Pricing wars are starting to begin with hi-def players, as many manufacturers and retailers are getting their 2nd and 3rd gen units onto the market. Both Blu-ray and HD players are approaching affordability, though HD DVD still has a significant price advantage over Blu-ray. Samsung's BP-1000 can now be had for about $470, and Toshiba's HD-A2 can now be had for around $400. Overall, manufacturers are expecting to see a considerable decline in launch prices, with the average price being around $500 for the second half of this year.

That'll be good for those consumers looking to get into the market, which just last year was dominated by $1000+ units.