I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. The bad news is 3/4 of all the shelf space is for BD! The have a whole shelf dedicated to some newer BD titles liek Silver Surfer but I only found 1 spot for something new like Evan Almighty. This maks the first time I saw my local Best Buy so slanted to one format.

On a side note, they had a 60" Pio Elite 1080p plasma hooked up to a BD player playing Haunted Mansion (eddie murphy) and it looked awsome! I want that TV :)

-Evangelo2

I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. The bad news is 3/4 of all the shelf space is for BD! The have a whole shelf dedicated to some newer BD titles liek Silver Surfer but I only found 1 spot for something new like Evan Almighty. This maks the first time I saw my local Best Buy so slanted to one format.

On a side note, they had a 60" Pio Elite 1080p plasma hooked up to a BD player playing Haunted Mansion (eddie murphy) and it looked awsome! I want that TV :)

-Evangelo2

I have had my Pioneer Elite Pro150FD for three weeks now and HD DVD is outstanding on this 60 inch display. Last night I watched Galapagos and my jaw was on the ground the whole 150 minutes. Now this is with an un-calibrated display but Sunday I have a tech coming to ISF calibrate the display but I can't imagine it looking better than it already does. :)

Same thing here Evangelo. I was there when the lady was tearing up the HD section for more blu-ray titles. Now it's as if HDDVD is being phased out there! We'll see what happens on Tuesday with Transformers though.

Same thing here Evangelo. I was there when the lady was tearing up the HD section for more blu-ray titles. Now it's as if HDDVD is being phased out there! We'll see what happens on Tuesday with Transformers though.

one movie will not make or break hd dvd or blu-ray....I am sorry.....

Quite the opposite happened recently in the Gaitherburg, MD Bestbuy. They doubled the size of HD DVD section and so now it is twice as large as the Blu-Ray section.

one movie will not make or break hd dvd or blu-ray....I am sorry.....

It may not make or break it, but it will be huge and certainly won't hurt HDDVD.

Store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada got in a big center aisle display for transformers with signs saying HD DVD and DVD. I'm guessing they put it out next tuesday right at the entrance with both disc types stocked in it. Same as they did for Knocked Up.

I've noticed they are changing the HD section to have Blu Ray on one side of the aisle and HD DVD on the other side. Equal size, more visable for HD DVD from the main 'racetrack'.

I'm working right now at my local Best Buy and they just recently changed around the HD-DVD and Blu-ray sections. Blu-ray now has 4 sections and HD-DVD has 3. In all honesty though the Blu-ray section could be compressed to 3 sections. All they did was spread them out for really no reason. But at least with the HD-DVD sections it says "HD-DVD" above them. The Blu-ray sections say "Next Generation DVD". heh heh ;)

Been saying this for a while now......

Pretty soon all locations will be like this.

As I mentioned in another thread, BestBuy in my area just ramped their Blu-Ray sections to seven, whereas HD DVD has just four -- previously they were equal. Given the apparent store-to-store variation, I can only presume it's based on local store perception/traffic, though my observation doesn't support such lopsidedness. Perhaps it's just a reflection of the 2:1 title sales ratio trumpeted in the media.

HD DVD movie display is much more prominant in the Tysons Corner Best Buy near me. It is front as you enter....BD is hidden behind. This is the most upscale Best Buy I have ever seen anywhere in terms of product mix.

one movie will not make or break hd dvd or blu-ray....I am sorry.....

With the ridiculously low numbers that BD and HD DVD sell right now yes one movie can.

The Best Buy close to me has tempting vixens in blue and yellow bikinis asking me to join them in their hot tub. Honest, its true!

Is it too much to ask for some actual sourcing for retail experiences please?

With the ridiculously low numbers that BD and HD DVD sell right now yes one movie can.

how many hd dvd's of transformers do you think will sell the first week?

my local best buy has dropped all other merchandise and has nothing but shelves and shelves of HD-VMD discs.


:cool:

Anecdotal evidence is nice, but not very useful.

The BB closest to me on Long Island has equal shelf space -- except that most BD titles are face out and repeated while HD DVD has more with spines out. It is obvious there are more titles on the HD DVD side.

