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Shocker: HD DVD players vanishing from stock, sun to rise in the AM
Brace yourself: you may find your mind unbelievably blown when hearing that inventory levels of HD DVD players seem to be sharply decreasing. According to new reports, the amount of e-tailers stocking HD DVD players has plummeted dramatically over the past month, and it could be fairly difficult to actually procure a new unit in about four to eight weeks. Granted, we wouldn't put an awful lot of faith in the latter estimate, but honestly, if you're out looking for a sealed HD DVD deck for any reason other than bolstering your collection of deceased gadgetry, we'd surmise that you've got other issues to tackle.[Thanks, PeterK]
Best Buy Trade-in Center HD DVD prices posted
So what's your remnant of a format war gone by worth? Best Buy has updated its Trade-In Center website with prices for HD DVD players and movies, and quite frankly you're probably better off just keeping it. Prices for players are highest for combo players, like the BH-200 ($285*) and BD-UP5000 ($255), then for players equipped with high end scalers for DVD upconverting like the HD-XA2 ($165) then everything else like the Xbox 360 add-on ($21) or HD-A3 ($36). Movies (along with a player, not by themselves) net less than $3 each. Of course, there's always value in a fresh start so go ahead and check it out for yourself. *All prices assume excellent condition with all cables & manuals
Format heaven: 10 other failures HD DVD will meet
We've already dished out our suggestions for what to do with your HD DVD player now that the format war is over, but if you decide to retire it to a better place, what other formats will it meet in that digital cemetery in the sky? A comedic (albeit nostalgic) piece over at Popular Mechanics takes a look at the top ten now-defunct video formats Toshiba's high-def medium will congregate with, and while you may not be familiar with them all (Capacitance Electronic Discs and TeD, anyone?), it's a great look back at what could have been. Rest in peace, HD DVD -- you're in great company (so to speak).
Future Shop offers $100 trade for HD DVD players
We didn't think HD DVD early adopters could get any luckier when Best Buy started handing out $50 gift cards, but we were wrong. Future Shop, Canada's largest retailer of consumer electronics, is offering a $100 trade-in promotion on all HD DVD players towards the purchase of select Samsung or LG model Blu-ray / HD DVD combo players (which retail for $499.99 CND each). Future Shop has sweetened the deal to consumers by promising to donate returned HD DVD Players the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada for use in their after-school and evening programs. Charity and a discount in the HD format war? That's the Canadian hospitality we're accustomed to hearing about! The promotion began on March 7 and will run until April 3 across Canada.
Amazon offers two free HD DVDs when you buy... a BD-UP5000?
Make no mistake, we're huge fans of sales. But Amazon's latest "deal" has us scratching our noggins and laughing heartily all at the same time. Touted as a "limited-time offer," the e-tailer is giving away two HD DVDs (read: free, gratis, on the house, etc.) -- all you have to do is buy two Blu-ray titles... and a $450 Samsung BD-UP5000 combo player. Truthfully, we can't figure out what Amazon's trying to pull here, or why it chose to market this special in this manner. Sure, we can see sparking up a sale in order to clear out HD DVD inventory, and we can even understand hacking the price of the soon-to-be-discontinued UP5000, but this? Check out the read link and have a chuckle, won't you?[Thanks, John]
Best Buy shows the money to HD DVD adopters
Best Buy is looking to make good with all the unfortunate souls who purchased an HD DVD player or accessory (be it the 360 HD DVD player or another product) before the format was officially declared kaput on February 23, 2008. The company will issue $50 gift cards to customers that fall in this unfortunate category According to CNN, many consumers won't even have to lift a finger to receive their gift cards as Best Buy is using Rewards Zone and service plan records as well as records from online purchases to identify eligible customers. Those who don't fall into those categories can bring a Best Buy receipt or credit card statement to their local store in order to receive their gift card. Best Buy will also begin accepting returns on all HD DVD players through their online trade-in center starting March 21, so long as said players are returned within 90 days of purchase. Returns will be refunded with store credit. Unfortunately, Best Buy isn't accepting returns on HD DVD discs.[Via Joystiq]
Best Buy giving $50 gift cards to HD DVD adopters
Mega-chain Best Buy is sending $50 gift cards to customers who bought HD DVD players or attachments from its US stores prior to Feb. 23 (coincidentally, for our readership, the date Microsoft declared the format dead to the company). CNN reports most customers won't have to do a thing to receive the card as they'll be identified through the Reward Zone program, service plans or online purchases. If you're a customer who won't be identified in this manner, just grab a receipt (you do keep those, right?) or provide your credit card info to the company for proof of purchase. Gift cards will be sent out by May 1.Circuit City provided a similar deal earlier this month to recent HD DVD adopters by allowing them to return the product if it had been purchased within 90 days. Both Best Buy and Circuit City's online trade-in programs (run by the same company) will allow you to unload your player beginning March 21. Before anyone thinks they're being witty, only HD DVD players can be returned for store credit, you're not getting $50 per movie disc purchased. Although this format war was in no way these retailer's fault, it's very nice to see them taking care of customers left out in the cold.
