Last week Toshiba announced a deal to get a free phaser remote control if you purchase Star Trek: The Original Series – The Complete First Season [HD DVD] and any Toshiba HD-DVD player. Toshiba has now provided us with some more details on the promotion. Toshiba Director of Business Development Louis Masses tells TrekMovie.com that they are "very excited and very proud to be associated with Star Trek."
Details below…
The promotion
The promotion runs from November 20th through to February 29, 2008, however the phasers will only be available as supplies last. Those who have pre-ordered the box sets will still qualify, however you must purchase your HD-DVD player during the promotion period (11/20/07-2/29/08). You will be able to combine the free phaser promotion with Toshiba’s ‘5 free movie’ promotion and if you buy one of the 3rd generation machines (coming out in October) you will get 2 additional movies already in the box (Bourne Identity and 300). Currently the basic Toshiba A2 player can be found for as low as $240 and the 1080p A20 costs about $75 more. The 3rd generation versions (A3 and A30) should be about the same. So if you go for the promotion you get a HD-DVD player, the TOS-R box set, 7 free HD-DVD movies and the free phaser remote for around $370. Each TOS-R box set will contain a an insert with more details and instructions on how to get your remote (The insert will also be available on ToshibaHDDVD.com and StarTrek.com).
The phaser
The new phaser remote is based on the (no longer available) ‘Star Trek Phaser Remote’ from Telemania which retailed for around $70. That item was a ‘universal remote’ but Toshiba is having it modified to work as a remote for their HD-DVD players. Masses says they are hoping it will still be able to work as a universal remote, but not sure that they can fit all those functions onto the limited space. The images seen below are actually of the universal remote version as the HD-DVD version is still being made (although the only difference will be the top part where all the buttons are). This means they will still have the built in (optional) sound effects. Masses (who is a self avowed TOS fan since child hood) was aware that the Telemania remote is not a perfect replica, but due to the short time frame it would be impossible to design and build enough remotes from scratch for the promotion. That being said Toshiba is seeing if they can get the plastic color to better match the original TOS phasers. "When we decided to do the promotion we wanted to give the Trek fans something special and we chose a remote because we wanted to give them something they could actually use…maybe some guys will even chase their wives around with it," said Masses.
The free phaser remote (click to enlarge)
other angles (click to enlarge)
One last thing…about the uniforms
When Toshiba announced their promotion at a trade show they had a couple of executives dressed up in Trek uniforms. It was noted that one exec was wearing a TNG uniform and not TOS even though the promotion was for the TOS box set. Masses wanted the fans to know that they really did try and get a TOS ‘Uhura style’ uniform for Jodi Sally, but none were available anywhere they went online or locally…so they settled for a TNG outfit.
Pre-order TOS-R Season One Box from Amazon for $129.95
Star Trek: The Original Series – The Complete First Season [HD DVD] — $129.95
Man I want one of those, used to have the AMC plastic one in the 70’s :)
Er, make that AMT. Plus the handle kept breaking off and model cement would not fix it for very long…
Would have killed for something like that in the 70’s. I have a Master Replica one. Best thing they ever did in my opinion. Nothing else after that lived up. Those guys dissapointed me a bit.
Now they need to make Gary Seven’s servo pen. That’d be their crowning achievement.
It broke my heart when the cell phones built to resemble a TOS communicator were cancelled. Just damn!
By the way…I hope the folks that administrate the downloadable ring tones know they have the lid opening “chirp” sound effect available, but not the genuine incoming call “beep-beep”.
I had the AMT model kit phaser and it lasted about 3 months, It wasnt te only phaser on the market either. i would close my eyes and toss it a few feet..as if an alien force had ripped it from my hands, I was momentarily at times captain kirk…You’ve got to believe me!!!!
Really, freezejeans? I had an AMC plastic car in the 70’s. A Pacer.
These are definitely cool. I’d consider one, minus the box set… once again, I’m cheap.
On the other hand, I’ll pay extra if they’ll sell me one that makes bad shows like The View “glow and disappear” forever.
Amazon now lists the price of TOS Remastered at $129.95, a further price drop! So now you can get a new HD-DVD player from Toshiba and the HD-DVD at a better price and the phaser is a delightful bonus.
Well, I hope Toshiba have improved their machines in the last year. The last Toshiba player I bought I had to return to the shop almost immediately, and then return its replacment several days later as they were both faulty and couldn’t handle even playing a simple disc without crashing. Guy in the shop said the whole range had been a nosedive in build-quality from the original generation made two years prior. Perhaps this has been fixed for the new 2007 players, but I’d be careful what you buy.
If I chased the wife around with this, she’d mugato me…but I might use it on the brats…
#8 Nelson
Thanks for flagging this up…that\’s a decent price drop from the previous near $200 tag that amazon.com wanted for it. With the current UK exchange rate it\’s looking a tempting prospect.
Amazon also show a few short videos of the remastering project, and some of the reviews and comments on the sets are very interesting too…
Does anyone know of an online retailer who will sell and ship player and discs to Australia? Amazon will ship Discs etc. but not players. I really want one of those remotes.. I’ll cancel my order for HD DVD set of TOS at Amazon and buy where I can get the deal.
Anyones help would be much appreciated
regards
Kevin
7. CmdrR
bahaha! Sign me up for one of those as well.
I’m sorry, is everyone being serious? I can’t tell. You don’t think that this is complete tack then?
Now THAT’S what I call an image enlargement :-)
cervantes…Amazon never had it at 200. It was introduced at 138 about a month ago and has dropped nine dollars since
yes #4 a sad day indeed when we saw our cell phone communicator dreams dashed… … …
If I want to chase my wife around with a phaser, I’ll use my MR or vintage Richard Coyle version, thank you very much. ( And God knows I’ve done it!)
OK that’s it then. $129 has officially pushed this into the realm of my budget. Somebody tell THX that he can see the remastered eps now.
#16 Anthony
Ah, I see…it is the ‘list price’ of $198.99, that they have scored out.
So if Jodi Sally is the gal on the left (in the first article) then who is the guy on the right?
REMOTE FOR OZ!
Just been on to Toshiba in Australia. They are looking into the PHASER REMOTE for downunder now. I think the Sales Manager is a trekker…He wants one!
Let’s hope that by the 20th we’ll have a similar opportunity to purchase. I know I’ll be 1st in line!