been really great.

The format war may have ended, but these kinds of prices are compelling and an inexpensive way to get some good mileage from your HDTV and HD DVD. Blu-ray players start around $399 and since the movies aren’t on fire sales, the pricing on most of them ends up being a lot higher. It makes even more sense for existing HD DVD owners to get in on these sales than for someone new starting out with HD DVD. Regardless, these sales are appealing to people faced with tightening entertainment budgets in the months ahead.

• Engadget story
• dvd.co.uk sale (British site)
• EzDvd clearance sale on HD DVD (Australian site)
• Dvdcrave has lots of HD DVD titles under USD $9 (Australian site)

UPDATE: Roger mentioned in the comments that www.HMV.co.uk and zavvi.co.uk also have super deals like American Gangster for £4.99 (about US $10, but factor in shipping to the US to see if the deal is worth it).

The most recent news item for Toshiba and HD DVD is that their first HD DVD player, the HD-A1 which made its debut in April of 2006, just got a firmware 3.0 update. No word just yet on updates for the later models.

A pseudo-news item about a Toshiba Blu-ray machine came up a few days ago when it was revealed that their Brazilian unit was offering a home theater PC (HTPC) sporting a combo HD DVD/Blu-ray drive. Writers who are less familiar with covering HD DVD and Blu-ray were quick to suggest that this was Toshiba’s attempt at getting into Blu-ray. Technically, this is a Toshiba product and it does do Blu-ray, so it’s not like these reporters were lying. However, it’s not a mainstream player from the big Toshiba mothership, and in the end there’s no reason to expect this Brazilian product at Best Buy, Circuit City or Amazon any time soon.

In early March, Toshiba put a final number on what they’d be writing off as they got out of the HD DVD business. Now that those documents are filed, this amount made news again and you might have read that Toshiba’s earnings were down 95%, representing their first fall in profits in three years. Toshiba is not a one-trick pony and has good prospects in other product areas, so don’t feel too bad for them. They’re still active in the DVD forum and I’m sure we’ll be hearing about at least one or two measures aimed at keeping DVD technology afloat as the world switches to Blu-ray or other ways to get movies.

The big news in movie deals has been that you have to look over in Australia or Europe for the HD DVD fire sales. Australian sites such as EzDvd and Dvdcrave have been selling a lot of discs for prices as low as USD $8.50 and under. Some of these titles are already around $10 at Amazon, Fry’s or DeepDiscount, but it seems that the stores from down under are offering more discs from more studios at these low prices.

On the European front, the various Amazon sites have had some good deals on discs too, but the currency conversion rate from Pounds and Euros is not as favorable when compared to the Aussies. Still, there are some really interesting titles there, many of which were only available on Blu-ray here.

There’s no need to worry that European or Australian discs won’t work with your US player. Region encoding was never enforced on HD DVD discs, and there’s no such thing as PAL incompatibility on HD. Except for the fact that a European disc may have different language options, the movies themselves will work just fine.

Shipping costs don’t really weigh down the final price much, and it might take a few more days to get discs internationally, but if you’re definitely not getting into Blu-ray any time soon, then this may be a good way to get some of the movies you had always wanted. Don’t forget that Paramount has still not come out with any solid Blu-ray plans, and Universal’s first Blu-ray discs barely scratch the potential catalog they had put out on HD DVD. This means that the only way to enjoy certain titles on HD discs is still via HD DVD.

Most of the deals from the start of April are still in effect at US-based stores, and you can revisit this April 4 posting for more information about those sales.

• EzDvd clearance sale on HD DVD
• Dvdcrave has lots of HD DVD titles under USD $9

April 22 is observed around these here parts as “Earth Day” and what better day to rekindle your love of HD DVD and Mother Earth than with another viewing of an episode or two from the remarkable Planet Earth disc set?

This was my first HD DVD purchase over a year ago, coming just a couple of days before my player did. A few months ago thousands took advantage of a big sale at the Discovery Channel store to buy the Discovery version and they’ve been sold out since. If you’re still looking for a deal on this title, head on over to the PBS store, where it’s being sold as an overstock item for only $29.99. Though the picture at the site shows the BBC cover, I am pretty sure they are actually selling the Discovery Channel version because brand new sets of the BBC version are still going for around $45 at Amazon.

There are some difference betweens the two versions, such as the fact that the Discovery version is 1080i, has Sigourney Weaver as the narrator, and each episode is about ten minutes shorter since that’s the way they all aired on the channel. Despite those differences, a lot of people have bought and loved this version a lot.

Coupon code “WELCOME15″ brings that price down a couple of dollars at the ShopPBS store, by the way, and it appears that some aspect of this discounted price also ends on April 28.

• Planet Earth at ShopPBS.org
• Planet Earth HD DVD at $29.99 at Discovery store
• “Your HD Collection is incomplete without Planet Earth” – Post from last year

Amazon.com is the latest company to offer some special consideration for its HD DVD customers. While stores like Circuit City and Wal-Mart have extended their refund policies, Best Buy opted for gift certificates because they recognized that some people might still want to keep their players and might be due to purchase some new movies on HD DVD, or perhaps they might take a peek at other items like a Blu-ray player or USB hub.

