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Poll: Is your Wal-Mart scaling back its HD DVD player lineup?
Rest assured, this certainly isn't the first time we've heard stories of certain Wal-Marts trimming down its HD DVD lineup, but a new report from TG Daily asserts that "industry sources" have informed the site that the mega-corp will be "phasing out the RCA HDV5000 as well as the Venturer SHD7000 models." If you'll recall, the latter unit has only been available at Wally World for two months (and change), but apparently, both devices are being heavily discounted and won't be restocked once inventory is depleted. By now, we've learned to see all of these "reports" through the eyes of a skeptic, so we're putting it to you to see just how widespread these supposed firesales are. Have you noticed any unusual price cutting or disappearing acts in your local Wal-Mart? %Poll-9506%
Venturer SHD7001 goes on sale in UK for 170 pounds
Right on cue, the Venturer SHD7001 HD DVD player has gone on sale via QVC UK, and while all the specs look exactly as we predicted they would, the price is a hair lower than we expected. Pegged at £169.92 ($338) -- or available for two easy payments of £84.96 -- this 1080i player comes packaged with Troy and Hulk, an HDMI cable and eligibility for five other free flicks. Notably, this is QVC's "Special Value" of the day, so there's a good chance that the price will increase after the unit's first 24 hours on sale, but at least those interested in a cheap HD DVD player (and located across the pond) can snap it up now and save a few pounds over the alternatives.[Via RegHardware]
Venturer's UK-bound SHD7001 to come with seven free flicks
Just about every other high-definition disc player out there is attached to some "free movie" promotion, so it's not all that shocking to hear that Venturer's UK-bound SHD7001 won't be any different. Aside from hearing that the still unpriced player will indeed be available initially in the UK through QVC on December 29th, those with this atop their must-have list can also look forward to quite a few extras. Reportedly, the package will include HD DVD titles Hulk and Troy, a free HDMI cable and a voucher that allows buyers to receive five additional movies gratis courtesy of the European HD DVD Promotional Group. It's noted that customers will have until January 31, 2008 to select their flicks from a predetermined list, but we suppose we'll have to wait until a price tag gets attached to this thing before figuring out if it's worth picking up.[Via Pocket-Lint, thanks HD4ME]
Venturer's SHD7000 HD DVD player now at Wal-Mart for $200
Remember when all our hopes were lost after Fuh Yuan retracted a statement that got us worked up over a $299 HD DVD player at Wal-Mart? Ironically enough, an off-brand player is indeed finally available through the aforementioned retailer some seven months later, but frankly, we're underwhelmed. Sure, the 1080i SHD7000 -- which is being sold at $199.98, a full $50 lower than we'd heard previously -- isn't exactly a terrible deal, but considering that Toshiba's own HD-A2 can apparently be had for the same, what's to get all jovial about? Nevertheless, we're also hearing that Venturer is getting set to launch the SHD7001 -- which should boast minor cosmetic enhancements, if anything -- a month from today through the UK's QVC TV Home Shopping Channel. Regrettably, there's no word on how pricey that model will be, nor if it will be a UK exclusive, but considering the exchange rate right now, we've all ideas the Americans won't be keen on importing one no matter what.Read - Wal-Mart's $199.98 SHD7000Read - SHD7001 set for December launch
Venturer's low-cost HD DVD player, not so low
Thanks to the sharp eyes over at Format War Central we get our first glimpse of the budget Chinese HD DVD player, but it isn't quite as budget as many had hoped. Target has SHD7000 available for pre-order for $249.99, which is only $50 less than the MSRP of the A2, and about the same as the street price. There really aren't that many details, so we'll have to wait two to six weeks to see what Venturer really has to offer and what the actual street price will be.[Via FormatWarCentral.com]
Venturer announces SHD7000 low-cost HD DVD player for holidays
Chinese firm Venturer has apparently been hard at work on a budget HD DVD player, which it's claiming will be out the door and onto store shelves in the US by this holiday season. The SHD7000 should have ethernet, DVD upconversion, HDMI, but the thing only outputs to 1080i, despite supporting TrueHD audio. We don't know just how cheap the SHD7000 is going to be, but entry-level is entry-level, so we expect it'll be less expensive than your other options, save Microsoft's $180 Xbox 360 add-on. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
