I search and didn't see this posted. I was today at a nearby Spec's and I saw an employee removing all HD DVDs from the racks. I asked her what was the deal and she showed me a corporate memo to all Transworld chain stores that ordered to inmediately removed all HD DVDs, except for used ones, pack them and resend to corporate headquarters.

So no fire sale at least in FYE, Suncoast and any other Transworld store. My question is why? What are studios going to do with all the unsold HD DVDs? Destroy them? Recycle? To me it makes no sense at all.

I think this lends credence to the idea that the studios want to just destroy the HD DVDs so that they won't compete with the BD counterparts when they come out (or if they are already out). It also serves the purpose to make sure the consumer is not "confused" by the whole next generation thing as they will only see BD movies on the shelves.

I'm hoping this is only for B&M stores and places like Amazon and DD will get them and then sell 'em off... It'd be a waste if all those discs were just thrown away.

Don't tell me China slipped lead into the HD DVD supply.

At their prices I doubt the sales would have been anything to write home about anyways.

Maybe they'll all end up at Ross or Big Lots. I know a lot of Sav-On Drugstore stuff ended up there when they closed down their stores.

Just hopin'.

Most likely it will be deep discount and other online stores that will get the returns. Stores like Ross wouldnt have much market for hd dvd.

And so it begins...

Nah, they have CH-DVD.

It is certainly possible we have studios attempting to control the HD industry. Of course we'll immediately hear a "consumers made the choice" argument from them. And I will respond with the biggest yawn ever.

However, there is a cost point which the store will send them back. Transworld probably doesn't want to take the risk of losing sales because they figure people like us will be buying from Amazon and DeepDiscount anyway, and their HD DVD "sales" will just sit, collecting dust. So, why not take the credit and be done with it.

Best Buy hasn't removed their titles yet, and they have priced several at $10.49, which is a good sign. However, their online stock is curiously out of stock, so I'm wondering why the problem. Because it's not just a typical stock error.

Unfortunately, although I have my suspicions of movie studios, I don't have unconditional proof of studios attempting to herd consumers one direction by force (although we have a lot of circumstancial incidents over the last few months).

If DeepDiscount and Amazon suddenly no longer carry HD DVDs by the end of this month (or sooner), I will rest my case and say that in fact, the movie studios want to force HD DVD owners into embracing the Blu-ray format. I hope it doesn't happen.

Dude, what are you talking about!?! You were here when the format war ended, right? And when Toshiba threw in the towel?

Now you're pissing and moaning about some conspiracy between studios as they try and push consumers towards Blu-ray?!?! I hate to break it to you, Toby, but all that's left is Blu-ray.

Why wouldn't studios push people towards it?

So, you agree with my post. Awesome.

What he is saying is that your conspiracy theory is nothing more than sound business progression favored by the distribs. Unless you have a different rationalization of what it entails to stop supporting a dead medium then I am pretty sure he disagrees with your observation.

Pro-B

If Blu-ray had such a lead over HD DVD as proposed by some, then why would movie studios fear HD DVD sales by pulling HD DVD titles which would, theoretically, interfere with their High-Def agenda? Seems to me HD DVD would be a small drop in the Blu-ray Lake of HD.

There's only one reason why they would pull HD DVD titles (ok, maybe two). And isn't because of the natural order of doing business. It's because of fear and price control.

But like I said, until there are more incidents of stores pulling their HD DVD titles and sending them back versus selling them, I'm withholding my...theory. Hek, we already have Best Buy selling around a few dozen titles at $10.49, and if Amazon and DeepDiscount continue to clearance out titles, then let me say again, my theory will not end up as fact. And I hope it won't, quite honestly.

Borders Inc. has been doing this as well. They have only been given a small window in order to return HD-DVDs to the manufacturer in order to reason a full refund from them.

I heard there's some room in that landfill right next to all the unsold copies of 'E.T.' for Atari... Perhaps the unsold titles are going there.

uh...because DVD still exists.

I think Polizei was kidding, Pro-B. You know, humor?

There is a very small percentage of his writings that I find funny. The rest makes Tom Clancy look like an amateur.

Ciao,
Pro-B

The other question I have is the status of the WB HDs coming down the line, like I Am Legend and Twister. Are these going to become online exclusives or is Warner going to kaput them?

Dude, you're a riot.

Fear and price control? Really? Seriously?!?

No, it's called rallying around the victor and pushing the surviving HD format. The longer a perceived format war exists, the worse it is for HDM.

Are you going to piss and moan your consiracy theories when Huckabee doesn't show up on the Presidential ballots in November? Well, hopefully not. (Personally, I wouldn't be surprised). Why won't Huckabee be on the ballot? Because he lost the primary. Lost. It's no different than the Hi Def war. Blu-ray won the HDM primary. Now they can go head-to-head in the Presidential election with downloadable HD.

How apropos.

While Warner is supposedly going to honor their HD DVD agreement until the end of May, I do question if all of the scheduled discs will be released. If no store is going to carry them, outside of on-line vendors, there may be no need.

It will be interesting since WB is essentially the only studio with scheduled HD DVD left after March 25th.

I Am Legend should come out, it's too big of a title, although at this point it'll be crushed by the Blu-ray release.

fitprod

Best Buys pricing - I know this is about transworld, but lets reply to whats stated above about destroying product as apposed to selling it.

I think as a business they would like to take as least of a hit on online sales as possible in stores.

Most people who purchase stuff in stores are not exactly online shoppers, when you have a group of people taking advantage of a sale in the store by using their pricematch from the online source - they lose the maximum amount of dollar they were counting on from the casual consumer.

So they show online as being sold-out.

What I dont understand is why they have these prices marked as such, and even under the sold out option it shows that stores have limited avalibity. And then it says ready for in-store pick-up.

Kinda kills the whole program.

Is this necessary? Polezei prefaced his comments with full knowledge that his notion is just a theory and one that may be proven completely false.

If all these recalled titles don't end up for sale somewhere, and they do end up being destroyed, I think he may have a point.

It certainly is in the best interests of the studios not to devalue their IPs by allowing HD versions of their titles to sell for bargain basement prices. Understandable.

But that does fly in the face of "the market has spoken" rhetoric that has been flying around.

Add Borders to the list of stores that have returned all their HD DVD inventory.