Wal-Mart To Offer $299 "HD DVD" Player

[Apulo]

I have to admit that the formats are quite similar. I do prefer BR for the larger capacity but my rooting for BR is almost irrational considering I have no stake in the outcome.

Heh, as long as both stay so hideously expensive for both drives and discs (I'm particluarly interested in a large optical disc for data archival) neither gets my money. DVD will do nicely for now and the near future.

Let's see discs drop below $1 a piece and drives below $100 and we'll talk.

[Hulk]

Heh, as long as both stay so hideously expensive for both drives and discs (I'm particluarly interested in a large optical disc for data archival) neither gets my money. DVD will do nicely for now and the near future.

Let's see discs drop below $1 a piece and drives below $100 and we'll talk.

I agree. I'd go as high as $250 for a computer player/recorder. BR recorder/players are holding steady in the $500 range.

[Claymonkey]

Never said it was rational. As for a fave it lately is what comes from a large amount of research based on what I'm buying.

[Jerry Jones]

Another interesting column about the Wal-Mart factor:

http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback184.html

There is one retailer that has the power to call the winner of the protracted Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD fight and that vendor is Wal-Mart. Over the weekend they apparently leaked plans to bring in a massive number of low cost (possibly sub $200) HD DVD players for Christmas.

So, if this move by Wal-Mart is true , and it appears to be (but we won’t know for sure for a few months yet), the format war is likely over and Wal-Mart has declared the winner.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Nowhere]

So, winner...in the same manner as single layer DVD blanks "won" over dual layer - initially much cheaper, always (even more) cheaper.
And I guess the thing with single vs. several layer blanks is why I don't like HD-DVD winning...the only affordable media ever will be single layer, I think. And even Bluray isn't such big jump in capacity like CD->DVD. Much less HD-DVD...

[Jerry Jones]

Here's a new twist.

The PCMag.com Web site now features an article in which Wal-Mart is said to be denying the substance of the original story:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2122715,00.asp

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net