Throw a standard DVD into a standard player for a night on the couch watching movies on your HDTV, and looks like you're watching old Soviet TV. You want an HD DVD player, but the cost - $600, $700, $800 - runs a little high, considering the cost of a regular player is a fraction of that.

Toshiba's new HD DVD player, the HD-A20, just hit the shelves, and it'll give you full 1080p resolution at a relatively cheap $499. Push the signal through an HDMI interface, and it will upconvert standard discs to near HD picture quality as well.

Not bad. Especially when you consider you won't have to replace your entire DVD collection with the HD versions. (Do they even have the National Lampoon's Vacation series on HD?)

Bonus: Buy an HD player for Toshiba before July 31, 2007 and get five HD DVD titles for free, from a selection of 15, via a mail-in offer. Full details at www.toshibahddvd.com