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Wal-Mart Offering Home Theater Installation

Tue Oct 27, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Walmart, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In an attempt to position themselves as an alternative to Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Wal-Mart steps up their offerings.

Wal-Mart is the absolute last place that a home theater enthusiast thinks of when they’re looking for a new TV, speakers, or Blu-ray player, but it’s one of the first for many consumers. Wal-Mart takes the all-in-one store concept a step further today by announcing their new home installation service.

For a cost of anywhere from $99 to $339, customers can have their new television, computer, network or home theater set up by Wal-Mart’s team. The service includes a pre-purchase consultation and a tutorial on how to use the newly purchased equipment once it is set up.

So when you’re standing under the bright glow of Wal-Mart’s overhead lights this holiday season trying to decide between the Sylvania and the Westinghouse display and mulling over whether or not to shell out the extra few hundred dollars for a HTiB, you can take solace in the knowledge that a Wal-Mart associate will happily assist.

Source: Reuters

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Redbox Tests Disc Sales Through Kiosks

Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Redbox, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In a move that’s a bit less appealing than their ever popular $1 rental kiosks, Redbox has announced DVD sales kiosks.

Clad in black rather than the iconic red, the new “Vidigo” kiosks will test consumer desire to make full DVD and Blu-ray purchases through kiosks. While no definitive information exists on Blu-ray pricing, DVDs will run between $19.95 and $20.95.

Current Vidigo kiosks are essentially Redbox kiosks colored black, but the new kiosks will be designed with space in mind, and will be smaller and slimmer. The new space saving design was created with the hope that Vidigo kiosks will be featured in convenience stores rather than large retail locations.

These ‘sell through’ kiosks would be in direct competition with stores that already sell DVDs, but certainly appeal to studios like Fox and Warner who have less than favorable opinions of the Redbox rental kiosks.

Source: Video Business

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Anti-Kiosk Advertising Coming This Fall

Wed Oct 14, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

The Video Buyers Group really doesn’t care for kiosks, and they’re not shy about saying so.

In 1,700 stores across the country, advertisements will be featured stressing the value of the video rental store.

Rental kiosks are big business, and traditional brick and mortar stores see that as a direct threat. They’re not the only ones though, studios and distributors also seem to have a problem with dollar a day style rental kiosks, stressing that such pricing devalues the product.

Ted Engen, president of the Video Buyers Group (VBG) states that “This program underscores the advantage that traditional rentailers have. We have talked to Family Video, and they are joining efforts with us. We all want to [spread the message] to consumers that one dollar rentals are devaluing our industry.” Family Video, not currently a part of the VBG, has pledged its support to the program, and will be inserting this marketing campaign into 550 stores country wide.

He also draws a comparison in pricing between a video rental and a bottle of soda, implying that two hours of entertainment should cost significantly more than a carbonated beverage.

Titles such as 'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' and 'Orphan' are expected to be featured on upcoming posters, as these will be the first titles held back from Red Box by Fox and Warner Bros.

Source: Video Business

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Best Buy Details Insignia Blu-ray HDTV Combos

Fri Sep 25, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Best Buy, Insignia, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

Retail giant Best Buy has released details on their upcoming Insignia brand Blu-ray player HDTV combos. At $599.99, they run a scant $100 more than the equivalent drive free model.

Insignia isn’t the first name that comes to mind when thinking of home theater products, but it will almost certainly be on the lips of those searching for a cheap way to get into high definition this holiday season. Best Buy’s 32” Insignia HDTV/Blu-ray combo features everything that the $499 drive free model does, plus a Blu-ray player, at a price of $599.

The display is Full HD, and features a contrast ratio of 4000:1. Insignia’s new set also features a pair of HDMI inputs as well as ins for composite, component and PC. The set also features an Ethernet port that “lets you connect your TV to your home network” according to Best Buy’s site.

Little information on the Blu-ray drive is available, and the site specifications appear to be off, as the section detailing the built in player states a DVD player, rather than Blu-ray.

The Insignia Blu-ray HDTV combo has not been dated, but it can certainly be expected before the holiday shopping season kicks in.

Source: Best Buy

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Sony Moves Cautiously Towards Video On Demand Same Day Releases

Thu Sep 24, 2009 at 03:30 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In what Sony VP of strategic development Jason Spivak referred to as a test of the market, Sony will be releasing four films on both physical media and through Video On Demand simultaneously.

Slated to hit sometime this winter, Spivak didn’t mention specifics as to what movies would be a part of this trial, but he did touch upon why Sony in particular has been slow to adapt this idea. Movies that get rented could be movies that aren’t being purchased.

Sony’s VP of digital distribution, Sean Carey, agrees with this sentiment. “We’re very concerned about rental transactions cannibalizing ownership transactions,” he states.

