Woot has the Venturer Electronics HD-DVD Player with 2 random HD-DVD movies for $45 + $5 S/H = $50. Thanks Selma.
Random movies will be chosen from the following list:

• 300
• Bourne Identity
• Firewall
• Perfect Storm
• Rumor Has It

Nice Selma! Now all those people complaining about HD-DVD in that Borders thread can get one..and yes this player WILL upconvert your regular DVDs too so it's a terrific deal as HD-DVD players are some of the best upconverters for DVDs..

http://sellout.woot.com/Default.a...d377daef2c

Warranty: 1 Year Venturer

Features:

* HD-DVD player that can play HD-DVD movies at 1080i resolution
* Also plays DVD video, and video CDs
* Dolby Digital Embedded and Dolby TrueHD Compatible sound system with an optical audio connection
* HDMI, component video and composite analog video output
* HDMI and Component can display at 1080i or 720p high definition, composite displays at 480i standard definition. HDMI connection is recommended
* Ethernet LAN connection, used to update the player’s firmware and allows access to special HD DVD content through the internet
* Dimensions: 16.9×13.0×2.4 inches
* Weight: 7.1 lb

Selection of Random Movies:

* 300
* Bourne Identity
* Rumor Has It
* Perfect Storm
* Firewall

In the box:

* Venturer SHD7000 1080i HD-DVD Player
* Remote Control
* Power Cable
* 2 random HD-DVD Movies

Repost on my behalf.

Sorry Selma

I have been looking for Toshiba HD-A30. I think it's wiped out from earth.

Quote from pokymon : I have been looking for Toshiba HD-A30. I think it's wiped out from earth.

This is a rebrand of the Toshiba HD-A3...everything under the hood is the same..on the outside just a different brand name. Still a very rock-solid player.

Betamax 2.0 :p

Seriously though, if I hadn't already bought a ps3 couple days ago I probably would've settled for this. There's a few movies that are exclusively on HD-DVD that I really wanted to see and buying the ventura at this price would've been perfect for that. Having a VHS/DVD recorder + PS3 console + HD-DVD Ventura + Wii, ...there's already too much clutter in my living room as it is.

Thumbs up, anyhoo.

so we don't get to pick the movies? i want 300 and perfect storm. i have borne identity as standard dvd and don't care at all about the others. anyone in here open for swaps? if i don't get the ones i want?

johnnycrossbone. you can get dirt cheap HD-DVDs of some newer movies (like planet earth, transformers, and superman returns all for $33 shipped) so this is a good alternative for those waiting for blu ray to drop. also, this is a good upconverting dvd player. play standard dvds with it in higher resolution. sometimes you have to pay $50 for a regular dvd player so at least this one is more advanced and gives you options. plus, this gives you two free movies. think of it this way...$10 each for two movies and $30 for a dvd player to add to your house. not a bad price AT ALL!

Quote from RUsum1 : so we don't get to pick the movies? i want 300 and perfect storm. i have borne identity as standard dvd and don't care at all about the others. anyone in here open for swaps? if i don't get the ones i want?

least popular are "rumor has it" and "firewall" so probably everyone will get those

Quote from johnnycrossbone : least popular are "rumor has it" and "firewall" so probably everyone will get those

Everyone that posted when this was on Woot in Nov got Perfect Storm and Firewall - my betting everyone will get those this time too (I got 2 of each last time - so Im up for a trade should I be proved wrong )

Does this have an optical input?

Quote from twisted2cj : Does this have an optical input?

If you mean output, then yes it does. Input would mean putting sound from another device into this player, but this thing has no speakers so there's nowhere to output it Anyway, yes it does, and it does a decent job of it too.