| HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS TAGGED "CIRCUIT CITY" | Receive High-Def Disc News via RSS |  |
Circuit City is Selling DIVX - No, Not DivX
Tue Jul 19, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Circuit City, DivX (all tags)
Remember that awful technology that got shut down hard by DVDs? It can be yours for the right price.
Think way back to the days when DVD first came on the market and try to remember DIVX. Not the computer format, but that strange video rental style scheme that Circuit City came up with.
The way DIVX worked was that you'd purchase a disc for four dollars or so and then take it home and watch it. You could watch it as many times as you wanted for 48 hours and then it would be disabled. After that, you could activate the disc again by paying more. Sort of like a crappy version of VODs.
That technology and others are being sold at auction on August 16th for a starting price of $750,000. If there are no bidders, Imaging Transfer Co. will pick it all up at the starting price.
"Although Circuit City was not able to capitalize on its inventions, the video distribution model it envisioned has become the mainstream," says Gabe Fried of Streambank - the company assisting in the sale of the tech.
DIVX may have helped to pave the way for video on demand, but how much is a failed technology that showed everyone what not to do really worth? Apparently $750 grand.
Source: Engadget
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
Are Circuit City Stores Coming Back?
Thu Mar 25, 2010 at 06:00 PM ETTags: Circuit City, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
After experiencing great sales numbers online, Systemax is considering brick-and-mortar locations for Circuit City stores.
You remember Circuit City. Their stores were once close competitors to Best Buy, but they took a slow spiral down to liquidation in 2008/2009. It seems like forever ago that there was a mainstream competitor to the blue giant, aside from online retail locations of course.
And it’s online retail that may be bringing Circuit City back. The current owner of the company, Systemax, is strongly considering the relaunch of traditional brick-and-mortar Circuit City stores.
Systemax may not be a familiar name, but the brands sure are. They own Tiger Direct, and they’re the company who brought CompUSA back from the brink of non-existence. Their stores aren’t quite as widespread as they once were of course, but there still are 34 CompUSA locations across the country.
As chief executive Richard Leeds puts it, “We have a tremendous amount of excitement around our company now because of these acquisitions.” He says that the purchase of the two companies was the deal of a century. “Recession hurts, but it also creates opportunities that would not have existed otherwise.”
Source: Chicago Breaking Business
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
Shhh! Circuit City Trading HD DVD Players for Blu-ray
Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:30 PM ETTags: Circuit City, High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)
Circuit City is allowing customers to trade in their HD DVD players and apply the original sales price toward the purchase of new Blu-ray players.
As first reported by Gizmodo earlier today (and confirmed at a Washington-area Circuit City this afternoon by High-Def Digest), the unpublicized offer is giving in-the-know customers a second chance at making the jump to high-def.
The offer only applies to players sold in the last 90 days, but that should give those who received HD DVD players for the holidays enough time to trade in their gifts for the winning next generation format. You must return the player in the original box with all of its accessories in order to qualify. Considering the price differences between the two player formats, there will likely be additional costs in making the exchange.
Note that this offer only applies to players and not to HD DVD discs.
(Thanks to Solstice X for the tip!)
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Circuit City Trading In HD DVD for Blu-Ray Players, Says Employee [Gizmodo]
Sony Blu-ray Player Dips Below $300 Mark (UPDATED)
Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 01:11 PM ETTags: High-Def Retailing, Sony, Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City (all tags)
UPDATE: Readers are reporting seeing this player priced at just $279 at Costco and Sam's Club. Thus far we've been unable to definitively confirm these reports.
The latest in a series of price drops for high-def players on both sides of the aisle, several retailers have dropped their prices on Sony's BDP-S300 to record-low levels.
The player, which carries a $399 MSRP, is now being sold by Best Buy and Circuit City for just $299. At press time, Amazon.com was offering the player for just $294.
This new price drop comes only a week after the same retailers dropped their prices on Samsung's BDP-1400 Blu-ray player to similar levels (by mid-week, Amazon was selling that model for $270, setting a new low-price record for a Blu-ray player).
According to DisplaySearch data released late last week, Sony led sales of standalone Blu-ray players as of late November by a wide margin, capturing a full 60% of all BD unit sales, followed by Samsung with 37%.
The Sony price reduction would seem to contradict earlier statements by execs at the company, who -- as recently as last month -- said they didn't expect their BD hardware to decline much lower than the $400 level through the holiday season.
To discuss these and other next-gen hardware and software deals, visit the Blu-ray Bargains or the HD DVD Bargains areas in our forums.