Ask Engadget HD: Which HD DVD player upconverts the best?
Soon after the format war came to a close, we wondered what HD DVD adopters would do with all their red-related hardware / software. We were also curious to see if fencesitters and red supporters alike would be quick to pick up a Blu-ray player given the (still) lofty prices. Now, however, we've got yet another angle on all of this -- what if closeout HD DVD players were viewed as DVD upconverters on the cheap? Take a glance at Larry's inquiry: "I was thinking of picking up a HD DVD player and using it as an upconverting player, but I'm not sure which one to get. Which HD DVD player upconverts the best? For what it's worth, I'm working on a 52-inch 1080i HDTV without 720p picture capability." All things considered, HD DVD players marked down substantially aren't a half bad investment if you're already interested in a bulk of the films out there on the format and you're in need of an upscaling DVD player. So, for all of you still clinging tight to your HD DVD decks, how's the upconverting treatin' you?Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Hey, Office Depot: the format war is over
Yeah, we've seen some retail mix-ups before, but this one really leaves us scratching our heads. We know -- it can take some time before word trickles down and stores start slashing prices once a major high-definition movie format kicks the bucket, but a full month after we sadly let HD DVD go, this particular Office Depot -- located in Houston, Texas -- still hasn't come to terms with reality. And yes, this was snapped within the last 24 hours.[Thanks, Thomas]
Best Buy offers HD DVD owners $10 million in gift cards, trade in, shoulder to cry on
Best Buy is following Future Shop, Circuit City and others in reaching out to casualties of the format war. In this case, anyone who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23, 2008 can request a complimentary $50 gift card for each player. For those too traumatized to even look at their discontinued hardware and software, Best Buy also announced it's adding HD DVD players and media to its Trade-In Center program, starting March 21. No word on how much a player can net you, but once it's updated, check BestBuyTradeIn.com to get an estimate and decide how much holding onto the past is worth.[Thanks, Harmin C.]Update: Best Buy just issued a press release with additional information about the more than $10 million in gift cards it plans to distribute, and details on how to make sure you get yours, check out the full PR after the break.
Toshiba projects $669 million loss on HD DVD (and $459 million more)
While entering a format war is still worthy of a cautionary tale or two -- Sony, you may have been on a winning side this time, but we remember Betamax -- Toshiba appears to have escaped the fall of HD DVD a bit more intact than expected. Its official forecast for the financial year shows a loss of 65 billion yen ($669 million U.S.), a bit less than the ¥100b/ $1b U.S. figure anticipated last week. Unfortunately, the company as a whole is expecting slightly lower profits, so former red campers may not want to light cigars just yet.Update: That's actually 65 billion yen PLUS an additional one-time charge of 45 billion yen for a grand total ¥110b ($1.12 billion) going the wrong way in 2007's books. Hey Toshiba, uh, you guys want a Best Buy gift card?
WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray finally supports TrueHD and DTS-HD
The format that some say isn't done, just got one step closer for those with media PCs, as the latest version of WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray -- despite the new name, HD DVD is still supported -- finally includes support for the latest audio codecs Blu-ray has to offer. But improved audio support isn't all it has to offer, as BonusView is now supported, as well as support for the latest HD video camera codec, AVCHD. We had a chance to play around with it early, but unfortunately we weren't able to unlock TrueHD or DTS-HD -- still waiting to hear back from support. We also had a few HDCP errors despite the fact that PowerDVD plays just fine with our Radeon 2600HD video card. Either way, maybe you'll have better luck, and it'll only cost you $99 to find out -- or $69 if you are upgrading.**Update** Thanks to support we got TrueHD and DTS-HD working by messing with the sound card settings, but the HDCP issue is still bugging us.
HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on March 18th, 2008
Well this it, the very last HD DVD exclusive gets released tomorrow -- at least from any studio you've actually heard of. Although HD DVD exclusives have still been selling well, we don't expect Atonement to sell anywhere near as many titles as the past few hot HD DVD exclusives. Moving forward, HD DVD only has 16 titles left on the calendar and ten are Warner titles previously released on Blu-ray. So, starting next week, this will become the Blu-ray release post, where we'll focus on Blu-ray releases vs what's available in SD on DVD. Speaking of which, Universal is releasing the first season of the now canceled show Bionic Woman on DVD, but there's no mention of an HD version. The hottest title this week is without a doubt I Am Legend. Will Smith's night crawler movie is at the top of the Amazon DVD chart (that's right, it's outselling DVDs), so we expect it'll easily take number one on the Nielsen VideoScan numbers next Friday as well. The other Blu-ray title released this week is no slouch either, as Disney's Enchanted is at nine on the Amazon charts, with the DVD version sitting at two. HD DVD 413 vs Blu-ray 473*Blu-ray Enchanted (Walt Disney) I Am Legend (Warner) HD DVD Aquarium Impressions (Navarre Corporation) Atonement (Universal) Fireplace Impressions (Navarre Corporation) Justice League: The New Frontier (Warner) Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same (Warner) Mystic Forests (Navarre Corporation) * Blu-ray total does not reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously officially available.
Toshiba reportedly set to lose nearly $1 billion in wake of HD-DVD format death
In order to truly enter a format war, one must possess a number of things. The first, of course, is a viable format, unique from all others currently on the market. The second is the persistence to constantly push your format on as many film companies and consumer electronics producers as you possibly can, to ensure your victory. Finally, should said victory never come, you must possess a strong stomach and a wide wallet -- as losing a format war is a costly and heartbreaking endeavor. According to the Nikkea Business Daily, Toshiba is learning this lesson to the tune of a ¥100 billion loss in revenue this year (to grasp the magnitude of this loss, here it is in numeric form: ¥100,000,000,000) or roughly $986 million in U.S. cash. We usually leave the economic speculation to the experts, but we're pretty sure that's a large sum of money that Toshiba would rather not part with. But as they say, in order to make an omelet, you've got to break a few eggs; though sometimes, you have to break 100 billion eggs, only to find that nobody wants to eat your omelet. Okay, nobody says that.
