Wal-Mart pushing sales of Blu-ray players. $100 gift card!

[akrako1]

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0337087820080603

Wal-Mart pushing sales of Blu-ray players
Tue Jun 3, 2008 3:43pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With the high definition DVD format war settled, Wal-Mart Stores Inc is now aggressively promoting sales of Blu-ray players.

The world's largest retailer said on Tuesday that from June 8-14, it is offering a $100 Wal-Mart gift card with the purchase of any Blu-ray player in its stores.

Wal-Mart has also increased the brands of Blu-ray players it sells, adding Magnavox, Samsung and Panasonic, and it will sell select Blu-ray movie titles for $15 starting June 8, including "3:10 to Yuma", "Shooter" and "300".

Until earlier this year, consumers who were seeking sharper movies on high-definition DVDs had to choose between two competing standards -- the Blu-ray high-definition DVD format, developed by Sony Corp and the rival HD DVD camp, which was backed by Toshiba Corp.

The competing standards stalled the shift to the new technology in the $24 billion home DVD market as consumers, worried they would be stuck with obsolete technology, avoided buying the players.

But in February, Wal-Mart said it planned to exclusively back the Blu-ray format and later that month, Toshiba said it would end its HD DVD business.

Wal-Mart, which has been working to boost sales of consumer electronics, also said on Tuesday it has completed the redesign of its consumer electronics department in stores nationwide.

The redesigned departments include more space for consumers to test video games, an expanded selection of GPS navigation products, a new display center for computers and a bigger selection of high-definition TVs.

[Epicurus8a]

I'll pass...

[akrako1]

Magnavox Blu-ray NB500MG9 $298 @ Wal-Mart. minus the gift-card, and we're looking at the first sub-$200 blu-ray player. The article above doesn't specifically mention that you can use the $100 immediately toward the purchase of the blu-ray player, but $100 is still $100.

Now if I only didn't despise Wal-Mart and refuse to shop there...

[samijubal]

Who wants a Magnajunk/Funai player anyway? Sounds like a waste of $300 to me.

[cal_tony]

Strange,... Two weeks ago my local Walmart had the Samsung unit for $350. Today, I noticed the new Samsung price was $399. So much for $100 off.
However, if the $100 off also applies to the 40GB PS3 at $399, that would be a really good deal.

Tony

[budz]

You can get a $100.00 "Online Walmart Gift Card" if you buy a Sony 40gb Playstation 3.

[cracula]

I'll pass...

Me too. And is this the 2.0 blu ray or the ones(1.0/1.1) they are trying to clear out? I'll buy mid 2009 at the earliest.

[edDV]

Interesting... , if true, to see Walmart as a standards influencer. Sony needs BluRay to succeed and Walmart is in a position to make a difference. If BluRay makes money Walmart will support it. They will also listen to other pitches. If it doesn't sell, Sony is stuck in a replay of Betamax. Walmart holds many of the cards here since so many DVD sales flow through them.

[donnyj]

the format war is over... there is no replay of Betamax. If you insist on using that terminology then Toshiba is the new Betamax and the rest of the world is VHS.

[edDV]

the format war is over... there is no replay of Betamax. If you insist on using that terminology then Toshiba is the new Betamax and the rest of the world is VHS.

So you are saying BluRay is the consumer solution? Explain why you think BluRay should survive?

I think it is 5yrs old and not a good choice.

I may rent BluRay DVDs from Netflix but (looking at my laserdisk shelf) would never buy a single one*.


* unless priced in the $6-10 range. Be aware manufacturing costs for BluRay shouldnt affect user prices by more than 5%. Don't pay more.

[DarrellS]

Sony is stuck in a replay of Betamax

and they killed off VHS so the consumer loses out this time around.

[edDV]

Sony is stuck in a replay of Betamax

and they killed off VHS so the consumer loses out this time around.

Huh? Sony has been in the tank since.

Sony has had good things going but they never recovered the consumer market after BetaMax. Trinitron has lost any lead. Sony is in the pack and a disappointment IMO.

I once shook hands with Akio Morita, a true hero. Those who followed (example Morizono) failed his vision.

[donnyj]

what I am saying is that the BluRay/HD-DVD format war is ancient history... it DID survive (for now) the format war.

That doesn't mean that something better can't come along...

[edDV]

what I am saying is that the BluRay/HD-DVD format war is ancient history... it DID survive (for now) the format war.

That doesn't mean that something better can't come along...

Sony has a history (since the founder) of blowing it over and over. Avoid any investment. They are worse than Microsoft for stealing technology.

[edDV]

Sony had every adantage but violated every trust (Ref. Mr. Takano Morizono).

[DarrellS]

Huh? Sony has been in the tank since.

We're using the Bluray/HD-DVD Betamax/VHS comparison. Back then, we were rewarded with a low cost way to record movies and play movies we bought or rented. This time around, the consumer was not rewarded but luckily, we already have a cheap way to record movies and play movies we already own or rent so this format war was irrellavent to most of us.

I don't have anything against Sony. Almost all of my equipment is Sony and my old 27" Trinitron is the best TV I own. I just don't want this Bluray product that they are trying to push onto everyone. If they want to build an affordable player that will play all of the formats that I already own on normal DVDs then I will buy it but I'm not spending anything on a new format that I have to pay to replace everything I already own.

I wouldn't say Sony is in the tank. They own just about everything (and everybody) these days.

[budz]

I'd like to get a blu-ray player or PS3 ( although I don't game at all) when the price is right. It would look awesome on my 1080 lcd tv.

Going a bit off topic:
Yah, wanna know why Sony and every other Japanese electronic giant has gone downhill because they outsource all of their products to be manufactured in other countries like Taiwan, China & Mexico. Back in the 80's everything was made in Japan. You didn't have quality control problems back then but we sure do in this day and age. I was probably the last die hard fan of Betamax. I even rented a Betamax machine to convert all of my Beta tapes to DVD.

I used to own many Sony products until they began outsourcing the manufacturing of their products to other countries to cut overhead costs. My old dead XBR CRT 32 inch TV was the last Sony item I bought that was still "Made In Japan". My current Sony 40 inch LCD TV is "Made In Mexico" and I'm satisfied with it but I had returned the first one I bought because it was defective.

[edDV]

Does this look like corp success to you?

In 1997 (adjusted) you could buy SNE for $50 and you can sell SNE today for $50.83.
Are you saying that 83 cents capital gain (~0.17%) over 11 years is a good investment?

True Sony beat Apple through most of the 90's but not since 2005

This is a log chart.