Target finally deploys Blu-ray "endcap"
The BDA scored a big PR win when they announced that Target would only sell Blu-ray players. Of course, later we learned that it only amounted to Sony paying for an endcap -- since then they've also shifted some shelf space away from HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. Now it's been almost three months since all the hubbub and our friends over at Format War Central have spotted one of the few Target stores to start offering the BDP-S300. We checked a few stores ourselves without any luck, at least until we stopped by a new Super Target in Oldsmar, FL -- which just happened to open last week. And Sure enough, they had a Blu-ray endcap with player, as well as a much larger movie selection than we've seen at any other Target. In addition to the titles displayed in the endcap, the Blu-ray movie selection is 23 wide by 5 high compared to the HD DVD's of 15 wide and 5 high (picture after the break). While we're glad to know of another place to pick up HD movies, we wonder how many Target shopers are going to pick up a $500 Blu-ray player from a store like Target.
Yes the whole row is HD movies.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mlody11 @ Oct 15th 2007 12:05PM
Wow, "at least" 1 store out of "1,502 stores (as of January 4, 2007)" ala wikipedia. The format war is over.
The Aggie CEO™ @ Oct 15th 2007 4:45PM
Wikipedia???
REALLY..........
where ENTIRELY BIASED people can edit it CONSTANTLY!?!?!?
You cant be serious.........
LAME
DeadPlasmaCell @ Oct 15th 2007 12:09PM
"we wonder how many Target shopers are going to pick up a $500 Blu-ray player from a store like Target."
Exactly.. I would think people would be turned off by that $500 price on the stand alone player.. They should have put the $450 PS3 up there instead. Then people would be like "Wow, this plays games AND Blu-Ray?? Nice!" And they really need to change the color up on those displays.. Doo-Doo brown doesn't look so hot.. Maybe to.. I don't know.. Blue??
The Aggie CEO™ @ Oct 15th 2007 6:27PM
You dont know Target Shoppers.........If they were CHEAP they would go to WAL-MART.......
John @ Oct 15th 2007 12:19PM
I don't own either format, but I am rooting for HDDVD FTW!!!
Whatever the case be, whomever releases the first 99$ (not an addon) HD player will have my money. (Assuming also that the competition is still comparable to current levels)
Kevin Murphy @ Oct 15th 2007 12:19PM
Maybe the long-rumored low-cost Chinese players are called Brown-ray due to a translation mix-up. Insensitive R/L joke barely avoided.
Controller2k @ Oct 15th 2007 12:23PM
The new Target that opened up this weekend down the street from me in MA also has the same long selection of HD movies and a Blu-Ray endcap (not turned on yet.) Of note (and you can see this in the pictures), the discs are on the shelf face forward and doubled; i.e. each title has two spots/stacks. This means the selection of movies is actually quite small despite all the shelf space.
Landlocked @ Oct 15th 2007 12:27PM
To be honest, Joe Consumer isn't going to see the huge increase in PQ on a small end cap screen. It looks great...but does it look $500+ great?
Again -- this is the average customer...but you have to start somewhere...so kudos...
Dave @ Oct 15th 2007 12:34PM
Go BD!
Dave @ Oct 15th 2007 2:24PM
Just to be clear, this is an example of the sort of remark my nemesis, Bizarro-Dave makes. Don't confuse us.
Mike Jenkins @ Oct 15th 2007 12:45PM
Technically, that's not an "endcap". Endcaps are actually the displays on the ends of an aisle, not the displays in the aisle. That would just be considered a regular display. Although, if it is on the side of an aisle without another aisle parallel to it, it's considered a "sidecap". From these pictures it could either be a display if it is in a general electronics aisle, or if it is across from the aisle with all the HD DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, and there is as much floor space as the picture makes it seem, it could be considered a sidecap.
Evan @ Oct 15th 2007 12:50PM
I work at a Target and I we actually put this behind a support beam. I'll have to snap a picture sometime. It is also by the BOSE surround sound demonstrator that is way too loud and makes guests angry because you seriously cannot turn it down or stop it once someone presses the big red button, which as you can imagine, happens way too much.
The few that have interacted with when I have been have been quite confused about it. Another, scoffed at the price and said he would rather pick up a PS3 for 499. I then informed that we actually do not carry PS3's at a 499 price point. He ended up not buying anything as far as I know, and he was ready to drop some cash.
