Denon rewards buyers of its pricey Blu-ray decks with free Batman BDs

by Darren Murph posted Nov 22nd 2008 at 8:42AM

It's one thing for Amazon to toss a few free Blu-ray Discs in with the purchase of a PlayStation 3, but we'd expect a little something extra from Denon. After all, when the least expensive Blu-ray deck you make rings up at $749 (MSRP), we'd say a free universal remote or weekend at the lake would be a more appropriate gift. At any rate, Denon and Warner Home Video have linked up to provide buyers of Denon Blu-ray players (the DVD-1800BD, DVD-3800BDCI and DVD-2500BTCI) with a BD copy of The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. The promotion is set to run from November 23rd to January 10, but you've still got to deal with that whole "mail in with the proof of purchase" rigmarole to get your money back. Groan.

Filed under: Misc, Blu-ray, Players, Advertising

Tags: batman, blu-ray, dark knight, DarkKnight, denon, partner, partnership, promo, promotion, the dark knight, TheDarkKnight, warner home video, WarnerHomeVideo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Highest Ranked

LonnieDvD @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:44AM

I hate to say this, but anyone who is crazy enough to pay $749 for a Blu-Ray player should not expect to get any rewards.

Highest Ranked

H Choi @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:06PM

Has Denon ever heard of competitve pricing? What advantages do these decks have over a Samsung and a Sony that are half its price?

Highest Ranked

squiggleslash @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:23PM

The main advantage is that they put money in Denon's pocket, rather than Sony or Samsung's.

Oh wait, you mean advantages for US? I have no idea.

Low Ranked

TrentD @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:43PM

Have you ever heard of Denon? Are you also offended that BMW's cost more than a Chevrolet?

Highest Ranked

Ed @ Nov 22nd 2008 9:59PM

@TrentD

This is the second time I've seen you make a stupid car analogy. And more so than before, I am now sure that you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.

I pointed the following out to you in a previous thread, but you ignored it so I'll say it again; this Denon, along with Onkyo's BD player, is 100% identical to the $200 Insignia/Magnavox/Sylvania. They're all the same Funai unit, with slightly different cosmetics.

The drives are the same, the I/O is the same, the on-unit display is the same... what don't you understand?

BMW doesn't buy Chevys and put BMW badges on them.

Neutral

DrXym @ Nov 23rd 2008 4:16AM

That certainly seems true for the low end model. It has the same layout on the front and back as the recent Onkyo and of course all the cheap models. There might be differences in the firmware such as branding and some config options but not much.

If Funai & Best Buy, Walmart etc.can make money selling them retail for $200 (and less) there is no excuse for Denon flogging a player for the equivalent of $800. It doesn't matter how great the brand is or their support - you could buy 4 Insignia players for the price and you're getting essentially the same kit. Or if you prefer brand names, buy 2 BD550s or BD55s and benefit of onboard decoding and profile 2.0.

My own feeling is Denon / Onkyo don't intend to sell many separates but will probably use them as the basis of some HTIB or bundle.

Neutral

Rob78 @ Nov 23rd 2008 3:31PM

$749 for a Blu-ray player (that may be useless in a few years) and the best they can offer is a couple Batman movies!

Low Ranked

Fargus @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:09PM

Are we still complaining about High End Pricing? The same argument can be had when someone buys a Mercedes when they could just get a Kia. Get over it....

Neutral

TrentD @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:45PM

Agreed...it's tiresome to listen to Engadget writers feign offense over cutting edge gadget prices. Seriously guys, just tell us the price instead of instigating this "lol wut? 749$ iz too moar dollarz!" attitude in the comments.

Highest Ranked

David Susilo @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:08PM

the only difference is a Mercedes is a Mercedes, and a Kia is a Kia. You get what you pay for. However, this Denon is not a Denon but Funai in Denon's clothing. You don't get what you pay for.

Imagine buying a Mercedes that's made by Kia. That's what people are pi$$ed off about, not the price itself.

Neutral

LonnieDvD @ Nov 23rd 2008 11:29AM

That's right, the rich boys are not getting what they paid for with this player. Denon is laughing all the way to the bank.

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