BJ's Wholesale Club stores to carry Blu-ray exclusively

[ganthc]

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6463556.html

Seems like another retailer is leaning blu in what will be a setup for this Christmas season where the BDA is locking down retailers to sell their players. I don't know where hd-dvd is or what they are doing, but this "Wait till November" strategy is terrible.

[videoworx]

but this "Wait till November" strategy is terrible.

It fits perfectly with their "let's price players so low, no other CE company would possibly want to compete for marketshare" strategy.

[esc]

Originally Posted by ganthc

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6463556.html

Seems like another retailer is leaning blu in what will be a setup for this Christmas season where the BDA is locking down retailers to sell their players. I don't know where hd-dvd is or what they are doing, but this "Wait till November" strategy is terrible.

More and more retailers are going Blu, but I can't help but think that Sony is still going to fall on their faces because all they have ever done is talk with their promises and slick press releases and fail to back up the product. (ok so not always, but its happened more than a responsible company should allow)

I am hopeful and just holding out to see what will happen in the next 12 months. I still absolutely believe that HD is a superior product, and the Europeans think so too as Blu Ray is not too popular over there and HD is taking off.

I thought that by now, we would be deep into the format war, but its barely even been a slug-fest. Come on Universal, show us you have something up your sleeves.

[Ruined]

The BDA is simply FUDing it up and trying to acquire as much bad news as they can for HD DVD big or small. They are going into overdrive with their PR because they can see a victory is not in the cards for them if they can't kill off HD DVD now.

We are still a good two months from the buying season. We will see how it goes then and who is doing the most business in player sales... Will it be Walmart, Sam's Club, CostCo, Best Buy, and Circuit City or BJ's and Target?

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

The BDA is simply FUDing it up and trying to acquire as much bad news as they can for HD DVD big or small. They are going into overdrive with their PR because they can see a victory is not in the cards for them if they can't kill off HD DVD now.

We are still a good two months from the buying season. We will see how it goes then and who is doing the most business in player sales... Will it be Walmart, Sam's Club, CostCo, Best Buy, and Circuit City or BJ's and Target?

I don't see how locking down B&M retailers is FUDing anything. There is reason to be concerned on the hd-dvd side. Even cnet.com is choosing a winner (http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9750763-7.html). To me, it seems that Toshiba is sitting on its hands rather than marketing...hoping for some bonanza during Christmas time. But they've only sold like 150k standalone players, and that is far short of the million they need to reach their goal. Not having plenty of b&m stores to sell their players is a negative that is beyond FUD. It's purely a business mistake to not have those players on the shelves.

[Ruined]

BDA and HD Promo Grp are playing two different games. BDA is about big spending, big PR, exclusive deals, and financial incentives for retailers. HD DVD is about smart spending, better consumer experience, pro-choice, and targetted marketing; let the competitor bleed money and blow through their funds, then strike when the time is right. July is most definitely not a month where consumers spend tons of money on electronics - when have you seen electronic retailers/manufacturers hyping, making deals, releasing lots of PR, and gearing up for a huge July?

HD DVD is waiting because they can win in the long term and they dont want to get caught up spending all their funds in a tit-for-tat war in July when there are little sales out there. Blu-Ray can't win in the long term, they have to end the war now - if they don't their prospects are a tie or a loss due to the inability to compete with HD DVD in price (both in hardware and replication). That is why you see BD deals like this popping up in July which isn't a big spending month - they really need consumers to give up on HD DVD before Q4 when the surge comes. HD DVD is saving the big guns until Q4, when spending goes through the roof around Thanksgiving and XMAS.

While the BDA's tactics might be successful for online forums where alliances and preferences seem to blow with the wind, in the real world HD DVD's strategy is working, too. They continue to have the best selling standalones and they are catching up in software sales (check dvdwars) even though there are 4-5x as many Blu-Ray players out there. Its not always best to fight fire with fire, sometimes fighting it with water works better.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

BDA and HD Promo Grp are playing two different games. BDA is about big spending, big PR, exclusive deals, and financial incentives for retailers. HD DVD is about smart spending, better consumer experience, pro-choice, and targetted marketing; let the competitor bleed money and blow through their funds, then strike when the time is right. July is most definitely not a month where consumers spend tons of money on electronics - when have you seen electronic retailers/manufacturers hyping, making deals, releasing lots of PR, and gearing up for a huge July?

Who says anything about July? This is all gearing for the Christmas time spending at the end of the year. Except now, hd-dvd will not have a presence for their Toshiba players at Target or at BJ's. We've all noticed the blu lean of Best Buy. Walmart seems content with not taking sides. It would be helpful if Toshiba tried to lock deals down to have exclusivity. Because ceding that territory to Sony is a mistake. Lower prices will help, but the BDA will be within the price point...I'm sure of it. If you think a $200 hd-a2 will change the tide, it won't. Especially when it's not being featured at Target, the second largest retailer. Marketing is about the long haul...establishing a brand with consumers. Right now, consumers see all blu-ray, and it's not just bd fanboys that are saying this.

