Wal-Mart wowed many with its unprecedented pre-Black Friday price chops on Toshiba HD DVD players, selling them for sub-$100 pricing on Nov. 2. Now comes word they are rolling out major price drops on other products during actual Black Friday, on Nov. 23, spanning high-def TVs, computers and Xbox 360 gaming consoles. Citing leaked Black Friday advertisements, CNNMoney notes that Wal-Mart will be selling a 50-inch Philips plasma TV for $1397, a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop for $598 and Xbox 360 arcade console/5 game bundle for $279.92. DVDs will be going for $2.96. Look for Wal-Mart to more widely distribute its Black Friday details this Monday, Nov. 19.

Comments (0)

F.Y.E. is spicing up the ubiquitous 'Buy One, Get One Free' offer with some extra cash.  Now through Nov. 17, shoppers can choose two of 40 featured Disney Blu-ray titles, get the lesser-priced disc for free, PLUS score a $10 mail-in rebate. You can order titles and print out the rebate form from the FYE site.  Everyone likes a 'BOGO' deal, but it's nice seeing retailers trying to get creative. It's probably smart for F.Y.E. to carve out a new angle on the concept, standing out some from the hurricane of rival retail deals hitting shoppers through the end of the year.

Comments (0)

An eagle-eyed reader has pointed out that Target's Web site has begun offering that once highly anticipated Venturer HD DVD player. It's set at $249.99, which isn't quite as low as the $199 pricing initially stated by Venturer executives. But even if the Venturer player had come tagged below $200, wouldn't the product launch still feel anti-climatic? We've already seen Toshiba HD DVD players marked down to $99 at retail. And on Black Friday, Sears will be selling Toshiba's latest third generation HD A3 model, regularly $299, for $169.99 That is nearly $100 less than the new Venturer model. It will be fun to see how Black Friday shakes out, with the slew of lower-priced HD DVD and Blu-ray players on shelves. The deals could be so hot that people will just have to pick up one of each. 

Comments (2)

During a Thursday speech by Sony Corp. CEO Howard Stringer, there was no chest thumping about Blu-ray already winning the format war. Instead, in some refreshing even-handedness, the Blu-ray exclusive executive said that high-def is locked "in a difficult fight," according to reports, including this AP story covering Stringer's appearance in Manhattan. He believes that Blu-ray did enjoy plenty of momentum, but the high-def climate quickly became muddled when Paramount Home Entertainment decided to go HD DVD exclusive. 
But Stringer seems to wave off all the hoopla surrounding the ongoing format war, suggesting that the only thing to be won really is corporate bragging rights.
Still, it's widely understood that Sony would seriously be in the hole if Blu-ray did wind up failing - as the compnay has invested heartily in the BD-capable Playstation 3. On that end, the BD player install base has swelled some of late, due mostly to the $100 price cut on the 80 GB PS3 and entry of the cheaper $399 40GB console.

Comments (0)

It looks like Samsung will hit a new Blu-ray player low, at least for one day at Circuit City. The chain is advertising a $377.99 Samsung BD player in a Black Friday ad that started making the rounds today. Pretty nifty. Best Buy Black Friday ads were also circulating, showing $399 Samsung players. Not shown here, but Circuit City is also expected to offer $399 Sony Blu-ray players as well. Currently, these players from Sony and Samsung are marked at $499.

Comments (1)

The established magazine for shopping advice, Consumer Reports, is almost agonizingly balanced in its picks for Blu-ray and HD DVD players in its current December issue. Yes, on average, Blu-ray wins better overall marks, securing 87 points, out of a possible 100, in picture quality. HD DVD's average was 81.
There is a real big but, though. 
Consumer Reports manages to pick as its bestest players, one Blu-ray player and one HD DVD player, Pioneer's BDP-94HD and Toshiba's HD-XA2, respectively. And it confuses things further by giving them the exact same 91 score. 
Consumer Reports judged primarily manufacturers' second generation models, including on the BD side, Pioneer's BDP-94HD, Panasonic's DMP-BD10 and Sony's entry level BDP-S300. Sony's first generation BDP-S1 was also evaluated.
Toshiba's higher-end HD-XA2 and HD-A20, plus entry level HD-A2 were included on the HD DVD side. The fact that Toshiba's HD-A2 outputs to 1080i, rather than the more pristine 1080p, likely worked to drag down the HD DVD player average quality score.
The good news is the Consumer Reports argues that no matter which side of the high-def fence consumers fall, they won't get hurt. 
"All the high-definition models we tested provided excellent HD picture quality with high-def discs," the review states.
Also heartening for high-def fans, Consumer Reports top marks for the also evaluated upconverting DVD players max out at 84, with the Harman Kardon DVD 48 model.

Comments (0)

Sony unveiled new firmware for the Playstation 3 today, but the update doesn't appear to include that long-awaited Blu-ray picture-in-picture functionality.
In this Firmware 2.00, available starting Nov. 8, PS3 gamers will be able to turn on the console remotely with their Playstation Portable while in a wireless Internet hot spot. Sony has also added an 'Information Board,' where people can find out about latest gamer news through a scolling window that runs along the PS3 menu screen. There are also ways to build music and photo playlists.
Back last month, Sony exec Don Eklund slipped that there would soon be firmware that would beef up the PS3 with picture-in-picture. That would help buyers of the studio's BD title Resident Evil: Extinction fully enjoy its planned picture-in-picture bonus features. It will be mighty hard for Sony to market advanced interactivity (Extinction marks its first picture-in-picture title) - if a vast majority of the Blu-ray base can't see it.
 

