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Kmart Dumps Blu-ray Due to Price

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

October 31, 2007, 2:13 PM

Kmart has decided not to carry Blu-ray players due to their high prices, instead focusing solely on HD DVD this holiday. While it may no longer be the bastion of discount stores it once was, Kmart's move highlights the problems facing Sony's format as HD DVD continues to get cheaper.

The HD DVD Promotions Group said that Kmart's decision to go exclusive wasn't related to an end-cap purchase (where vendors can buy specific shelf space and lock out competitors), but rather because the cost of Blu-ray players are more tailored to home theater enthusiasts. HD DVD meanwhile, will have players under $200, with even deeper discounts after Thanksgiving.

As previously reported by BetaNews, both Wal-Mart and Circuit City began offering the Toshiba A2 player for just under $200. The A2 only offers 1080i output, but most new televisions can do 1080i-to-1080p conversions better than players anyway, and firmware upgrades keep it as up to date as current Toshiba HD DVD players.

Amazon.com has followed suit by also offering the A2 for $197, and other retailers are expected to make the same price drop from the player's original $299 price point. Best Buy is now selling the A2 for $179. However, it's not clear how long A2 stock will last, as it has been replaced by Toshiba's A3 player.

Buy.com, meanwhile, has an impressive deal on the HD DVD add-on for Microsoft's Xbox 360. Normally retailing for $179, Buy.com is offering a bundle priced at $164 which includes Season 1 of Heroes on HD DVD, which normally costs at least $70 on its own.

Surprisingly, Sears may have the best deal of the season, although it only lasts for part of the day after Thanksgiving. Shoppers can pick up the new Toshiba A3 for just $169. The offer includes 7 free HD DVD movies, with 2 in the box and 5 available through a mail-in offer.

But there's still quite a bit of uncertainty when it comes to high-definition DVDs, and consumers may be leery about picking a side even with such deals. In addition, HD DVD and Blu-ray discs are still quite a bit more expensive than standard DVDs at retail, although online stores such as Amazon offer slightly lower prices on movies.

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By Steve Austin

posted Nov 2, 2007 - 10:19 AM

It turns out, KMart are not dumping Blu-ray at all (they never were anyway, as the PS3 is still by far the best selling HD player).

It turn out, that KMart see Blu-ray as the format for SERIOUS Home Theatre enthusiasts, and HD DVD for people that can't afford the real thing.

http://www.engadget.com/...al-at-kmart-for-blu-ray/

There you have it HD DVD is the cheapo inferior format, for people that can't afford the real deal.

Score: 0

By yountmj

posted Nov 2, 2007 - 6:51 PM

Nice attempt at putting some ever-so-familiar Stevie spin on this.

"We should've also mentioned that PS3s can be found on Kmart's shelves."

With that said, naturally they are not going to be an HD DVD-exclusive retailer.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 2, 2007 - 10:30 AM

Cheaper yes in price only. Can't afford the real thing what a stupid comment. Your opinions are worth nothing move along. You are just pissed that your beloved blray got caught with their pants down.

Score: 0

By Hocuspokus

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 8:44 PM

The US's largest retailers just 'called' this format war (like everyone was supposed to be hoping someone would).

It's HD DVD.

The rest is now just the noise of mere spoit brats b****ing that they got led up the garden path & have made the wrong choice.

Warner will be declaring HD DVD exclusive by Jan 2008.
Count on it.

Score: 0

By Metfanant

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 10:44 PM

so if Jan. 2008 comes around and Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive what will your response be? Will they be Blu-ray shills? will they just be Sony loving fan boys?....or will you admit HD-DVD is dead in the water?

and honestly how can anyone say Blu-ray is dead?...i hear it all the time from the people on these boards yet they dance around the fact that no matter how many times you tell yourself Blu-ray is dead it is STILL outselling HD-DVD by at least 2:1 in ALL regions...and is backed exclusively by such huge studios like Sony studios (obviously) and Disney?...it just doesn;t make sense...explain how the leading format in sales can be dead...

its like Hollywood complaing that everyone always says "the good Ps3 games are coming" well...its like you saying "HD-DVD sales are going to spike as soon as..." and then Blu-ray continues to outsell...

Score: 0

By SGD

edited Nov 2, 2007 - 10:37 AM

What ever you say there. You have no idea what Warner has in store in fact no one does except Warner so speculate all you want it is FUD until the response is made. 2 to 1 sales and there are how many more blo ray players out there. You always avoid that part a hole. The people that are buying stand alone players will be watching movies while the PS3 people buy it to play the few games that are out. You really are a clueless troll.

