Woolworths stores to stop selling HD DVD
That's it man, game over, game over
Woolworths has thrown its high street heft behind the Blu-ray Disc format. From March, it will no longer sell HD DVDs in its shops.
The change will coincide with the release of Pixar's Ratatouille, but while Woolies's shops will go Blu-ray only, the company will continue to sell HD DVDs online.
This move is the a result of a decision made after Christmas sales statistics were studied. In Woolworths stores, Blu-ray Discs outsold HD DVDs by a factor of ten to one over the seasonal sales period.
"Sales figures clearly show that the market is moving towards one format of high-definition DVD. The main reason is the success of Sony’s PlayStation 3 machine," Steven McGunigel, DVD buyer at Woolworths, said, according to The Retail Bulletin.
"Because [the PS3] plays Blu-Ray discs, there are over 750,000 homes in the UK that can view the new high-definition format. There is nowhere near that number of HD-DVD players around.
"Switching to Blu-ray only will provide one clear offer to customers in the format they want to watch high definition movies in."
Olivier Van Wynendaele, the European assistant general manager of Toshiba's Consumer Products Division, said: "While we’re disappointed by Woolworths’ decision, it is extremely early to spot which format will eventually win. We’re confident that HD DVD’s affordability, fantastic choice of movies, great consumer experience and upcoming promotions will help it continue to strengthen its share of the market.”
From March, Woolworths stores will have a Blu-Ray chart and back catalogue in all 820 stores across the UK.
COMMENTS
The Morons have arrived
(I bought HD-DVD because I knew it would fail! My Xbox360 HDDVD drive cost $149. It came with a free HD-DVD and a rebate for 5 more. Six "decent' discs... so my net cost is $0!)i
Let's see... you spend $149 but claim your net cost is $0?
Great... now send me $149 since it won't cost you anything! I'll even pay for postage.
"When I'm sat 5ft from a (good quality) TV I can hardly notice the difference between HD and SD. Most people I know can't tell the difference at all."
Let me know which home for the blind you folks live in and I'll get Mr.$149-$0, to send you one of his magic cheques. That'll get you new sets of rose tinted glasses
@Neil Jones
"Maybe, but so what? 10, even 5 years is a long time. If you go back 10 years to 1998, DVD was at about the same stage that HD-DVD/BR is now. So back then if I'd told you that high-definition DVD would replace DVD in another 10 years would you have stuck with VHS until now?"
The difference is now that the jump from DVD to HD is just irelevant to most people. When I'm sat 5ft from a (good quality) TV I can hardly notice the difference between HD and SD. Most people I know can't tell the difference at all.
It's comparable to the jump from XP to Vista, to most it's just not worth the effort. I don't think it will ever take off like CD/DVDs did. One of the reasons for this 'war' dragging on for so long is that it's just not generating much interest.
@Chris
"VOD and streaming downloads are going to replace physical media in the next 5-10 years."
Maybe, but so what? 10, even 5 years is a long time. If you go back 10 years to 1998, DVD was at about the same stage that HD-DVD/BR is now. So back then if I'd told you that high-definition DVD would replace DVD in another 10 years would you have stuck with VHS until now?
The real kicker
I bought HD-DVD because I knew it would fail! My Xbox360 HDDVD drive cost $149. It came with a free HD-DVD and a rebate for 5 more. Six "decent' discs... so my net cost is $0! Here in Canada HD-DVD and BluRay get equal shelf space and promotion in FutureShop and Best Buy... but I'm now just waiting for reality to set in. I'm looking forward to the HD-DVD clearance sales in summer where I'll be able to pick up and enjoy HD-DVDs and HD-DVD Combo discs with superior features and interactivity for a very low cost.
But here is the real kicker... whether you have BluRay or HD-DVD it doesn't matter because it actually isn't that much better than DVD (compared to HD-TV which is much better than regular TV).
Instead, for me, an LG 831 1080p upscaling DVD player ($70) and HDMI cable ($20) has been the best upgrade. I have rediscovered my entire DVD collection. I no longer care if BluRay or HD-DVD wins because they are both losers.... DVD is the real winner.
Ah, the optimism of the web/tech utopian!
"VOD and streaming downloads are going to replace physical media in the next 5-10 years."
In what fantastic parallel universe would that be, then? The one where everyone has access to cheap, fast, reliable, UNCAPPED broadband?
Or maybe you just forgot that a decent chunk of the couch-potato market has no broadband, maybe even no internet or computer at all, no intention of ever getting such things, and could care less about streaming downloading wotsits as long as they have the beers in and the football is on. Most of the rest have internet, which they think is only for email, websites and getting infected with the virus-du-jour, and is relegated to the corner of the back bedroom under a pile of unfolded laundry. Assuming they even have broadband they'd break their "unlimited" monthly download cap about 10 minutes into the first movie they tried to watch online anyway.
"It won't be long before you will be able to carry your entire media collection around with you on a chip no bigger than a grain of rice."
I know storage tech has come on in leaps and bounds, but that's about as likely to happen as me being able to listen to that media collection in my flying car on the way to work at the human cloning factory.
Besides, may I offer this insight into the future, as played out in our home: "Honey, the dog ate all of our movies and music! I *told* you not to leave them sitting on the arm of the couch!"
