Posted Thu Nov 1, 2007 at 06:00 AM PDT by
Only a week after dropping the price of Toshiba's entry-level HD DVD player to $198, Wal-Mart has revealed more plans to help push HD DVD this holiday season.
As first spotted by eagle-eyed early adopters late yesterday, the country's top retailer has rolled out a new holiday advertising campaign that includes at least one ad that prominently features the 1080i Toshiba HD DVD player.
Wal-Mart CMO Stephen Quinn told The New York Times that the overall goal of the campaign is to "find more positive and more emotionally connective ways" to emphasize the chain's discounted prices.
In the HD DVD-specific commercial (scroll to the end of this story to watch), a wife raves about the "incredible" price she paid for a Toshiba HD-DVD player she bought her husband. "All I know is that Christmas is going to be a very, very good day," she says, smiling.
Designed to tie in with the launch of the new campaign, this Friday at 8am, select Wal-Mart stores will be knocking yet another $100 off the cost of Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player, offering the player for just $98 as one of five "Secret In-Store Specials."
Alongside the player, the retailer will also be offering three HD DVD titles ('12 Monkeys,' 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Blood Diamond') for just 14.96 a peice.
So does this mean the influential retailer is choosing sides in the high-def format war? Maybe, maybe not. The company itself hasn't indicated whether it has plans to promote both formats as part of the campaign, but it did list Blu-ray backer Sony alongside Toshiba among the well-known brands that will ultimately be included.
To watch Wal-Mart's new HD DVD commercial, press play in the video window below:
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