Best Buy to Recommend Blu-ray over HD DVD

[NaitoSan]

Best Buy to Recommend Blu-ray as the Customer's Digital Format Choice
Monday February 11, 3:31 pm ET


MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY - News) is taking a step forward in addressing consumer confusion about high-definition formats. Beginning in early March, the leading consumer electronics retailer will prominently showcase Blu-ray hardware and software products in its Best Buy retail and online channels in the United States.

“Consumers have told us that they want us to help lead the way. We’ve listened to our customers, and we are responding. Best Buy will recommend Blu-ray as the preferred format,” said Brian Dunn, Best Buy’s president and chief operating officer. “Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them.”

Dunn continued, “Best Buy has always believed that the customer will benefit from a widely-accepted single format that would offer advantages such as product compatibility and expanded content choices. Because we believe that Blu-ray is fast emerging as that single format, we have decided to focus on Blu-ray products.”

“With the explosion of HDTVs, customers are hungry for quality, high definition content. We believe our move to feature Blu-ray should help consumers feel confident in their hi-def content choices,” said Mike Vitelli, Best Buy’s senior vice president, Home Solutions. “Best Buy is excited by the next generation of digital products and we know our customers are too. We are excited about helping customers find the right mix of products and services to make the next generation of high definition entertainment technology come alive for them. We believe that Blu-ray is the right solution for consumers.”

Best Buy currently carries a wide array of Blu-ray hardware and software products. The company noted that it will continue to carry an assortment of HD-DVD products for customers who desire to purchase these products.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY - News) operates a global portfolio of brands with a commitment to growth and innovation. Our employees strive to provide customers around the world with superior experiences by responding to their unique needs and aspirations. We sell consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services through nearly 1,300 retail stores across the United States, throughout Canada and in China. Our multi-channel operations include: Best Buy (BestBuy.com, BestBuy.ca and BestBuy.com.cn), Future Shop (FutureShop.ca), Geek Squad (GeekSquad.com and GeekSquad.ca), Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers (PacificSales.com), Magnolia Audio Video (Magnoliaav.com), Jiangsu Five Star Appliance Co. (Five-Star.cn) and Speakeasy (Speakeasy.net). Best Buy supports the communities in which its employees work and live through volunteerism and grants that benefit children and education.
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Industry_Trends/Best_Buy/Best_Buy_to_Recommend_Blu-ray_over_HD_DVD/1455

Other blow to HD DVD. Wow.

[Redshirt #24]

And I think to myself: they weren't before?

This format war is/was about marketing. And as much as I wanted and still want HD DVD to pull off something great, they've royally screwed the pooch WRT marketing. It's like a bad Amiga flashback.

[Bad_Boy]

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/SBrooks2006/0211081733a.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/SBrooks2006/0211082050.jpg
:p

[NaitoSan]

LOL yeah that was from the forum at high def digest. Thought that was pretty funny.

[Lyme]

Best Buy might be the next company to get sued for misleading the public on the viability of hd-dvd's.

[six_storm]

Yikes, this isn't good for HD-DVD.

[Butter Bandit]

Best Buy might be the next company to get sued for misleading the public on the viability of hd-dvd's.

Suggesting HD-DVD would REALLY be misleading the public on the viability of HD-DVDs :p

[ViN86]

“Consumers have told us that they want us to help lead the way. We’ve listened to our customers, and we are responding. Best Buy will recommend Blu-ray as the preferred format,” said Brian Dunn, Best Buy’s president and chief operating officer. “Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them.”

i think what they mean to say is, "sony has paid us and everyone else a ridiculous amount of money to start pushing their (currently) inferior product that hasnt even been finalized yet. lucky for us, consumers are stupid and dont know any better, therefore it will not hurt our busines. so we will comply."

[Mr. Hunt]

i think what they mean to say is, "sony has paid us and everyone else a ridiculous amount of money to start pushing their (currently) inferior product that hasnt even been finalized yet. lucky for us, consumers are stupid and dont know any better, therefore it will not hurt our busines. so we will comply."

Actually by customers I assume they mean $$$... which with Blu-Ray outselling HD-DVD 2 to 1... who is to say they are wrong?

[ViN86]

Actually by customers I assume they mean $$$... which with Blu-Ray outselling HD-DVD 2 to 1... who is to say they are wrong?
well.... Best Buy does.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/24/news/companies/bestbuy_hdtveducation/index.htm

Best Buy: Consumers baffled by HDTV

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As Best Buy gears up for its important high-definition TV sales months, a new survey from the No. 1 electronics retailer reveals that almost 90 percent of Americans still don't understand HDTVs - and close to 50 percent underestimate the cost of buying one.

This is especially troubling for Best Buy (Charts, Fortune 500) as the retailer is banking on flat-panel HDTV purchases to fuel a big chunk of its fourth-quarter profit and sales.