HD DVD is waiting because they can win in the long term and they dont want to get caught up spending all their funds in a tit-for-tat war in July when there are little sales out there. Blu-Ray can't win in the long term, they have to end the war now - if they don't their prospects are a tie or a loss due to the inability to compete with HD DVD in price (both in hardware and replication). That is why you see BD deals like this popping up in July which isn't a big spending month - they really need consumers to give up on HD DVD before Q4 when the surge comes. HD DVD is saving the big guns until Q4, when spending goes through the roof around Thanksgiving and XMAS.

The BDA is investing in their brand, and in brand recognition during this "little sales" time of July. When the time comes for Q4 spending, there will be one brand that is better recognized. Not to mention that these marketing dollars have already been budgeted. It's nothing about ending the war NOW. It's about continued marketing and brand definition. Hoping for a surge where hd-dvd is steadily losing retail shelf space is not making those guns look very big.

While the BDA's tactics might be successful for online forums where alliances and preferences seem to blow with the wind, in the real world HD DVD's strategy is working, too. They continue to have the best selling standalones and they are catching up in software sales (check dvdwars) even though there are 4-5x as many Blu-Ray players out there. Its not always best to fight fire with fire, sometimes fighting it with water works better.

The online talk is almost just as effective as marketing on TV, magazines, and radio. So I checked out thedvdwars.com and guess what I saw. I saw Blu-ray dominant in all but one category (top 100), which was a tie.

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

Seems to me that despite Sony taking a hit over the last month on big name exclusive titles and Universal churning out more movies, the trend is still all blu. Positive thinking is good...but your arguments are sounding like the wishful thinking of "Iraq could still have WMD's, we just haven't found them."

[esc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

What Ruined Said

Hallelujah brother! Way to keep the faith! Can i get an AMEN!?

[Sehnzeleid]

At this point, I'd be happy to be any HD media or players at my local Sam's Club.

[dugpa]

What's BJ's? Sounds like some sort of adult video store. Guess blu-ray really is trying to take over the entire market.
As for HD-DVD, they need to be marketing now to build up anticipation for the holiday season, not napping as they appear to be. I've decided the HD-DVD promotion department is run by the same manatees that write family guy. They need to lock down retailer space and start pumping up demand for product now, not four months from now when most people have decided what they want and retailers won't have space available.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by dugpa

What's BJ's? Sounds like some sort of adult video store. Guess blu-ray really is trying to take over the entire market.

Apparently if you buy a lot of BJ's you get a wholesale on BDs or something.

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Derb

Apparently if you buy a lot of BJ's you get a wholesale on BDs or something.

Ah, so next time I'm in Vegas walking down the strip and I get solicited by one of the girls to "have a little fun," I should ask her what Blu-ray promotion she's offering with her services. Damn, Sony really does market well! Now we know how they're getting rid of all those old Fifth Element discs.
Street whore: "Hey baby, I'll give you head for $100, and you get a free copy of The Fifth Element on Blu-ray with it."
Me: "Is it the remastered or original disc?"
Whore: "Original."
Me: "Sorry, no deal. Besides, the whore on the next block was giving away a free Toshiba HD-A2."

[Sehnzeleid]

If there is any good news to this for HD DVD supporters, BJ's is behind Costco and Sam's Club (owned by Wal Mart) in terms of sales volume amongst warehouse clubs in the U.S.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by dugpa

Ah, so next time I'm in Vegas walking down the strip and I get solicited by one of the girls to "have a little fun," I should ask her what Blu-ray promotion she's offering with her services. Damn, Sony really does market well! Now we know how they're getting rid of all those old Fifth Element discs.
Street whore: "Hey baby, I'll give you head for $100, and you get a free copy of The Fifth Element on Blu-ray with it."
Me: "Is it the remastered or original disc?"
Whore: "Original."
Me: "Sorry, no deal. Besides, the whore on the next block was giving away a free Toshiba HD-A2."

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by esc

Hallelujah brother! Way to keep the faith! Can i get an AMEN!?

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Even cnet.com is choosing a winner (http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9750763-7.html).

I must need my reading glasses since I don't see what you're talking about. I see an update on things that have happened over the past few months and that's about it.

It's purely a business mistake to not have those players on the shelves.

I agree.

Peace...

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by tomdkat

I must need my reading glasses since I don't see what you're talking about. I see an update on things that have happened over the past few months and that's about it.
Peace...

From the article:

But just six months after the first Blu-ray players went on sale, the numbers show that the fight may be nearing its conclusion.

In yet another sign that two competing formats may be a thing of the past...

Though Warner Bros. says the timing isn't right and the dual-format disc will still be a viable business idea six months from now, it's looking more like it won't even be necessary.

I didn't even have to read in between the lines.