Retailers try mainstream promotion of high-def

[Incog]

Retailers are going mainstream with their marketing and merchandising efforts for high-definition discs as the number of titles released across the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats approaches 1,000.

Amazon.com, Best Buy, Trans World, Virgin Megastores and others are promoting both formats, unwilling to potentially snub a portion of their early adopter consumers.

“Our feeling is that we should continue to supply both until the customers tell us that we shouldn’t,” said Jim Litwak, president and chief operating officer at Trans World. “Blu-ray is outperforming HD DVD in stores, but the customer is still telling us they want HD DVD.”

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6457772.html


I think you will see more of this type of thinking for a while still.

The Blu-Ray lineup for this fall will be critical I think. Looking forward to it.

[goodstuff]

Yeah, this news is a little old though. The best part of the article is what it closes with:

Similar to other retailers, Virgin is selling BD high-def titles at a two-to-one clip over HD DVD. At its Times Square, New York, location, Virgin has dedicated twice the space to BD that it does to HD DVD.

But starting to exclude one format now risks “infuriating consumers,” said Saunt. “You might get burned, and retail bears the brunt of it.”

Noting Blu-ray’s emerging sales dominance in 2007, Hastings Entertainment CEO John Marmaduke says the specialty chain is leaning toward solely supporting the format.

This follows Blockbuster’s recent decision to rollout only Blu-ray titles in 1,450 bricks-and-mortar outlets.

“Blu-ray looks to be clearly the winner,” Marmaduke said. “We’re not optimistic [about sales] until there’s one format. I think it could happen by first quarter of 2008.”

[McBain]

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=11247