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Best Buy, CC, and Walmart may be ready to shove (speculation with link)  

post #1 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:02pm
Thread Starter 
I really didn't want to bring this up until at least one of these companies said something, but now that they have I can...

Link found in HD News by MrMcGoo (cool name).

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080109/show_dvd.html?.v=3

Relevant Quote:

.................

Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson also said at the conference that the decision makes it "a lot easier to see the likelihood that we get to one format, and it makes it easier for us as retailers to help push it to that one format."

...............

and

...............


"If we were able to have one united message and say: 'Here's high definition TV, here's a high definition DVD, here's the medium to play on it,' it's a much cleaner story to customers that the industry can push, that every retailer can push and the customer goes, 'OK I get it,"' Wal-Mart's Severson said.


..................
End Quote



True, just before that the article stated: "Circuit City Stores Inc (NYSE:CC - News) and Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY - News) indicated no plans to change sales strategy after the Warner Bros announcement"


but I do remember in the months before the launch of HD-DVD Best Buy's CEO made some noise that if the CE's don't come together themselves, the retailers may have to do it for them. After some bluster it was dropped and both formats launched.

Today Best Buy, CC, and Walmart may feel they can do this and make it work. If they go out together they can cover each other's backsides from any consumer backlash, and Target is alreayd mostly there.

On top of that Amazon can come out smelling rosy by saying they were perfectly willing to keep supporting evreyone until the big mean brick and mortars decided for everyone.


I think this is how it will end soonish. It will give cover to Universal and Paramount for past public statements ("we are being forced to do this", "we really liked HD-DVD", "if we must, we must" etc, etc).


It definitely leaves HD-DVD supporters in the lurch, especially those that just bought in - but at this point it is the only way to stop the bleeding on both sides.
post #2 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:06pm
If the retailers liquidate their hd dvd software and hardware with some "firesale" like prices then that should be some consolation to hd dvd owners, at least the ones willing to hold on to a perfectly fine but obsolete Hd format.

I'll be happy to help them liquidate.
post #3 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:13pm
That's the double-edged thing about liquidation... Liquidation after a company goes bankrupt doesn't mean anything because there is no company left... BUT liquidation while a company is still otherwise thriving can send a message that consumers want the product when the price is right... which can actually have an odd unintended effect on the marketplace.
post #4 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMe2 View Post

That's the double-edged thing about liquidation... Liquidation after a company goes bankrupt doesn't mean anything because there is no company left... BUT liquidation while a company is still otherwise thriving can send a message that consumers want the product when the price is right... which can actually have an odd unintended effect on the marketplace.

The $99 pre-black friday sales proved that customers want the product when the price is right. However CE industry needs to eat and the studios need the CE industry behind this too.

So with no business interest to sell that low yet what interesting unintended effect is left? When all the hd dvd gets sold perhaps they'll raise interest in low price blu-ray players since more people will be exposed to HDM.
post #5 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:24pm
I'm pretty sure those quotes have been posted at least 10 times in other threads of the forum. If you are about to post anything that came from CES 2008, there's a 100% chance it's already been posted at least 10 times here.
post #6 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:26pm
Today at a local Fred Meyer (west coast chain), I saw them unload a huge box of blu-rays onto the shelf, and they consolidated the few HD DVD titles they had left into one little pile. The guy said once those are gone those are gone[HD DVD's].

Seems anecdotal but it might start happening at lots of places.
post #7 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:29pm
The HD-DVD section at my Bay Area BB was as big as ever, the same size as the BD. I expect they will do a all or nothing change and not a slow shrinkage.
post #8 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:50pm
I will be even more generous than helping them liquidate. I will go into the store and remove every trace of HD DVD for any retailer. Won't even charge them too much.
post #9 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tgable View Post

The HD-DVD section at my Bay Area BB was as big as ever, the same size as the BD. I expect they will do a all or nothing change and not a slow shrinkage.

.

Personally, I don't see me buying any more HD-DVD's, whatever the price. Time to cut my losses.
post #10 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab View Post

.

Personally, I don't see me buying any more HD-DVD's, whatever the price. Time to cut my losses.

