Toshiba said it plans to begin shipping its HD DVD player to Australia next month in time to catch some of the holiday selling season. The firm's lower-priced HD-E1 will launch on or near Dec. 15 for about $850. In February, Toshiba, HD DVD's chief advocate, will release its higher end model, the HD-XE1, for about $380 more.
While the Australian dollar is about 77 cents, price points down under are somewhat higher than price points for both Toshiba models in North America and elsewhere.
Toshiba's next-gen disc players are due to also hit shelves in Europe before the end of the calendar year, while its player and recorder-player are available now in Japan.
Toshiba's HD DVD units will be available in Australia through its authorized distributor, Castel Electronics Ltd.