If Warner was so blo ray why did their contact expire? I know, they must have forgot to send the check.

One more thing I noticed most of the movies that have been released for blo ray are geared towards the kids that have PS3's. A serious movie viewer is not going to be interested in many of those movies anyway.

Score: 0

By Hocuspokus

edited Nov 2, 2007 - 9:48 AM

"so if Jan. 2008 comes around and Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive what will your response be?"

- Keep dreaming, it isn't going to happen.

Warner themselves have said many times that they were awaiting the results of Q4 this year.

We now know (with all the largest US retailing outlets behind it) that HD DVD will sell very very well (and this is on top of the HD A2 already selling well all year - it has been Amazon's best selling DVD player for months).

In contrast Blu-ray have nothing except more over-priced & sub-spec players snuck out before the (already fudged) deadline for profile 1.1.

The really big problem you Sony/PS3/Blu-ray shill-drone-fanboys have in this is that if it turns out that sub $100 HD DVD players won't sell (and there is no actual indication of that being so) then absolutely neither will $400/$500/$600/$700/$800 Blu-ray players.

It's sh*t or bust time now that the retail sector has turned out so overwhelmingly.
If HD DVD can't sell into the mainstream mass-market with sub $100/$200 players then Blu-ray (with it's far more expensive players) are f*cked royally too.

Wake up.

"Will they be Blu-ray shills? will they just be Sony loving fan boys?....or will you admit HD-DVD is dead in the water?"

- Actually the most likely call if HD DVD does not sell is that all the studios quietly back away from this version of high def.

They'll both probably be mortally wounded.

You need to get real over this, if HD DVD can't lift off at these prices Blu-ray doesn't stand a hope in hell.

.....and everybody (sane) knows it.

"and honestly how can anyone say Blu-ray is dead?"

- I've never said that exactly.

Blu-ray won't quite be "dead".
But it will be the new UMD.

A market of several million to sell to (even with the PS3 a bust in the game console market those numbers will continue to slowly rise) but in effect stagnant and going nowhere, just like UMD.

"they dance around the fact that no matter how many times you tell yourself Blu-ray is dead it is STILL outselling HD-DVD by at least 2:1 in ALL regions"

- ......and you guys just can't accept that at this stage in things numbers like that mean very little.

The average attachment rate kicks all 7 shades out of that stat.

Then there is the matter of the costs relating to that production (which Viacom/Paramount say are so large as to negate much of the additional income from those additional sales......in other-words HD DVD is fundamentally more profitable which is all those guys really care about).

"and is backed exclusively by such huge studios like Sony studios (obviously) and Disney?"

- Who cares?
(obviously not enough people)

Seriously if you genuinely think mum and dad buying their kiddies Snow White for the umteenth (in expensive high def to play on their expensive high def player on the expensive HD TV) is key to this you're just fooling yourself.

Disney will go HD DVD soon enough.

Once Warner go the rest will follow - probably with an interim dual format stage.....especially Disney when the 51gb TL HD DVD discs come - soon enough leaving Sony & their connected studios last to bail, as per.

"it just doesn;t make sense...explain how the leading format in sales can be dead"

- No, what doesn't make sense is the relevance you insist on giving, only part of the story, at this very very early stage.

"its like Hollywood complaing that everyone always says "the good Ps3 games are coming" well...its like you saying "HD-DVD sales are going to spike as soon as..." and then Blu-ray continues to outsell"

- No it's not.

It like the industry has recognised which is the most likely format to sell big and sell big faster
and
which has the much appreciated and valued asset of also being the more profitable of the 2 formats.

Score: 0

By yountmj

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 11:45 PM

By at least 2:1? Sorry, but it's nearly 2:1 in the U.S.

Studios are moving towards HD DVD exclusivity because of the 2:1 lead in sales.

If you actually think about that for a moment, it makes sense.

Studios were counting on Blu-ray to have a much stronger lead in software sales because of the greater market penetration of Blu-ray players (if you count the PlayStation 3, which I think you should). If not, HD DVD stand-alone players outnumber Blu-ray players by a large margin (and this in spite of the fact that there are far more manufacturers of Blu-ray stand-alone players).

However, in spite of the far greater number of BD-capable players, Blu-ray has only manged to muster a measly 2:1 lead in software sales. Honestly, that's quite pathetic. It clearly shows that people are buying more HD DVD movies per player.

Studios cannot and will not ignore this (and some already haven't).

