That's according to a report from the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.
Toshiba was the chief backer of HD DVD, the high-def disc rival to Blu-ray. But the company pulled the plug on HD DVD at the end of March due to disappointing sales and overwhelming studio support for Blu-ray.
At the time of the exit announcement. Toshiba executives hinted that it would soon release a standard-def DVD player that could compete with Blu-ray rather than endorse its rival.
Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the new Toshiba upconverter player will be launched within the next six months and will carry a smaller price tag than current Blu-ray models.
If the player's picture does come close to high-def, it would likely pressure Blu-ray makers to lower prices sooner than planned.
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