Blu-Ray is NOT a CLEAR winner, they cheated by having Fox/Disney Exclusive support (Why Did they? Sony paid them I guess?) from the start hurting HD DVD so MUCH, and now HD DVD is hurting back (Sweet Revenge!)

Blockbuster Must be Very Blind, cuz they said ...

Blu-RayTM: 1) the highest of the HD resolutions. 2)Its new, high-capacity format is capable of playing and storing high-definition images up to five times the amount of data and detail that can be stored on a standard DVD. This means Blu-rayTM DVDs feature higher definition video and audio, 3)as well as advanced interactive features.


Neither BR and HD DVD are higher than each other, both PQ are about the SAME
So does HD DVD! 1080p on HD DVD too!
Last time I checked, HD DVD format actually has MUCH BETTER Advanced interactive features than BR, doesn't that give HD DVD the edge?!

that decision is easily reversed....now changing their total access and losing thousands of customers....no so easily reversed.

that decision is easily reversed....now changing their total access and losing thousands of customers....no so easily reversed.Agreed. What a stupid move! I'll be cancelling my online account 8/31/07 right when the new pricing scale takes effect. Only 5 in-store rentals a month and no monthly free rental coupon PHOOEY!

Blockbuster can suck it. They are now in a position where their stores will not carry Transformers, Shrek, or Bourne. Think they may just reverse that decision by December?

I suspect they just might consider it. ;)

Doesn’t it seem odd that Blockbuster would choose sides and alienate customers to begin with? For a company that solely rents movies, to exclude 35% of your market is a terrible business move. The ongoing closure of stores nationwide continues.

If I were Blockbuster, I would re-invent myself and a place for movie buffs. Carry all formats, carry imports, merchandise, hardware, hard-to-find items… make it a fun place to visit. I haven’t set foot in Blockbuster in years. With their Blu-ray exclusivity, they have given me more reasons not too.

I don't go to Blockbuster anymore. I hate their stinking hideous location even though it is only one mile away. I hate their store. I hated their old "2 days but its really just 1 day" rental policy. Their clerks have a piss poor attitude. Blockbuster is run by idiots whose primary focus is on how can they piss off the customer. They get the snot beat out of them by Netflix and then try their own go at it and then change their rental policy radically. Like what moron at Blockbuster that does planning couldn't figure out the right plan in the first place? Instead its - "lets try this, oops, now we're supposedly loosing money so let's back out of that plan and try a new one so we can piss off and confuse the customer base. And by the way, lets also go exclusively BD just so we can piss off some more people." Talk about idiots. It's like they're convincing the public to not do business with them because they lack consistency and nobody knows what their plan is for next week.

Doesn’t it seem odd that Blockbuster would choose sides and alienate customers to begin with? For a company that solely rents movies, to exclude 35% of your market is a terrible business move. The ongoing closure of stores nationwide continues.

The thing was... it wasn't 35% of their market. It was 35% of the 1% of the market that has bought into high def media.


But that doesn't negate the fact that it was an odd move. To pick a side that early on was a strange move. Toshiba called it "shortsighted" and I think they've been proven correct this week. To eliminate so many high profile exclusives from your stores before the holidays is foolish. Luckily, it's a decision that is easily reversed.

I think that Blockbuster felt that they had the power/clout to sway this war and help one side win. Unfortunately, the HD market (and BB's influence) are both too small at this time.

I dunno, I can hardly blame BB for not buying thousands of copies of a format they didn't think would make any money for them. Now if they dropped the online HD-DVD support I would protest, but the in-store BD (at least at my store) is a joke. 90% of the titles are dogs, and they only have one copy of "300". So just how many BDs do they actually expect to rent when the highest selling title is only given the same number of copies as Flyboys?

I guess I am trying to say that I'm shocked they are rolling out ANY HD rentals in-store, but not shocked that they are BD only once they made the decision. Still, now that I'm format "neutral" my perspective has changed a bit. Now I can impulse rent those BDs I want rather than buying them :P