Though we're still a few weeks shy of the official Black Friday shopping period, things are already getting brutal—at least in terms of pricing for Toshiba's entry-level HD DVD player.

As we reported yesterday, Wal-Mart has special pricing today on several consumer electronics items, including Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player, which it's selling for $99. Refusing to be outdone,  Best Buy today countered by offering the same model for $99. The chain quickly sold out of the model via online sales at BestBuy.com, but there's a chance it could still be available in select stores.

At that price, even those who are in the market for a standard-def player might want to consider one, since it can play—and upconvert—standard DVDs. Even better is that Toshiba continues to offer five free HD DVDs, via mail-in redemption, to those who buy a player.

Makes us wonder what's going to happen when Black Friday really kicks off.—James K. Willcox