Quite the opposite happened recently in the Gaitherburg, MD Bestbuy. They doubled the size of HD DVD section and so now it is twice as large as the Blu-Ray section.

Isn't it GaitherSburg, MD? I also just got off the phone with them and was told that the BD section has slightly larger shelf space then HD-DVD. Nice try though.

how many hd dvd's of transformers do you think will sell the first week?

What difference does that make? Did you mention "week" in your post? No you didnt.

One movie can make a difference when the total sales FOR BOTH FORMATS are so freaking small to begin with.

Isn't it GaitherSburg, MD? I also just got off the phone with them and was told that the BD section has slightly larger shelf space then HD-DVD. Nice try though.

Close this thread. When it comes down to calling the damn stores to "prove" someone wrong it just gets so damn childish.

Two of my locals, one in Chino Hills, CA and the other in Glendora, CA are both split evenly on the software but unbelievably biased on the displays. They both had Seven players displaying Blu and the only the Glendora store even had an HD DVD display in the back by the games. The worst thing was in one of their Magnolia dedicated theater rooms they were showing the Matrix on SD DVD upscaled, disgraceful.

hmm looks like there is a liar in the mix. its either joon or D-X. guess ill have to go to the MD store to find out for myself. The loser gets ignored.

No it was kadeeu. Not D-X, he did not say anything about the Maryland store. He was upset with me cause I called up the store to prove the guy wrong. Let me know what you see at the store when you get back.

Is it me or is there a FUD onslaught goin on these boards?

was in the Mays Landing NJ store today and the shelf space is pretty even(1/2 Isle Blu 1/2 Isle red)

However I noticed they have an HD dvd endcap with the A20 and A30 Players.(as well as a Blu endcap)
they've got the Promo from the HD dvd website running endless loop.
couldn't help but stand there and watch it for a few minutes.:D:D

Isn't it GaitherSburg, MD? I also just got off the phone with them and was told that the BD section has slightly larger shelf space then HD-DVD. Nice try though.

:rolleyes:

:eek:Close this thread. When it comes down to calling the damn stores to "prove" someone wrong it just gets so damn childish.
+1

Close this thread. When it comes down to calling the damn stores to "prove" someone wrong it just gets so damn childish.

It seems like Best Buy must leave it up to their store managers as to what they carry. Local BB near Clermont, Fl, had 1 Samsung Blue Player and not much else.

I saw store map guidance for the Best Buy northeast region last month.

Managers have explained to me that the HDM display racks had to be capable of stocking minimum 100 HD DVD and 100 Blu-ray titles with future expansion based on demand.

Layout either could be back to back on the end of the isle to expand down the isle on both sides or the layout could be side to side or top and bottom of a single isle.

Yellow tag discount stickers would be used to highlight HD DVD or Blu-ray sale items that would be priced at $19.99 or less.

I have personally seen this at 6 or 9 NE regional Best Buy stores during September.

Most had a bit more Blu-ray on hand but the HD DVD stockage was 3 to 5 times more than they had previously before August. Most had at least 80 HD DVD and 100 Blu-ray titles in stock.

Based on Best Buy's success in selling HDM among all retailers last month, I assume that guidance has been expanded nationwide and all national stores will stock more HDM by the end of this month.

Its a big increase or Blu-ray but a bigger gain for HD DVD as they lagged in shelf space before.

I am surprised a LI, NY Best Buy did not have more HD DVD on display as that would conflict with the information I saw.

Maybe some manager is using his local discretion, or they did not receive their stockage yet.

I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. The bad news is 3/4 of all the shelf space is for BD!


Clearly the purposes of this is a sale (on BD movies)
Even a child could have seen that one coming.:p


Anyhow, like with all first time major sales, they are expecting a mad rush.
So, they are stocking up the area, where people will be looking for the sale items (however, BB, like all stores, is hoping to sell more of the non-sale items)

Meh, see here - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=920363

I plan on buying 4 titles that day, and I know a few family members are thinking of getting some as well.
(that is of course, if we can get them, before they sell out)

It's a sign of the Apocalypse.