Cool. More for us
post #11 of 44
1/11/08 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dahlsim View Post

The $99 pre-black friday sales proved that customers want the product when the price is right. However CE industry needs to eat and the studios need the CE industry behind this too.


Have you ever been in a line of people waiting to get into a store selling bargain merchandise?

Basically, people buy whatever items they can get as long as they are at a ridiculous price.

I am not convinced that the Wal-Mart HD-A2 sale really netted any meaningful increase in penetration for HD DVD. It certainly created some publicity.

Finally, at this very early point in adoption of HDM, price is being vastly over-rated. With a single format, retailers would have sold very nice numbers of players at prices higher than what we have seen. The next phase of adoption has been shut off by the format war not by prices, and low prices are not the solution.
post #12 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab View Post

.

Personally, I don't see me buying any more HD-DVD's, whatever the price. Time to cut my losses.

Your loss.

If you are cutting your losses, would you be interested in sending me your current movies? I'll pay for the shipping. PM me if interested.
post #13 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlsmith View Post

I am not convinced that the Wal-Mart HD-A2 sale really netted any meaningful increase in penetration for HD DVD. It certainly created some publicity.

? No "meaningful increase". Wasn't it something like 90,000 in a weekend? I guess you'll have to define "meaningful". Please don't define in terms of relative difference in format software sales as those have always been reflective of A) More content support on BD and B) PS3 effect.

I understand bargain hunters but people dropping $100 have some desire for the item IMHO.

The sale proved there was an interest at a given price. yes it was a bargain mentality, but it was also an item people wanted.


Quote:
With a single format, retailers would have sold very nice numbers of players at prices higher than what we have seen. The next phase of adoption has been shut off by the format war not by prices, and low prices are not the solution.

This is not a format debate, that war is over. I do agree it will be good to see the entire industry pushing 1 format. The point is that price IS a factor. Certainly not the only factor but definitely a significant one. Blu-ray players are also coming down quite nicely so if that's your issue then don't bother to debate because it wasn't my point.
post #14 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab View Post

.

Personally, I don't see me buying any more HD-DVD's, whatever the price. Time to cut my losses.

I'd be inclined to agree but at least as far as Warner titles go, there are some that will probably never be available on Bluray, so what's on HD-DVD is what we're going to get. I'd buy some of these, but only after I watched the movies of course... these wouldnt be blind buys and I wont pay more than $15 for them
post #15 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:09pm
even me a blu boi, would buy a cheap a30, with a bunch of cheap movies. hi-def is hi-def and a deal is a deal
post #16 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:09pm
At my local Super Target its 10 sections of Blu-Ray 5 for HD-DVD and my 2 local BB's its 10 sections to 6 HD-DVD.. so in essence they seem to be wanting to carry both formats with ease.
post #17 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JE3146 View Post

Today at a local Fred Meyer (west coast chain), I saw them unload a huge box of blu-rays onto the shelf, and they consolidated the few HD DVD titles they had left into one little pile. The guy said once those are gone those are gone[HD DVD's].

Seems anecdotal but it might start happening at lots of places.

The BDP-S300 is also only $299 at FM and that's their regular discounted price.
post #18 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlsmith View Post

Have you ever been in a line of people waiting to get into a store selling bargain merchandise?

Basically, people buy whatever items they can get as long as they are at a ridiculous price.

I am not convinced that the Wal-Mart HD-A2 sale really netted any meaningful increase in penetration for HD DVD. It certainly created some publicity.

Bingo, I can tell you for a fact, that where I live, Vancouver B.C., I couldn't find an hd a2 anywhere for a four to six week period. Every retailer I asked said the same thing, we can't get any hd a2s, we're waiting on the hd a3s. Meanwhile, toshiba is sitting on a stockpile of what was it, 90k of hd a2s. They didn't want my money, a longtime, hardcore HT enthusiast, instead, they wanted to stage a publicity stunt gathering in bargain shoppers, a significant percentage of which could care less about HDM.

And so when I hear toshiba reps opine that they always put the customer first, they can bloody well go to hell.
post #19 of 44
1/11/08 at 5:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Mullis View Post

Your loss.

If you are cutting your losses, would you be interested in sending me your current movies? I'll pay for the shipping. PM me if interested.

