It looks like another player wants to wedge itself into the format war: Venturer Electronics. The UK company just announced the SHD7001, which they are billing as an “affordable” HD DVD player.

One of the problems (which I’m sure some of you will be quick to point out): There’s no mention of 1080p.

What the manufacturer does mention, however, is promises of a nice 1080i picture, upconversion, Dolby TrueHD, and a free HDMI cable and copies of “The Hulk” and “Troy” (for a limited time).

My problem is that the $198 price doesn’t seem all that low, given many of the promotions floating around. Walmart had the $99 player, and my $150 Toshiba player (which also came with free movies) from Amazon arrived in less than a week.

So will HD DVD hopefuls flock to the British QVC for a lesser-known brand at a semi-good deal? Maybe overseas, but don’t you bother paying the extra shipping; if you are interested, CE Pro says it can be had at Walmart.com.

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.