Canada based Venturer Electronics today announced their first HD DVD player for the North American market.

The Chinese-made Venturer SHD7000 will feature 1080i playback of HD DVD media via HDMI. Standard definition DVDs will be upscaled to 1080i via HDMI as well. Onboard audio support includes decoding of Dolby Digital+ and Dolby TrueHD, as well as compact disc playback. An ethernet connection is also provided for support of HD DVD's online interactive features. No suggested retail announced at this time, but with the entry level Toshiba at around $200 and the Xbox360 HD DVD add-on selling for $180, speculation leads to a unit that will sell for less than $175, perhaps close to $150. The SHD7000 will be available for purchase this holiday shopping season. *addendum 29Aug07 This just in, suggested retail price of $199.

It remains to be seen whether Walmart and similar budget-conscious retailers will sell the unit at a lower price.