Toshiba due to launch HD-XF2, HD-XA2 HD DVD player

With Sony out with their Playstation 3 gaming console featuring the Blu-Ray drive, Toshiba is now aiming to boost their chances in the next generation storage media market by launching new HD DVD players.

The company said in a statement that it would be launching two new players for the High-Definition DVD format in late December. These launches would take initially take place in their home market of Japan.

Toshiba also revealed that one of these players would be substantially cheaper than existing players in the market. Yoshihide Fujii, a Toshiba corporate senior vice president said in a statement that their HD-XF2 player would retail in the Japanese market for around 49,800 yen.

The higher end model HD-XA2 would sell for just over 110,000 yen. Toshiba’s first HD DVD player was HD-XA1 and it was launched in March for around 110,000 yen.