Add Amazon to that $50 gift certificate club. If you purchased an HD DVD player from Amazon.com before February 23, 2008, then check your email for the following letter that was sent out this morning:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who purchased an HD DVD player from us before February 23, 2008,* you might like to hear about a special offer available from Amazon.com.

New technologies don’t always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50 off any products sold by Amazon.com.** Just use promotional code ****-******-****** when checking out. The code is valid through April 9, 2009, so you have plenty of time to use your credit. Purchases from third-party merchants on our site are not eligible.

In addition, we’d like to share some of our top offers on Blu-ray discs , HDTVs , and other high-def technology and remind you that the Amazon.com Marketplace is available to sell items you might not want anymore as you upgrade to new ones. Also be sure to check out our monthly Amazon.com Early Adopters Delivers e-mail to find out about the latest technology.

* On February 23, 2008, the last manufacturer of HD DVD players announced it was ceasing production of those players.

** Offer cannot be used to pay for special-order titles, e-books or downloadable e-content, wireless service plans, gift certificates, gift-wrap, taxes, or shipping and handling charges. $50.00 promotional credit is per HD DVD player purchased prior to February 23, 2008–up to 10 units for a maximum credit of $500.00.

You are receiving this e-mail due to your purchase of a qualifying HD DVD player from Amazon.com. Canceled or returned orders of eligible HD DVD players are not eligible for this promotion.

You have a full year to redeem this $50 coupon on a purchase at Amazon, and it can be on anything they sell. As for me, I’m going to use it on a wireless mouse I’ve had my eye on…

It’s said that “April showers bring May flowers” which refers to springtime rain causing beautiful flowers to sprout the following month. Now that it’s rained on HD DVD’s parade, many HD DVD fans would like to see deals on movies sprouting up next.

Pricing on HD DVDs had come down significantly in February, even before Toshiba and partners announced their pullouts from the format. March was characterized by shoppers finding deals at Hollywood Video stores that were clearing their shelves of HD DVD titles, and later by Best Buy and Circuit City stores who, depending on your luck with the cashier and manager, might price-match and net some huge savings on titles.

For example, HD DVD fans at the AVS forum have been reporting varying amounts of success at visiting Circuit City stores and getting them to honor different flavors of an advertised 50% off sale on HD DVD titles. While 50% off the regular in-store price is not a horrible deal, 50% off their online price is much better. Unfortunately, Circuit City stores have varying policies and not everybody is able to come out a winner.

Many point out that even with the best discounting at Circuit City and Best Buy, the pricing is still consistently better online at Amazon, DeepDiscount and others, with the added bonus that you don’t have to drive from store to store looking for whatever is left, and then gambling that employees are going to ring up the deals at the maximum savings. On the other hand, there is a certain amount of fun in visiting stores to see what you can come home with that same day, so one shouldn’t begrudge people of their fun.

As the days and weeks go by, there’s usually a report here and there about Circuit City and Best Buy pulling all HD DVD titles from their shelves to return to their distributors. While it may not have happened at the stores in some people’s neighborhoods, the absence of HD DVD titles on shelves is inevitable and online merchants are likely to be the main way to get discs in the months ahead.

People also wonder what will happen to the discs that do get returned to distributors. Will they end up in the pool that the online stores like Amazon can draw upon? Will they find their way to liquidators who may dump the discs via stores on eBay or other sites? Or will these discs just go into a landfill?

My guess is that it will be the first two, long before the third option of the discs getting tossed away. In my almost weekly visits to GameStop, I’m amazed at the life that old and moldy PS2, Xbox, and GameCube titles have in the used games bins, as well as used DVDs. I am pretty sure that just about every HD DVD title (though not every single one) is likely to get circulated at some store somewhere. But just remember that your chance to get these discs brand-new will be greatly diminished by the end of summer, or maybe earlier.

If there’s a particular title that you’ve really been hankering for, then get it as soon as you can or else you risk never getting it at all, or possibly waiting a long time to enjoy it in high-definition in the future via Blu-ray or something else.

A few sites have been reporting that Amazon has put discs on a big sale of 60% off, but that’s actually old news. This is mostly the same pricing since exactly one month ago. Prices haven’t really changed much since late February at Amazon, DeepDiscount, Fry’s, Tower, and many others. For example, the following Paramount titles were $11.95 at Amazon last month, and they’re still $11.95 today:

And these Weinstein titles are still $9 from last month:

But it’s a different story overseas with stores like DvdCrave.com.au and EZDvd.com.au selling discs at larger discounts. I’m not sure if the additional shipping charges and exchange rates work out to maximum savings, but in a few cases, this may be the best way to get a title that’s hard to find from US vendors.

Here’s a quick set of links to the usual online destinations for HD DVD deals:

• Paramount for $9.99 and others on sale at Fry’s
• Many titles on sale at Tower
• Don’t forget DeepDiscount.com has lots of stuff
• HD DVD store at Amazon.com. By the way, they have a $5 off $50 sale with code DVD5BFHR if you pay with an Amazon credit card.

