Gizmodo
Wal-Mart is going Blu-ray exclusive by June—they won't even stock older HD DVD stuff at that point. While Netflix and Best Buy pulling Blu were hard blows to HD DVD, when the world's largest public corporation won't stock your products, you're basically doomed. Wal-Mart is the avenue to the unwashed masses, and, as an emerging format, if you're not rolling on it, you've effectively fallen off the radar of millions of people. It's probable Toshiba already knew this, hence the rumors of it finally pulling the plug. If they weren't considering it before, it's gotta weigh heavy on them now. Update: Press release below.
Wal-Mart Moving Exclusively Toward Blu-ray Format Movies and Players[Check Out, Wal-Mart]Bentonville, Ark., Feb. 15, 2008 - Wal-Mart Stores, U.S. today announces that its 4,000 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores will move forward this year with one hi-definition movie and hardware format: Blu-ray. The change will take place quickly over the next several months whereby the retailer will phase out HD DVD offerings and reorganize shelf space. By June, Wal-Mart stores, Sam's Clubs, www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com will offer only Blu-ray movies and hardware machines, as well as standard definition movies and DVD players, and up converts.
"We've listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases," said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Home Entertainment, Wal-Mart, U.S. "With the customers best interest in all we do, we wanted to share our decision and timeline with them as soon as possible, knowing it will help simplify their purchase decision, increase selection, and increase adoption long term. We anticipate enhancing our selection with continued great values in hi-definition Blu-ray products, so our customers can further enhance their entertainment experience at home."
Wal-Mart will continue to sell through remaining HD DVD product, but in less than 30 days customers will see a more predominant move toward Blu-ray in stores, clubs and online. As the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart thoughtfully reviewed all areas and impact in making its decision, and is excited to move forward with one format and share its future plans with customers.
Comments
haha, love the picture!
HDDVD is officially dead...THIS is the TRUE deathblow
Its over, Walmart just shot the final rounds into the twitching corpse of HD-DVD. Walmart sells 40% of all DVDs sold in the US, without them or BestBuy there really isn't a chance. I guess the rumored official pull-out by Toshiba reported by Hollywood Reporter is true.
Best picture ever. This is a close second for the "Oh Shit" fish in orbit.
It's probably true, but why reference someone's blog instead of waiting for official word from Wal-Mart?
@AJ_Syrinx: Right. And it doesn't even have the "rumor" tag.
@AJ_Syrinx: I agree.
@john_nyc: Because apparently is not required anymore. All news media sources, old and new, appear to have quit on fact-checking.
Hey, Gizmodo, at least CNN Money got a quote from Wal-Mart's Senior Vice President of Home Entertainment.
[money.cnn.com]
Now that wasn't so hard, was it?
@AJ_Syrinx: What are you talking about? Checkout is Wal-Mart's official blog.
So does this mean the prices of Blu-Ray are going to be driven down?
Yeah, Gizmodo, AJ_Syrinx, john_nyc, and ARPRINCE are so right!
How in the world could you think that Wal-Mart's own internal press rel...I mean, "blog"...is a legitimate official source on news about Wal-Mart own internal decisions!
A quote from a guy that works for Wal-Mart or a story from another news outlet next time please!
So I guess Sony won this round. Maybe Toshiba missed a few lessons fromthe VHS people...
@92BuickLeSabre:
...and they have some serious grammar issues.
@plankbr: Why would Blu-ray price be going down. There is no incentive to.
@matt buchanan: I stand corrected, Matt. Blogs have developed a "reputation" IMO and I jumped the gun.
Headshot!
"So… if you bought the HD player like me, I'd retire it to the bedroom, kid's playroom, or give it to your parents to play their John Wayne standard def movies, and make space for a BD player for your awesome Hi Def experience."
BURN BABY, BURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HDDVD is officially gone. Blue Ray FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
first the red sox win the world series, then sony wins a format war. now if the cubs ever win the world series, the world is going to end.
@vertibraker: So true, DVD players all still cost $500 at a minimum, y'know.. because of the lack of a secondary format. If only the blu ray association was a consortium of several electronics companies and movie studios all competing for my money. Then they would do things like constantly improve the format and shrink the components lowering the manufacturing costs in the process.
How can this really be true, when Wal*Mart sells cheap irrelevant shit all the time?
i've held out on this one for a long time. I usually figure out the nsfw and tsfu etc...., but i can't get this one
FTW
someone please
coffin, meet nail.
