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Poll: Where do you buy your Blu-ray discs now, if you buy them at all?

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 18th 2009 at 4:20PM


With Blu-ray disc adoption continuing to grow, we're wondering if your buying habits have changed. Last year Amazon ran away with the results, but it's 2009 now, Wal-mart has expanded its focus on Blu-ray (even nabbing the exclusive on TDK-style IMAX scenes for the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen release next week), Circuit City no longer exists and that weird guy in the white panel van even has a much better selection than he used to. So, where are you buying Blu-ray movies?

Where do you buy your Blu-ray discs? (2009)

Wal-Mart cutting back DVD and Blu-ray display area

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Oct 6th 2009 at 2:53PM

Wal-mart Blu-ray display
Looks like the nation's biggest retailer is figuring out that DVDs and Blu-ray Discs don't bring in the number of customers that they used to. Honestly this is pretty much what we'd expect as more and more consumers are renting from Netflix and Redbox and when they do decide to buy instead of rent, they know that Amazon is hard to beat. So all of that combined with the streaming competition, it makes sense to reassign the valuable shelf space to something a little more profitable.

Don't let retailer's lights distract you from buying the right HDTV

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 10th 2009 at 5:01PM


In case you hadn't already learned your lesson and started checking behind the displays while HDTV shopping, the HD Guru points out another element of the in-store experience that throws off buyers (and likely contributes to the LCD vs. plasma choices we find so infuriating): lighting. In case you don't recall from your last trek to a big box superstore, the lighting is quite often stuck on blinding making it nearly impossible to discern any difference in picture quality between televisions, specifically in terms of contrast and black levels (the pictures above are of the same value priced display, at left, under normal home lighting, at right, how it looks under some store lighting setups.) Tested with an illuminance meter, all the stores (except Best Buy's Magnolia showrooms) averaged well above home ambient lighting levels, with Wal-Mart and Costco measuring the highest at 411.66 and 742.77 lux. Still, there's tips on how to get a good idea of a TV's black levels even under those circumstances, plus some choice words left over for the incredible (and useless) dynamic contrast ratio numbers every manufacturer trots out these days, so go ahead and get educated.

VIZIO VBR100 Blu-ray player freed from superstore confines, unboxed on video

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 9th 2009 at 5:44PM


We'd heard VIZIO's VBR100 BD-Live ready (& timed Wal-mart exclusive) Blu-ray player would be making an appearance this month, and our friends over at FormatWarCentral have not only spotted the rare bird in the wild, but brought one home and performed a video unboxing for all to experience. Be prepared for bad news like a lack of high definition cables included in the $178 package, though coax and optical audio outputs plus the too often-forgotten rear mounted USB port are welcome bonuses. Still avoiding the potential trampling issue at Wal-mart? Other stores should have a similar VBR110 model soon, check the video beyond the link or embedded after the break and imagine the packaging splayed about your own living room.

Continue reading VIZIO VBR100 Blu-ray player freed from superstore confines, unboxed on video

Wal-mart rolls back cheap Blu-ray player price to $98

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 9th 2009 at 4:18PM


Like Blu-ray but hate spending lots of money? The guys at FormatWarCentral spotted the Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray player cold lampin' on the shelf of a local Wal-mart now permanently rolled back from $168 to a mere $98. as usual, you'll pass up the newest, fastest, internet-connected-est features of high end Blu-ray players, but for less than a hundred it's hard to complain. We know many probably missed out on the Meijer deal last month, anyone planning on picking this one up for a second -- or first -- Blu-ray player? We'll see how long Sony avoids the "battle to the bottom" now.

Sony to leave the "battle to the bottom" of Blu-ray player prices alone, for 2009 at least

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 26th 2009 at 1:12PM


Just in case you were wondering whether Sony would get down and dirty with the low-priced rabble this year, word from its community blog is the company predictably held its premium brand mantle high, proclaiming during a recent industry analyst meeting that it wouldn't be launching a value-priced Blu-ray player. Still, after turning around and selling TVs bearing its name at Wal-mart of all places, we would be surprised to see Sony flip on this policy and offer price-conscious shoppers a Vizio alternative sooner rather than later.

Vizio's VBR100 Blu-ray player is a $188 Wal-mart exclusive next month

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 25th 2009 at 6:12AM

We still don't know what it looks like, but during its line show, Vizio let slip that the sub-$200 VBR100 Blu-ray player announced at CES is now scheduled to come to Wal-mart only in July. For $188 (just not that cheap anymore) Wal-mart shoppers can expect a BD-Live ready (with optional 1GB+ USB thumbdrive attached) player, though no details on codec or output support. Don't shop at Wal-mart for philosophical reasons, quality concerns or fear of being trampled during an early Black Friday rush? A similar VBR110 model should follow, coming to other retailers around November/December, just in time to match with that brand new WiFi connected Netflix / Amazon / Twitter etc. widget packing LCD.

iSuppli sees TV sales continuing to expand despite the economy, Samsung keeps the overall lead

by Richard Lawler posted May 28th 2009 at 9:08PM


Even the economy can't keep HDTV sales down, according to iSuppli's research. In lieu of travel and going out, we're buying bigger TVs to stay home and watch, with sales of flat panel displays in the $600 - $999 range rising the fastest, while Wal-mart is very close to catching Best Buy in marketshare. Samsung's plasma sales kept it narrowly in the overall lead over upstart (and new LCD champ) Vizio, but we'll have to wait and see how long that lasts.

