Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart

[mystiksuicide]

So how long before these giants say enough room has been wasted, lets send them back and make the blu isle bigger?

[bigkurz]

I would suspect that this will happen rather quickly.

[Phane]

I originally thought that they might hang out as long as Beta did but with only 750k or so players sold, maybe 1 million tops...

[juanleche]

I wonder if by virture of this announcment, do retailers just start sending the red discs to be destroyed and added to their shrink count as defective products?

[RUR]

Originally Posted by mystiksuicide

So how long before these giants say enough room has been wasted, lets send them back and make the blu isle bigger?

This really is one of the next big moves in the endgame. Retailers will increasingly discard HD DVD as a less-profitable, less viable product. Based on the recent hints (not to mention the Digital Bits editorial), I'm wondering if we'll hear something very soon from BB or another major retailer.

[Clark Kent]

Wal-mart is ruthless. They will drop selling HD DVDs in the next 30-60 days. Count on it. I imagine Best Buy will hold out a little longer, maybe 3-4 months. Best Buy had been moving in that direction anyway.

[KenThompson]

Can you give away dud machines for $99 to a public that knows it can't get titles from the majority of Studios. Only a dishonest sales person would push a dud on an uninformed customer. Send them all back to the manufacturer.

[g.k.]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Wal-mart is ruthless. They will drop selling HD DVDs in the next 30-60 days. Count on it. I imagine Best Buy will hold out a little longer, maybe 3-4 months. Best Buy had been moving in that direction anyway.

I agree. Retailers will drop HD DVD, and this will be the domino that forces Universal and Paramount to switch as well.

[juanleche]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Wal-mart is ruthless. They will drop selling HD DVDs in the next 30-60 days. Count on it. I imagine Best Buy will hold out a little longer, maybe 3-4 months. Best Buy had been moving in that direction anyway.

so hd dvd bargain bins in the corner of the store somewhere?

[Metalthrasher442]

Well I went to my Target yesterday and by the looks of it..it appears that they made the HD DVD section smaller and made the BD section bigger. So I was pretty happy about that.

[DrinkMore]

Yup, I say 2nd/3rd quarter there will be a steady decline in HD-DVD movie stock at the B&M stores.

Will be so nice not seeing those red cases.

[Kratos3]

Next time you go to Best Buy make sure the salespeople know that WB is going exclusive and HD-DVD is a goner. They will have to steer potential buyers away from HD-DVD.

[Proteus]

Retail is going to respond very quickly. HDDVD will have a 'section' but it will be small and hidden in a corner somewhere for the 'niche' folks to be referred to by sales associates. HDDVD marketing at retail will probably come to a near end if not completely ended.

Any retailer with a brain is going to spend their time selling Blu-ray product now. There is far more profit margin on the standalones and far more manufacturers and studios which equals far more _paid_ placements in their circulars.

This could possibly destroy Toshiba's brand equity in the marketplace actually as many folks like to stick with one brand for all their components. Toshiba either starts making Blu-ray players or may find itself out of market fast. Like Sony in the past, they will have to evolve and re-define. It would be foolish for Toshiba to keep playing Microsoft's game at this point (even MS has left it pretty much). Time to focus on regaining profitability in the HD segment.

Edit: Wanted to add that Warner seems very aware of the damaging affects this will have on Toshiba when they publicly prop them up in their press release.

[ziggy66]

With the announcement so soon after the holidays. I think Walmart's customer service departments are going to be bombarded with people wanting refunds.

[mystiksuicide]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

Can you give away dud machines for $99 to a public that knows it can't get titles from the majority of Studios. Only a dishonest sales person would push a dud on an uninformed customer. Send them all back to the manufacturer.

At $99 they do make good upconvert machines. So now you won't be lying to the consumer.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by ziggy66

With the announcement so soon after the holidays. I think Walmart's customer service departments are going to be bombarded with people wanting refunds.

and not just Walmart. As folks read the news and discover that the player they just purchased has become a relic of a dying format, it's not hard to imagine lots of returns at all retailers.

[Pilam69]

I'd hate to work a return desk at any big box electronics retailer for the next 3-4 weeks................yikes.

[TimV]

Originally Posted by Pilam69

I'd hate to work a return desk at any big box electronics retailer for the next 3-4 weeks................yikes.

When I took my HD-DVD back this afternoon, they definitely didn't look like they knew what was coming.

T

[jon s]

yep... there's gonna be a LOT of returned HD-DVD players in the next few days before the 30 day return period ends....

[rickyricardo]