I'm sorry, but this holiday season will yield far greater numbers of HD DVD players in households, and studios will follow the demand.

Besides, even if Warner went Blu-ray-exclusive, what makes you think HD DVD owners wouldn't be able to watch those same movies on import HD DVD discs? :)

It ultimately does not matter to me, but all signs logically point to Warner going to HD DVD exclusively.

"its like you saying "HD-DVD sales are going to spike as soon as..." and then Blu-ray continues to outsell..."

There's a difference, and it doesn't surprise me to know that you cannot differentiate. No one has any reason to believe any good PS3 games are coming after waiting for a year. With HD DVD players priced at $98.00-$198.00 this season (even if it's only temporary), I have every reason to believe sales will spike.

If sales spikes could happen to the PS3 when the same was done, anything is possible.

Score: 0

By Hocuspokus

posted Nov 2, 2007 - 9:51 AM

"By at least 2:1? Sorry, but it's nearly 2:1 in the U.S."

- And falling.

And can only fall further as HD DVD player sales rise so markedly.

.....and note this is with the 5 and 7 and 9 freebie HD DVD movie disc offers damping out the HD DVD disc sales numbers - cos they do not count as sales.....tho the 2 included in some boxes do, just like the freebie Spiderman 3 & the laughably desperate 'buy-one-get-one-free' Blu-ray offer.

Score: 0

By Metfanant

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 10:38 PM

so if Jan. 2008 comes around and Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive what will your response be? Will they be Blu-ray shills? will they just be Sony loving fan boys?....or will you admit HD-DVD is dead in the water?

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:36 PM

The trolls are entering the room for damage control.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:59 PM

They're panicking, and for good reason. This is the final round. Warner has already said they are basically going to watch what happens this holiday season and they'll probably make their decision early next year. That decision will win the war for whoever they choose.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 3:44 PM

Talk about lies. Warner have said nothing of the sort.

What warner have said, is:

"One thing that may be changing is our strategy," he said. "When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter."

Silverberg went on to emphasize the Warner's strong Blu-ray sales, noting that the studio's Blu-ray release of '300' is the format's top selling disc. "We can definitely talk Blu-ray," said Silverberg. "We are committed to the format."

http://www.highdefdigest..._High-Def_Strategy/1123

Those 2 statements, We are supporting Blu, and there is no room for dual format support means just one thing, anyone unlucky enough to actually bag a HD DVD player for $100, is buying a dead end format.

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 5:31 PM

Those statements were made before Kmart, Wal-Mart and other retailers got behind HD DVD. I suspect Warner's "commitment" to Blu-Ray is not as strong as their commitment to being on the winning side and making a profit.

Besides, if a lying shill like you are behind Blu-Ray my money is on the other team.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 4:30 PM

"A Warner source said the studio is watching what happens now that Wal-Mart and other big retailers are selling entry-level Toshiba HD DVD players for less than $200, about half what the cheapest Blu-ray player costs. If there is a significant spike in HD DVD software sales, the studio may cast its lot with that format, whereas if there is no real impact, Warner may go Blu-ray only."

http://www.hollywoodrepo...3298c93e702dbdc92804c43

If you don't think HD sales are going up this holiday season you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. Regardless where did I lie? Warner is watching what happens and will make a decision. That decision will probably win the war for the format they choose.

Besides, we already have a proven liar here. You.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 4:54 PM

"That decision will probably win the war for the format they choose."

That's great news for Blu-ray then, as Warner's VP Dan Silverberg says (in his own words..), and from the same article (not the usual misquotes that the BetaPuppets usually use.

"so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter."

"We can definitely talk Blu-ray," said Silverberg. "We are committed to the format."

http://bluray.highdefdig..._High-Def_Strategy/1123

So, you heard it here first, Alex Stevens predicts Blu-ray the winner. At least one of the BetaPuppets can see it.

Score: 0

By yountmj

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 11:25 PM

You would know all about misquotes, wouldn't you?

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 7:09 PM

If they are so blu why did they let their license expire. You are such an ars.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 5:34 PM

If they choose Blu-Ray yeah, but they haven't chosen yet. With all the lower priced HD DVD players and movies coming up already all I said was it has the Blu-Ray fans worried to death because it could persuade Warner to go HD. If you don't think so go to the Blu-Ray forums and look at them panicking. They are even trying to organize a massive buyout of HD DVD players so no consumers can get them. If that doesn't stink of desperation I don't know what does.

