Walmart rolls out lowest-priced BD player, at $78
PHYSICAL: Retailer also prices catalog DVD at $2
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 11/18/2009
NOV. 18 | PHYSICAL: Walmart will be rolling out a $78 Magnavox Blu-ray Disc player on Black Friday, staying true to its billing as the low-price leader.
Walmart’s Black Friday deals include $2 DVD catalog titles and a $78 Magnavox Blu-ray player.
That tag undercuts the current known advertised rock-bottom price for Blu-ray players, Meijer’s $89 Sylvania model for its own Black Friday promotion.
However, Walmart’s Magnavox model is not Web-enabled, whereas the $99 Insignia model during Best Buy’s Black Friday sale will be enhanced with BD Live and Netflix streaming. The Sylvania model also is missing Web capabilities.
Also at Walmart, there are $148 Web-enabled Sony and Samsung Blu-ray players, about equaling the $50 in savings that other stores are offering on these products.
In other home video deals at Walmart, listed in a Black Friday ad leaked online Wednesday, the chain will be rolling out a wide selection of $10 Blu-ray catalog titles. Best Buy is touting lower $7.99 pricing on high-definition catalog. But Walmart does boast a high-profile Blu-ray selection at this level, including The Dark Knight, Wanted, Fast and Furious and the first five Harry Potter films.
Walmart also will sell a large number of $2 standard-definition DVDs, again hitting a new low mark this year among other retailers’ Black Friday price tags for this category. Featured $2 DVDs include Casino Royale, Hellboy II, I Am Legend, Blood Diamond, Underworld and Spaceballs.
Also, the retailer will be presenting some very recent titles at $9 for standard DVD, including Nov. 3 release G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Nov. 17 release Star Trek. Other featured standard DVDs at this level include 17 Again and Year One.
However, this deal’s potency might be dulled by the fact that Walmart’s Web site has been listing many fourth-quarter titles at $10 for some time, as part of an overall retail pre-order price war on standard DVD and high-def titles.
One of Walmart’s better gaming deals is a $299 PlayStation 3 bundle that includes free copies of The Dark Knight Blu-ray and games Batman Arkham Asylum and Infamous.
