Up until now, all the HD DVD and Blu-ray players on the market are manufactured by well known brands.  However, this is set to change with the budget electronics manufacturer Venturer set to launch a HD DVD player, model SHD7000 for the holiday season throughout North America.  This Canada-based manufacturer specialises in low-cost electronic equipment and offers limited outsourced technical support like most other budget manufacturers.

Unfortunately, unlike the mature DVD video format, a HD DVD player is a fairly complex machine.  As HD DVD players required firmware updates in the past to cater for new features on HD DVD discs, the manufacturer would likely need to find a way of providing firmware updates for its customers. 

On the other hand, with Toshiba's HD-A2 already selling for around $250, it will be interesting to see how much lower this player will retail for.  As required by the HD DVD certification, the player features an Ethernet connection.  Other features include HDMI output and TrueHD audio.  As there is no mention about 1080p support, a feature that almost every manufacturer would heavily market about, this player is likely limited to 1080i output.

Thanks to Richard for letting us know about this news.