I haven't predicted any winner, and to be honest I don't care. Unlike you I have a life and which multinational corporation's format wins really makes no difference to me. I just like making fun of idiots like you because you have made a religion out of it, so much that you resort to posting constant FUD and lies trying desperately to sway people over to your side. Actually I guess it does make a difference since I figure if HD DVD wins you'll probably start crying and throw yourself off a bridge.

Score: 0

By SGD

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 4:45 PM

He is pushing the panic button. The info is out there he just won't go find it. He is afraid to do the research himself. From what I have seen Walmart has purchased about 2 million of these and looks to flood the market with HD players. He'll call it a fire sale but the bottom line is the consumer wins. Sony better lower their prices or they are in deep s^^^.

Score: 0

By THZGryphon

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 3:48 PM

Why do you care what people buy?

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:45 PM

I can only think of two reasons. He's a paid Sony plant using various names to slander HD DVD and promote Blu-Ray on various forums (you can easily recognize his posting style when he's using his alternate names).

Either that, or he's just a pathetic loser who has nothing better to do but wage a holy war against a home video format. Well he's a loser either way.

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 11:34 AM

I do agree this story doesn't say anything about PS3's which are the (sadly) the best selling BD players.

This is like saying "Compton has dropped it's Bentley dealerships", the store probably doesnt sell very many stand alone HD-DVD players or BD. Which means their customers probably don't buy a lot of HD movies either.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 1:57 PM

Despite this ridiculous oversight (well acutally lie, as we know how biased Betanews are), this nonsense gets "Featured Article" status.

Hmmmm...

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:35 PM

So says Joey Deacon (aka PeterTHX, DaveBG, etc), the biggest lying shill that ever lived. I hope Sony pays you well for making such a fool of yourself. Too bad they're wasting their money, you've become such a clown that I doubt anyone will ever take anything you post seriously again.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:54 PM

You have been proven to be the lie machine in the past so I expect nothing else from you.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:39 PM

Look how many lies you have been caught telling here, most recently your "8 per store" posts that quickly got shot down. You know, the ones where you frantically tried to go back and change them to say 18, but even then got disproven and you ran away and hid trying to pretend that it never happened. Yeah, I'd be calling others liars if I were you, Mr. Kettle.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 3:45 PM

Big deal, 8, not 18. It pales into insiginificance compared to your lies (see link above).

Score: 0

By pridewalker

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 5:39 PM

Sorry, but it wasn't 8 OR 18. In a previous thread, I posted a link to a CNN/Money.com story where Wal-mart (the store RUMORED to only have 18 per store) very plainly debunked the rumor.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:29 PM

Nice try, it was neither 8 nor 18. You got caught lying plain and simple. Then you got caught trying to change your posts. Saying "big deal" doesn't change that. As for the above, how is anything I said a lie? Just when I thought you couldn't get any more desperate.

Score: 0

By pitdingo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 8:39 AM

just read this...

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=9498

HD-DVD for under $100!??!? Blu-Ray is dead for HD Movies. It will survive as a storage format as long as the PS3 is alive, however HD-DVD burners will be so much cheaper than Blu-Ray, the extra space might not even matter.

Score: 0

By wreckedchevy

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 10:47 AM

says there available at my walmart if so i'll be enjoying hd-dvd this weekend and chuckling at how sad those sony boys must be right now starring at there $500+ bluray player waiting 10 minutes for there extras to load......

Score: 0

By terminalx

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 9:59 AM

Wow, that sure is cheap, I am curious how the studios are going to view this and what blu-ray is planning?

Lets recap:

Ps3 not selling as well as expected, cut 20 gb version, sell 60 Gb. 60 Gb still not selling as well as expected cut price and introduce 80 gb with less BC. Introduce new player 40 gb lowering price remove bc, and 2 usb ports and memory card reader.

ps3 still not getting support Sony wants so they decide the ps2 needs 160 new games by Spring 2008, I don't know about you but pledging all those games for a 7 yr old system how much is being dedicated to the ps3?

So when Sony cuts features and lowers prices its called a price drop, but anyone related to the hd-dvd camp its called a fire sale.

20% of ps3 are being used as a blu-ray player...

Score: 0

By Metfanant

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:30 PM

Jesus come on...keep lying to everyone....

Lets do an ACTUAL recap of what has happened with the PS3 launch...

Sony launches the PS3...a 20GB version and a 60GB version, both featuring hardware emulation of PS2 games...

Consumers choose the 60GB over the 20GB by a WIDE margin and Sony drops the 20GB version and launches just the 60GB version with SOFTWARE emulation in Europe(supported 2700 PS2 titles at launch)

the 60GB sees a $100 price cut with the introduction of the 80GB unit worldwide....the 60GB price cut is to deplete stock of 60GB to be replaced at a later date by the 80GB...

