Given that $100 at Wal-mart is essentially as good as cash, we can only imagine how titillating this offer may seem for Blu-ray holdouts. Announced today, the mega-retailer will be offering a $100 gift card with the purchase of any Blu-ray player from June 8th through 14th -- and yes, Sony's PlayStation 3 is included. In case this wasn't enough to maybe-possibly get the general public to actually pay attention to the format, Wally World will also sell "select" BD titles for $15 starting on the 8th. Since the format war ended earlier this year, we've seen report after report proclaiming that Blu-ray adoption just wasn't taking off here in America, but with a theoretical net price now close to $200 (albeit for a few days only), we can certainly see the masses taking notice at long last.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Hardly a day goes by without some form of Blu-ray price slashing on Amazon, but it being the onset of the weekend and all, we figured we'd share the e-tailer's latest scheme to get these discs a-movin'. Rather than offering up Blu-ray titles in some sort of BOGO fashion, the outfit is now packaging three flicks together primarily based on genre and hacking "45-percent" from the price. Truth be told, the $20-per-title that this averages out to isn't the most stellar of deals, but it's not too shabby if you're particularly fond of a certain trio. Check the read link to see if any catch your eye.

For those maintaining that $349.99 for an Insignia Blu-ray player is still too pricey, how's about this deal? Best Buy is now offering a $100 Coupon Book right in the box of its newly released NS-BRDVD, and while there could very well be a score of $5 coupons in there, we do know that it'll provide "instant savings on a great collection of Blu-ray Disc movies from Disney, Touchstone and Miramax." It should be noted that the book is included regardless of whether the unit is purchased in-store or online, but the actual coupons within can only be redeemed in a brick-and-mortar location. Anyone actually cracked one of these open and care to share what's tucked inside?

[Via TG Daily]

Although the €9.99 Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on over in Ireland is likely still the cheapest way to snag one from a retail location, that flight to Dublin is apt to offset any potential savings. Nevertheless, those in Canada can come awfully close to said deal by visiting FutureShop, which is currently offering the once-molten hot unit for a mere $19.99. Unfortunately, it seems sold out online, but you can certainly phone up your local B&M location and hope for the best.

[Thanks, Andrew]

And you thought $49.99 was cheap. Word on the street has it that Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, which has been seen as slightly less valuable since Toshiba pulled the plug on the once mighty red format, has stooped to €9.99 across the pond at GameStop (among other locales). For those not savvy on the absurd depreciation of the US dollar, we're talking $15.47 -- and that's with a Media Center remote bundled in, too. We're totally straight-faced when we say that's actually not a half bad deal if you're a fan of the media already out there, but the parsimonious among us are definitely waiting for these to come bundled with our favorite cereals before pulling the trigger.

[Thanks, Conor]

Yeah, TiVo's Blue Moon special has been alive for a few weeks now, but for those unaware, we figured it prudent to pass along the deal in case you're interested in grabbing hold. From now until June 16th, interested consumers can snatch up a TiVo HD DVR, TiVo Wireless Adapter, a lifetime of service on the unit and an incredibly amazing TiVo plush doll for $698. Yes, that's less than the original price of the Series3 alone. So there you have it -- at least you've got ample time to think it over before deciding either way.

[Thanks, Jonas]

Following the crowd, Amazon has decided to fire off emails to folks who purchased a HD DVD player from it before February 23, 2008 in order to bestow upon them a $50 credit for their trouble. Granted, it's not as good as cash per se, but at least you get to keep your perfectly functional HD DVD player / DVD upconverter, right? Oh, and before you start having a panic attack after seeing that "must use before April 9th" phrase, you may want to inspect the year a little closer (hint: you've got a full year to use the voucher). Check the email in full after the jump.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Truthfully, we reckon this moment is inevitable. With HD DVD hung out to dry by everyone and their long lost cousin, it's simply a matter of time before players are being traded for rides on the carousel. Nevertheless, reports are already circulating that Microsoft's Xbox 360 add-on drive could sink to $49.99 in the not-too-distant future, which may actually make it worth grabbing for the very respectable library of HD DVD titles already out there. Whatever you do, don't pay full price for this thing.

