News

Toshiba HD DVD Players Now Shipping to U.S. Retailers (27/4/2006)

"So Real You Can Feel It" Advertising Campaign and national consumer promotions highlight the launch of the first HD DVD players for the U.S. Market

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba"), announced today its new HD DVD players, the first in the U.S. market, are now shipping to retailers nationwide. The introduction of the new HD DVD players will be supported by consumer promotions and an extensive advertising campaign highlighting the key consumer benefits of HD DVD and follows on the heels of an extensive 40-city retail tour.

"As a leader in home entertainment, we are thrilled to introduce the first HD DVD players for the U.S. market," said Jodi Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba America Consumer Products Digital A/V Group. "With the introduction of some of the hottest films on HD DVD we are confident that our HD DVD players will complement the rapid market penetration of high definition TVs."

Toshiba also announced a promotion with Netflix for the online rental of HD DVD movie titles. Consumers who purchase an HD DVD player will get a Netflix coupon (included inside the box) good for one free month of DVD rentals, including HD DVD, via Netflix.com(1).

So Real You Can Feel It Ad Campaign

From action to drama, comedy to horror, HD DVD allows consumers to experience movies as they never have before. HD DVD creates an environment that is "So real you can feel it," and this theme is demonstrated in television and print advertisements. The television commercial targets consumers who are already enjoying HD content via broadcast, and will appear on high definition channels including Universal HD, The Discovery Channel, HDNet, INHD, and HGTV-HD. The spots, like the print ads, will feature the immersive feeling that HD DVD provides and will direct consumers to the Toshiba HD DVD website http://www.toshibahddvd.com where consumers can find a list of available HD DVD titles, local retailers who carry the players and additional product information.

The campaign continues with print advertisements in Premiere Magazine, Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, Wired, Home Theater and Sound and Vision among others, as well as an online component including banner ads and flash animation ads on key web sites.

"With the ever-growing number of HDTV sets, consumers are looking for a way to enjoy more content in HD," said Tina Tuccillo, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Toshiba. "This campaign showcases all of the excitement and realism that HD DVD offers to the consumer in an entertaining and exciting way. Toshiba's HD DVD players provide consumers with the ability to experience the true power of their HDTVs."

Here's One Beauty That Won't Kill The Beast

Toshiba will also support its newest line of HD DVD players with a King Kong promotional campaign. With the availability of the King Kong movie on DVD, consumers who purchase a Toshiba HD DVD player before May 31, 2006 can receive by mail a $25 DVD Cash(R) Certificate good towards the purchase of King Kong or any DVD or HD DVD title at participating retailers(1).

The premise of the promotional campaign makes an emotional tie between consumers and their current DVD collections while highlighting that Toshiba's new HD DVD players will not only allow them to play new HD DVD movies in stunning high definition but also be able to play their current library of DVDs and CDs. The theme of the campaign, "Here's one beauty that won't kill the beast," plays off the climactic end of the epic remake and points to the specific benefit of backwards compatibility.

Like the theatrical campaign, the launch of King Kong on DVD will be supported by a completely integrated marketing effort from Toshiba.

Toshiba HD DVD Players

Toshiba's new HD DVD players provide outstanding visual quality supported by leading-edge video compression technologies. The Toshiba HD-XA1 and HD-A1 are backward compatible so users can continue to enjoy their libraries of current DVD and CD software.

Toshiba's HD DVD players are the first to support the HD DVD-Video format approved by the DVD Forum, the international association that defines and promotes DVD standards. The Toshiba HD-XA1 and HD-A1 support playback of pre-recorded HD DVD discs, offering consumers stunning digital high-definition picture quality far surpassing that of standard DVD. Sound quality is also enhanced with HD DVD. Both models support the clarity and realism of three next generation surround-sound formats - 5.1ch Dolby(R) Digital Plus, two channels of Dolby TrueHD and 5.1ch DTS(R) core stream for DTS-HD. Support for up-conversion of standard DVD through HDMI(TM) output allows consumers to enjoy current DVD libraries with output scaled to their HDTV or HD displays.

Toshiba's players also go beyond the capabilities of standard DVD with extensive support for advanced navigation and interactive features offering new and exciting ways to interact with content. For example, depending on content, the players' "pop-up menu" displays movie chapters with thumbnails while the movie plays, and it allows users to navigate menu features without pausing playback. Picture in Picture (PIP) with motion video functions include the ability to play supplementary video over the main program, allowing viewers to watch bonus content, such as a superimposed director's commentary or a documentary about the making of the movie, while the movie plays.

Expected Pricing: HD-XA1 ($799.99); HD-A1 ($499.99)

www.tacp.toshiba.com