Sony launches the 40GB WITHOUT B/C at a pricepoint of $399 the 80GB gets a permanent pricedrop to $499 and includes a game...the 60GB is still listed officially at $499 but many stores are selling for $50 less...

Sales are roughly inline with the launch of the PS2(the best selling console in history), and since the price drop the PS3 has leapfrogged the 360 and outsold it by 3 times (according to Nintendo of all people) and if this continues to the end of the year the PS3 will probably sell the same ammount of consoles in its first year as Microsoft did in the first year of the 360 (even including the eleventybillion replacement consoles!).

Sony continues to support the PS2 not because the PS3 is not selling but because the PS2 still is, AND Sony is standing by their product, unlike Microsoft that just up and dumped the original Xbox after such a short life cycle...

20% of PS3's are being used as a Blu-ray player and ill bet its actually higher....considering how everyone blasts Blu-ray for selling so few stand alone players yet blu-ray continues to outsell HD-DVD in disc sales 2:1 in the US, 4:1 in Europe and something like 9:1 in Japan...yeah...format is dead...

oh and Fox studios released a statement saying that the PS3 1.1 support will be coming in a firmware update....and that all previous players should have no problem playing the MOVIES on profile 1.1 discs if not the interactive features with a firmware...(i apologize for not having a proper source, but its legit).

the same cannot be said for TL HD-DVD discs which still have not been even produced...

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 2:04 PM

Lets recap:

PS3 outselling the 360 by a factor of 3x...
http://www.pspsps.tv/200...a_graph_weekly_s_1.html

Blu-ray outselling HD DVD by 2:1 in US, 4:1 in Europe, and 9:1 in Japan.

Most consumers sitting out the format war DESPITE HD DVD dumping player prices, and offering loads of free movies.

The sad fact is, consumers are not stupid, to jump into HD DVD, is buying a ticket for the last trip on the Titanic. All Toshiba are doing is lowering the price of that ticket.

Score: 0

By yountmj

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 6:50 PM

"PS3 outselling the 360 by a factor of 3x..."

What???

Kindly tell us how you expect anyone here to believe anything you post anymore?

You need serious psychological help... and you need to be banned for stirring up this much crap on a regular basis.

Score: 0

By SGD

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 7:13 PM

He means that the Sony store has sold three PS3's but no 360's so that is 3x. That is the source of his info.

Stopped at WalMart to ask about the sale and their response was this is incredible the amount of calls we are receiving about our sale tomorow.

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 6:42 PM

Notice how your ratio's are not changing despite the fact you always previously stated the gap is getting larger and larger?

"Most consumers sitting out the format war DESPITE HD DVD dumping player prices, and offering loads of free movies."

While your there in the future could you please advise us of the lotto numbers? Sales figures were not built in 1 or 2 days....

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:42 PM

More lies and BS, yawn.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:34 PM

I smell desperation oh and nice link to a sony site.

Score: 0

By kashin

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 2:29 PM

"PS3 outselling the 360 by a factor of 3x..."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah right. In your wet Sony dreams. The PS3 is outsold by both the Wii and Xbox360 by a large margin every single month. Everybody knows this. You can keep spreading your lies all you want, people aren't as stupid as you think.

"Most consumers sitting out the format war DESPITE HD DVD dumping player prices"

Ah yes, some more Sony logic there. When Blo-Ray/PS3 gets a price drop, they sell like hot cakes. When HD-DVD does it, everyone sits on the fence without buying. Nice try.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 9:16 AM

That is awesome news.

Here come the trolls with the fire sale crap I can see it already. Sony can keep there over priced DRM infested crap.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:05 PM

Sorry to rain on your parade, but HD DVD has DRM too. Infact both Blu-ray and HD DVD both implement AACS.

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:43 PM

HD DVD doesn't have BD+, you know that steaming pile of crap that Fox pushed so hard for but has already been cracked.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:47 PM

That same crap that makes you connect to internet each time the keys change. This is a real problem since most of the stand alone boxes don't have an internet connection option. Great plan. Ball dropped and picked up by the opposing team.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:35 PM

I know moron but not the crap that the PS3 has which one of them Java + has been cracked already. Sometimes, well all the time you are just a fool.

Score: 0

By smarterthanyou

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 6:03 AM

Excellent move!

