Kmart Goes HD DVD

In an unexpected move, Kmart has announced it will only stock HD DVD stand alone players (most likely the Toshiba HD-A3). The retailer also sells Sony’s Playstation 3, as well as the Xbox360 HD DVD add on drive. We plan on making a trip to our local Kmart, so expect a follow up post including [...]

Panasonic Announce Final Standard Profile Player

Digital TV Design Line are reporting the announcement of the ‘first’ standalone Final Standard Profile player. The Panasonic DMP-BD30 will feature 24 fps 1080p output along with the FSP capabilities.
Another interesting addition is the SD card reader, allowing pictures and AVCHD content to be viewed from SD cards. The player also features HDMI 1.3 and [...]

Black Friday: Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player $169.99 @ Sears

It looks like a few Black Friday early birds will get to pick up a Toshiba HD-A3 for $169.99 at Sears. This really blows away the 199.99 price point that some claim to be a magic number for mass market consumers. We wonder when the MSRP will drop to $199.00, not just for a sale.
Sears [...]

Blu-ray Mounts Event Offensive

Image via Wikipedia

Home Media Magazine is reporting that the backers of the high-definition Blu-ray Disc format are staging a two-day offensive in Hollywood this week.
The so-called Blu-ray Festival coincides with the launch of a new branding and consumer education campaign, with the tagline I Do Blu, that premiered Oct. 28 during the final game of [...]

Blu-ray Backers Launch Promotional Campaign

Video Business is reporting the launch of a new promotional campaign by studio and consumer electronics manufacturers that support the format.
The article describes a television campaign aimed at ‘educating’ the public that DVD is not the best source to be using for HDTVs. The commercials are said to emphasize the marriage of Blu-ray and HDTV.
Also [...]

Blu-ray Maintains Edge Despite ‘Transformers’

Home Media Magazine is reporting that Paramount Home Entertainment’s release of the DreamWorks theatrical blockbuster Transformers exclusively on the HD DVD format didn’t tip the scale last week.
Consumers bought more Blu-ray Discs than HD DVDs for the week ended Oct. 21, albeit by a slim 51% to 49% margin.
While Paramount was claiming 190,000 units sold, [...]

Blu-ray Disc Leads First Three Quarters of 2007 Almost 2 to 1

Rueters is reporting that Blu-ray has outsold HD DVD by a ratio just under 2:1 according to Home Media Research, a division of Home Media Magazine.
Through to the end of September the ‘Year to Date’ numbers were 2.6M discs for Blu-ray and 1.4M discs for HD DVD.
The ‘Since Inception’ numbers which include 2006 are 3.01 [...]

Transformers HD DVD Sells 190k in First Week

Paramount has announced that the Transformers HD DVD has sold 190K copies in its first week. They are also claiming 100K copies sold on the first day. While this does eclipse the first week sales of “300″ on Blu-ray or HD DVD alone, it doesn’t beat the combined sales for “300″.
note: For those that purchased [...]

Michael Bay Still Prefers Blu-Ray Disc

After posting on his blog that he was rethinking shooting a Transformers sequel since Transformers would not be available on Blu-ray Disc, and subsequently retracting that statement, Michael Bay has again voiced his support for Blu-ray Disc and criticised the format war, saying “As a director, my critical eye is that Blu-ray is where my [...]

Sony Announces $399 40GB PS3 for the US Market

It is finally official. After international announcements of such a beast, Sony has formally announced the release of the non-PS2 compatible 40GB PS3 for the US market.
The new model will launch November 2nd and in will include a Blu-ray Disc of Spider-Man 3 in the box.
Sony also announced a $100 price reduction for the 80GB [...]