Comments (0)

Trekkies, listen up! Virgin Megastores' two New York locations will be handing out free Toshiba HD DVD players to early bird buyers of the Star Trek HD DVD/DVD combo set. 
On the title's Nov. 20 street date, Virgin Megastores Times Square location will award the first 120 buyers of the $199-priced Star Trek a free Toshiba player, plus a free goodie bag containing a tribble character, vintage cast poster and free themed magazine. The Toshiba model isn't specified, but it is valued at $299, indicating it could be the third gen HD A3 player. The Times Squre store opens at 9 a.m. 
If you end up missing that worm,  you can try your luck at the Union Square Virgin, which opens at 11 a.m. There, the first 30 customers who buy the Star Trek set will likewise get the free Toshiba player and the same goodie bag.
As a consolation prize to early-ish shoppers, Virgin is handing out hundreds of goodie bags across the two New York stores to buyers of Star Trek HD DVD-DVD combo set.  Here is a full list of the details at the official Star Trek Web site. 
And if you're really, really late arriving at the stores, it couldn't hurt to try pleading your case in Klingon costume!

Comments (0)

So what if they aren't cute and cuddly! The majority of guys and gals are hoping for electronics presents this holiday season, according to a survey sponsored by Circuit City.
Of the 3,000 polled, 65% of men and 41% of women said that electronics is their top gift choice. Within the electronics category, both genders said they were crossing their fingers hardest for flat-panel TVs, at 46% and 36%, respectively. 
Sorry folks, neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD was mentioned as one of the hotly anticipated tech items. 
But retailers are using the just launched $399 40 GB Playstation 3 in flat panel TV bundling offers. At Best Buy, you can pick up a 40-inch Sony Bravia LCD TV and essentially get a 40 GB PS3 for free, plus additional savings. Over at Circuit City, you can also get a Sony Bravia LCD TV and PS3 bundle, saving several hundred from orginal pricing.
So what if people aren't exactly saying they want high-def players! The hardware might just show up under their trees anyway.
As far as what other gadgets men are hoping to score for the holidays, 12% said computers; 9%, GPS navigational items; 9%, digital cameras; and 7% video game systems. Besides flat panel TVs, 19% of women say they want digital cameras; 13% computers; 8% GPS navigation.

Comments (0)

If you managed to snag a $99 Toshiba HD DVD player at Wal-Mart or Best Buy today, consider yourself VERY lucky. HD DVD reps were calling various Wal-Marts and Best Buys to check on the status of sales on Friday. By early afternoon, one rep decided to give up tracking down a sub-$100 Toshiba HD A2. I doubt the guy was too broken up over it though. Here is a look at the original Best Buy page (albeit humorously tagged!), which has since been taken down.

Comments (0)

The same day that Wal-Mart announced it would feature bargain $99 Toshiba HD DVD players in its pre-Black Friday Nov. 2 clearance, Sony made some rumbles about dropping the price of its entry level Blu-ray player.
During a Thursday New York media roundtable, Sony Electronics president Stephen Glasgow said that he believed the company's $499 player would be shaved down to around $399 by the holidays. That $100 price cut would help Sony's model match the $399 tag of the latest 40 GB Playstation 3, which launched on Nov. 2 as the cheapest Blu-ray player available.
Its unclear if Sony or retailers would be responsible for dropping the price on the BD player.
Sony Electronics spokesman Greg Beloni confirmed to VB that Glasgow made those statements, and that Glasgow "isn't taking the comments back." 
Yet Beloni stopped from further specifying Glasgow's remarks. There is no clear indication when during the holidays we'll see a price cut.
However, Beloni did refute some reports Friday that claimed Sony will soon be releasing firmware to upgrade its entry level model to the new Blu-ray picture-in-picture player profile. 
Yet Sony is expected to soon make such firmware available for its Playstation 3.

Comments (0)

Ratatouille and The Incredibles writer-director Brad Bird has been let down lately by the theatrical experience, but Blu-ray is perking him up about movies again.
In a Q&A session during the Oct. 29-30 Blu-ray Festival in Los Angeles, Bird said he likes how Blu-ray gives viewers the opportunity to see the film as he envisioned. And if people wind up sitting through a big screen showing of his work, with a huge scratch running down the middle of the film for two and a half hours, (as was Bird's personal hell during a Spider-Man screening), all is not lost with Blu-ray.
"You're going to see all the detail we put into it," said Bird of Ratatouille, streeting on DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 6. "There is horrendous amount of detail. They won't see that unless people get [suitable] projection and sound. And unhappily a lot of theaters don't offer that. Theatrical relases are so wide today, that getting quality control across all prints is hard. And Blu-ray is a perfect copy of the film - color balance is exactly what we intended it to be."
Also, as an animation perfectionist, Bird tends to fine-tune films for their home video release, which looks all the more amazing in high-definition.
"I'm a hard guy," said Bird, joking that he actually describes himself with words that shouldn't be spoken aloud. "If they give me a chance to make a film better, I will always abuse the privilege."
For the Ratatouille BD disc and DVD, Bird was able to make Remy the rat's hair blow, which in the theatrical cut was unnaturally still while riding on a motorcycle. Also, Remy dons a chef's hat at the end of the film, which wasn't in the original print.
"I was flabbergasted to see how good the picture quality is on Blu-ray," said Bird. "If your film is going to reside after the theatrical run then I can't think of a better way for it to reside." 
  

Comments (0)