Skip to Content

Listen to the Joystiq Podcast (because your ears can't read)
AOL Tech

PriceCut posts

VUDU price dramatically slashed to $99* for the holidays

by Darren Murph posted Dec 23rd 2008 at 8:15AM


We know it's a touch late to be ordering up a gift for unwrapping on the 25th, but this one just might be worth the IOU you'll likely be forced to give. VUDU's movie set-top-box, which typically goes for $299, is now priced at just $99 for a limited time. Of course, VUDU forces you to purchase $50 in movie credits along with it (thus the asterisk being applicable here), but it's not like you're just going to buy this and never watch anything, right? There's also a bundle that includes a Wireless Kit at 50% off (now just $49), making the grand total for a VUDU, $50 in movie credits and a Wireless Kit only $198. Let's just say now is about the time to buy if you've been holding off on a VUDU -- we hear those HDX titles are mighty tasty!

[Thanks, Rob]

Olevia's BD-100 Blu-ray player dropping to $149.99 at Target

by Darren Murph posted Dec 19th 2008 at 12:48PM Breaking News


Missed your opportunity to score a low-cost Blu-ray player on Black Friday? Worried senseless about how you're ever going to get a BD deck for that special someone at a price you can stomach? Chill, please -- you're making us all anxious around here. As you can see above, Target is planning to slash the price on the Olevia BD-100 starting Sunday to a totally delicious $149.99. Granted, the cut is slated to be for "a limited time" only, but that's all the time you need to get in, right?

Walmart pushing Lionsgate Blu-ray Discs for $10 a pop

by Darren Murph posted Dec 5th 2008 at 4:45PM


Generally, we wouldn't bother covering that Wally World was moving Blu-ray Discs at a discount -- after all, isn't that store like the low price leader or something? But this just reeks of something different. This just reeks of change, and we certainly hope it's a sign of things to come. With Black Friday far behind us, Walmart has seen fit to start selling a few Lionsgate (read: non-sucky) BDs for $10 each, and the news comes just days after one reporter questioned when Blu-ray software would fall more in line with the hardware in terms of dollars. Really, every other retailer out there has to pay attention to this should Walmart start to drastically undercut the rest in terms of BD pricing, so here's hoping the store puts even more at the $10 level, and soon.

[Thanks, Joel]

Vizio hacks prices on select HDTVs prior to Black Friday

by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 at 7:03PM


We've already seen that a number of retailers will be offering Vizio HDTVs on the cheap this Friday (or Black Friday, as the in-crowd calls it these days), but the company is stealing a bit of their thunder by announcing cuts from the top a few days early. Vizio's 19-inch VA19 LCD will be offered for just $199.99 at Costco through December 7th, while the 32-inch VP322 plasma (pictured) will go for $437 at Walmart starting today. There's also the 37-inch VW37 LCD HDTV for $499.99 at Costco, the 32-inch 1080p VOJ32LF LCD for $559.99 at Sears and the 42-inch 1080p VS420 for $698 at Sam's Club. If none of these sets float your boat, check out our condensed guide to Black Friday: HD style for something more to your liking.

Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray player: now below $200 at Best Buy

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2008 at 9:39AM


Just over a month after the Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray player fell to $229.99, Best Buy has now reduced it $30 further in order to compete with all those other recently reduced rivals. Best of all, the big box retailer is still throwing in that $100 coupon book for use on BD movies from Disney, Touchstone and Miramax, and even though there's no Profile 2.0, all the bare essentials are here. The best part of this news, however, isn't that we're seeing yet another sub-$200 Blu-ray player -- it's that this thing now has a real chance of being stickered at $150 or less on Black Friday. Gimme, gimme.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

BDA sez Blu-ray player prices aren't sinking anytime soon

by Darren Murph posted Sep 17th 2008 at 6:46PM


More news from the DisplaySearch / NPD HDTV conference out in California, and this time it's from the Blu-ray Disc Association. Andy Parsons, the BDA's chairman, told attendees that Blu-ray player and disc pricing were behaving the same way as when DVD was the hot new thing. Parsons noted that "there [wasn't] enough market volume to lower prices," adding that firms first have to "build awareness and demand for the technology" before stickers can shrink. Granted, this opens the whole "chicken before the egg" debate, with pundits asserting that awareness and demand won't build until prices are low enough to be digested by the masses. Also of note, Andy suggested that consumers still wanted something "they could hold in their hands" when asked about the threat of digital downloads, but then again, would you really expect to hear anything different?

