Onkyo, a Japan-based maker of consumer electronics including home theaters and audio playback devices, will launch the DV-HD805, its first HD DVD player model, in the fall of this year at a recommended retail price of US$899, according to an August 9 press release by its US subsidiary Onkyo USA.
With the release, Onkyo is expanding the HD DVD player product offerings from those offered by Toshiba, the leader of the HD DVD group. The DV-HD805 features HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface ) version 1.3a and 1080p resolution, and can connect with an Onkyo-developed HDMI version 1.3a A/V receiver to generate high-bit-rate audio streaming, according to the press release.
Although during the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in January, Toshiba mentioned that four makers would introduce HD DVD hardware, only Onkyo has unveiled a player so far. The other three, Bandai Visual USA, UK-based Meridian Audio and Taiwan-based Lite-On IT have not yet offered HD DVD devices.
In addition to the consumer electronics segment, the HD DVD group has been actively tapping the PC-use segment, with Acer, Asus and other brands expected to launch notebook PCs with built-in HD DVD players later this quarter, industry sources indicated.
