While Syntax-Brillian proper is no longer with us, Olevia International Group LLC is (at last check, anyway). Semantics aside, that Olevia-branded Blu-ray deck we heard about way back in May has apparently made it out of the production plant and into Target's supply chain. The BD-100 has finally landed in Target stores, boasting full 1080p output, support for Dolby TrueHD, HDMI / component sockets, coaxial / Toslink digital audio ports and what appears to be a backlit remote. Of note, the unit was slated to launch this month at $299, but first-hand reports have already spotted an entirely more digestible $229 sticker in Target stores. Granted, we're not too sure who'd take a chance with Olevia when a Sony on closeout can be had for even less, but to each his / her own.

[Thanks, David]

Target -- the big box retailer best known 'round these parts for its preferential Blu-ray treatment (back in the day, of course) and its infatuation with releasing new Xbox 360s early -- is finally diving head first into the home installation realm. Not content to just let competitors rake in all that extra cash for simply following a customer home and plugging in a few wires, the outfit has teamed up with Zip Express Installation to offer home install packages anytime a consumer makes a "large CE purchase." Furthermore, Target.com shoppers will soon be graced with a notification that their shiny new HDTV can be delivered and installed by professionals should they so choose, with services starting at $129 and ranging from TV setup, wall mounting, home theater arrangement, computer networking and furniture assembly. We have all ideas most of you will just brush this off, but don't be alarmed to hear that your grandmother just threw down some extra cash for a nice young man in a bulls eye-emblazoned uniform to setup her new gear.

[Image courtesy of JSOnline]

Looks like all those specials are paying off for Amazon and Wal-mart, as surveys done last fall and this spring indicate they're narrowing the gap with "leading Blu-ray shopping destination" Best Buy. No nifty percentage numbers this time, but according to VideoBusiness, Amazon's own findings indicate its share of the Blu-ray retail market is 3.5 times bigger than its DVD slice. That seems to jibe with NPD's finding placing it number two, followed by Wal-mart (benefiting from enhanced Blu-ray displays and sales of its own), then Target and Blockbuster, respectively, having overtaken Circuit City in the period from fall to spring. Is there anything other than deep discounts and BOGOs that decides where you buy Blu?

It's no secret the rest of the display industry hasn't been happy with Vizio shaking up the low end with its cheap HDTVs, and now Mitsubishi and others have joined in a lawsuit accusing the manufacturer of refusing to license necessary patents. The 15 patents allegedly violated are for MPEG-2 compression that Mitsu, Sony, Samsung, Philips, Thomson, JVC and Columbia University of New York claim Vizio refuses to license. Vizio says it don't need no stinking licenses, since its suppliers already have them and it believes these licenses extend to its products. MPEG-LA also filed a similar suit against Target's TruTech house brand of televisions; while we'll have to wait for a ruling on the case to see who is right, it seems if they can't compete with these lower prices, other manufacturers will make sure cheap HDTVs cost more to make. For its part, Vizio says it does not believe this suit will have a materially adverse impact on its business, so for now, let the low-price flat screens roll.

Read - Mitsubishi, Samsung Sue Vizio Over Video Patents
Read - VIZIO Comments on MPEG-2 Lawsuit By Electronics Competitors

With the format war being a distant memory in the minds of high-power retail execs, it's really no shock to hear of brick-and-mortar outlets shifting floor space towards Blu-ray. Sure, the high-def format still has quite aways to go before it begins to dominate DVD, but reports are already flowing in suggesting that Borders and Target are embracing the future. Reportedly, a couple of Target stores in Los Angeles increased BD facings from 60 to 90 since January, and we're also told that each Borders location "will feature at least one bay or rack fixture full of BD titles on one side," with larger stores having up to three. We'll admit -- Blu-ray player pricing is still well above where the general public wants it to be, but getting Blu-ray out in front on consumers is a surefire way to pull attention towards the medium.

We've had digital TV tuners for years, but for many there's a lot of anxiety associated with trying to ensure you're ready for the analog shutoff. So to do our part in helping to make the digital transition a success -- and to get some much needed cred' with the mother-in-law -- we set out on a quest for a DTV converter box.

Finding a DTV converter box that is eligible for the $40 voucher is pretty easy, in fact, in almost every place we looked, we found 'em. The problem is that the voucher is only for $40 and since those who actually need one in the first place are too cheap frugal to pay for cable or buy a new TV, every penny counts.