DeadPlasmaCell @ Oct 15th 2007 1:28PM
@ Evan
Exactly what I'm talkin about.. Sony should have stocked yall up with PS3's and used those to display them instead of a stand-alone player @ $499. I would think a multitasker like a PS3 (Games, Blu-Ray, Media Hub, Internet, etc) would be more attractive at $499 than a $499 Blu-Ray player that only plays Blu-Ray.
Randy @ Oct 15th 2007 12:53PM
End caps are use to move slow moving merchandise. I rememeber doing end caps at Office Depot for the slow moving Packard Bell's back in 1996. They usually came back....
Jason @ Oct 15th 2007 1:18PM
my best buy just increased the size of its bluray and hddvd section. The bluray came from 4' to 16' and the hddvd came from4' to 8'. It was a blow to the gut to see all the blueray because my money is invested in hddvd.
Cam @ Oct 15th 2007 1:55PM
Let's go, Toshiba, you gonna throw your hat into the ring ever or just let Sony buy EVERYONE?
why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 15th 2007 4:50PM
What are you talking about Sony buying people? Toshiba literally bought both Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks for their format.
RoboJohn @ Oct 15th 2007 2:26PM
So then if Target's only going to carry Blu-Ray players, does that mean that they'll stop carrying the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360??
The Electronics dept. at the Target I work at is still stuck in the middle of its transition and the current DVD/Home Theatre wall isn't done yet so I haven't seen anything Blu-Ray yet. And yes, that picture isn't an endcap. That's a 4 foot section. The pieces of shelves on the right side of the picture is the endcap.
DeadPlasmaCell @ Oct 15th 2007 2:46PM
@ RoboJohn
I wouldn't think so.. Since it's part of the 360 hardware & accessories ya know?? Also I thought I read something about a new 360 HD-DVD add-on coming next year.
Kiwi616 @ Oct 15th 2007 2:37PM
I was in Best buy the other day (somewhere on 20th and 6th Avenue) in NYC and the BD section was 2-3X the size of the HD-DVD section. No to mention the HD-DVD section was behind a beam and obstructed from view. Pretty funny.
Dave @ Oct 15th 2007 5:03PM
The new 360-add-on story has been debunked. There are no plans for a new drive.
mlody11 @ Oct 15th 2007 6:46PM
attacking me on the fact that I quoted the numbers of stores from wikipedia is hardly a way to critisize me. Would it be any diffrent is I would have said, one out of 1,000 stores or made up a number? I'm hardly going to try to research the exact number of target stores when you and I both know very well that there are many, many, many target stores. Quoting a number puts the insignificance into perspective and granted it might be more than 1 but even if its 20 stores out of 1000 its still .2%...
As for your "ENTIRELY BIASED" wikipedia comment... who is really biased on how many target stores are there? a.k.a Who cares?
LAME? yes, your response surely is. Take a logic course before you try to attack another argument.
Cam @ Oct 15th 2007 6:25PM
Yes, and Sony bought everyone else, what's your point?
h4ldol @ Oct 15th 2007 5:08PM
Is HD DVD even around still?
Peter @ Oct 15th 2007 6:54PM
Yes. We also have Transformers coming out tomorrow.
mlody11 @ Oct 15th 2007 9:16PM
That was suppose to be a response to "The Aggie CEO™" (2nd post) but it didn't get routed correctly...
Peter @ Oct 15th 2007 9:27PM
Replies don't work on Engadget HD, they don't have threading implemented for some weird reason.
Cam @ Oct 15th 2007 11:50PM
Yeah, the threading has been acting funny lately
JBDragon @ Oct 16th 2007 1:34AM
Wow, another SONY Payoff for TARGET now. Just like everyone else that Supports Blu-Ray. Some of you are going to be Disappointed in the so called 18 months when Paramount doesn't go back to Dual format again. Just another Blu-Ray fanboy rumor. On a Unfinished format with DRM garbage everywhere. Oh BOY!!! No thanks, Will NEVER, EVER buy a Blu-Ray Movie. I would rather keep using DVD for the Portability and Download HD Movies to watch at home.
Ken @ Oct 16th 2007 2:15AM
You fanboys are pathetic.
spyyder @ Oct 16th 2007 11:56AM
I can't understand why anyone would buy Blu-ray, its a dead format. Anyone with a singe neuron in their brain can tell you HD-DVD is the only viable format. But still you morons keep buy those players, and keep trying to convince yourselves that somehow large storage is gonna win out. Hell, the blu-ray group is so desperate that they whine and bitch about ps3 should also be included in sales numbers. Its a broken format with poor compatibility and low performance. Common sense is lost on the lot of you.