“Wal-Mart Stores announced on Friday morning that it, too, has chosen a side in the battle for high-definition video supremacy: by June, it will stock only Blu-ray Disc players,” Erica Ogg reports for CNET.
“A buyer in Wal-Mart’s video division wrote this morning on her Wal-Mart Checkout blog that the retail giant had made the decision following Netflix and Best Buy’s high-profile announcements that they will exclusively stock Blu-ray products,” Ogg reports.
“While Netflix and Best Buy were pretty damning evidence that the end was near, now it’s glaringly obvious: it’s over for HD DVD,” Ogg reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Adam W.” for the heads up.]
That must be the final blow.
HD-DVD will have to spend the rest of its life waiting for Microsoft in hell.
Nice. It looks like Apple has backed another technology that prevailed over lesser competitors. This can’t make MSFT too happy.
uh, Mathias, Microsoft is Hell’s landlord.
It’s NOT over.
The Windows market share alone will be all it takes to propel HD DVD well into the future—blazing past Blu-Ray. Add to that Microsoft’s high threshold for quality and consumer-focused DRM technologies and even a MAC lemming will see Blu-Ray doesn’t have a chance.
In the name of all things right and just Microsoft must prevail. Redmond, you are the only hope for consumers worldwide. Save us. Save us now. I can’t bear the thought of Microsoft not being involved in HD content delivery.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Wal*Mart switched to Blu-Ray? Oooooh That’s not good!
KNOCK OUT!
For the record, Apple was backing both formats. But having Wal-mart take sides is as damning as it comes. Expect Toshiba to stop funding this dying horse soon. The format war was a good thing while it lasted because it drop prices down. Now consumers should feel comfortable to Blu-ray and as demand goes up, production costs will go down. Then I might be able to afford a high definition system by 2015.
Zune Tang® …LOL
PS…I am not laughing with you but at you…LOL…snerk
@Zune Tang®
Unfortunately MS is not in the content business and it, the content business, has prevalently sided with BlueRay, it’s over buddy.
Just to make sure we all understand this; format wars are NEVER good for the consumers. When there is ONE format, manufacturers compete for their market share with features and price. When there are TWO formats, there are two market spaces with half the potential for profits. Those who want to compete in both spaces have to either build two separate lines of products, or build a hybrid product (if applicable), or bet on one format ultimately winning and ignore the other half of the market.
We are all still suffering the consequences of a stalemate between DVD-R and DVD+R (and RW). These discs would have ultimately be even cheaper (as would have burners) had one single format won out. The prices would have dropped sooner as well.
Let’s now hope for a rapid decline in prices for players, burners, blank discs and movies on BD.
When will people realize that Zune Tang is satire? This latest was pretty darn funny.
I too laugh at those that claim this stupid HD format war helped lower prices. There was no format war when DVD came along 10 years ago, and yet prices of both DVD players and movies dropped rapidly on their own anyway. All this war actually accomplished was to delay mass adoption of either format. Thankfully that is all over now with the death of HD-DVD.
Bang bang bang … nails into the coffin.
Adios HD DVD.
It’s always good to see Microsoft put their full weight behind an inferior technology and get such fantastic returns! Not everything can be like Windows.
Zunr Tang is the most annoying post here … followed by all those that must continually inform us that he is using satire …. fine … we get it … doesn’t mean he is funny … actually Zune has become a copy and paste kinda poster ….
Apple must be upset. That is, if they’re as anti-DRM as they like to spin it. HD-DVD had no region locking and had less DRM. BD has MORE DRM and isn’t as good for consumers.
I guess the people at Sony are sitting there, their mouths open. It’s the first format war they have even won.
looks like Blu-ray players will be this holidays gift of choice. I expect to see $199 players and $20 discs by then.
Zune Tang has a skill, and is just bored these days, most of the world know him as “Bagdad Bob”
I wish Wal-Mart sold TV.
Would save me some mileage.
“by June, [Walmart] will stock only Blu-ray Disc players,” Erica Ogg reports for CNET… “it’s over for HD DVD”
I dunno about that. Personally, I’d like to hear Eric Vorbis’ take on this.
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@TowerTone
I get that you’re kidding here, but I feel the need to chime in…
Sam’s Club sells Apple TV (which happens to be owned by Wal-Mart, by the way). The nice thing about Sam’s Club is that they have a 100% lifetime satisfaction. You never need to buy an extended warranty to get a broken item replaced by a newer model, or even a cash refund. In fact, to return an item, it doesn’t even have to be defective.
Just keep your receipt, and if you’re ever dissatisfied, take it back. Actually, for this reason alone, I wish they sold Macs. My Powerbook has an issue with it’s power cord receptacle, and had I purchased it from Sam’s Club, I could replace it with a new Macbook Pro.
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