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 1:45 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcfpJDcmq5M

Hasta la vista, Blu-Ray :D

Score: 0

By yountmj

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 8:33 AM

Taken from YouTube comments section:

mgillespie (4 hours ago) -5

Christmas is gonna be s***e, with that obsolete junk.

HD DVD is having a fire sale at the moment, as a last ditch attempt to make a difference to the blu-ray dominated market.

Buying? HD DVD is buying a dead format.

Whatdayaknow? He is still around. LOL

I noticed that his post was made not long after you posted the link to it, Banquo. Coincidence? I think not... his tired BS is all too familiar on this forum.

Score: 0

By plague201

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 10:10 AM

"mgillespie "

LMAO, Well if his timing was that impecable then I'd like to vote his as the original Davey, Joey, ect. Marky has never left us, he's been trolling as DAVEY!!!

Score: 0

By yountmj

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 11:36 PM

That was my suspicion all along... the moron doesn't even make a feeble attempt to change his writing styles from one username to the next.

Whatever the blu-ray.com message or quote of the day/week is, you can bet each one of his identities are repeating on a skipping loop like a game of Liar's Dice. :)

EDIT: Aww, looks like he got voted down off the comments. :( LOL

Score: 0

By pridewalker

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 5:40 PM

I'll second that...

Score: 0

By kashin

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 12:58 AM

Boy, these articles sure have all the Sony shills ripping out their own hair. It's great fun reading them. My only gripe is that Joey Deacon and his ilk are simply regurgitating the same thing in all their comments. Seriously, I'm here to be entertained.. so come up with new material please. Such and such "faked" sales numbers of Transformers and HD-DVD paid off studio X for exclusivity is starting to get really really old.

You don't see the rest of us still harping on about Sony making exploding batteries, rootkits, DRM infested proprietary crap nobody wants, crippled PS3s without EE chip, etc. Oh wait, I just did. :P

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 11:21 PM

$169 for the player with 7 free HD-DVDs? Doesn't that practically make the player free? How much is a HD-DVD in the US? $25? 7x25 = $175.

That really is cheap. :/

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 1:08 AM

It's confirmed! Beginning this Friday at Wal-Mart:

Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player
$98.97

http://holiday.ri-walmar...utm_campaign=holidaygif

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:06 AM

Man they must be desperate to dump those. They cost at least $600 to make. How much longer can Toshiba afford to buy it's way into the market?

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 6:44 PM

Toshiba can afford a lot more than most other companies btw :)
Namingly the old king of the lcd panel

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 2:31 PM

Joey "Baghdad Bob" Deacon strikes again.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 9:25 AM

Can you prove that statement? I didn't think so.

Score: 0

By yountmj

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 8:35 AM

"How much longer can Toshiba afford to buy it's way into the market?"

I'm guessing right up until after the holiday season, which is all the time they will need. :)

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 8:01 AM

Yes you know all about that word desperate dont you?
You have taken it to a whole new level

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 3:22 AM

ouch ouch OUCH
Expect a very large increase in blu-ray supporters spreading fud about this player.
That is hot!
I'm extremly tempted to order one if I can from here, at that price I wouldnt care less if hd-dvd failed though I really doubt it now

Score: 0

By timatl

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 8:12 AM

you are right, it is hard to find a good upconvert dvd for that price. i am off and I will be there to get me one.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 3:34 AM

Yeah, they're already out in full force trying to spin this as the end of HD DVD. Calling it a fire sale and saying they're just trying to clear shelf space for Blu-Ray players (lol).

I can't find any proof yet but some are saying it comes with 5 free movies also. Whether it does or not that's still an unbeatable deal. I don't even have an HDTV yet and I'm even tempted to pick one up. Oh and the movies are going to be on sale for $14.99 each. :)

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 4:01 AM

I couldnt care less if something was a 'fire' sale its still a sale.
Just goes to show the extremes some people go to these days to put a product down. Those people need to have a long hard look at themselves in the mirror and rethink life.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 9:27 AM

The one that wins is the consumer and the format since sales will rise quickly on media. At least people that have HD DVD buy movies unlike the crap attach rate of blo-ray.

Score: 0

By Metfanant

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 6:14 PM

i used to work for Sears, and KMART bought Sears in essence...KMART was in bankruptcy, and then turned around and bought Sears (if that tells you anything about the financial status of Sears)....

Sears and KMART have such a minuscule piece of the market, i don't see it as making much of a difference....KMART will obviously go with the cheapest product posible...its part of their business strategy...and to be honest...last time i visited some former co-workers at Sears I think there was a total of two shelf rows for each Blu-ray and HD-DVD... probably 16 movies per format and only a couple copies of each and thats all they had...

