Today I asked our local Blockbuster here in Canada when they are going to start selling Blu-ray in the store.
Answer " Our other stores in the area are not buying any more Blu-ray. A letter today says that we are only going to be selling HD-DVD."

I questioned the clerk to make sure they are not going to sell "BLU-RAY" and she confirmed correct.

Interesting? I thought Blockbuster favored Blu-ray, but this letter to them today may have changed things.

Not sure if this should be in the rumor area?

Blu-Ray is dead!


On a serious note, you should try a see a copy of that letter. I bet its a bit more ambiguous than that convo.

Today I asked our local Blockbuster here in Canada when they are going to start selling Blu-ray in the store.
Answer " Our other stores in the area are not buying any more Blu-ray. A letter today says that we are only going to be selling HD-DVD."

I questioned the clerk to make sure they are not going to sell "BLU-RAY" and she confirmed correct.

Interesting? I thought Blockbuster favored Blu-ray, but this letter to them today may have changed things.

Not sure if this should be in the rumor area?

What?

Interesting if true.

This is the second thread I've seen reporting this in Canada.

I'll see if I can find the first one.

What?

Interesting if true.

It's a Canadian thing. My Blockbuster is also planning on stocking HD-DVD in and around the new year. Confirmed.

I guess in Canada we just are more price conscious I know HD-DVD is pushed heavily by the two major hi-fi chains.. BB and Future Shop. Most of my local stores have those home theater setups with a leather couch, 5.1 speakers and a huge plasma.. recently they are only hooking up HD-DVD players to those setups. They are also now selling them included in bundles -- as of today Best Buy was including the A20 with a Pioneer Elite set. Anyone that lives in the Toronto area can attest to the fact that HD-DVD has a larger following. You can walk in the store on a Tuesday and see full shelves of HD-DVD movies and then do the same thing on a Saturday and find them all sold out.

Probably should be in the rumor thread.

PS By selling HD-DVD do they mean sale to the public, or rental to the public, or both?

Must be a Canadian thing. I called 5 BB in the Oklahoma City area yesterday and they either carry BR with no plans for HDDVD or they had no plans to carry either :(

Would be GREAT if they starting carrying at least both around here...

That would be interesting.

USA: Blu-ray
Canada: HD DVD

Since I live in Canada, I would fully support that decision.

Weird.. My friend mentioned something about his Blockbuster in Rhode Island was planning on upping it's HD DVD selection soon.

I never said anything publicly about it, because it's all hearsay IMO. But it's interesting that others are hearing similar things.

Whatever, I don't do Blockbuster anywho.

Ha!

Well.....if the clerk says so....:D

Ha!

Well.....if the clerk says so....:DWell...if the clerk had said that they were going to get rid of HD DVD you would have believed it.

Well...if the clerk had said that they were going to get rid of HD DVD you would have believed it.

Apparently not. Only the typical few HD DVD hopefulls bit on this one.

I don't believe anything anyone says anymore unless I hear it on CNN .... and even then I'm skeptical.

Obviously, Sony forgot to pay off Blockbuster Canada :lol: :D :D

Ha!

Well.....if the clerk says so....:D

I believe it actually.
BETA did well in Canada.
The Commodore AMIGA did well in Canada.

We've a knack for choosing winners. ;)

(I still own both btw):D
ted

Apparently not. Only the typical few HD DVD hopefulls bit on this one.
I saw where you quoted me, I just didn't see where you responded to the quote.

I live in Canada and my local BB has been stocking both formats for almost a year.

Two Blu panels and one HD DVD panel.

I live in Canada and my local BB has been stocking both formats for almost a year.

Two Blu panels and one HD DVD panel.

Same at my local canadian blockbuster.

I'd say which appears to be more heavily rented but that would be totally useless local information.

Same at my local canadian blockbuster.

I'd say which appears to be more heavily rented but that would be totally useless local information.

Yes the other local store that has HD media is stocking both now but they are not to purchase any more Blu-ray as per the letter they just got today.

I will be calling the other store to get the scoop.