Best Buy's Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray deck falls to $229

by Darren Murph posted Sep 8th 2008 at 8:32AM


Not even four whole months ago, Best Buy was pushing its Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray player for $349.99 with a $100 coupon book. Now, that same pamphlet of discounts comes bundled in a box stickered at just $229.99. We've reckoned here lately that once the $200 price point was met by a few manufacturers, BD units would start flying off shelves more briskly; we can't say $230 is close enough just yet, but it's sure good to see things moving in the right direction.

[Thanks, Anthony]

HDTV price drops coming prior to Black Friday?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 22nd 2008 at 8:14PM

Earlier this month, we found that North American TV shipments were up a whopping 28% year-over-year, yet some analysts are strongly suggesting that across-the-board price drops are near. Granted, one research institute already predicted that flat-panel prices would decline substantially in 2008, so it's not like this assumption is brand new or anything. Nevertheless, Andrew Abrams, executive director and senior analyst at Avian Securities, is proclaiming that a "substantial" drop could come in October, leaving us to wonder just how cheap sets will be on that fateful day-after-Thanksgiving. Any wild guesses out there?

Xbox 360 HD DVD drive now officially $49.99

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 25th 2008 at 3:32PM


Look, don't act like you didn't know this was coming. Microsoft has started selling its Xbox 360 HD DVD drive for the ultra-bargain price of $49.99. So now's your chance to get one super-duper cheap. Or you could just throw that $50 into the garbage... same thing.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Toshiba's HD-D3 going for $100 on Boxing Day

by Darren Murph posted Dec 24th 2007 at 10:17AM

We've already seen some fairly notable deals for a variety of Toshiba HD DVD players in America and Australia, so it's only fair that the Canucks get a bargain of their own, right? Starting at 6:00AM on Boxing Day (that's December 26th for us Americans), Futureshop will be offering up the HD-D3 for a mere $99.99 while supplies last. It needn't be said, but we'd recommend queuing up a few hours in advance if you're dead set on securing one.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung's BD-P1400 Blu-ray player dips to $270

by Darren Murph posted Dec 11th 2007 at 12:01PM


Whoa, Nelly! Just three days after we saw Samsung's BD-P1400 crack the $300 barrier, the unit is now down below $270 at Amazon. More specifically, it can be had right now for $269.98, which certainly brings it a lot closer to the price range currently dominated by HD DVD. The only question now is: how much lower will it go (and when)?

[Thanks, Adam]

Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player going for a mere $199

by Darren Murph posted Jun 11th 2007 at 9:59AM


Now this is more like it. Sure, we've seen the prices of HD DVD players slowly but surely sinking over time, and while there's been more than a few inconvenient rebate offers of late, it looks like a new precedent has been set. Crutchfield is now offering up Toshiba's HD-A2 HD DVD player for a mere $199 after a $100 instant rebate, but we wouldn't count on this thing showing up anytime soon. According to the site, not only is inventory sitting at zero, but it also admits that the ship date is unfortunately "uncertain." Still, $199 for a second-generation HD DVD player ain't too shabby (have you seen one for less?), so be sure to check out the previous impressions before grabbing your place in the ever-growing line of customers trying to take advantage.

[Thanks, Andrew]

UPDATE: Too bad -- looks like Crutchfield was forced to jack the price up by a Benjamin or face an order backlog beyond belief.

Retailers confirm high definition DVD player price cuts

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 12th 2006 at 10:19AM

HD DVD and Blu-ray players don't cost quite as much as they used to -- if you know where to look. Amazon and other retailers have recently slashed prices on Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player, as well as Toshiba's HD-A1 and HD-XA1 HD DVD players. VideoBusiness quotes a few smaller retailers as saying they're "just trying to stay competitive" with price adjustments, unexpected for technology that's only been out for a few months. They also mentioned that while HD DVD sales are as expected, Blu-ray sales have been less than expected. Whether it's the prospect of upcoming hardware revisions or reports of early glitches, some stores are bending over backwards to move first generation players off shelves while others (Crutchfield, Best Buy, Tweeter) see no need to. If you're confident enough to jump into the next generation of DVDs with one of the players already available, just be sure to price check first.



[Thanks, Tyler]




    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

    Joystiq
    Download Squad
    The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
    BloggingStocks
    Joystiq Xbox
    Autoblog
    Big Download
    Fanhouse NFL Blog