As of August 1 2007, quality Blu-ray players are $120 cheaper than HD DVD players

[HDTV1080P]

As of August 1 2007 here are some of the cheap street prices that can be found on HDTVplayers

BLU-RAY PLAYERS

A factory new Sony BDP-S300 can be purchased for as low as $419.00
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-951154/DVD-Players/Sony-BDP-S300-Compare-Prices?q=bdp-s300


A factory new Samsung BD-P1200 can be purchased as low as $459.00
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-894708/DVD-Players/Samsung-BD-P1200-Compare-Prices?q=bd-p1200

http://shop.thenewconnection.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=68561&RefTag=prrun&engine=prr un&keyword=BDP-1200%20Blu-ray%20Disc%20Player%20with%20HQV%20Processing%20%2 01080i/1080P%20%20HDMI%20(CEC)%20%20Movie-Frame%2024fps%20Playback%20%20Dolby%20Digital%20an d%20DTS%20%20Component%20%20Optical%20and%20Digita l%20Outputs%20%20Ethernet%20Port%20%20PIP&amount=. 75

A factory refurbished Samsung BD-P1200 can be purchased for only $389.00 including free shipping
http://www.tvsdepot.com/product_142644_BDP1200.html


HD-DVD PLAYERS

A factory new Toshiba HD-A2 can be purchased as low as $239.99
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-752299/DVD-Players/Toshiba-HD-A2-Compare-Prices

A factory new Toshiba HD-A20 can be purchased as low as $316 including free shipping
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-872467/DVD-Players/Toshiba-HD-A20-Compare-Prices?q=hd-a20

A factory new Toshiba HD-XA2 can be purchased as low as $579.
http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/4-754338/DVD-Players/Toshiba-HD-XA2-Compare-Prices?q=hd-xa2

So currently when one compares the cheapest factory new BLU-RAY player to the cheapest factory new HD-DVD player that are currently on the market one will discover that HD-DVD players are only around $179.01 cheaper then BLU-RAY players. When the difference in price between a BLU-RAY player and a HD-DVD player is so small, the smart decision is to choose a BLU-RAY player since some movies in BLU-RAY are mastered at high bit rate quality using 50GB discs. BLU-RAY high bit rate movies look much better then the HD-DVD format especially when played on a display that refreshes 1080P/24 material at multiplies of the original frame. The only reason to own a HD-DVD player is for people that want to watch exclusive Universal Studios movies in HDTV. BLU-RAY is the smarter choice since Disney, 20th Century Fox, Starz, and Sony Pictures are exclusive to the BLU-RAY format. In the end player prices are not going to matter much, which format has more exclusive content will be the most popular format with consumers.


P.S.

In reality if one looks at quality players instead of price then one should compare the Toshiba HD-XA2 to the Samsung BD-P1200. The Toshiba HD-XA2 de-interlaces 1080I correctly when converting 1080P/24 source material to 1080P/60. Of course every standalone HD-DVD player currently lacks 1080P/24 output at this time.
The Samsung BD-P1200 has 1080P/24 output and when compared to the Toshiba HD-XA2 is $120 cheaper. So in reality when quality enters the equation BLU-RAY players are $120 cheaper then HD-DVD players.