An up-close look at Niveus' new Movie Gallery
NiveusMedia has always been known for making the coolest Windows Media Centers around, but when it comes to playing content from other places on your top of the line Media Center, you were on your own. We completely understood where Niveus was coming from, not wanting to get involved in the grey area of the business, and while the My Movie plug-in works really well, we always felt Niveus needed to provide a solution it could support. And after a quick visit to the Niveus demo at the EHX's Demo Alley this week, we got an up-close look at the new Movie Gallery plug-in -- yes it supports ripped movies -- and it is exactly that. This cool feature will bring together all your movies from whatever source, (DVD, recorded TV, VideoGiants, Blu-ray and wherever) and give you easy access to your content. We have to say we were impressed, but what we really want to know is when Niveus will allow us to try it out on our DIY box, like Niveus does with its Companion software.%Gallery-18460%
Hands-on with the SE2 Labs ITC One
Although a show like EHX (Electronic House Expo) is small compared to CEDIA or CES, it is a great chance to get up close and personal with hardware you'd otherwise not be able to -- 'cause it costs so darn much. And we have to say, the all-in-one gadget lover's idea of the perfect home theater system, the SE2 Labs' ITC One, is pretty cool in person. We mean, what's not to love about a $25k box that does everything including an Xbox 360, Apple TV, Blu-ray payer, 7.1 AV/R with amplifier and controller for misc automation gadgets around the house. We have to say, it didn't disappoint as long as you don't subscribe to the jack of all trades master of none motto, but switching between devices could've been more seamless.%Gallery-18432%
20% of US households will spend stimulus funds on consumer electronics
Forget income tax rebate checks -- what are you doing with that bonus that should be arriving between May and August of this year? Apparently, 1 in 5 of you will be spending at least a portion of your economic stimulus rebate check on consumer electronics. Granted, this "research" was dug up and put out by the Consumer Electronics Association, but all in all, it actually sounds about right. After all, shipments for flat-panels have already been on the rise this year despite a softening economy, and according to the CEA, "computers, televisions and mobile phones" are the items most likely to be targeted. More specifically, some 39-percent will purportedly use their extra income on a TV, but for their own sake, we certainly hope they set aside enough to purchase HD service to go along with it.[Image courtesy of Crutchfield]
MS touts digital distribution over 'historic' discs
If Euro Xbox boss Chris Lewis is to be believed, a dramatic consumer shift to digitally distributed media is due to occur "sooner than any of us think." With talks of an Xbox 360 Blu-ray add-on now muted, the manufacturer appears to be distancing itself from the Sony-backed high-def format. "Going forwards, digital downloads is really where it's at," Lewis told GamesIndustry.Biz. "More and more people's ongoing and ever-increasing downloading of music and movies is becoming the de facto. I think that's going to happen in very short order; people want to consume that way."We definitely don't want to consume anything past its sell-by date either, as Lewis suggested we'll "look back wistfully at shiny discs as something that was somewhat a historic phenomenon in a way that we kind of think about vinyl or VCRs today." Though we don't outright disagree with Microsoft's same ol' song and dance, predicting a large change within the "next 12-18 months" seems overly optimistic. DVD doesn't look to be going anywhere soon, and neither does the sales traction granted to the PS3 by Blu-ray's recent victory.
Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending March 9th, 2008
This week's Nielsen VideoScan numbers courtesy of Home Media Magazine remind us of the good 'ol days when the format was still raging. In fact, it's kinda nice to see HD DVD go out with a bang, as we suspect this will be the final week HD DVD is able to hold on to a respectable share of the market. We chalk up this week's results to Disney, because we believe that if 101 Dalmatians was released on Blu-ray this week, we'd be looking at completely different results. The reason we think that is because on DVD, the classic dog movie outsold Beowulf by over 4:1 -- that's not to say it would've sold that much better on Blu, since Beowulf probably appeals more to the HDM crowd. Blu-ray's top title didn't do too bad this week though ,but it barely bested the three week old American Gangster. As much fun as it is to see how well hot excluvies continue to sell on HD DVD, the fun is over as the only remaining new release left is Atonement in a few weeks. But even if there were any left, we doubt they'd stand up to Blu's lineup that will be reflected in next week's numbers. What's more up in the air is the status of this weekly post, but we're sure we'll think of something -- no we won't compare Blu-ray to DVD.
VidaBox brings HD DVD / Blu-ray storage and streaming to Media Servers
Although Toshiba itself has walked away from HD DVD, it seems that some companies are still giving users the option to never let go (and understandably so). VidaBox is one such outfit, which has just announced that it's bringing Blu-ray and HD DVD storage and streaming capabilities to its growing list of Media Servers. According to the firm, "unencrypted titles can be copied onto a VidaBox server, and then streamed to VidaBox extenders." Interestingly, that's about where the details end, but feel free to peep the full release in the read link below.