The November-December period typically accounts for more than half of retailers' profits and sales. For Best Buy, the year-end holiday shopping period is estimated to account for nearly 70 percent of its annual profit.

What's more, the retailer also needs to reduce the high number of returns for flat-panel TVs that it was plagued with last year because of lack of awareness among its shoppers.

"We were getting a lot of anecdotal evidence that showed consumers were frustrated with their HDTV purchases," Mike Mohan, vice president of home theater merchandising at Best Buy, told CNNMoney.com Monday. "We felt that we had some gaps in key area of consumer education. That's why we decided to commission this study and really understand where the issues were."

The survey, which polled 1,012 consumers nationwide from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5, found that 89 percent of people said they lacked a complete understanding of HDTV technology.

most consumers dont even understand what high def is. they just say "hey look, it's blu-ray! remember those commercials? i dont know **** about it, but let's buy it, cause were uninformed consumers!". hell, i bet some of the retards even bought a BD player for their SDTV's.

:|

[A101Sugar]

I like how Best Buy has just now officially stated this. I work at BB and it has been obvious since day one. Personally I have supported HD DVD and I will continue to :p Biggest problem with HD DVD is lack of marketing, which in effect has let dumb consumers misled believing Blu Ray is better just cause of the advertising. Not to mention hearing it from bumb BB employees. (I have worked there since I was 16 and now I am 17, so not a bad job for my age, but once I turn 18 I will move on to big and better things.) The majority of the employees are idiots especially when you consider the new Personal Shopping Assistant and Customer Assistant labor model, which results in even more under trained and stupid people. So when you have a confused customer and all they hear is Blu Ray from employees the result is another Blu Ray player sold :( ) Another funny thing is the amount of Blu Ray players returned. in my store we always have at least 10 because of the lack of knowledge on how to upgrade firmware, not to mention all of the problems and flaws with the format.

[ntsck]

I wouldn't buy a BD or HD DVD from BB. MSRP FTL. Buy your HDM from Amazon.

[NaitoSan]

Me neither, very rarely I buy movies from BestBuy unless they have it on sale, otherwise I get them from Amazon.com.

[Mr. Hunt]

I wouldn't buy a BD or HD DVD from BB. MSRP FTL. Buy your HDM from Amazon.

Best Buy seems to be getting better... I rarely ever buy from them unless it is an impulse buy with a movie I really want to see... but they seem to be doing the thing they do with most of their new DVD releases which is have it for less the first week it comes out... I got Shoot 'Em Up for 25 bucks there first day it came out, now it is 35 bucks... but yeah I usually just order from Amazon... Prime ftw.

[S.I.N]

I think there being very responsible in doing this. Nothing will suck more to the average consumer than buying a $200 HD DVD player then finding out in the coming months that new releases wont be coming to it or the manufacture has dropped support.

[Lyme]

I wouldn't buy a BD or HD DVD from BB. MSRP FTL. Buy your HDM from Amazon.

That is part of the point. You are reasonably educated about the technology, prices, and the way the market is going.

On the other hand, I have a neighbor just a few doors down from me. She single, retired, and not very technically savvy. She bought a hd tv a few years back and a high-def cable box. She even bought a hd-dvd player a few weeks back (she called me over to upgrade it for her, because you need to put the update on a cd rather than a dvd). Her purchase was based on price.

Anyhow to nail the point home, when I was talking to her while upgrading the software on her hd-dvd player, we discussed the blu-ray/hd-dvd thing. I kid you not, she was concerned that if blu-ray won, that she would have to buy a blu-ray tv and blu-ray cable box, because they are hd. While I straitened her out, and you may laugh at the situation. Realize that, she has the typical if not slightly higher technical knowledge of the general public.

In my opinion, the greater public doesn't know about the different hd tv standards, and doesn't know about the hd player standards, and doesn't know about the hd cable/sat box standards, and cabling, etc.. Furthermore, they don't care, and they shouldn't. You should simply be able to buy a new tv, dvd player, cable/sat box, plug it in with simple and non-confusing cabling, and do your thing. The complexities of having to know the technology before you can really use it, is simply stupid.

They want a Apple, because it simply works, and you don't have to screw around with everything like Linux.

[Imbroglio]

And I think to myself: they weren't before?

This format war is/was about marketing. And as much as I wanted and still want HD DVD to pull off something great, they've royally screwed the pooch WRT marketing. It's like a bad Amiga flashback.

qft, best buy "discouraged" any employees from suggesting hddvd even prior to bd having the majority of studio support. there are posts everywhere from best buy employees that were pro-hddvd that were instructed to either push blue or purple, but not just red.

[emacs]

I think [they are] being very responsible in doing this.

yes. with HD DVD fading into history, it's best to focus on one format rather than two with respect to high-definition content.