Best Buy to Offically recommend Bluray beginning March

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Beginning in early March, retailer Best Buy will begin officially recommending Blu-ray as best choice for high definition movies to their customer base. Since the beginning of the format war, Best Buy has silently stood on the sidelines providing both the Blu-ray and HD DVD format for consumers to choose. Current sales data now shows that Blu-ray is their choice, and the retailer will soon carry the official stance that Blu-ray is best high definition format.

Brian Dunn, Best Buy's president and chief operating officer commented, "Consumers have told us that they want us to help lead the way. We've listened to our customers, and we are responding. Best Buy will recommend Blu-ray as the preferred format. Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them.

Best Buy will continue to stock a reduced amount of HD DVD players and movies, but the reduction in stock combined with the unified voice to support Blu-ray brings up questions as to how long those stocks will continued to be resupplied.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssC...AS040320080211

What we are seeing here is a slow meltdown of the HD DVD infrastructure at both retail, and studio level. Almost all(if not all) HD DVD exclusive studios in Europe have either gone neutral, or Bluray exclusive. Recently several smaller indie studios here in the states also switched allegiance from HD DVD to Bluray exclusive. HD DVD has now gone underwater twice, and when Paramount and Universal make the switch, it will totally drown.

[Woochifer]

Seems like history repeating itself yet again. The sales trend data clearly shows a consumer preference for Blu-ray, and the retailers are responding to demand. (although it would not surprise me if Best Buy is getting some kind of promotional consideration to make this move)

I remember stores in my area clearing out their Betamax inventory before the format's market share had dipped below 25%. I still have a Betamax copy that I bought on clearance for $3 of the No Nukes concert, which featured vintage performances from Bruce Springsteen (absolutely jawdropping performance that was filmed on the night he turned 30), Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Browne, among others. This concert vid has yet to be released on DVD, and I no longer have a Beta VCR.

Year-to-date, HD-DVD's market share is now below 25% so outside of any conspiracies about payoffs, I'm not at all surprised that retailers have begun to force the issue. The studios will be the last ones out the door, as they were with Beta, which continued to be supported well after the format disappeared at retail stores.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Seems like history repeating itself yet again. The sales trend data clearly shows a consumer preference for Blu-ray, and the retailers are responding to demand. (although it would not surprise me if Best Buy is getting some kind of promotional consideration to make this move)

I remember stores in my area clearing out their Betamax inventory before the format's market share had dipped below 25%. I still have a Betamax copy that I bought on clearance for $3 of the No Nukes concert, which featured vintage performances from Bruce Springsteen (absolutely jawdropping performance that was filmed on the night he turned 30), Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Browne, among others. This concert vid has yet to be released on DVD, and I no longer have a Beta VCR.

Year-to-date, HD-DVD's market share is now below 25% so outside of any conspiracies about payoffs, I'm not at all surprised that retailers have begun to force the issue. The studios will be the last ones out the door, as they were with Beta, which continued to be supported well after the format disappeared at retail stores.

If you need to check out your movie again, I have a beta super hi fi deck in good condition I will send your way. LOL.

At this point, I do not see payoff really moving the studios much. My studio seems to think we are past payoff days based on consumer trends. I know that Universal has been paid off to continue to support HD DVD while they get rid of stock in warehouses. Paramount has that same agreement, and that is what is taking them so long to go blu.
Once more retail outlets follow Best Buy's lead(and they will), then you will see both Universal and Paramount announce their plans moving forward.