Well...if the clerk had said that they were going to get rid of HD DVD you would have believed it.
Only if the clerk said it at band camp.:)

It depends on the location. This also holds true with Best Buy and Fry's.

While I've noticed that most Blockbusters I've visited seem to carry both equally, one store that happens to carry BD only is starting to phase out its BD selection.

I guess it was a trial run and the manager decided not to support either? The funny part is that there was a prominent sign in front of the BD movies of this store that said, "Requires a special Blu-Ray Player." (or something to that effect)

The funny part is that there was a prominent sign in front of the BD movies of this store that said, "Requires a special Blu-Ray Player." (or something to that effect)

Nope, it's more like what Luke Skywalker said, "The Future....."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/zx3maniac/Blockbusterblu-ray.jpg

Nope, it's more like what Luke Skywalker said, "The Future....."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/zx3maniac/Blockbusterblu-ray.jpg

And the future looks grim with the Empire taking control... ;)

In Europe, HD DVD is the main format of choice. Retailers and stores, especially the major retailers Klaus in Zurich, Switzerland only sells HD DVD and has kiosks set-up.

My local Blockbusters (Toronto) either don't carry either Blu-ray or HD DVD at all, or else carry both equally.


BETA did well in Canada.
No it didn't.

The Commodore AMIGA did well in Canada.
No it didn't.

Perhaps HD DVD is more popular in Canada then in the States? The guy I buy my HD DVDs from recently told me that HD DVD movies outsell Blu 10-1 in his store.

Perhaps HD DVD is more popular in Canada then in the States? The guy I buy my HD DVDs from recently told me that HD DVD movies outsell Blu 10-1 in his store.
Which store?

The few stores I talked to suggested Blu-ray did somewhat better, so I would have guessed the situation was similar to the US, with sales ratios more like 1.5:1 BD:HD or whatever.

I'm also in Toronto, BTW.

I believe it actually.
BETA did well in Canada.
The Commodore AMIGA did well in Canada.

We've a knack for choosing winners. ;)

(I still own both btw):D
ted
The Commodore Amiga used to be very successful in Europe. So you own a real winner! Keep it for your enjoyment, it's a nice machine. Sorry, OT. ;)

In Europe, HD DVD is the main format of choice. Retailers and stores, especially the major retailers Klaus in Zurich, Switzerland only sells HD DVD and has kiosks set-up.

Well I live in London and I'd say BD has the slight advantage. My local BB only rents out BD, but online they rent out both. Also go in Virgin or HMW in London and they stock more BD movies than HD-DVD.

But i'm sure there are regional differences.

There's an editorial comment on zip.ca (DVD rental) which says they rent approximately 56% HD DVD to 44% BD. That surprised me!

Cheers,

Grant

There's an editorial comment on zip.ca (DVD rental) which says they rent approximately 56% HD DVD to 44% BD. That surprised me!
Link? I can't find it.

Which store?

The few stores I talked to suggested Blu-ray did somewhat better, so I would have guessed the situation was similar to the US, with sales ratios more like 1.5:1 BD:HD or whatever.

I'm also in Toronto, BTW.Out here in Vancouver the guy who does the DVD department at the downtown Futurshop told me the other day that although he likes Blu-Ray they do sell tons more of HD DVD and in a way I can confirm it as they give roughly the same shelf space to both formats but the HD DVD section is constantly picked over and new releases do sell out.

As far as HD DVD being cheaper, well the media is costing roughly the same be it Blu or Red, with Blu at times being 5 - 10 bucks cheaper, meanwhile because we still do get ripped off due to the (now non existing) exchange rate the difference between Blu-Ray players and HD DVD is even bigger, much more so because the Blu-Ray players I have seen hardly ever break below the psychologically important $999 barrier.

LOL!!! now store clerks are "official sources"?? hey, i went to blockbuster yesterday and the clerk told me they're dropping DVD this Monday, getting rid of all electronic media and starting to sell veggies!! can u believe it???

Anyone with a mall that has a "Starstruck Entertainment" store - in the Toronto area I know of Square One and Sherway Gardens -- they have a huge selection of HD-DVD's including imports. The imports run around $40. Saw titles like Fantastic Four and Harry Potter. Best place if you want to browse for a title.

