End is Nigh? DVD aisles emptied at local Walmart

[ahhaa]

I was very concerned to find that the Walmart here has just downsized their DVD hardware section to practically nothing. Philips is gone; and everything else seems like residual stock- some cheap Magnavox, some pre- upscaling Sony players, and no real DVRs at all, mebbe some leftover VHS/DVD combos. It might be a push towards Bluray, except there wasn't much of that either, even the cakeboxes of discs and the disc cases seemed like old stock being cleared. It could be that this semi-rural store was adjusting to demand, except that they have no competition closer than an hours drive away. Walmart tries changes out in stores like this one- its called a Superstore. )Some older heads here may remember how consumers were pushed into CD partly by a sudden strange scarcity of new cassette hardware.) If you have quite a DVD collection, imho now may be the time to pick up a good player/recorder and just set it aside for future use. All this instant streaming is kinda letting the air outta Blooray, and I'm not convinced the optical disc will be permanently sticking around like I was just a couple years ago.

[yoda313]

I would not be concerned until bestbuy starts doing the same thing.

As far as player hardware I'm not concerned too much about that either. Until bluray is UNABLE to play standard dvds there is no need to be concerned. Yes as far as having a standby player or one for an extra tv then yes having a dvd only dvd player makes sense for stuff that you aren't watching on your main set.

I already have a wdtv media player (the first gen model) so I can already do digital sans optical media. Plus the newer versions keep adding feature after feature.

My main concern would be burnable media. However that has always been a concern about buying reputable brands. However I must admit to buying non taiyo yuden blanks and thankfully so far no real problems (and non verbatim ones to boot - but name brand at least not super cheapos).

Sony won't let bluray die. I just hope they wisen up and drop the prices of new movies a bit. 25.00 a pop is a bit steep when you can get it on dvd for a lot less and have it upscale to pretty good but not hd quality. If they were just a tad above dvd prices I'd be buying more bluray.

Also a single store is not a trend. This would have to be happening at every walmart and spread to other chains to be a concern. For right now they could just be in planning stages for a remodel you don't know about yet.

Also - this is just the hardware. They're not dumping dvd movie/tv shows discs right?

[budz]

Several Wally Worlds here in Hawaii have been remodeling their stores. That could be the reason why the shelves may look a bit empty.
For Bluray movies I just wait until the prices drop a few months down the road.

[Moontrash]

my wally world here in the little town i live in also remodeled , they have 8 to 10 dvd players but they quit stocking the philips models. Thats ok though, i'll just order one at amazon or newegg...no real loss. I'm sure the players will be around in other places. Wal Mart is not exactly the greatest place to buy quality tv/dvd/br stuff

[jjeff]

DVD players are a dead product. I think Sony only makes 2 models now and both are basically really cheap, nothing like DVD players of the past. The same thing happened with VHS players towards the end, fewer and fewer models and the few that were still made were very cheaply built. The nice thing about DVD is all BR players will continue to play DVD discs, of course I can see the end of the road for prerecorded DVDs(again similar to VHS) and BR will be the only way to buy movies on a physical media, until the next product comes down the line......
I've recently purchased several couple year old refurbished Sony DVD players(better made that what's currently available) which should last me as long as my DVDs last. Personally I just don't like how most BR players handle DVDs and the lack of basic DVD features. The Oppo 80 BR player handles DVDs very nicely but for $300 I can buy many refurbished DVD players(the last Sonys I bought were $40 each P.P.).

[classfour]

I just bought a DVD player today (upconverting) at Dell.com ($29 for a Sony) due to the price. As I don't own any BlueRay (or want any at the moment): I'll stick with what works for me.

[LCSHG]

I ue to buy Sony consumer products As I truly felt they were TOp quality and made ny Sony
Not any more most of there consumer unitsAre made by others Lif liteon etc .They Didn't want to lose the DVD, Bluray as they dis the Batemax, VHS at any cost and bought out most all major US studio's , THere players Detect CP when non exists. They are Overpriced
One thing theat gets Ne A user says they can put much more on a BluRay disk. [Sure] but at resolution loss
I wount BUY a SONY it was most likly made buy others an is way over priced

[ahhaa]

I just bought a DVD player today (upconverting) at Dell.com ($29 for a Sony) due to the price. As I don't own any BlueRay (or want any at the moment): I'll stick with what works for me.

Is that Sony you bought regionfreeable? That's the only reason I cared about the Philips machines...

OT and just for the record, (most of) my Phillips audio cassettes from the '70s are still quite playable. I am not holding my breath that that kind of longevity is in store for any of the optical discs. It doesn't matter much for movies and such, but does for the family photos and vids...

[MOVIEGEEK]

I agree with those who say DVD players are dead, the prices of Blu-ray players are coming down so the profit margins are miniscule.
I have seen Magnavox BD players for $79 at Amazon and K-mart. Many CE manufacturers(Panasonic, Sony, etc) are members of the BDA so it's in their best interests to promote Blu-ray.

DVD sales continue to dominate Blu-ray sales(84% vs 16%) so DVD's will be around for a long time.

As for streaming Walmart is going to be pushing internet capable players because they signed a deal with VUDU.

[victoriabears]

Only when blu ray players are region free and will play pal on a ntsc TV for under $100 will I buy one.
Or is there one already !

[mazinz]

Only when blu ray players are region free and will play pal on a ntsc TV for under $100 will I buy one.
Or is there one already !

This will do that but for 155$ shipped (which is kind of close)

http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45030

[davidsama]

The dvd aisles were full at my local walmart supercenter. They even had some blue rays for sale.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I think player availability depends on where the store is and if they are doing a remodel, the Walmarts near me have a good selection.

[oldfart13]

Only when blu ray players are region free and will play pal on a ntsc TV for under $100 will I buy one.
Or is there one already !

Buy the Seiki (Philips 3000 clone) from Wal-Mart Canada for $88. Plays just about everything including DivX which won't play on my Curtis DVD1102. MKV playback is spotty. I'm finding that if the encoding was done with AVC/h264 and ASS subs, then I don't have to rip the subs for playback and at 720p, they play perfectly. Some people have heat problems but since I don't use the unit for longer than a couple hours at a time, I don't have a problem. It's also region free and plays PAL on NTSC TVs. That I think fits the bill for your deck request...

[handyguy]

Philips have USB ports so you can cannot a HD of stuff & play it.

[classfour]

The Sony arrived yesterday - I bought it because it was an upconverting, and only $29 (retail $69). I'm not certain if it can be hacked or made region free. Some on the forum think so:

https://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/sony-dvp-ns710h-b/10156

If I don't like it, I have a nice (last of the Made In Japan) Pioneer that is still working fine.