The window between retail and VOD has been shortening over the last several years, with some companies more eager to make the jump than others. Warner is the forerunner, and has released most of its films on VOD day and date with DVD releases. The sales are with them, as they hold three of the top five spots in VOD sales over the last six months.

Lionsgate on the other hand, hasn’t had a single day and date release, though they’ve shortened their window significantly. President of digital at Lionshead, Curt Marvis is confident that the trend will only continue in the future, predicting “Ultimately, everyone knows all the studios will adopt a day and date position over time.”

Source: Video Business

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Blockbuster Closing 960 Stores – Opening 9,500 Kiosks

Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 01:45 PM ET
Tags: Blockbuster, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

It’s been a rough few years for Blockbuster. So rough in fact, that they’ve announced the closing of nine hundred and sixty retail stores across the US.

685 of those stores will be closed by year’s end, with the remaining 275 shutting down in 2010. According to their SEC filing, Blockbuster is ready to shut down up to 1,500 locations should the need arise. Clearly, Blockbuster is losing ground in the brick and mortar space, but they have a plan to rejuvenate their company, a plan inspired by their biggest competition.

Adding to the 497 current Blockbuster Express rental kiosks already deployed, the company plans to open an additional 2,000 by the year’s end. By 2010, Blockbuster hopes to have 10,000 rental kiosks in locations across the country.

That still puts them at around half of Red Boxes current install base, but Blockbuster seems to be hinting towards some major retailer support. Additionally, existing Movie Cube rental kiosks will be converted into Blockbuster Express kiosks thanks the acquisition of competing kiosk company The New Release.

Blockbuster also hopes to capitalize on their Total Access and On Demand services, which have a high profit margin and little upfront cost. Interestingly, while Netflix is listed as a competitor for Blockbuster’s Total Access movies by mail service, the name is absent from the competition list for Blockbuster On Demand.

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

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Blu-ray Prices Dropping – Retailers Call For More

Tue Sep 01, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)

Encouraged by increasing sales, many retailers are calling for a further reduction in Blu-ray prices.

Newly released Blu-ray discs cost an average of 12 percent less than they did a year ago according to Rentrak data. More excitingly, pricing on older “catalog” titles has dropped 33% to an average of $17.23. With prices down and profits up, retailers are encouraged and asking for more.

Steve Torr of InMotion Entertainment loves the new trend, but suggests that it might not be moving fast enough. “I’m of the opinion that Blu-ray pricing needs to go down faster,” he says. “I think a Blu-ray title should be $2 to $3 more than a DVD. The film buffs get it, but the everyday consumer just isn’t seeing the value in Blu-ray yet.”

According to Torr, online retailers only see catalog titles move when they are discounted significantly. He believes that a cut in the price of catalog titles would make those sales steadier, rather than coming only when the title is on sale.

An unidentified studio source told Video Business that “There is an overall industry attitude to pull the gap together between standard-def and Blu-ray catalog… everyone is trying to make it a little bit easier on the consumer. We want Blu-ray growth.”

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Paramount Launches Trial License Program for Redbox

Thu Aug 27, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Paramount, Redbox, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

Thanks to a recent agreement between Redbox and Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount titles will be available day and date at Redbox kiosks until the end of 2009

In what Redbox president Mitch Lowe calls “a positive step”, Paramount has agreed to a trial program wherein Redbox will receive DVD and Blu-ray titles on the day of release from Paramount, and in exchange Redbox will destroy said titles as soon as they are removed from the kiosks.

The trial period will last until the end of 2009, according to a press release from the companies, with Paramount reserving the option to extend the deal until 2014 should they desire. There is also an out clause, allowing Paramount to break the contract after two years.

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'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' Blu-rays a Month Early at Best Buy (UPDATED)

Tue Aug 25, 2009 at 07:30 PM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Universal, Best Buy, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

Reader photos are the proof in the pudding! AVAILABLE NOW!

'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz,' both slated for Blu-ray release on September 22, are available a month early as Best Buy exclusives!

We weren't sure if it was a typo when the Best Buy website listed the title as available for purchase today for $19.99 (suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98), but thanks to this photo from Nintendo Tim, we know the deal and the date are for real!


You can find the latest specs for 'Shaun of the Dead' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 22.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Shaun of the Dead (Blu-ray)

Three Arrested in Multi Million Dollar Blu-ray Theft Ring

Fri Aug 07, 2009 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In Florida, three people were arrested in connection with a series of Blu-ray thefts from stores amounting to an estimated five million dollars.

Making several trips to the same store in one day, mastermind Gregory Marinitz and his associates James Davidson and Tina Pallay managed to take a huge amount of merchandise over the time that they’ve been operating.

According to Orlando’s Channel 9, when police raided the home of Gregory Marinitz, they found more than 2,400 DVDs and Blu-ray discs as well as several hundred audio discs and videogames. Moving the stolen merchandise was done simply through eBay, according to the officers. While the three suspects face fairly serious charges, purchasers of these dirty discs will not be charged.

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