Close this thread. When it comes down to calling the damn stores to "prove" someone wrong it just gets so damn childish.Actually it's a pretty mature thing to do in my opinion. Every Best Buy store I've been in has been about 50%/50% as far as shelf space devoted to each of the two formats. Any shift in this even-handedness would be a BIG development. What is childish is for posters to posts un-truths. It's definitely not childish to expose such posters.

My local BB has more space for hddvd.

@ Joon TV

At my local best buy HD DVD & Blu Ray are next to each other; they have equal shelf space; although HD DVD sells faster. The same set of titles remain on the BR side.

Heres the store information if you want to check it out:

Wyomiss/reading PA (Store 580)
1701 Crossing Dr
Berkshire Crossing
Wyomissing, PA 19610
Phone: 610-375-3340
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00am-9:00pm
Sun 11:00am-7:00pm

I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. -Evangelo2

An entire aisle? That's impressive. What Best Buy are you referring to? I need to start shopping at this store. I travel to Long Island often. My wife's family lives near Islip.

So much misinformation, so little time...

All the BB's I've been to haven't changed anything in favor of either side.

Joon - Go play in the sandbox.:rolleyes:

Same here, no change in local BB stores. Split evenly between HD DVD and BD.

I also walked into <insert local store here> and <insert format here> was more prevalent than <insert competing format here>

But at my Best Buy (Harrisburg, PA) the HD DVD and Blu-Ray software sections are exactly even. They both have endcaps, but Blu-Rays is about 10 feet closer to the front of the store.

The TV section is about 7 rows. The BD endcap is at row one while HD DVDs is at row 4. Not sure if it's better to be at row 1 (kindof outside the TV section) or at row 4 (right in the middle of the TV section).

Anyways, they have just about equal prevalence.

Lansing, MI/Okemos, MI/Brighton, MI all have slightly more BD titles but not by much and they are always on sale. God I hate that. If it is Manager discretion don't you think you would stock the movies that have the cheapest players for sale in the store so it is easier for you to sell say an HD-DVD player along with a couple movies? Just a thought. Although if BD titles are always on sale I guess they are able to dump those more easily.

This reminds me of when I started buying SACD and DVD-A several years ago. In my local Tower Records, it didn't much matter how many shelves they had allocated to each of them individually, or both of them together--time after time, I was the only one browsing and buying SACD and DVD-A.

Now, with HD-DVD and BD, whatever shelf space is allocated to either or both, how many people other than us are actually browsing and buying. I'd say very few. Imo, that is the bigger issue facing both formats. It could be 100% one or the other, and the aisle would still be pretty much empty. There's no traction amongst the public yet.

I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. The bad news is 3/4 of all the shelf space is for BD! The have a whole shelf dedicated to some newer BD titles liek Silver Surfer but I only found 1 spot for something new like Evan Almighty. This maks the first time I saw my local Best Buy so slanted to one format.

On a side note, they had a 60" Pio Elite 1080p plasma hooked up to a BD player playing Haunted Mansion (eddie murphy) and it looked awsome! I want that TV :)

-Evangelo2

Look at the quality of the BRD movies they are trying to push.No matter how good or bad the quality, a lousy movie is a lousy movie/s.If they really were serious about selling BRD they'd have either of the Pirates of the Carribean playing(which are both family friendly not to mention the best BRD has to offer imo)..

I live on LI and work in the city. I don't go into BB much, but went into the 5th Ave BB yesterday to check out the new Apple iTouch. I notice they doubled their space for BD to 4 sections and left HD-DVD with 2 sections. The entire BD/HD-DVD section now covers one side of an aisle. They also moved them to an aisle closer to the front. If you actually look at the number of titles carried, it is probably pretty even as all the BDs were displayed face forward while the HD-DVDs were mostly facing sideways, but BD is definitely getting more promotion.

On the harware side, I notice they had 2 prominent set-ups each for HD-DVD and BD, whereas in the past the HD-DVD displays were usually "hidden" or non-existent.