@dontforget: FTW = For The Win.
FTW = For The Win
The War is Over!!!
One format FTW
Fork. Stick in. Dead.
@dontforget: Original meaning of FTW = F the World made famous by TAZ. The meaning used here is For the Win
can't lie.. i always assumed FTW was a yoda WTF.
thank you DONTFORGET for finally having the lluevos to clear that up for me.
@dontforget: TSFU?
never seen that one before
@Seiven:
[www.urbandictionary.com]
I guess
With the format war looking like it's over, I wonder how agressively the Blu-Ray group will cut prices to push the format. Beating HD-DVD was a minor battle in comparison to beating DVD.
@plankbr:
Since they have no competition, probably not but all Blu Ray products sold at Wal-Mart will come with free lead lacing.
@gotenki: Not really. It will be a natural progression. Eventually Blu-Ray will become such a commodity it will just be included with DVD players and you will have the option of buying the DVD or BD, until BDs are so cheap to produce everything will just be released as a BD.
@gotenki: Not likely. The PS3 is barely breaking even with production cost. Because HD DVD is almost dead, there is no incentives to decrease the prices until a profit is finally made and production cost lowers.
You think Wally-world didn't know this was coming two months ago when they were pushing HD=DVD players for $99 just-in-time-for-Christmas?
God, I hope somewhere a fat Wal-Mart executive chomping on a cigar, looked out a 30-story-high window and yelled "Sorry suckers!" before laughing maniacally until he needed a dose from his asthma-inhaler.
For sale, Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive, perfect condition, really never used...
Like I buy Electronics from Wally World
thanks guys/ladies
@brandonbucket: haha, waited a long time trying to get it on my own... i was afraid of being shit on, but finally gave up.
As for the topic, I'm happy the war is over.
@Seiven: my bad... typo [gizmodo.com]
Toshiba's offcial reaction: "Ohh Snaps!"
I can't wait for HD-DVD to rise from the ashes and smite Blu-ray.
@vertibraker: Well, you're assuming everyone knows who you're talking about when mentioning Taz, which I'm certain many don't. Then you have to take into consideration that Taz was not the first to use that expression or acronym.
And here I thought your tag wasn't related to what I knew it would end up being a reference to.
@GOKOR: Nope Taz wasn't but he did make it popular. Is your name in reference to the Armenian Assassin?
@vertibraker: There is if they want to overtake SD DVD!
@Ledsled: I cannot wait for the Beatles to reunite.
@Kaiser-Machead: don't forget Godzilla tripping over sea-floor cables...
Heh, yeah that sucks. Well now they have truly lost. Come june we will herald the era of blu ray and the death of HD-DVD.
bend me over HD DVD jajaja !!
@Ledsled:
please dude STFU
So.....when can I start doing the 'I told you so' dance? Is it now, when Toshiba officially stops production, or when I see a hot half naked woman holding an HD-DVD player in one of Gizmodos next photo competitions?
lmao at me thinkin this was really gonna be a real battle. This was a backyard, prison butt rapein, ECW bust you over the back with barbed wire, get up off the floor or die tryin, pissed off cause I paid for the Pay-Per-View and it only lasted 30 seconds, beatdown. HD-DVD never stood a chance.
I blame Microsoft and it's half-assed HD-DVD support. They cared more about selling Xbox 360s cheaper, and less about HD-DVD market penetration. They could have easily offered a more expensive XBOX 360 with the built in HD-DVD drive and support for 1080p.
huzzah! die HD-DVD. you won't be missed
@Kanti_V2: Ha!
Game. Set. Match.
@Samifumi: They could have but I don't think an Xbox with HD drive built in would have made a difference. There just wasn't enough studio support for HD DVD. The HDDVD player was a good product but who wants a product with very little movies. The reason the PS3 struggled is because of the lack of games. If the studios supported both product, the results may have been delayed much longer. HDDVD is more advanced at this stage because Blu-ray is still fairly new, but it was inevitable that the results would have been the same.
Fire Sales FTW!!
F Giz and the Sony-haterade bandwagon!! MUHAHAHAHAH
Take that biatches!!
SONY FTW!! WHOOOOOOT!!
Coming soon...the Toshiba Blu-Ray player for $249, w00t!!!
I honestly think Blu-ray won because "Blu-ray' just sounds cooler than "HD-DVD."
In any event, Hu-ray.
@ARPRINCE: Ditto.