Retailers to decide on HD-DVD's Fate

[JoeSp]

From Variety:

Blu-ray could win high-def battle - Entertainment News, CES, Media - Variety

retailers may force the HD DVD camp's hand: They're unlikely to keep devoting premium shelf space to a dying format, and at this point, the odds are not in HD DVD's favor

From Bill:

The Digital Bits - Celebrating Film in the Digital Age

Warner's decision on Friday, Blu-ray Disc hardware has begun outselling HD-DVD hardware dramatically, jumping from 3 to 1 early last week to a factor of roughly 20 to 1 (on average) over the weekend. Sales people are now more confidently recommending Blu-ray to their customers as the preferred of the two formats, and there have apparently been returns of HD-DVD decks.

This does not look promising to HD-DVD at all. If XMAS players go back to the stores in exchange for BD players then those nice 4th quarter numbers are going to tank.

 

[teamerickson]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/hd-dvd-blu-ray-war-zone/120495-ces-cc-bbuy-chiefs-comment-wb.html

 

[Recluse]

I would think that for the immediate future, many retailers would want to continue stocking HD HDVD (albeit to a lesser degree). If they dropped it now, there would be many more dissatisfied post-Christmas HD DVD player purchasers trying to return merchandise than there already is now. I'd think they'd let it trickle off at a slow pace for now.

 

[meStevo]

It's not retailers, it's studios. It isn't a chicken/egg type thing. No/poor studio support will decide this race.

The war will not last long enough to get combo players cheap enough and make format irrelevant, so studios dropping one for the other will be deciding this.

 

[gadgtfreek]

It's not retailers, it's studios. It isn't a chicken/egg type thing. No/poor studio support will decide this race.

The war will not last long enough to get combo players cheap enough and make format irrelevant, so studios dropping one for the other will be deciding this.

Agree. If you have one format supported by all, and one supported by two, why keep the 2nd using up shelf space?

 

[BobMurdoch]

Word is beginning to get out that HD DVD is doomed. Those wired in already know. The casual buyers will start reading it in the mainstream press.

At this point, I'd still like a combo player so the 30 HD DVDs I've bought can still be easily watched (I have the XBox360 drive, but that will only work for the next 1-2 years until the XBox3 drops). Now that standalone players are dropping in price, I'll probably go that route. I'm hoping that the prices will plunge now that the combo players just got a lot less valuable.

CMon Woot! Get me one for $399 and I'll be a happy boy....

 

[charper1]

They have combo PC drives for about $299

 

[bsk116]

They have combo PC drives for about $299

Holy crap, nice gear! Seriously, are you paid to taste bourbon?

 

[db2]

Retailers will pretend that they're still supporting HD-DVD until they've dumped the rest of their existing stock.

I can guarantee that there aren't any new orders being placed with Toshiba right now.

 

[navychop]

That's where I'd place my bet. Question is, can they cancel orders already placed?

 

[mike123abc]

No purchasing manager is going to be the one that buys HD-DVD now. They do not want to get the blame for lost margin when the retailer has to close them out. Any way shape or form that retailers can they will cut HD-DVD out and close out stock. They do not want a fire sale, but they will just not restock once their warehouse run out.

This is like a snowball rolling down hill. So much press is out now on BD winning that retailers have no choice but to cut back on HD-DVD. This will of course cut sales of HD-DVD down and fulfill the predictions of HD-DVD losing.