I have about 30 hd dvds I will sell you for 12.00 each...... I accept paypal....all or nothing.
post #20 of 44
1/11/08 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by opfreak View Post

even me a blu boi, would buy a cheap a30, with a bunch of cheap movies. hi-def is hi-def and a deal is a deal

I think they are now $149 and you can probably get like 10 movies for free with that. (check VE)

Congrats on your new player!
post #21 of 44
1/11/08 at 6:49pm
Now that there will be no more 'neutral' studios come June, retailers can then make just one section: "High Definition Movies" or something like that and include both HD DVD and Blu-ray. HD DVD only owners will continue to buy HD DVD, Blu-ray only owners will buy Blu-ray, and format neutral owners can pick from both.

I think we're going to see a push for dual format players eventually.
post #22 of 44
1/11/08 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Mullis View Post

Your loss.

If you are cutting your losses, would you be interested in sending me your current movies? I'll pay for the shipping. PM me if interested.

Hey now, I've lost enough! I still have many DVD-Audio's and SACD's, too. I'll soon be able to create my own E-Bay store. Just joking, I play them all and will until the players die off.

I'm just gonna go Blu going forward, that's all.
post #23 of 44
1/11/08 at 6:58pm
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I imagine within a few months most big retailers will drop HD DVD faster than a tart's knickers at a millionaires' mansion. Amazon and other online sites will probably keep offering them for a while, but I don't see B&M retailers bothering with it. Too much confusion and wasted space for items that most likely won't sell that great.
post #24 of 44
1/11/08 at 7:04pm
I wonder if those guys that want to push one media, one medium will explain why they are on thier 4th gen machines and still can't compete with the soon to be "obsolete" HD ie 7.1 sound,2.0 spec and the fact that every HD Dvd made would play in every machine.

Unlike the slew of Blu Ray players that can't play current movies.. ie 3:10 to Uma/PoC:3 Sunrise(Sunshine?). Yep.. one solid format player there guys.
post #25 of 44
1/11/08 at 7:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cnd Joe View Post

I wonder if those guys that want to push one media, one medium will explain why they are on thier 4th gen machines and still can't compete with the soon to be "obsolete" HD ie 7.1 sound,2.0 spec and the fact that every HD Dvd made would play in every machine.

My first generation Blu-Ray player plays every movie I've thrown at it flawlessly.

Why do you assume most people have faulty players?
post #26 of 44
1/11/08 at 7:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Entertainment72 View Post

At my local Super Target its 10 sections of Blu-Ray 5 for HD-DVD and my 2 local BB's its 10 sections to 6 HD-DVD.. so in essence they seem to be wanting to carry both formats with ease.

Do you really think a week is long enough for large corporations to make a decision of this magnitude and implement it across all their stores? Even then, were I in their place, I might slow down or stop ordering but I'd certainly put what I had on shelves and monitor how it sells before pulling it altogether. I might even keep ordering new releases in modest quantities until demand subsided ... but I'd expect to see catalog titles thin out if they've decided to shift their emphasis to one format.
post #27 of 44
1/11/08 at 7:38pm
Hot off my email. Tiger Direct--A3 129. Let the fire sales begin.
post #28 of 44
1/11/08 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab View Post

Hot off my email. Tiger Direct--A3 129. Let the fire sales begin.

Toshiba needs to recoup some money quickly, while the news of HD DVD's slow collapse hasn't hit all sectors of the general public.
post #29 of 44
1/11/08 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMe2 View Post

That's the double-edged thing about liquidation... Liquidation after a company goes bankrupt doesn't mean anything because there is no company left... BUT liquidation while a company is still otherwise thriving can send a message that consumers want the product when the price is right... which can actually have an odd unintended effect on the marketplace.

This wouldn't bring back HD-DVD though. If anything it will just send the message that consumers want cheaper prices.

I just hope that when they're getting sold sales associates make sure that the customers know what they're buying.
post #30 of 44
1/11/08 at 8:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightWatcher View Post

Now that there will be no more 'neutral' studios come June,

Be careful what you wish for. It might come true.....

In June the only place you will be able to buy HD DVD's will be eBay and Amazon.
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