Low Cost Blu-ray Players Being Outsold By Higher Priced Models?
Posted by Tyler Pruitt
closeAuthor: Tyler Pruitt
Name: Tyler Pruitt
Email: tyler@formatwarcentral.com
Site: http://www.tylerpruitt.com
About: As a life long Geek, Tyler is pretty much addicted to anything that has to do with technology. He became hooked on HDTV in early '04, and hasn't looked back since. Tyler is a HD video content addict, and has been since the days of recording HD movies onto D-VHS tapes.
At his day job in the aerospace industry, he is never too far away from the latest FWC related news thanks to Google Reader on the iPhone.See Authors Posts (356) on June 10, 2008
Filed Under: Blu-ray, Format War, Retailers
In what may be a microcausm of the whole country, our local Wal-Mart(s) are having no trouble selling Panasonic’s DMP-BD30K ($488) as fast as they can get them. Meanwhile, the Sony BDP-S300 ($388) and the Magnavox NB500MG9 ($298) seem to be gathering dust on the shelf.
One local Wal-Mart sold five Panasonic players in a little over a weeks time. During that same time we counted one Magnavox, and zero Sony players sold.
Are people that want a cheap player opting for the Sony PS3 instead? While the more enthusiast type buyers are picking up the DMP-BD30K?
Whats the situation at your local Wal-Mart Store(s)?
Related posts:
- New Panasonic Blu-ray Player Models for the Holiday Season?
- Best Buy Sunday Ad August 24th 2008
- New Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray Player Surfaces At Wal-Mart
- Lionsgate Blu-ray Movies $10 Each at Wal-Mart
- Sony Says Blu-ray Set-top Players Out-selling HD DVD
That will remain true as long as BR remains a niche item–appealing only to the high end. If BR ever appeals to the mass market, the lower priced models will take off–like HD DVD did in Nov./ Dec. 2007.
Maybe even Walmart shoppers do some research and see that the Panny -30 or the PS3 are far better than the Sony -300 or the Magnavox?
I agree with bmz, although I’m surprised high end shoppers would even go to wal-mart.
Yea, You don’t go to Wal-Mart to buy your new Blu-ray Player… especially if you’re a home theater enthusiast like myself. LOL but Tyler’s point still rings true here, apparently people that shop at Wal-Mart want the more expensive players because they want the BD-Live / Bonus View that comes with a Profile V1.1 or V2.0 player… Or maybe they want both in a PS3 which is Profile V2.0 BD-Live and Bonus View capable and can be bought just about anywhere Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, Starbucks, Pick N Pay, Shell… ok yea I’m just being silly but still… lay off on Tyler for just observing the local sales at his Wal-Mart. Me I avoid my local Wal-Mart like the plague… Especially the morons that work in and/or populate the Electronics section.
I go to Wal-Mart for research purposes only
Maybe people have finally realized the low priced players suck and are the dummed down versions of the higher priced one. But that’s just for one store and possibly one location, maybe others are different.
I can’t tell my walmart only has the Sony none of the rest. And I don’t go there often enough to know for sure how much they sell.
Tyler: You could do a lot of research in Wal-Mart now that you mention it. Like the decline of the human race, obesity, unplanned parenthood and anything else that “Supersize Me” guy Morgan Spurlock could think of doing a show or documentary of… Wal-Mart is the easiest place to find those types
I guess Tyler is blind this week! FYI: from 6/8 to 6/14 Walmart has a Father’s Day sale special on the best-selling Panasonic model (mentioned in this article), also including a $100 Blu-ray Gift Card (to use toward BD titles)… neither the Sony, Magnavox or any other Blu-ray models are part of this 1-week promotion.
This site’s editors would be wise to check out news sources more often, like EngadgetHD, DVDTOWN, HighDefDigest, AVS Forum, TWICE, Video Business, Home Media Daily, Gizmodo, etc. etc.
I have noticed this at other retailers as well, so I don’t think the sale is the only factor.
Joe, you mentioned some decent sources of news there… you just forgot HighDefDiscNews and FormatWarCentral… HighDefDigest is crap and we all know that… most people have come to accept that like we have the death of HD-DVD… That elephant has been dying since way before they sold their site out to Internet Brands… I will say Tyler does a great job here and I personally take offense that you’d say that A) Here on his site and B) Straight to his face (so-to-speak)…
Local Walmart Update: Texas
PS3 = sold out (very few in stock)
Panasonic = 1 left (out of 8 from a few days ago) $448
Samsung = Sold out (It has BD Live, $350)
SONY = normal stock
Magnovax = a few sold.
I wouldn’t buy anything stacked like that,
Stacked like what? Is there something supposed to be wrong there? Somehow the player in a 90degree angle is going to make the drive fall out?
Electronics are not that delicate… even with power on. how do you think they are stored in a repair shop? Xbox works either way, PS3 works either way, Wii works either way, computers works either way, people have sex either way.
Things that dont: Cars, SUVs, passenger planes, buildings and certain types of spam.
Start throwing around your DVD player in it’s box, lets see how well that works for you.
Ive always have poor experience’s with Walmart, and yes stacking does have things to do with it. I bought a toaster oven twice and the first time the glass was broken, the second time the knob didn’t work.
And then of course their was the infamous Xbox 360 purchase, lets just say it came with less electronics and more clothing.
Boxes on their sides doesn’t mean the unit was thrown. You look for box damage. Are you aware of how much these things have traveled?
Factory in China (truck) > cargo container (Crane) > Ship
Ship over Pacific ocean (about 6-15 days) . (Crane) > Truck
Shipyard to Client’s wharehouse (tuck) – unload (forklifts) to racks
(or a step is saved and the containers are transorted directlry to Distrubution centers for WalMart, Best Buy, etc)
Loaded onto 18wheeler truck over road to your store. Some guy unloads the truck, another pulls the pallet to the floor, unload the boxes to the shelves.
Some guy pulling a box off the pallet and placing it on the shelf has done the least amount of trama to that box.