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HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS TAGGED "HIGH-DEF RETAILING"

Wal-Mart’s Pre Black-Friday Sale Offers Impressive HDTV Discounts

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Walmart, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

Black Friday is only a month away, but Wal-Mart is kicking things off early.

There’s little disputing the glory of Black Friday. Sure, lining up at 4am is a pain, but the opportunity to get a ridiculous deal can be impossible to resist. Need a new Blu-ray player, HDTV, or just a handful of movies to add to your collection? Black Friday is the day for you. Though the last year or two have been less than impressive, this year is expected to be huge.

Wal-Mart gets things started early with some pretty solid pre-Black Friday discounts on televisions, and a less than impressive mark down on a Blu-ray player. On Saturday, November 7th, the simultaneously loved and hated giant of a chain will be offering one day only specials.

A 42” Sharp LCD is first on the list, (LC42SB45UT) for $498. It’s a 1080p television that offers a native contrast ratio of 2,000:1 and four HDMI inputs. The $498 asking price is around two hundred dollars less than online retailers such as Amazon.

If that’s not your thing, there’s also a 46” plasma from Panasonic (TC-P46U1) for $788. At around $300 under the typical asking price, the Panasonic sports a 1080p resolution, a native contrast ratio of 30,000:1 and a 600Hz sub field drive that helps to reduce motion artifacts.

A Sony Blu-ray player (BDP-S360) is selling as well, but with a $148 price tag for an item selling online at $151, high demand doesn’t seem likely.

Also of note is an incredible deal on the Xbox 360 Arcade unit. The normal $199 price will net you not only a 360, but a $100 Wal-Mart gift card as well. The Xbox Arcade does lack a hard drive but does include enough built in memory to run Netflix and save a few games.

Source: Wal-Mart

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Best Buy to Embed CinemaNow on Most Connected Devices

Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Best Buy, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

No, we’re not just talking about Dynex or Insignia here, Best Buy announced today that they’ll be embedding the Roxio CinemaNow service into nearly all capable devices sold in their stores, in a variety of brands. Oh, and there’s more.

The move will effect more than just Blu-ray players and HDTVs, as the CinemaNow digital distribution service will be embedded into not only the usual suspects but set-top boxes, personal media players, and even mobile phones. From what we’ve heard, essentially anything that can play video and connect to the internet.

So with a majority of the hardware purchased from Best Buy set to offer up the digital rental and purchasing service CinemaNow, what’s next? And how exactly does this aggressive move towards digital distribution benefit Best Buy?

Best Buy’s Chris Homeister has the answers. “We’re going into this business in a big way,” he states. “The idea is to let consumers pay once for a DVD and then eventually be able to play it on any device.” This would mean, essentially, that a DVD purchase from Best Buy or BestBuy.com would translate into digital rights for the same content.

Best Buy hopes that the inclusion of the service and the future availability of same day digital copies will create loyalty to the brand from consumers who tend to be increasingly concerned with bargain hunting.

Of course, an advertising and educational campaign is sure to follow, explaining to consumers exactly what they’re getting and how it benefits them. As Dave Habiger of Sonic Solutions puts it, “With Best Buy's ability to drive in-store promotion and education, consumers will come to quickly understand and appreciate the convenience, flexibility, and control that digitally-delivered video entertainment affords them.”

Source: Yahoo News

Wal-Mart Offering Home Theater Installation

Tue Oct 27, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Walmart, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In an attempt to position themselves as an alternative to Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Wal-Mart steps up their offerings.

Wal-Mart is the absolute last place that a home theater enthusiast thinks of when they’re looking for a new TV, speakers, or Blu-ray player, but it’s one of the first for many consumers. Wal-Mart takes the all-in-one store concept a step further today by announcing their new home installation service.

For a cost of anywhere from $99 to $339, customers can have their new television, computer, network or home theater set up by Wal-Mart’s team. The service includes a pre-purchase consultation and a tutorial on how to use the newly purchased equipment once it is set up.

So when you’re standing under the bright glow of Wal-Mart’s overhead lights this holiday season trying to decide between the Sylvania and the Westinghouse display and mulling over whether or not to shell out the extra few hundred dollars for a HTiB, you can take solace in the knowledge that a Wal-Mart associate will happily assist.

Source: Reuters

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Sony May Be Looking To Hit Entry Level Pricing

Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 04:00 PM ET
Tags: Sony, High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)

Looking for a way to strengthen their share of the market, Sony appears likely to release lower priced HDTVs

While there's a constant struggle to dominate in field of high end HDTVs, the economically priced entry level television market seems to be dominated by the likes of Vizio. Sony sees an opportunity there, and is set to launch a new B series of televisions.

According to Taiwan’s DigiTimes, Sony’s B series will launch with prices lower than their current entry level TVs in both 32” and 40” sizes. Sources say that “the price of a 32-inch B series Sony LCD TV is estimated at about NT $15,000 (US $462.96) or even lower.”