KMART has a non-existent HD presence...Sears on the other hand could sway things slightly....but even then...Sears is only the 4th largest retailer because of #1 Craftsman tools...followed closely by the lawn and garden dept (tractors, snow blowers etc) and Kenmore appliances....not to mention they dedicate most of their floor space to clothing...even though they usually have a large electronics department, sales are generally not nearly as swift as Best Buy, Circuit City, or any of the other major electronics retailers...not to mention in the entire time i worked there we only got 3 20GB PS3's from launch till May lol...never had a Wii...and never even saw a 360 come through receiving...

as ive said before...pricing of the plays is only going to matter when prices of HDTV's become low enough for the average consumer to buy them....

Score: 0

By athome

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 1:38 AM

Only in defense of Sears - they have and still are a catalogue showroom. Most of their products and specialty lines are in there, not in the store. Look at the size of these books and you will see that they do offer a wide variety of products, but only show a few at their showroom stores. It has been this way since I was a young lad and still is today.

They are not meant to compete with the BestBuys, Circuits***ty stores. Their major competitor was JC Penney during these years as well. JC Penney is also a catalogue showroom.

FYI

Score: 0

By kashin

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 12:48 AM

"Sears and KMART have such a minuscule piece of the market, i don't see it as making much of a difference..."

I just looove how you try to down play this news. If it were the same article, but about Blu-Ray, you'd be dancing around in your underwear.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 8:32 PM

Miniscule market? Kmart is one of the largest companies in the world, and the second largest retail chain in the United States behind Wal-Mart.

Also, yes Kmart was bankrupt at the time but you seem to have failed to mention the part where they sold off billions of dollars worth of assets before purchasing Sears. It's not like they bought it with a paper cup full of quarters. :)

Score: 0

By Hocuspokus

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 7:03 PM

"Sears and KMART have such a minuscule piece of the market"

-LMAO

They are IIRC amongst the largest 15 or 20 retailers in the whole world!

Score: 0

By Metfanant

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 8:21 PM

come on guys...yes they are HUGE retailers...but when it comes to the high def market KMART especially holds NO value....my local KMART does not stock EITHER format, and only the most garbage of HDTV's....

when is the last time you thought of going to KMART to purchase an HDTV, or anything remotely related to the format war?

The Sears Holdings Corporation (KMART, Sears) is a huge retailer not because of electronics...Sears is huge because of Craftsman tools and Kenmoore appliances...NOT because of electronics...

Score: 0

By preinterpost

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 1:46 PM

You fool. It's the MASS market making the format decision, not the audio/videophiles...

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 10:32 PM

That was then this is now. Wait the shelves will start filing spin master.

Score: 0

By athome

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 1:41 AM

I agree. I believe that KMart knows its' customer and was waiting to see how the whole pans out. By Christmas, they will have a player to sell to their customers. I think they also know that there customer base will not spend an exuberant amount on either one as well. They will be selective in what they choose, to ensure it will be sold for the holiday rather than collect dust ringing in the new year.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 9:02 PM

Since they just came to this decision how does the claim that your local Kmart hasn't stocked them in the past mean anything? Are you saying they never will?

Second, so because you may not go to Kmart to purchase any HD hardware, that proves that no one else does? Sorry but I disagree, while they are certainly not Wal-Mart, they're still a large retailer and every little bit makes a difference.

Score: 0

By horsecharles

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 2:31 AM

Y'all should take a trip up to NYC-- a grand total of one Kmart & one Sears store-- BOTH are on their last legs... about to go under.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 9:29 AM

They are doing very well where I live in Ohio. Try and spin how ever want though.

Score: 0

By MikeTechno

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 5:27 PM

Well, as I look across the landscape of news on the high def DVD front over the last several months, it sure looks like all the good news is going in the HD DVD direction and all the bad news is going in the Blu-ray direction.

There is a lot of noise out there but I think the most important thing to watch is what the consumer is actually doing at the retail level. If consumers are actually buying the HD DVD product off the shelves, then it is hard to pay much attention to anything else really, because in the final analysis, the format that will win the "war" is the one that has the most installed units. Why? Because that will ultimately translate directly back into future disc sales for the studios.

Recall that which format a studio is producing content for today has nothing to do with who they will produce content for in the future. These major studios couldn't care less which format wins, all they care about is selling content. They will switch from one format to the other based on where they think they can make the most money. Well, what drives that is really adoption of the players by the consuming public.

