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Posts with tag promotion

Sony to push Blu-ray, HD recording abilities of VAIO machines

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 3:50PM


Sony's been pretty big on its HDNA marketing scheme. Even at last year's CEDIA the message was everywhere, asserting that its home theater gear shared some sort of double-helix bond with the root of all high-definition. Now, the outfit is pulling its HD-equipped VAIO machines under the same marketing umbrella in an attempt to convince prospective buyers that these systems are "born out of" other high-def products. In particular, Sony will push the HD OTA tuning and BD playback abilities in its all-in-one PCs and Blu-ray-equipped laptops, though we don't expect any new rigs to emerge as part of the deal. Sure, this is little more than a trivial way to tack "HD" onto yet another product, but we can't harsh too much on anything that gets high-def into the mainstream.

Charter fails to deliver 65-inch HDTV to contest winner, sends 19-inch box instead

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 1:26PM


We're tempted to chalk this one up to miscommunication, but something just reeks of wrongdoing. As the story goes, one particular winner of a Charter Father's Day contest was promised a 65-inch HDTV as well as free Charter services for an entire year. The only requirement was to pay sales tax on the winnings -- fair enough, right? After receiving a phone call and email confirmation from the carrier, the winning dad sat down with his jubilant daughter and unsuccessfully tried to fax in his W-9. Afterwards, he decided to mail it in, and after a bit of rigmarole, a Charter associate contacted him with news that it couldn't deliver the promised set; instead, it would "try" to get him a 42-incher, though a 19-inch TV was likely in his future. After a few more days of nothing, a box arrived at his door "large enough to hold a 19-inch television," which the "winner" promptly refused. Can't make this stuff up, folks.

[Image courtesy of ZMETravel]

NBC Universal hopes to push HD-focused ads during Olympics

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 14th 2008 at 11:58PM

Not like you couldn't piece this one together yourself, but NBC Universal isn't going to let this opportunity pass it by. Just like the run-up to the SuperBowl, it's planning on using the Olympics as a campaign platform for HD. Reportedly, affiliates will be "provided with on-air, direct mail and bill stuffers to promote HDTV content sales, as well as material designed to retain current HDTV subscribers." In other words, expect to see an onslaught of ads coaxing folks into making the jump to high-def if they haven't already. Gotta love those marketing gurus, eh?

TiVo's Blue Moon special: TiVo HD, lifetime service for $698

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 3:13AM


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]

Sony pushing Blu-ray aspects of PlayStation 3 starter packs

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 5th 2008 at 8:31PM


Assembling bundles for consoles isn't something incredibly new to Sony, but on its latest selection of six PlayStation 3 starter packs, half of 'em are aimed squarely at the home theater crowd. The Fantasy, Adventure and Thriller packages all ditch extra controllers or AAA game releases to include a different Blu-ray movie, the PS3 remote and a paltry $10 savings. Given the sudden surge in attractiveness, we wouldn't be surprised one iota to see Sony continue to market the movie-playing aspects as Blu-ray awareness picks up.

[Thanks, Chris]

Winners of Panasonic's Live in HD contest are... living in HD

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 11th 2008 at 3:03AM


Way back in August of last year, Panasonic opened the gates to its Live in HD contest -- which would gift winning families with $20,000 in HD gear along with free HD service for a year -- and needless to say, the entries came flooding in. Now, the first of the victorious families are getting to enjoy the spoils, which means playing with a completely free Wii, Blu-ray player, 50-inch HDTV, camcorder, digital camera and whatever else makes up $20k worth of wares. In exchange, Panny is extracting answers about "how they use the equipment and what they like or dislike about the products so the company can make improvements." For one particular family, their newly furnished home has become quite the hang out, but we've all ideas they have absolutely no qualms with that.

Best Buy sets out to help pay customers' DirecTV bills

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 3rd 2008 at 5:17PM


We've kvetched quite heavily about the misconception that an HDTV sans HD service can turn SD content into HD, so we suppose we can't harsh on Best Buy too much for attempting to push a little high-def service onto its HDTV-buying customers. Effective immediately, the big box retailer is agreeing to pay $30 of a customer's DTV bill for three months when activating any new DirecTV service, six months when adding HD Access and buying an HDTV under $999, or a full year if adding HD Access and purchasing an HDTV $999 or higher. Unfortunately, the deal is set to expire on June 24th, so those even remotely interested don't have too awfully long to hem and haw.

[Image courtesy of Divaris]

Verizon to push FiOS TV in Massachusetts furniture store

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 25th 2008 at 9:26AM


If you thought partnering up with the always vocal Michael Bay was an interesting move for Verizon, get a load of this. Apparently, the carrier has teamed up with Jordan's Furniture in order to setup FiOS TV demonstrations within a "lifestyle store" in the Reading, Massachusetts location, and in case that wasn't enough, it's already established kiosks at the Jordan's Furniture at Beantown in Reading and on Bourbon Street in Natick. Additionally, a kiosk will be headed to Jordan's Avon locale, and the company's two IMAX theaters (in Reading and Natick) will soon sport all sorts of Verizon paraphernalia thanks to the provider snapping up naming rights. C'mon Verizon, we appreciate all the hard work in New England, but seriously, there's a lot more country out there beyond the Northeast.