I was quite surprised to see titles I never knew existed on HD-DVD being sold. With the "no region coding" do you think stores like BB will eventually offer "Import" sections similar to what they used to do/still do with audio CD's? Premium price but huge number of titles. I see another potential revenue stream on the HD-DVD side.

Probably should be in the rumor thread.

PS By selling HD-DVD do they mean sale to the public, or rental to the public, or both?Rumor thread shut down due to nuclear meltdown. Last I saw there was some sort of molten blu goo oozing out. Really a sad state of affairs.

I wondered why there were so few Blu-ray discs at my local Blockbuster. It looked like they hadn't stocked up recently.

Update,

The other local store said that they had a trial period for both formats and HDDVD was out selling Blu but they had no plans to stop selling blu-ray, at least not at that store.

Who knows what they doing?? I really don't care as long as they continue support for one format or the other.

Update,

The other local store said that they had a trial period for both formats and HDDVD was out selling Blu but they had no plans to stop selling blu-ray, at least not at that store.

Who knows what they doing?? I really don't care as long as they continue support for one format or the other.

So the main premise of your original post (e.g. the supposed "letter") is incorrect. Local staff are not a good source of information.

Well I live in London and I'd say BD has the slight advantage. My local BB only rents out BD, but online they rent out both. Also go in Virgin or HMW in London and they stock more BD movies than HD-DVD.

But i'm sure there are regional differences.

Yeah about London, I've seen BD more often. However go to Budapest and other eastern cities and it's only HD DVD. :p

I suddenly remembered that South Park song... "Blame Canada" :D

What do you expect from a country full of loonies?

So the main premise of your original post (e.g. the supposed "letter") is incorrect. Local staff are not a good source of information.

The letter may still be correct for that particular store. Looks like they are choosing a format based on regional sales. I never said BB in Canada is dropping BR all together.

nice try but false.........A friend of mine runs 6 local BB store and he tells me that bb wants nothing to do with hd dvd right now, its blu all the way....

nice try but false.........A friend of mine runs 6 local BB store and he tells me that bb wants nothing to do with hd dvd right now, its blu all the way....

What do you mean nice try? I'm only posting facts of what the employees in the store are telling me. I can give you the number if you would like to call them.

Anyway it seems like the employees don't know what thier talking about.

nice try but false.........A friend of mine runs 6 local BB store and he tells me that bb wants nothing to do with hd dvd right now, its blu all the way....US or Canada? It seems that in Canada the game may be different.

My local Blockbusters (Toronto) either don't carry either Blu-ray or HD DVD at all, or else carry both equally.



No it didn't.


No it didn't.

Sorry you are wrong.
See terse is good.

ted

US or Canada? It seems that in Canada the game may be different.

I can only speak for Canada.. and they are pushing HD-DVD and have equal amount of titles AND shelf space.

LOL!!! now store clerks are "official sources"?? hey, i went to blockbuster yesterday and the clerk told me they're dropping DVD this Monday, getting rid of all electronic media and starting to sell veggies!! can u believe it???
No offense, but does that mean anything you say about your company is wrong?

Yeah about London, I've seen BD more often. However go to Budapest and other eastern cities and it's only HD DVD. :p

That's totally untrue!
HD DVD is basically nonexistent in Hungary. AFAIK no Hungarian releases at all.
However there are around 40 BD movies released so far with Hungarian dub and/or subtitle (mainly from SPE) and more on the way.

OH YEAH!

You guys are all liars and spreaders of FUD ...

REALLY, who gives a crap anymore? Obviously neither format is going anywhere, anytime soon.

OH YEAH!

You guys are all liars and spreaders of FUD ...

REALLY, who gives a crap anymore? Obviously neither format is going anywhere, anytime soon.

There are no liars in this forum.
Only Lobbyists with red or blue diapers who call foul whenever any good news is heard from their opponent. Or in somecases, the Lobbyist will skew/twist/misquote words for propaganda to benefit their team. :)

Obviously, Sony forgot to pay off Blockbuster Canada :lol: :D :D

I think you've hit the nail right on its head :)

Might be a message to BDA : "why were we left out of that deal ? We want co-op dollars too! Take that, we'll support HD DVD until you show us the money!".

