In the war of Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD, each of the opposing camps seems to think that having an exclusivity deal is a powerful weapon.
It started in June, with Blockbuster making a big deal about going exclusive for Blu-ray in its brick-and-mortar stores (despite still offering both formats in its Netflix-like online rental service). Most recently, it was Paramount going exclusive to HD-DVD, meaning that, at least for the moment, the only place to get 'Transformers' in high definition is with that format.
Now comes an intriguing new twist. According to BetaNews, It looks like Kmart has chosen to stop selling Blu-ray players. The discount retailer cited the high cost of Blu-ray players (compared to HD-DVD players), which doesn't end up being a good value for its customers.
As we reported earlier this week, you can currently buy an HD-DVD player for under $200, and before the end of the year, they should be available for under $170 (you can get one for $100 tomorrow only at select Wal-marts). By comparison, the cheapest Blu-ray player currently clocks in at around $375.
Given that both formats offer the same video quality, Kmart is of the opinion that Blu-ray just doesn't make sense. Of course, given that this announcement is being made by the HD-DVD Promotion Group also suggests that some of this might be spin. Also, when it comes to influencing the minds of many shoppers, the name "Kmart" doesn't exactly have quite the ring it used to.
What is clear is that this war, if it can be called that, is destined to rage on for quite some time yet. HD-DVD players are definitely taking the value route while Blu-ray advertising seems to be targeting higher-end customers. Still, with Blu-ray players finally adding the ability to have tricks like picture-in-picture and other next-gen extras, which HD-DVD players have long-since offered, it looks like these formats are only getting more alike. With that in mind, the question of cost may be the deciding factor for many in the long run.
From BetaNews
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