I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. The bad news is 3/4 of all the shelf space is for BD! The have a whole shelf dedicated to some newer BD titles liek Silver Surfer but I only found 1 spot for something new like Evan Almighty. This maks the first time I saw my local Best Buy so slanted to one format.

On a side note, they had a 60" Pio Elite 1080p plasma hooked up to a BD player playing Haunted Mansion (eddie murphy) and it looked awsome! I want that TV :)

-Evangelo2

These store reports from X store have very little meaning overall. Here's a whole thread recently dedicated to reporting MORE HD shelving now

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=921132

So unless there is a regional or national strategic change by a retailer, these individual reports really are meaningless in trying to determine which format is favored by X retailer.

didnt know there was a best buy in india. LOL.

Umm yes!

And target to :)

they are trying to see how they can get a piece of that of that almost 1 billion people population pie in both their pockets ;)

No idea what section is larger at my local BB.. Haven't been there in ages. You have to be a fool to pay their asking prices. I often wonder what chumps shop at BB.. One of the most expensive electronic chains in existence.

No idea what section is larger at my local BB.. Haven't been there in ages. You have to be a fool to pay their asking prices. I often wonder what chumps shop at BB.. One of the most expensive electronic chains in existence.

Apparently you don't have an Ultimate Electronics around you do you? :)

Actually it's a pretty mature thing to do in my opinion. Every Best Buy store I've been in has been about 50%/50% as far as shelf space devoted to each of the two formats. Any shift in this even-handedness would be a BIG development. What is childish is for posters to posts un-truths. It's definitely not childish to expose such posters.Every Best Buy store I've been in has been about 50%/50%OK, I take back this part (i.e., the 50/50 part). Earlier today I stopped at the Woodlawn Maryland Best Buy and they now have 7 sections (a section is about 4 to 4 1/2 feet wide) of shelving devoted to Blu-ray and only 4 sections devoted to HD-DVD. They've always been 50%-50% before. I'll have to check out the Best Buy in Columbia Maryland this evening to see if it's like this in more than just this one location.

Maybe they are getting ready for the big Blu-ray two for one sale that starts this Sunday?

Apparently you don't have an Ultimate Electronics around you do you? :)

Nope. Doesn't exist anymore.. It shutdown a long time ago.

Nope. Doesn't exist anymore.. It shutdown a long time ago.


Well consider yuorself lucky!

They are still here an in CO and lots of other norther states. Best buy is actually great compared to UE! :D

Well consider yuorself lucky!

They are still here an in CO and lots of other norther states. Best buy is actually great compared to UE! :D

Man, can't even imagine that. I am spoiled to Frys, in Texas.

Im having this same discussion with someone else at another forum. The store in question is the BB in Glen Burnie, MD. Im copy/pasting my post from there to here:

OK, I just came back from Best Buy to check things out. Newt is correct that BD now has shelf space on both sides of one part of an aisle. As you all may have noticed, these arent one piece of long shelving, but sectionals pieced together to make one long shelf/aisle. As of last week, there were 3 sections for HD DVD, 3 sections for BD next to it, and the last section on the end had SD DVDs at the end. Now it goes 4 sections HD DVD, 3 sections BD, and on the other side, another 4 sections for BD. So it looks like BB is now carrying almost twice as many BD movies as HD DVD. But is that what is really going on?

If look at how the movies are arranged, you'll see a lot of BD titles are spread out across the shelf by 2, 3, and even 4 in a row. In fact, "Kingdom of Heaven" was spread out over 5 spaces! Most titles were only 1 or sometimes 2 discs deep. The HD DVDs, on the other hand, are crammed in tight with 5 and 6 discs deep, and many titles are shoved in with only the spine showing to make more room for other discs. It's really only the box sets that are spread out over the rows (like The Matrix and Smallville). This is especially obvious on the first section. In the case of BD, no titles were put up sideways with only the spine showing.

The stocking of the shelves is all screwed up. The way it's set up now it makes it look like BD has twice as many titles than HD DVD. This could be for 2 reasons:

1. The manager or the guy who stocked the shelves is a BD fanboy trying to manipulate customer perception.

2. The guy who stocked the shelves is lazy, and rather than take all the movies down and restock them properly, just spread the BD section out so there wasn't empty space on the other side.

