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?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JayHDDVD @ Feb 15th 2008 7:57AM
I remember the day that picture at walmart was first posted here... we all had such hope for HD DVD hehe.
Reality sets in and now I am a Blu boy and very excited that there will be one format VERY shortly.
IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!
Spiza @ Feb 15th 2008 8:08AM
I don't shop at China-Mart.
Franssu @ Feb 15th 2008 9:33AM
The option is lacking in the poll : "I never, ever go to Wal-Mart so I don't give a [insert expletive here] what HD DVD players they sell."
Ben @ Feb 15th 2008 10:05AM
Agreed, we needed a I don't shop at Wal-mart option.
Mike Jenkins @ Feb 15th 2008 10:40PM
It's also missing the "closest Wal-Mart doesn't carry Blu-Ray or HD DVD players" option
WiFiSpy @ Feb 15th 2008 8:11AM
I had to vote for the last one just for fun... :)
Galley @ Feb 15th 2008 8:13AM
Sorry, but I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart five years ago.
XDragon @ Feb 15th 2008 8:29AM
The Wal-Marts and HMVs in my area look like they are reducing HD-DVD stock and are shifting HD-DVD shelf space to Blu-Ray.
Kilau @ Feb 15th 2008 8:50AM
I was in wal-mart on wed. to get a card (big mistake) and did check out the HDM situation. They had no players and the blu-ray movie section completely took over the HD DVD area.
Boss @ Feb 15th 2008 9:18AM
Lol when was that picture taken. I work in wal-mart and we aint had any stock of these players since the speacial offer we had on them. We have also been told by Toshiba that we wont be getting any more of the players as they are not made anymore. Even when we did have them, they was in the dvd section and didn't stock any hd-dvd's to play on them. Still dont now. We have a few Blu-ray players and quite a few disc's now though.
mlody11 @ Feb 15th 2008 10:16AM
All this blu propaganda. I'm not saying HD DVD is not on its last breathe but the last 2 days has been a flurry of rumors regarding the death of HD DVD.
I quote airplane... "He's coming right at us... Aaaahhhh!" Engadget being Steve McCroskey.
Mr. E @ Feb 15th 2008 10:34AM
At the very least we need a choice for "I don't know, but show me the results." I don't want to mess up the poll by voting randomly just to see where it stands.
Iridium @ Feb 15th 2008 11:13AM
In all my local Wal-Marts I haven't seen any stock of HD-DVD players other than a few scatterred boxes on the lower shelves ever since the big one day sale.
The HD-DVD sales drive at Wal-Mart was just a one day profit grab and nothing else. I haven't ever seen a RCA or Venturer HD-DVD player at Wal-Mart either.
I could go drive around and check, I'm in the land of endless Wal-Marts. Within a half hour drive there are 18 Wal-Marts I could go to.
JDS @ Feb 15th 2008 11:18AM
Wal-Mart puts stake through HD DVD's heart
Things have gone from bad to worse for HD DVD in the space of one week.
Wal-Mart announced Friday morning that it, too, has chosen a side in the battle for high-definition video supremacy: by June it will only stock Blu-ray Disc players.
A buyer in Wal-Mart's video division wrote this morning on her Wal-Mart Checkout blog that the retail giant had made the decision following Netflix and Best Buy's high-profile announcements that they will exclusively stock Blu-ray products.
Wrote Susan Chronister of Wal-Mart: "By June Wal-Mart will only be carrying Blu-ray movies and hardware machines, and of course standard-def movies, DVD players, and up-convert players."
"So," she continues, not mincing words, "if you bought the HD (DVD) player like me, I'd retire it to the bedroom, kid's playroom, or give it to your parents to play their John Wayne standard-def movies, and make space for a BD player..."
That might be the best option at this point, as the dominoes keep falling in Blu-ray's favor. While Netflix and Best Buy were pretty damning evidence that the end was near, now it's glaringly obvious: it's over for HD DVD. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that consumers will automatically start buying Blu-ray players. As mentioned many times before here, prices will have to continue to fall on both Blu-ray players and packaged media for there to be any sort of mainstream adoption of the format.
There are rumors that Toshiba might soon be declaring defeat: The Hollywood Reporter has sources telling it that Toshiba, the main backer of the HD DVD, might drop its allegiance with the format in the next few weeks.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9873029-7.html
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9873029-1.html?tag=blg.orig
locke6854 @ Feb 15th 2008 11:36AM
wow.. very elitist comments. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and my family adopts the same attitude of "i'd be ashamed if i ever shopped THERE!"
well i'm military and I got stationed somewhere more small-town (still within range of civilization, but can only get local HD through dish network.. ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS only... no upn or cw)
But we have walmart. Thats it. I had never shopped there until now, but this small town is awesome, and walmart is it. Its a couple blocks away, with nothing else of its type for miles, unless you wanna drive over an hour to bestbuy or circuit city.
Its convenient for the locations that have no other choice, and its fine for what it is. However, you do learn to do alot of electronics shopping online. But you get better prices at amazon anyway. (Plus, they didn't have my bravia, but they're great for movies and certain players)
peyote @ Feb 15th 2008 11:38AM
format war? war is dead & over......
until the official white flag is raised, let's put news like this in the who cares category? i liked hd-dvd, but let's bury the dead horse & report the stuff we care about. otherwise, the reporting turns into an 08 BR fanboy victory lap.
h0mi @ Feb 15th 2008 12:20PM
There wasn't an option for "My walmart never carried those players".
Or "My walmart never carried HD-DVD".
EJ @ Feb 15th 2008 1:34PM
I think all of this is worth reporting - it's entirely factual and arms consumers with useful knowledge. The sooner Joe Blow knows unequivocably which format to buy, the more high-def (Blu) players will be sold. The more players are sold, the sooner there will be price competition on the players and discs.
I rooted for HD-DVD, but a widespread, rapidly adopted format is critical for hi-def video to escape the niche graveyard. Sorry format partisans, but to accomplish that widespread adoption, HD-DVD needs to have a high profile public death.
GhostDoggy @ Feb 16th 2008 5:33AM
My local Wal-mart, which is right out a golfer's country club with rot iron carriage returns, has never had an HD DVD, or Blu-ray, player unless you count the video game console and accessories.
I have never seen an HD DVD standalone player in that store, and its not from a lack of not looking either.