If Sony was smart, they would have just taken the huge loss up front and practically given their players away at $100 each from day one when the Blu-ray format was first launched. That would have killed off the HD DVD threat from the start before it ever had a chance to get out of the gate, but they didn't. They let the HD DVD guys get established in the market place and now they are beating them at the check out registers with a sub-$200 HD DVD player for the Christmas season.

Don't expect to see to many Blu-ray players going off the shelves this Christmas season at the retail level. Prices are still WAY too high for any of the mass market general consuming public to get excited about them yet. Oh, and the HD DVD shelves in stores will be empty by the way this Christmas buying season...because they will be totally sold out!

I hate to say it, because I do admire and respect them a lot, but Sony is making the exact same mistakes on Blu-ray here that they made back in 1978 and 1979 with Betamax. They have left the window of opportunity open for a nimble, aggressive competiting technology and the masses are going to go marching right though it...all because of price.

I am affraid we are watching history repeat itself all over again here now. Unless Sony pulls its head out very quickly here and finally responds to the much more aggressive HD DVD camp with some aggressive tactics of its own, I think the future is very questionable for the Blu-ray format among the American consuming public. And no, all the PS3 sales in the world aren't going to impact that outcome one bit.

Based on what we have seen from Sony in the past, if history is any indication, I would say the chances of this happening any time soon though are slim and none.

Score: 1

By Joey Deacon

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 5:47 PM

" If consumers are actually buying the HD DVD product off the shelves"

Unfortantly for HD DVD, they are not. HD DVD sales are stagnent, Blu-ray sales are growing.

Score: 0

By kashin

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 12:50 AM

"Unfortantly for HD DVD, they are not. HD DVD sales are stagnent, Blu-ray sales are growing."

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Maybe if you wish it hard enough, it will become true!

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 10:33 PM

You know its a lie thats why you are not posting links to your crap statement.

Score: 0

By Alex Stevens

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 6:57 PM

No sources as usual I see.

Score: 0

By MikeTechno

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 7:29 PM

Well, I can only speak at a micro level here, but in the Best Buy store that I work at, there has been almost no interest what so ever in Blu-ray at all. Everyone admires and respects it technically...but absolutely no one is actully opening up their wallets and buying it. At the same time, plenty of people have been walking out with the less expensive HD DVD drives under their arms....and that was BEFORE the recent HD DVD price drop.

I don't know how Blu-ray plans to survive in this market if they can't generate ANY excitement or interest among the consuming public and actually get product to move off the shelves. If the store I work in is any indication of the overall, larger industry picture, and I can only speculate here that it is, then the Blu-ray camp is in some very serious trouble.

Score: 0

By SGD

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 9:30 AM

Very good some honesty about sales.

Score: 0

By yountmj

posted Nov 1, 2007 - 12:51 AM

That's the trend my friends at the Best Buy in my town have been observing as well.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 4:53 PM

Hey BetaPuppets, guess what. KMart is still stocking Blu-ray movies, it's also still stocking the best selling HD player to date (The PS3), so this is really non news, and more desperation to try and spin positive HD DVD spin, on the eve of 2 major studios about to dump HD DVD (Weinstein and Warner).

Funny thing is, this coming season, Kmart will still shift more Blu-ray players than HD-DVD via the PS3!

How they can claim to be not stocking Blu-ray hardware, when they still stock the PS3 is pure nonsense. It's like me claiming my car is the fasest in the world, aside from Ferarri, Porsche....

Score: 0

By totido

edited Nov 1, 2007 - 7:48 PM

Hahaha. Get real. The PS3 is a toy for the kiddies (and not a very good one at that)

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 10:47 PM

Did you ever notice they guy with no money has an opinion about everything he doesn't even own?

He is genuinely upset about this. Poor lonely nobody.

Score: 0

By THZGryphon

posted Oct 31, 2007 - 7:59 PM

Why do you care?

Score: 0

By Hocuspokus

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 5:15 PM

"on the eve of 2 major studios about to dump HD DVD (Weinstein and Warner)."

- Oh this one ought to be funny.

Go on then f*ckwit, put your sources and timetable to you name then.

"on the eve" suggests very soon......so when, exactly?

....and just where did this 'information' come your way (and how)?

....or are you just going to either run away (again) or admit you're full of sh*t making your BS up as you go along.

You really are a dreary (and highly predictable) sad moronic liar.

I can't wait for Warner's announcement - if you've the nerve to come back after it I shall laugh long and hard at you.

Score: 0

By Joey Deacon

edited Oct 31, 2007 - 5:46 PM