If you were to stack the BDs one behind the other like the HD DVDs, you'd gain a lot more shelf space to make room for the HD DVDs that were crammed in sideways. There is no reason for these movies to be displayed like this other than the 2 reasons listed, and if they were displayed properly, they would have equal shelf space.

Pix of the displays and original post are here (http://realdealstubblefield.com/viewtopic.php?p=14792#p14792) if interested.

No idea what section is larger at my local BB.. Haven't been there in ages. You have to be a fool to pay their asking prices. I often wonder what chumps shop at BB.. One of the most expensive electronic chains in existence.

Not everything is overpriced. Buying video games on release date are sometimes 10 dollars cheaper than other places with sales and sometimes they offer discount throw ins like MS points for the xbox.
There BD's and HD DVD's are more expensive but even then they sometimes ahve promotional deals (a while ago they had a buy 1 get 1 free BD deal that I remember).

-Evangelo2

Not everything is overpriced. Buying video games on release date are sometimes 10 dollars cheaper than other places with sales and sometimes they offer discount throw ins like MS points for the xbox.
There BD's and HD DVD's are more expensive but even then they sometimes ahve promotional deals (a while ago they had a buy 1 get 1 free BD deal that I remember).

-Evangelo2

Yeah, I came on kinda strong. :o I used to shop there a lot..but the prices on most things drove me elsewhere. Haven't bought anything from there in about 5 years..

An entire aisle? That's impressive. What Best Buy are you referring to? I need to start shopping at this store. I travel to Long Island often. My wife's family lives near Islip.

The one in Westbury by Roosovelt Field Mall.
Besides the whole aisle they have now in the DVD section (both sides of the aisle) I noticed that they mix some HD DVDs and BDs with the new releases in the new release sections (eg Knocked up HD DVD with SD disc and FF-Silver Surfer BD with SD disc). THey also have 3 endcaps dedicated to HD Movies (1 HD DVD and 2 BD). They also have one floating display by the TV section of BDs.

-Evangelo2

Both sections should be doubling in size. Since it needs to stay open, some stores choose to expand one and then the other so that it is more manageable in size.

Close this thread. When it comes down to calling the damn stores to "prove" someone wrong it just gets so damn childish.

Anybody coming to the HD-DVD section with a BR bais is campaigning. For what purpose we can only speculate.

It is known that Disney purchases shelf space in every major retailer. This space must contain Disney/ABC products. Would Sony do the same and enforce it? hmmmm.

Wait a minute you're buying HD DVDs at Best Buy?

Be sure to grab some Monster Cables while you're there. :rolleyes:

I know I posted a comment earlier in this thread about this being FUD but I went to the Noho Best Buy in NYC.

They also re-did their sections which were 50/50. Now they have HD-DVD's on two racks with mostly spines facing out and BR spread out on four racks all facing forward. Tosh has to throw some cash to Best Buy, this stuff does matter in my opinion. Perception makes you believe there is double the amount of title's from BR just by glancing. Everyone knew it was happening but after seeing it, Tosh really has to pick it up their retail exposure.

Personal rant:

As many have noticed it seems BB is at the moment offering more shelf space to the BD format. It is no different in San Antonio,TX. The Forum BB used to have a 50/50 split and now it is 4 shelves to 2 in favor of BD.

The reason this becomes a rant is because I was out running a few errands and BB and Wallyworld were on that list. I had plenty of money to dump into each of their respective corporate wallets but guess what? I didnt! BB is already overpriced as it is but when I go there and see an end cap dedicated to 300 in BD and DVD with no HD-Dvd found,they make it really hard on impulse buying HD-DVD supporters with money to spend.

I have no problem supporting BD when the time comes because I feel I will pick up a PS3 sooner or later when it is a worth the money. But at the time being I am HD-Dvd only and want to buy HD-DVD's. I am also an impulse buyer and hate waiting for items to arrive. But BB and Wallyworld have left me no choice but to stick with online retailers because of their personal bias.