[Via Yahoo Tech]

Best Buy still leads in Blu-ray sales, but Wal-mart is closing in

by Richard Lawler posted May 11th 2009 at 12:49PM


Looks like the gap among HD media retailers is narrowing, with Wal-mart slowly closing in on Best Buy's 40 - 50% marketshare estimated by retail analysts asked by Video Business. As the DVD market shifts to Blu-ray, it's expected that market shares begin to resemble those of DVD where Wal-mart holds sway with 40% of the sales. Our poll results show that most of you report copping at Amazon (home of the frequent BOGO, low prices and other promotions,) but do you see changing dealers as Blu-ray goes more mainstream?

Best Buy aims to match Walmart's HDTV prices while sprucing up stores

by Darren Murph posted Mar 17th 2009 at 12:08AM


If you thought the death of Circuit City would lead to even higher prices at Best Buy, you're obviously not considering the Bentonville powerhouse in your calculations. Since the downfall of one of America's most well-known electronics retailers, Best Buy has now refocused on rivaling Walmart, who has done quite a lot over the past year or so to become a serious venue for buying new HDTVs. Granted, most of Walmart's offerings boast labels like VIZIO and Emerson, but that's beginning to change. In a new piece from the Wall Street Journal, incoming CEO Brian Dunn asserts that he's planning to "match" Wally World's famously low prices while making Best Buy stores more of an "experience." How exactly it plans to lower TV margins while sprucing up retail space is beyond us, but maybe it's looking to those $150 Monster-branded HDMI cables to pick up the slack.

Netflix and Walmart sued over online movie rentals

by Darren Murph posted Jan 17th 2009 at 1:54PM


Industry big shots Walmart and Netflix have both been named in a consumer lawsuit which accuses them of "trying to build a monopoly for online DVD rentals." The complaint, which was filed by San Francisco-based Andrea Resnick in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that both firms "unreasonably restrained trade, sending up prices." As the story goes, the duo decided back in 2005 that Wally World would shut down its online rental business and refer those customers to Netflix, and the plaintiffs allege that these actions would end up promoting Walmart's DVD movie sales. Netflix spokespeople declined to comment, though Walmart spokeswoman Daphne Moore did acknowledge that it had received the gripe and would respond to the court at the appropriate time.

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]

Black Friday 2008 roundup: HD deals

by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 at 12:00PM Featured Story


Let's face it -- it's easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to Black Friday. For starters, it's the day after Thanksgiving, a day in which you're likely already stressed out about what to cook, where to clean, who to invite and how to get off work early. The last thing you need is more stress when thinking about what HD gear you'll be adding to your collection a few days from now. Thus, we've scoured the intarwebz and scrubbed the deal sheets in order to present a slimmed down, easy-to-digest guide of where the best buys on high-def-related kit will be on November 28th. Hop on past the break to start making your list.

[Image courtesy of SmackShopping]

Continue reading Black Friday 2008 roundup: HD deals

Magnavox Blu-ray player to be $128 at Walmart on Black Friday

by Darren Murph posted Nov 19th 2008 at 3:26PM


We casually mentioned this here deal a few days back upon spying Walmart's leaked Black Friday list, but just in case you missed it, there will be at least one Blu-ray player out there for well under $150. The Magnavox NB500MG9 (which is really a Funai NB500 underneath the logo) will be offered for just a buck twenty-eight on the day after Thanksgiving here in the US, and while it's far from the most highly acclaimed BD deck in existence, there's no denying that the price is right. Our hopes and dreams? That five other players undercut it.

[Via DVICE]

Walmart Black Friday doorbuster deals leak out early, we'll sleep in

by Richard Lawler posted Nov 14th 2008 at 9:47PM

If you skipped Walmart's pre-Black Friday festivities pat yourself on the back, as -- despite its lawyers hard work C&Ding unauthorized early ad postings into oblivion -- CNNMoney reveals the "doorbuster" highlights probably not worth getting trampled for this year. Between 5-10 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving the already-discounted Magnavox Blu-ray player drops from $198 to $128 (a BDP-S300 might still be a better value), 50-inch Samsung plasma of unspecified resolution is only $798 (720p, bet on it), and Xbox 360 + Guitar Hero III & wireless guitar pack (all the real plastic guitar aficionados have moved on to Rock Band 2) drops in for $199. Slightly lower profile are a $398 HP desktop PC and $175 gas grill but c'mon, we all know it's the high definition (it'll be a lonely holiday without the suddenly too-good for us Vizio) that will have you shivering outside your local retailer with the soccer moms and other deal hunters.

[Thanks, Jason]




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