We are now in day five of the post-Warner Bros. announcement era and CNet has word from several retailers on their response (or lack thereof) to the newly-shifted HD landscape. The CEO's of Best Buy, Circuit City and "not any more or less Blu-ray exclusive than they have ever been despite what some executives might think" Target agree that its a step towards the end of the format war, but seem reluctant to call things over by any shot, or commit to changes in the way they deal HDM. Until further changes do -- or don't -- happen, the electronics aisle will remain divided.

Some rumors that just won't die eventually end up being true, and the latest to reappear is the Target is going Blu-ray exclusive one. Today at Philips' press event during CES, while Stewart Muller was introducing its new Blu-ray player he also mentioned that Target was going Blu-ray exclusive. Of course what his definition of exclusive means might be his alone, but unless Target pulls all the HD DVD movies off their shelves entirely, we're not sure we agree.

Yeah, we pretty much expected every big box retailer known to man to carry these things, but just in case you were worried about locating a TV converter box in preparation for the upcoming cutover, here's some comforting news. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Target, Sears and Sam's Club are all on the list to carry equipment necessary for analog TV owners to receive OTA programming after February 2009, and just in case one of the aforementioned giants aren't anywhere near you, around 100 more smaller retailers have been certified to stock 'em. Also of note, you can start the new year off right by reminding your great grandparents (or other family members, too) that they can go on and apply for up to two coupons -- which should arrive around six weeks later -- worth $40 apiece to purchase the required boxes. Or, of course, you could just pick them up a new television this holiday season and be done with it.

[Via BroadcastingCable]

Recently Video Business noticed that Blu-ray now has more shelf space than HD DVD in the few Target stores they checked. They indicated that HD DVD retained it's space, while Blu-ray was allotted additional space. We're not so sure we agree, we went back and checked the pictures we took at the format war's anniversary and noticed that at the stores we checked in Florida, California, and Washington State; Target actually removed one row from HD DVD and shifted it to Blu-ray. While this is not a huge deal, it does show a trend in at least one major video retailer. More pictures after the break.

Making good on a promise made earlier this year, Sony has apparently made available a duo of cheaper, smaller LCDs to discount retailer Target as it attempts to cater to a different sect of customers. Reportedly, the 26- and 32-inch 720p Bravias won't be available in Target B&M locations until next month, but both sets are showing up on Target's website right now. Also, we should see a similar infiltration into Wal-Mart and possibly a few other big box retailers in the coming months, but those looking to snag a Sony LCD on the (comparatively) cheap can head on over to Target's virtual storefront and procure the 32-inch KDL32ML130 for $899.99 or the slightly smaller KDL26ML130 for a Benjamin less.

[Via CNET]
Read - Sony's 32-inch KDL32ML130
Read - Sony's 26-inch KDL26ML130

Apparently Target's claim that they were "not proclaiming one format vs. the other as the preferred consumer technology" didn't resonate quickly enough to slow the "Target is going Blu-ray exclusive ZOMG" shockwave around the world yesterday. The HD DVD PR team sent us a statement from Universal Studios VP Ken Graffeo stating the deal amounted only to an "end cap" purchased by Sony putting its BDP-S300 in stores. Meanwhile Toshiba's HD DVD player will remain in Target's website, just as the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on and HD DVD movies will stay in Target stores, they appear to have been rather unceremoniously dropped by smaller regional chain BJ's Wholesale Club, according to VideoBusiness. No official word from the chain itself, but the usual "sources" from the retailer and several Hollywood studios indicated all 170 stores would be Blu-ray only by the fourth quarter. Just like the BDA's CES victory proclamation, this likely isn't the end... just yet.

Everyone's favorite wasteful format war took another strange twist today, with the AP reporting that Target will only stock Blu-ray players in its retail stores -- specifically, Sony's $499 BDP-S300. The decision, which Target and Sony are due to announce tomorrow, doesn't include Target's website, Xbox 360 HD DVD drive, or HD DVD movies, so it's not a particularly huge win for Blu-ray, with even Target saying things like "We are not proclaiming one format vs. the other as the preferred consumer technology." Still, coupled with Blockbuster's decision to only stock Blu-ray discs, it looks like the format war might be fought and won at the retailer level, not by consumers.

[Thanks, Keith]

With a full year of the format war under our belt we grabbed our camera and took some pictures of both formats on display at local retailers. We hit Best Buy (with a Magnolia built in), Circuit City, Target, Wal-mart, Sears, K-Mart, Sound Advice, and Costco. We tried to get some pictures from the east coast and the west coast of the US in a few major retailers, and discovered how different their offerings are depending on location. Check out the full gallery after the jump and a synopsis.