Target to Push Blu-ray Over HD DVD

[Rev ATARI]

Sony has scored another win in the war for high-definition dominance, signing a deal with Target to promote Blu-ray players and movies exclusively in its retail stores. Sony is paying a fee to have Blu-ray featured in end-of-aisle displays, and Target will not carry the $179 HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360.

Target will continue to offer HD DVD products on its Web site, and did not specify why it had selected Blu-ray only for its brick-and-mortar locations. The HD DVD Promotional Group said the move by Target was not important, as its Toshiba players are already featured at Circuit City and Best Buy. It's also not clear if Target customers, who are typically not high-end shoppers, will be willing to spend $499 for Sony's Blu-ray player with HD DVD players available elsewhere for $299.

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[Mistuda]

Target buys are more "high-end then Wal-Mart buyers"

[Shiba-Kun]

Isn't Blockbuster also going B-R exclusive too?

[Rev ATARI]

Actually there is an update to the Target story

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 Page Ranking 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.

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[tha_con]

God, I hope universal comes to their sense's sooner than later and starts to push Blu-Ray. The day they release movies on Blu-Ray will be the quarter before HD DVD officially is abandon by Toshiba, and they jump into bed with the Blu-Ray Disc Association.