Target Hits High-Def Bulls-Eye

After sitting out high-def's launch, retail giant Target quietly began carrying HD DVD and Blu-ray titles this month in its 1,000-plus stores nationwide.

While Target's adoption of the next-gen formats has been known to (and discussed) among next-gen DVD enthusiasts online for over a month now, the company itself has yet to issue any formal announcements. Home Media Retailing recently took an informal survey of Target's top outlets and found that have all begun carrying both Blu-ray and HD DVD software.

Both new releases and catalog were offered at a discount, with stores evenly allocating shelf display of Blu-ray and HD DVD titles side-by-side. Target's in-store marketing displays also explained that an HD DVD or Blu-ray player is required to play each format's respective software.

Despite the lack of a concentrated high-profile push for HD DVD and Blu-ray, the support of Target can only be seen as a major positive for both next-gen formats. HMR also found that local Target clerks were expecting the chain to carry both the Blu-ray-driven PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360, which should also help boost consumer awareness and sales for high-def hardware.

We can only hope Target's customer service staff is a bit more knowledgeable than Best Buy...