(Thanks to everyone who sent in tips related to this story.)
- Related links:
- Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player [Amazon.com]
- Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player [BestBuy.com]
- Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player [CircuitCity.com]
- Sony, Samsung dominate Blu-ray set-top sales [Video Business]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Samsung Blu-ray Player Hits New Low of $270 (Dec 11, 2007)
- $299 Samsung Player Sets New Low Price Record For Blu-ray (Dec 09, 2007)
- Sony Plans Blu-ray Player Price Drop (Nov 02, 2007)
$299 Samsung Player Sets New Low Price Record For Blu-ray (UPDATED)
Sun Dec 09, 2007 at 01:12 PM ETTags: High-Def Retailing, Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City (all tags)
UPDATE: (Monday, Dec 10, 2007) If you happen to be a Costco member, there are even more savings in store for you. The discount retailer is now offering the same deck mentioned below for only $279.
Several retailers have dropped their prices for Samsung's BD-P1400 to $299, setting a new low price record for a Blu-ray Player.
At press time, the new price had been spotted at such major retailers as Amazon.com, Best Buy and Circuit City, as well as several regional chains.
This latest price cut comes only two weeks after Amazon.com set a previous low-price record with the same player, offering it at $339.
Although HD DVD has long held the low-price advantage over Blu-ray, Samsung's BD-P1400 player is now within $50-$100 of the lowest-priced HD DVD player at the same big three retailers (Toshiba's 1080i HD-A3 HD DVD player).
As we've previously reported, a recent firmware upgrade issued by Samsung for its 1400 player made it the first Blu-ray player to unlock DTS-HD Master Audio.
(Thanks to Paul for the tip!)
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [Amazon.com]
- Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [BestBuy.com]
- Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [CircuitCity.com]
- Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [Costco.com]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Samsung Blu-ray Player Price Drops to Record Low $339 (Nov 22, 2007)
- New Samsung Blu-ray Player Unlocks DTS-HD Master Audio (Sep 27, 2007)
Circuit City, Amazon Join $198 HD DVD Player Club (UPDATED)
Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 09:00 AM ETTags: Toshiba, Circuit City (all tags)
UPDATE: Looks like everyone's jumping aboard the $198 HD-A2 gravy train. Added mention of Amazon.com's recent listing of the player.
Wal-Mart isn't the only retailer offering Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player at the record low price of $198.
As we've previously reported, the discount retailer made headlines last week when it confirmed that it would carry Toshiba's second-gen 1080i HD DVD player for less than $200.
Now both Circuit City and Amazon.com have joined the fray, offering the same deck for a penny less (at $197.99). Even better, unlike Wal-Mart, both retailers have extended the discounted price on the HD-A2 to online sales.
At press time, it wasn't clear how long these retailers plan to stock the discounted player. We do know that Toshiba plans to release a new comparable entry-level third-gen player (the HD-A3) sometime in November.
Speaking with Fortune Magazine last week, a Wal-Mart spokesperson disputed earlier reports that the player would only be made available in limited number, saying "There are no limited quantities for stores or purchases."
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player [Amazon.com]
- Toshiba HD -A2 HD DVD Player [CircuitCity.com]
- HD DVD vs. Blu-ray: Wal-Mart offers Toshiba player for under $200 [Fortune.com]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Wal-Mart Stocks Sub-$200 HD DVD Player (Oct 26, 2007)
Retailers Offer Two-For-One Deal on Select Disney Blu-ray Discs
Mon Oct 15, 2007 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City (all tags)
Good news for Blu-ray fans: a number of leading retailers are participating in a new "buy one, get one free" deal on select Blu-ray discs from Disney.
The week-long sale kicked off Sunday in-store at Best Buy and Circuit City, and online at Amazon.com.
Although the sale inventory appears to differ somewhat from retailer to retailer, among the discs included are such fan favorites as 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,' 'Apolocalypto' and 'The Prestige.'
Sources say the sale is scheduled to run while supplies last through this Saturday, October 20.
For a full list of titles available online at Amazon, click here. For information on sale discs spotted in-store at various Best Buy and Circuit City locations, visit the Blu-ray bargains area of our forums.
- Related links:
- Blu-ray Sale: Buy One, Get One Free [Amazon.com]
- B1G1F at Best Buy List [High-Def Digest Forums]
- New Circuit City B1G1F Sale 10/14 - 10/20 [High-Def Digest Forums]
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Blu-ray)
- Apocalypto (Blu-ray)
- The Prestige (Blu-ray)
» High-Def Digest home page
