Toshiba announced today that their third generation of HD DVD players are coming to the U.S, market. All three of the new HD DVD players Toshiba have announced will retail for under $500.

Enhancements in the new third generation models include improved video performance with 1080p/24 frames per second support. Another new feature in the paler is CE-Link which is a HDMI –CEC technology that allows you to be able to turn on the HD DVD player and another device like your TV at the same time.

The first of the new models is the entry level HD-A3 which has 1080i output; the other two new models; the HD-A30 and the HD-A35 will both output full 1080p video with 24 fps support. The entry level model doesn’t use the CE-Link technology.

The top-of-the-line HD-A35 player adds support for Deep color via HDMI and 5.1 audio with high bit rate via HDMI. The technology allows 7.1 channel encoded signals from HD DVD films to bypass the player’s audio circuitry and go directly to your 7.1 surround sound receiver.

The entry level HD-A3 will carry a price of $299.99 and it will be available in October. The HD-A30 will be available in September at $399.99 and the HD-A35 will be available in October for $499.99.