Sanyo's VPC-HD700

Shoot high-definition today with this elegant state-of-the-art true 720p high-definition camcorder that doubles as a 7-megapixel digital camera. Encased in a stunning enclosure, the HD700 features a 5x optical lens and a large 2.7-inch widescreen display making the HD700 as convenient as it is useful. And, a HDMI port on the docking station allows you to simply connect to the latest high-definition TVs and recorders to view and share your footage. Also, the HD700 records to the latest MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 global standard, delivering exceptional video clarity and detail while maintaining the smallest file size possible.

I want one of these badly. And it's a steal at around $500. Check out the capacities on different media:

Not too shabby

Toshiba Drops Price On HD DVD Players

It didn’t very long for the hardware deals on HD DVD to come through, as Toshiba has dropped the prices of the HD-A3 and HD-A30. The HD-A3 and HD-A30 are available on Amazon.com for $134.98 and $174.98, and you still get 2 free movies (Bourne Identity and 300) with them. What’s interesting about the price though, is that often time’s retailers will use the last two digits to reflect the status of the product. Prices ending in 99 cents represent current products and 98 cents represents no new product will replace the item.

So if you’re interested in picking up a high definition format that will not have any new movies for it soon, get ‘em now!

Amazon.com: Toshiba HD DVD via Crunchgear]

JVC GZ-HD3: Coming In September

If you're a fan of high-end toys like HDTV's and HD-DVD & Blu-Ray then this might be right up your alley.

JVC's line of Everio now has an HD camera to add to the family line, the GZ-HD3 will be coming this September. This three chip baby will have 1440×1080 HD recording, three, 16:9 progressive-scan CCDs, a 60GB hard drive and will weigh about 1 and a half pounds.

And all for about $1300. I've seen worse for more.

Read the press release after the jump. [JVC via Crunchgear]

Tivo Series 3 Lite: $299

The one thing that I absolutely love about Tivo is the UI. The HD-DVR that the cable company stuck me with just plain out sucks! If you ever used Tivo you know how easy, user friendly, and just out right smarter than anything out there. But the only problem is that Tivo's Series 3 HD-DVR came out at an insane $799, which priced it's self right out of the market, especially when you could rent a HD-DVR for $10 a month from the cable company (no matter how bad it sucks).

So Tivo decided to lower the price to $499, which was a step in the right direction but still up there. The CEO of Tivo Tom Rogers agreed, and now Tivo's new Series 3 Lite has come out at a more reasonable $299. The TS3L has a 160GB HDD compared to the 250GB from the TS3, and it doesn't have the OLED display or THX certification, and they left out the nifty remote controller.

Sounds fair for the price. No word on the availability, but it should be soon.

Hit the jump for more of the deetz. [ARS Technica via Crunchgear]

Blu-Ray Wins: Oh, wait....

When BlockBuster made their announcement that all of their brick and mortar stores would be going to Blu-Ray exclusively, the thought was that HD-DVD was finished.

Customers were canceling their orders for HD-DVD players left and right, thinking that the war was over. Not so fast!!!

Ken Graffeo, Executive Vice President of High Definition Strategic Marketing for Universal, brushed off the idea that this was the end of HD-DVD. Ken stated that rentals only make up less than 1% of the revenue that HD-DVD generates, and that BlockBuster's on-line stores still continue to rent HD-DVD. He also stated that with the on-line content and interactive features gives HD-DVD an advantage over Blu-Ray.

I still believe that price of the players and format will determine who will truly win this war.

Check out the rest after the jump. [Trusted Reviews via Crunchgear]

Apple To Support HD DVD?

Could Apple be throwing its support behind both Blu-ray and HD DVD? We already know that Apple is a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, but according to a WWDC attendee’s post on the Mac Rumors forum, Leopard’s DVD player now has HD DVD settings in the preferences menu.

Hit the jump for more details. [Mac Rumors]

Microsoft: we will never support Blu-Ray...Don't ask again!

I knew that Microsoft was fully behind the HD DVD format, but resent rumors had surfaced that the company may embrace Blu-ray, especially if it feels HD DVD isn’t catching on.

Not so my friends!!!

Microsoft:

"We’re fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats…. Current reports indicating that Microsoft has a back-up plan which includes Blu-ray support are incorrect."

So there you have it, no Blu-Ray for you.
At least from Microsoft.

Read the entire article after the jump.