A day after the Blu-ray camp was smiling at the release of a $600 Blu-ray drive, the HD DVD camp has taken a swing back. Toshiba is looking to convince more people to buy HD DVD players by offering a $100 rebate. Initially, the offer extends only to a single unit, the Toshiba HD-A2. Retailing for about $400, the rebate brings it to $300 which is certainly close to the "widely affordable" range that casual consumers look for. On top of that, during the final week of the promotion wich ends on June 16th, the offer is extended to Toshiba's entire line of players. With a market that has so few sales right now, they understand greatly the importance of price:

"We know that price is a powerful driver for consumers to adopt new technology, which is why our rebate promotion is a great incentive to bring cinema-quality, high definition movies into your home today," said Jodi Sally, VP of marketing at Toshiba America Consumer Products in a statement.
The rebate offer begins next week on the 20th. The article alludes to the offer only applying to U.S. shoppers, but we'll know for sure on the 20th.