Posted Mon Aug 6, 2007 at 09:32 AM PDT by
Days after an accidental leak by Amazon.com, Toshiba has issued an official press release announcing the launch of its line of 3rd-gen HD DVD players due this Fall.
According to the just-posted press release, Toshiba plans three new players as part of this launch -- the HD-A3 ($299.99, due in October), the HD-A30 ($399.99, due in September), and the HD-A35 ($499.99, due in October).
As was the case with HD-A2, the entry level HD-A3 player in this third-gen release is a fairly basic HD DVD player, outputting only up to 1080i video.
The two higher-end models, meanwhile, will both offer full 1080p video, as well as the capability of outputing signal at 24 frames per second. Additionally, the company's release boasts that both the A-30 and the A-35 will be first in the Toshiba line to include "CE-Link" connectivity, offering the capability to communicate with and control other CE devices (via HDMI) via player's remote control.
The top-of-the-line HD-A35 is also set to add Deep Color via HDMI, as well as both 5.1 channel analog output and High Bit Rate Audio (up to 7.1 channel) via HDMI.
No photos were available yet at press time, but Toshiba says all three players will boast a "sleek" look, featuring rounded edges, a slim chassis (that's nearly half as tall as the company's first gen HD DVD players) and high gloss, black acrylic face plates.
Today's official announcement comes after Amazon briefly posted the three players late last week. After the Amazon listing were picked up be several online new sources, they were unceremoniously yanked down, presumably because they hadn't yet been formally announced. The three players remained unlisted at Amazon this morning.
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