Rant over,thanks for your time, Focker out......

I also walked into <insert local store here> and <insert format here> was more prevalent than <insert competing format here>

But at my Best Buy (Harrisburg, PA) the HD DVD and Blu-Ray software sections are exactly even. They both have endcaps, but Blu-Rays is about 10 feet closer to the front of the store.

The TV section is about 7 rows. The BD endcap is at row one while HD DVDs is at row 4. Not sure if it's better to be at row 1 (kindof outside the TV section) or at row 4 (right in the middle of the TV section).

Anyways, they have just about equal prevalence.

That's exactly the same setup we have in Madison, WI.

My local BB seems to not give a damn at all about HDDVD or BR.

They have about equal shelf space for the titles but its mixed in on one of the rows of regulard DVDs...only way you would see it is if you were browsing that row...

As for players they have a few of both scattered around the store...usually hooked up 32" LCD's.

Even in the Magnolia room...they have $40,000 worth of 70" displays, seats, speakers, components hooked up playing stretched SD Phil Collins concert.

One time just for my own personal amusement I asked one of the salespeople to show me their Hi Def video players....he proceeded to show me to the $150.00 upscaling DVD players.

My local BB reduced their HD DVD section and increased their BD section because if they didn't, the terrorists win. :confused:

The one in Westbury by Roosovelt Field Mall.
Besides the whole aisle they have now in the DVD section (both sides of the aisle) I noticed that they mix some HD DVDs and BDs with the new releases in the new release sections (eg Knocked up HD DVD with SD disc and FF-Silver Surfer BD with SD disc). THey also have 3 endcaps dedicated to HD Movies (1 HD DVD and 2 BD). They also have one floating display by the TV section of BDs.

-Evangelo2

I used to live around that area (Jerome Court off Salisbury Park Drive), i miss that place! How's the traffic at Old Country Road? :)

I was at my local Bet Buy today and they totally redid there HD DVD/BD section. They have a whole aisle now dedicated to HD DVD and BD. The bad news is 3/4 of all the shelf space is for BD! The have a whole shelf dedicated to some newer BD titles liek Silver Surfer but I only found 1 spot for something new like Evan Almighty. This maks the first time I saw my local Best Buy so slanted to one format.

On a side note, they had a 60" Pio Elite 1080p plasma hooked up to a BD player playing Haunted Mansion (eddie murphy) and it looked awsome! I want that TV :)

-Evangelo2

Ughh, I noticed the same thing....I wonder if we are talking about the same best buy....the one I'm referring to is on Route 110. They redid the section and boy are those HD DVD's squeezed in!

EDIT: Double Ughh - I just read that you were referring to the BB in Westbury. So I guess this will be an ongoing trend..

The Best Buy in Salem, NH has also increased their Blu-ray to 5 sections, while the HD DVD count remains at 2 sections. I noticed this a couple weeks ago.

My Best Buy in Modesto finally expanded the entire side of an isle to HD. But it's still split evenly between formats. Though, for some reason, HD-DVD side was filled, while the Blu-ray side was 2/3rd filled, a lot of empty space.

Otherwise, my BB has had a whole display of Blu-ray in one isle between the tvs and movies, but it never changes so I don't look at it anymore. But both formats have their own end isle demos with a small selection of titles.

Also, Circuit City seems to have an even display between both formats too.

I stopped shopping at BB a long time ago. All the store shelves look alike online :)

I haven't been into a Best Buy since before HD DVD and BD existed, so I have no idea what mine looks like :)

Both sides of the fence look the same here in the chicago land area.

lock'er up

At my local BB, they just made a change. Now there are 3 shelves of HD DVD followed by 2 with blu-ray. While I was there, one of the managers came over and told one of the employees that it was moved and they were told to put HD DVD first to which the employee said "HD first in front of blu-ray??"

HD DVD also has a small end cap right by the aisle, but blu-ray shares one of those independent racks (one side of a double sided stand that just sits in the middle of the store). Though the blu-ray demo setup looks nicer than the HD because they are using the Sony XBR4 46 inch versus Toshiba's older model Regza.