Best Buy Clearing Out HD-DVD Inventory

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36628/118/' target='_blank'>http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36628/118/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&quot;Best Buy is apparently aiming for a quick transition to Blu-ray, as a reader has informed us that select Best Buy stores have begun get rid of their HD DVD movies with massive price cuts. Other Best Buy stores apparently are not even trying to sell HD DVDs anymore and are sending the movies back to publishers. We were able to verify our reader&rsquo;s observations at the Best Buy store in Dublin, CA. It turns out that the store is dumping its entire HD DVD stock: All movies are selling for $9.99, while TV shows are offered with a 70% discount.&quot;</em></p><p><img border="0" alt="" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/dht/auto/1206543264.usr14.jpg" /></p><p>Makes me wish I had an HD-DVD player because this is great news for current HD-DVD player customers. Although I wonder what the inventory is like. Plus, it really is a dilemma -&nbsp;with no support coming, I wonder how many people will invest in a dead technology. I mean they would have to continue keeping their player around for a long time in order to keep these movies running. What would you do?</p>

[David Tucker]

I'll be buying a pile of movies is what I'll be doing ;)

[Outlaw94]

The biggest fear I would have, if I owned HD-DVD player and movies, is what happens a year from now when my player breaks. If I had a couple hundred dollars in HD-DVD movies or TV shows that I can no longer play I would be really angry at myself.

They do have dual players (HD-DVD & Bluray) but for how long? Would a company release such a player three years from now if there are no companies making those dual players? I just don't see a company suporting a dead technology in the future.

All of that aside, one heck of a deal.

[Suhit Gupta]

Yep, I completely agree. The player breaking down is certainly a concern. But I am even more afraid of the clutter problem. For example, I have a bunch of music (which I haven't digitized out of sheer laziness) on cassette tapes. Now, until I digitize/rip them (or just plain listen to them), I am forced to hold on to my tape player.

Suhit

[Reid Kistler]

Alas, the local Best Buy has no remaining stock of HD DVDs.... (nor does Circuit City, for that matter)

Hopefully some bargains will show up on-line, although won't be adding very many in any case: upconvert works too well to make re-buying a title (just to get HD) worthwhile, and with the advent of DVR + HD broadcasting (U-Verse currently) it just doesn't seem attractive to OWN a bunch of disks....

rkistler / se mi