DISH Network calls up Frank Caliendo to push standalone HD package

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 2nd 2008 at 4:14PM


You know that standalone HD package DISH Network announced just last month? No? Don't worry -- it won't be long before Frank Caliendo is shoving deets about it down your ear canal. Sure enough, DISH has inked a deal with the "star" of FrankTV to headline its latest multimedia marketing campaign. More specifically, Mr. Caliendo will be pushing the provider's newest HD channels, "DVR leadership" and the aforementioned HD only package as well. Of course, such a gig shouldn't be hard to pull off for this fellow -- after all, he's "been a DISH Network customer for years." Or is that just part of the act, too?

Read - DISH Network Features Comedian Frank Caliendo in Ad Campaign
Read - Video of Frank's DISH Network ads
Read - Outtakes of Frank's DISH Network ads

Disney's Magical Blu-ray Tour coming to seven more North American cities

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 26th 2008 at 7:27PM


If you just so happened to miss out (aw, shucks) on Disney's Magical Blu-ray Tour the last time it went trekking across the continent, you could be in luck. The tour, which reportedly aims to "educate consumers... about the amazing capabilities of Blu-ray," kicked back off on January 25th in Toronto, Canada, and will hit six more North American cities before it goes back into hiatus. Consumers who meander on out to one of the show dates will get to see previews of upcoming titles (Finding Nemo and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in particular) and presumably get blasted with loads of marketing hoopla all the while. Nevertheless, be sure to hit the read link and scroll down for exact dates of when the tour will be rolling through Hartford, Raleigh-Durham, Nashville, Dallas, Denver and Chicago areas if you're so inclined.

[Image courtesy of USAToday]

FiOS TV celebrates one year, comes to more homes in New Jersey

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 10th 2008 at 6:16PM


Just as CES was hitting full swing here in Vegas, Verizon cranked up a party of its own in order to commemorate one year of FiOS TV in the Garden State. A dozen months back, the service initially launched in around 100 New Jersey communities, and as of today, FiOS TV touches some 270 communities in 15 counties. Thankfully, however, VZW actually invited quite a few individuals to join in the festivities -- namely residents in 11 Gloucester County communities, which can now order up FiOS TV in their neck of the woods. Also of note, customers in the area who sign up for the fiber-based television service by February 3rd (and have everything installed by March 1st) can look forward to receiving a free 19-inch Magnavox LCD HDTV. Not exactly a KURO or anything, but hey, gratis is gratis.

Read - Verizon celebrates one year of FiOS TV in New Jersey
Read - Verizon expands FiOS TV in New Jersey

Toshiba giving away HD DVD players with LCD TV purchase... in Australia

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 5:36PM


Sure, it'd be better if this offer was worldwide in nature, but hey, the Australians deserve their deals too, right? According to SmarthouseNews, Toshiba will be running a promotion at Aussie retailer JB Hi-Fi -- which just recently started stocking HD DVD-related products -- that enables buyers of the 37-inch X3000A LCD TV to take home an HD-E1 HD DVD player gratis. Moreover, those who opt for the 42-, 46- or 52-inch version of the aforementioned set will be blessed with a shiny new HD-EP10. Reportedly, the deal runs from now until January 31, 2008, and just in case you couldn't guess, Tosh is apparently hoping to "drive sales" of its favorite format in the region with the promo.

VUDU box thrown in with select Sharp AQUOS LCD TVs

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 20th 2007 at 9:02AM


While Sony's effectively giving away BDP-S300s when you pick up a BRAVIA HDTV from SonyStyle, Sharp is hoping to up its holiday sales figures by bundling in a VUDU set-top-box. Starting now, consumers who pick up a select AQUOS LCD TV that's 42-inches or larger (trust us, there's quite a few choices) can also expect to receive a $399 VUDU box and a $50 movie credit to boot. Off hand, we don't see a definitive expiration date for the offer, but considering that it's billed as a "holiday" promotion (and only available directly through these two, sadly), we wouldn't sleep on this too long if you're remotely interested.

Gifting someone with an HDTV? Don't forget the HD service!

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 20th 2007 at 3:44AM


We know, it seems painfully obvious to us, but we can't say we're surprised one iota that the general public would buy a loved one an HDTV and totally overlook the fact that he / she will need HD service to make it truly worthwhile. According to a recent survey conducted on Comcast's behalf, one in four consumers are hoping to receive an HDTV this holiday season, but only 12-percent of gift-givers were even thinking of including HD service. Granted, savvy buyers may be tossing in a gift certificate to pick up an OTA antenna, or they may just let the recipient be responsible for figuring out they need high-definition service. Of course, one must remember who commissioned the survey. Nevertheless, let this serve as a friendly reminder to show consideration when blessing someone with a new HDTV -- they can't watch HD flicks forever!

[Image courtesy of Crutchfield]

Venturer's UK-bound SHD7001 to come with seven free flicks

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 14th 2007 at 8:32PM


Just about every other high-definition disc player out there is attached to some "free movie" promotion, so it's not all that shocking to hear that Venturer's UK-bound SHD7001 won't be any different. Aside from hearing that the still unpriced player will indeed be available initially in the UK through QVC on December 29th, those with this atop their must-have list can also look forward to quite a few extras. Reportedly, the package will include HD DVD titles Hulk and Troy, a free HDMI cable and a voucher that allows buyers to receive five additional movies gratis courtesy of the European HD DVD Promotional Group. It's noted that customers will have until January 31, 2008 to select their flicks from a predetermined list, but we suppose we'll have to wait until a price tag gets attached to this thing before figuring out if it's worth picking up.

[Via Pocket-Lint, thanks HD4ME]




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