[Thanks, Steve]

Amazon, everyone's favorite place to find discounted high-definition titles of late, has pulled out (almost) all of the stops in its latest offer. A full 150 HD DVD flicks are now available at 50-percent off, and there doesn't seem to be any major limits / restrictions, either. So, what's it to you? Stocking up, or staying away?

[Thanks, MikeUF]

Wondering when someone would one-up Amazon's fairly continuous stream of deals on HD DVD movies? Today's your lucky day, friends, as Barnes & Noble is currently offering up a wide selection of flicks at 50-percent off -- but the fun doesn't stop there. The discounts get even deeper if you're a B&N Member, and there's an additional percent-off coupon floating around if the deal just isn't sweet enough. Go on, add a few more to your collection -- what else were you gonna spend your dough on this weekend?

[Via SlickDeals, thanks Andrew M.]

Just over two weeks after Amazon offered up a whole heap of Blu-ray Discs at 53-percent off, the e-tailer is catering to the red camp by bestowing upon it the same deal. Granted, this may or may not be quite as good as the BOGO offer seen late last month, but there's an awful lot of good flicks up there for below $16. Go on, HD DVD'ers, stock up without (completely) breaking the bank.

[Thanks, Michael S.]

Update: Sure enough, Amazon is running the same deal with Blu-ray flicks as well. Check it out here.

When they say "competition's good," they obviously meant "competition means cheap HD DVD players": Wal-Mart's $198 Toshiba HD-A2 has been copied by Circuit City, which is now selling the same player for $197.99 online. Add it to your cart, and see for yourself. As one tipster said, with deals like this popping up this early, signs are looking good for one helluva Black Friday.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

It's not like this type of activity doesn't happen every day-after-Thanksgiving here in the US of A, but 2007 is being seen as a banner year for "aggressive pricing" come Black Friday. As expected, competition will likely be most heated in the 40- to 42-inch range, where plasma and LCD manufacturers will both be vying for business from eager consumers. Furthermore, RPTVs and 720p sets in general are expected to sport rock-bottom pricetags as they attempt to compete with the fresher, more attractive 1080p flat-panels. As for pricing, analysts expect the lowest stickers to be found on Olevia, Westinghouse and Vizio sets, while other "top-tier brands" slash hundreds off in an attempt to still look appealing. Whatever the case, we'd suggest you gear up for madness if you're scouting a new HDTV on Black Friday, but apparently, the savings will make the mayhem worth dealing with.

[Image courtesy of MSNBC]

We still have a week to go before Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving in the United States when retailers offer some of their best deals of the shopping season -- and Vizio has already announced a one-day price reduction on their 42-inch plasma. The sale at Costco will mark the first time a high-definition-ready set of that size will be sold for less than $1000, which is considered by many analysts to be that magic number where mass adoption will kick off. As the predictions go, once consumers can see the bill for a HDTV starting out with only three digits in it, they will be much more likely to buy a new set to go with that PlayStation 3, or HD DVD add-on for the 360, or HD satellite. The Vizio VP42HDTV is a 42-inch 720p-capable plasma with HDMI, a 10,000:1 max contrast ratio, and an ATSC tuner. It's great news to see the prices for sets of all sizes and styles (CRT RPTVs, plasmas, LCDs, LCoSes, etc.) coming steadily down, and will spur that magical day when you can go to any relative's house for the Superbowl and not have to worry about watching on a standard-def set.

[Via Electronista]

Postscript: When this article went live, no stats had been released on this newer VP42 model at Vizio's website. As a few commentors have noted, the native resolution on this set is only 1024x768 (as compared to the more-normal 1366x768 for its sibling the P42), which is slightly less than the commonly-accepted resolution of 1280x720 for HDTV, meaning it will scale all your content down to this XGA resolution. This means the pixels also have a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than 16:9. While the set is widescreen, the pixel count will not be, so take that as you will, we just wanted everyone to be informed consumers. Good luck this Friday, and thanks to all the comments that brought this important point to our attention!