The other advantage of producing a less expensive line of televisions is that Sony would have a little more flexibility as far as production goes, something that would help the manufacturer hit the numbers it forecast earlier this year. Currently, it looks like Sony will only be able to ship 14 million sets in the 2009 fiscal year, despite a projected 17 million.

The B series is expected to launch in early 2010, and a more official announcement is expected soon.

Source: DigiTimes

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Redbox Tests Disc Sales Through Kiosks

Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Redbox, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In a move that’s a bit less appealing than their ever popular $1 rental kiosks, Redbox has announced DVD sales kiosks.

Clad in black rather than the iconic red, the new “Vidigo” kiosks will test consumer desire to make full DVD and Blu-ray purchases through kiosks. While no definitive information exists on Blu-ray pricing, DVDs will run between $19.95 and $20.95.

Current Vidigo kiosks are essentially Redbox kiosks colored black, but the new kiosks will be designed with space in mind, and will be smaller and slimmer. The new space saving design was created with the hope that Vidigo kiosks will be featured in convenience stores rather than large retail locations.

These ‘sell through’ kiosks would be in direct competition with stores that already sell DVDs, but certainly appeal to studios like Fox and Warner who have less than favorable opinions of the Redbox rental kiosks.

Source: Video Business

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Anti-Kiosk Advertising Coming This Fall

Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

The Video Buyers Group really doesn’t care for kiosks, and they’re not shy about saying so.

In 1,700 stores across the country, advertisements will be featured stressing the value of the video rental store.

Rental kiosks are big business, and traditional brick and mortar stores see that as a direct threat. They’re not the only ones though, studios and distributors also seem to have a problem with dollar a day style rental kiosks, stressing that such pricing devalues the product.

Ted Engen, president of the Video Buyers Group (VBG) states that “This program underscores the advantage that traditional rentailers have. We have talked to Family Video, and they are joining efforts with us. We all want to [spread the message] to consumers that one dollar rentals are devaluing our industry.” Family Video, not currently a part of the VBG, has pledged its support to the program, and will be inserting this marketing campaign into 550 stores country wide.

He also draws a comparison in pricing between a video rental and a bottle of soda, implying that two hours of entertainment should cost significantly more than a carbonated beverage.

Titles such as 'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' and 'Orphan' are expected to be featured on upcoming posters, as these will be the first titles held back from Red Box by Fox and Warner Bros.

Source: Video Business

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Westinghouse Ships 42” 120Hz 1080p LCD for Only $750

Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Westinghouse, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

Westinghouse has announced that they are now shipping their new sets, which feature a 120Hz refresh rate, at an unheard of $750.

Keeping in mind that Westinghouse isn’t a brand that leaps to mind in a conversation about quality and HDTVs, the release of their new TX-42F970Z is still fairly significant. When any technology gets filtered down to the economy brands, it can be seen as a fairly good indicator that not only do people want it, but it’s here to stay.

Ray Roque, the VP of Marketing at Westinghouse speaks highly of the new set. “LCD has clearly become the HDTV technology of choice for the majority of consumers in the U.S.” he says. “ Westinghouse is working to bring high-end, advanced HDTVs to all consumers at the most affordable price points possible.”

The TX-42F970Z also features a 4ms response time, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, and four HDMI inputs.

Source: Twice

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Westinghouse Ships 42” 120Hz 1080p LCD for Only $750

Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Westinghouse, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

Westinghouse has announced that they are now shipping their new sets, which feature a 120Hz refresh rate, at an unheard of $750.

The TX-42F970Z also features a 4ms response time, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, and four HDMI inputs.

Source: Twice

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Vizio’s VF551XVT Available Now at Just Under $2,000

Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Vizio, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

The first local dimming television from Vizio, and the cheapest on the market in its size, the Vizio VF551XVT is now available.

For a $2,200 MSRP and a $1,999 street price, the newest television from Vizio offers local dimming LED lighting, a 55” screen and 240Hz refresh rate. The lower pricing doesn’t come without sacrifice however. The VF551XVT is missing a few things that have become standards on Vizio’s higher end TVs.

Vizio’s new display is without options for viewing of networked or internet based content. According to Laynie Newsome, Vizio’s VP of Marketing, this choice was completely intentional. “We didn't want to wait any longer to introduce the breakthrough picture quality enhancements of TRULED and Smart Dimming technology to our customers at a previously unattainable price point,” stated Newsome. “We feel there is a strong market demand for this type of television today at this price. And those who are interested in the internet content capabilities won't have long to wait.”

The VF551XVT is considerably cheaper than other fully backlit LCDs, and features a total of 960 LEDs spread across 80 control blocks, for an impressive image. The set also offers 240Hz Smooth Motion technology, which combines 120Hz technology with scanning backlight, ensuring a smooth picture.

Source: Vizio

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