Here are some deals at Australian sites. At the current exchange rate, a movie for AUD $13 is just under US $11, but don’t forget to factor in shipping:

• EZYDVD.com.au in Australia has lots of titles at $10 and under
• DVDPacific.com has plenty under $12 and $15
• DVDCrave.com.au has many titles under $11

It’s the first week of Daylight Savings Time, and it’s also turning out to be a time for many HD DVD owners to crank up the savings at various retailers.

There’s talk that Blockbuster video stores will be following in the footsteps of Hollywood Video and start selling off previously rented HD DVD titles at $10 a piece. That might sound like a good deal on some of the more expensive titles, but check with the online retailers to see whether they might already be selling them brand-new at the same prices or just a couple dollars more.

The fire-sale pricing hasn’t kicked in across the board at Amazon yet, and most Warner titles are still at their February price levels, but we have seen significant moves recently on Universal titles and numerous Paramount discs at $12. DeepDiscount and Fry’s have a lot of discs selling at around $10, and Tower isn’t too far behind.

If you’re looking for the absolute best pricing, then you need to click around at multiple websites and scroll through at last a few pages there because these merchants are all a little different in which discs get put on sale. For example, Tower has a lousy price on American Gangster at $26, but they’re among the cheapest for the BBC version of Planet Earth at $54.85, and a buck cheaper than Amazon on Batman Begins. Similarly, DeepDiscount has Planet Earth at a ridiculously high $70, but they’re beating Amazon’s $12 price on several Paramount titles by offering them at $10.

Retail stores are eager to make room on their shelves and in their warehouses for new products, which means they’re likely to offer unannounced discounts and deals on HD DVD movies. So if you’re in the neighborhood, you might want to drop in and see what your local Best Buy or Circuit City are up to. One way to get deals at BB and CC is to try to get them to price-match. However, luck seems to be a major component at dealing with these stores because they may not have titles in stock, and it may be up to the cashier or manager’s whimsy whether they’ll honor a price that you think you should be getting. But if you’re persistent (and try another set of employees at the same store), you might walk away with some good deals.

A shopping tip I can give you from my past attempts at tracking down discountinued toys and videogames is don’t hold out just to save an additional 80 cents on something. If you really need or want an item, and the price is generally within your expectations, then order it before it goes out of stock everywhere and you can only pick it up used, or maybe never.

So here are links of interest for your HD DVD bargain hunting for the week. It seems inevitable that Amazon will have to offer all their sale-priced discs on a special promotion and present them on a set of pages for easy browsing, and we’ll update the links here accordingly.

Here’s what Amazon’s got right now for 9.95:

And for $8.95:

Links to these and other online retailers and deals:

• Fry’s has Paramount for $9.99 and others on sale too
• Tower has great prices on lots of discs, but not on all of them
• DeepDiscount.com has great prices on lots of discs
• Selected Paramount titles for $12 at Amazon (goes to previous posting at this site)
• Universal titles on sale at Amazon (goes to a search on ‘Universal’ at Amazon)
• 56 Warner discs on sale at up to 57% off at Amazon

Universal was supposed to have lowered their suggested retail prices on all HD DVD titles on March 4, and everything should have become $10 cheaper. I reported on it that morning with titles like American Gangster going for $17, and plenty of others at $12. But those prices didn’t last the whole day, and they all went up a few dollars and stayed that way for the remainder of the week.

I’m not sure how long it’s going to last this time around, but as of this morning on March 8, it appears that Amazon has updated all of their HD DVD pricing again with plenty of titles going for $10 and $12 which had been selling for a few more dollars earlier in the week.

Here’s a sample of the titles now at $10, the first one is NOT from Universal:

These Paramont titles are $12:

Click here for Amazon’s Universal titles, and you’ll see a bunch at $13.95, and even $9.95.

Click here for the entire HD DVD collection at Amazon where you’ll find savings on titles from all studios. That link is supposed to be sorted by price, however it seems that Amazon’s system could use some math lessons from my 8 year old since the sorting is not quite perfect.

I’m not sure how long it will last this time around, but if you’re even the least bit interested in any of these movies, then go ahead and follow your impulse and buy it now before you’re out of luck and they’re gone for good.

I bought a few earlier in the week when I first noticed the sale, and have been waiting for prices to get back down. The movies I’m looking for are the ones that I wasn’t necessarily interested in at a higher price. Once the price is down to something where I don’t feel like I’m throwing away a $10 or $20 bill, it’s a little easier to add them to my cart. Afterall, I’m not sure when I’ll get a Blu-ray player, and I certainly don’t know how much longer after that all these previously HD DVD exclusive titles will come out on that format. Might as well enjoy them in their fully interactive glory for the next several months than do without.

You can also check out the deals at DeepDiscount.com which have recently been a buck or more less than Amazon, and they seem to have some titles that Amazon is only offering from its associated vendors.