FWIW,

I visit Bestbuys and FutureShop and Walmarts in Toronto area regularly.

While the B&Ms pricing have not kept up with amazon.com (especially with the CAD breaching parity), meaning you'd have to be insane not to go amazon.com, what I've seen is that there's generally about the same on BD and HD on BB & FS main shelves, but BD typically has an extra display that is much bigger than the occasional HD DVD displays [still smaller than main shelves]. They're about equal. And they're not growing in shelf space in the last 9 months.

Walmart though, is generally about 3:2 for BD in disks everywhere I go. Their shelf space is also NOT growing. In fact, it appears the UMD shelf has grown by one to fill up the one that was taken away from the HD DVD shelves (from 3 down to 2).

The total shelf space allocated to both bot growing is probably the bigger problem now, as that seems to indicate the user base buying HDM has not grown enough in the last year to allocate more shelf space.

Link? I can't find it.

Try this:

http://www.zip.ca/zipnews.aspx?newsID=2554

If this doesn't work then go to www.zip.ca and at the bottom you'll see "news" so click on it and go to the Blockbuster Body Punch article and at the bottom of the article is a quote from zip.ca about HD DVD rentals 56% and BD rentals 44%. I've edited this post to include the fact that the 56% to 44% in favour of HD DVD existed BEFORE the Paramount/Dream Works decision!!!

Cheers,

Grant

Link? I can't find it.

http://forums.zip.tv/topic.php?id=229

Note the full (3 month old) quote by the Zip.ca CEO says:

"- Consumer chosse HD DVD over Blu-ray, 56% to 44% of rentals this month
- Blu-ray has more momentum than HD DVD, since the gap back in January favoured HD over Blu-ray 62-38 versus today's 56-44"

my local blockbuster said that too. i asked them when they'll get some HD movies in and the dude said HD DVDs by christmas...who knows

I'm pretty sure that the Blockbuster choice of BD only applies to CORPORATE owned stores, not to all stores. Roughly 18% of the US domestic Blockbuster stores are franchise operations and are not bound to all corporate decisions.

Vern

What do you expect from a country full of loonies?

loonie thats higher than your paper dollar

Live rates at 2007.09.28 23:30:21 UTC
1.00 CAD = 1.00786 USD
Canada Dollars United States Dollars
1 CAD = 1.00786 USD 1 USD = 0.992200 CAD

loonie thats higher than your paper dollar

I award this post 'most random' of the month! Congratulations!

hd dvd fanboys said blockbuster didnt matter when they went blu-ray... what will they say if this is true?

Not being able to rent did not prevent me from purchasing HD DVD, but being able to rent locally would sure be nice :)

I'm pretty sure that the Blockbuster choice of BD only applies to CORPORATE owned stores, not to all stores. Roughly 18% of the US domestic Blockbuster stores are franchise operations and are not bound to all corporate decisions.

Vern


All one has to do is go to blockbuster.com, search for stores in your area, and the BD symbol pops up at those stores carrying BD rentals.

In my case fourteen stores pop up, and seven of them carry BD.
Thats 50% ;)

hd dvd fanboys said blockbuster didnt matter when they went blu-ray... what will they say if this is true?

Of course they'll say it's the second biggest event in the war, behind the P/DW decision. Of course then the Blu-ray fanboys will be trumpeting how Blockbuster is irrelevant. This is so intellectually stimulating, don't you think? :)

My Local Blockbuster is Blu Ray only (and DVD of course) with big signs up proclaiming Blu Ray is the future of home entertainment.

-B

The BB bd anouncement came right around the time of the corporate shakeup at BB and most likely before the new CEO came on board. Don't forget that Viacom owns both BB and Paramount. It is likely that over time they will align the BB strategy to fit the Paramount strategy, but allow some time to pass and then sight the usual "market conditions have changed, and in order to better accomodate our customers we have decided..."