Wal-Mart seemed to be firmly in the HD DVD camp early in the format war, it's now gearing up for a nationwide promotion to up interest in the format war's survivor. With
HD DVD out of the way, the world's largest retailer is now turning to Blu-ray and marketing it aggressively, even though the price of its players may be out of reach for a significant portion of its budget-conscious consumers.
Starting next Monday and running through Saturday, consumers who purchase a
Blu-ray player from Wal-Mart will also be eligible to receive a $100 gift card valid for future purchases. To supplement the promotion, the company is also increasing the number of Blu-ray players it carries. Currently it offers only two players: one from Sony (the BDP-S300) and one from Magnavox (the NB500MG9). Beginning next week, Samsung and Panasonic players will also be added.
Supporting the promotion will be sales on several Blu-ray titles, priced at $15. These include 3:10 to Yuma, 300, and The Fifth Element. Early on, Wal-Mart had been working towards bringing low-cost HD DVD players to its stores, and was one of the leading companies behind a $99 player promotion during last year's holiday season.
"We are excited to be a destination for families looking to create a high quality, affordable home entertainment experience with our new, wider selection of hi-def TVs, Blu-ray players and movies."
06-06-2008, 10:32
Wal-Mart trying to lure more people to Blu-Ray
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