There’s news of another retailer ditching HD DVD in favour of Blu-ray – this time, UK high street retailer Woolworths. The announcement cites poor Christmas HD DVD sales as the reason for the move, while praising the PlayStation 3 and its in built Blu-ray player.
Here’s what Woolworths DVD buyer Steven McGunigel had to say on the move…
“Sales figures clearly show that the market is moving towards one format of high definition DVD. The main reason is the success of Sony’s PlayStation 3 machine. Because it plays Blu-ray discs, there are over three quarters of a million homes in the UK that can view the new high definition format. There is nowhere near that number of HD DVD players around. Switching to Blu-ray only will provide one clear offer to customers in the format they want to watch high definition movies in.”
Heard about this earlier today - not surprising really, least of all after the original news of blockbuster doing it all those months back….
Beginning of the end really for HD-DVD - just can’t escape the fact that the PS3 gave the format such a huge advantage from the get-go.
Comment by JohnSketch — Jan 28, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
This is only in store. HD DVD is still available online. Please don’t fall for the cheap headline trick ThreeSpeech, rise above it and report the full press statement.
Please don’t go down the road of becoming just another fanboy site.
Comment by GulfWarVet — Jan 28, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
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Pingback by WOOLWORTHS DITCH HD DVD | GameBlews PS3, XBOX 360, Wii, PSP, DS News — Jan 28, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
off topic.
Just posted this on the US blog:
Nice addition. Any chance you could phone up your friends in SCEE and teach them this stuff?
Would go something like this:
Hey SCEE, how’s it going?
…
Wow, that bad?
…
Your customers don’t understand everything your going through, they slate you daily on your PR company’s “semi-official blog” and in your EU forums?
…
Well, don’t mean to tell you your job and all but have you, you know, tried telling them whats up?
…
Yeah, talking to them.
…..
No, its really cool, go look at our blog for the US guys, they ask questions and we respond DIRECTLY in easy to see red posts. And the US customers seem to like it! Try it, we’ll send the code.
…
No problem.
SCEE aren’t listening to us so could you give it a shot?
Cheers, will buy you a drink if your ever in Glasgow.
Will it help? Maybe not but its 10 minutes innit?
Comment by Shrui — Jan 28, 2008 @ 6:51 pm
It was clear from day one 50G beats 25GB anyday!!
Comment by Fraser JK — Jan 28, 2008 @ 6:57 pm
First sentence of that quote -
BLU-RAY != HIGH DEFINITION DVD
It’s like saying a DVD is a ‘video CD’
I’m cranky ‘cos I never win anything
Comment by lxd — Jan 28, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
Is Blu-Ray one of the two ‘High Definition DVDs’? I think not.
Comment by Obli — Jan 28, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
@6: I also hate that! Blu-Ray is a format, people don’t call CDs “high quality records” do they. HD-DVD actually stands for high definition DVD so thats ok but blu-ray is called that for the very reason that the technology is different!
Comment by TheShirts — Jan 28, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
Yeah the technology might be different but both are used for the same purpose, to show HD quality movies. Thus, Blu-Ray is coming out on top in the competition of the two formats.
Comment by Nick — Jan 28, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
@ 4, I read your comment on the US blog, and as if to illustrate your point perfectly, you got a response from SCEA less than an hour later!
“jrubenstein replied on January 28, 2008 at 11:24 am
It’s not my place to speak for SCEE - but your point is understood and will be echoed to them.”
We can wait for months on end without a response from SCEE, but someone goes on the US blog to say SCEE are crap, and even though it’s absolutely nothing to do with them SCEA take the trouble to say “sorry about that, we’ll have a word”.
SCEE really need to take lessons from these guys. Given that the PS3 is set to outsell the 360 in Europe this year I think we’ve shown with our wallets that we’re a market they should be looking after better!
I think it’s high time SCEE drop the “semi-official” status of this site as they seem to use it as an excuse to stay silent - ThreeSpeech should become the official SCEE blog and SCEE employees should be given accounts to post news/comments and encouraged to interact with consumers in the same way SCEA employees do…
Imagine seeing one of those little red comments on ThreeSpeech from the SCEE employee in charge of updating the PSN Store saying “Sorry PAIN hasn’t hit you guys yet, there is a good reason though, it’s because… … it’s currently pencilled in to be released in X weeks and will be priced a £X/€X”
That would be the day…
Comment by Apnomis — Jan 28, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
@Apnomis
As soon as I saw the new US blog feature implemented I knew I would get a personal response real quick. Really does put SCEE to shame.
Anwyay, sorry for hijacking this thread. Back to Blu Ray….
Comment by Shrui — Jan 28, 2008 @ 8:27 pm
@ LXD, TheShirts - that bugs me as well!
Comment by Tom Eccles — Jan 28, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
It’s another nail in the coffin of HD-DVD… but it’s a slightly inadequate, rusty nail. I mean, let’s face it, Woolworths is crap. For everything. Anyone who’s been into the Cardiff branch will know it looks like the US military has used some Shock And Awe on the place. And it’s about the size of a postage stamp. And it’s expensive.
Comment by rooee — Jan 29, 2008 @ 8:54 am
Toshiba is not willing to bow out of the format war gracefully, therefore the retail shops will have to do it for them, in order to cut their losses.
The the rumour that Circuit City in the US is marking their HD-DVD player as clearance is correct, there is a chance they will probably turn Blu, exclusively. The other possibility is that Toshiba has already informed them that there will not be any other HD-DVD players coming their way. And maybe Toshiba is already retooling it’s production lines for Blu-Rays.
PS. Hmm , lots of hypotheticals in that last paragraph.
Comment by Savage — Jan 29, 2008 @ 9:01 am
I feel sorry for people who have bought films in HD DVD, it must be a huge slap in the face knowing that the format is going down. I know you can still get dual players but thats not the point.
If I hadn’t have bought a PS3 I would not have bought a standalone Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player I would have held off until this time for the above reason.
Blu-Ray is still too expensive, most high street shops want £20+ but then I know this is also the case with DVD. Online where I do my shopping the difference is a lot clearer.
Comment by Terry — Jan 29, 2008 @ 10:15 am
OH NO NOT WOOLWORTHS IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD FOR HD-DVD
Come on really, is this headline worthy news?
Warner was a BIG announcement. A chav-centric chain in the UK is hardly anything but a bit of chewing gum in the coffin for HD-DVD.
Who here has bought anything from Woolies recently?
This site REALLY needs to start playing up to the PlayStation brand more and doing way less of crapping on something that is sort of a competitor to it.
If you keep posting tripe like this you’re just going to become another fan site.
Comment by Arthur the Magnificiant Squirrel — Jan 29, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
… and just to jump the gun, what do i want from this site?
I want the equivalent of Major Nelson. Just let us know what is coming out on the PSN, what developments are in store for the PSP or PS3. Things you’ve found that are interesting or promote useful discussion.
I can go to ANY other PlayStation site to read trash talk and fanboy speak. I expect more from a Sony site like this, something more grown up.
Major Nelson has got it nailed. You feel connected.
Comment by Arthur the Magnificiant Squirrel — Jan 29, 2008 @ 12:22 pm
Response to point 17. I am a PS3 owner since launch but also own a 360 and Wii. I totally agree with the point about Major Nelson, I download his show everyweek of itunes and for people interested not only in games but the industry it is a worthwhile listen it is obviously biased towards Xbox and Microsoft but why do we not get something like this from Sony? With Home on the horizon(hopefully) and this is the new social gaming network it would be nice t hear from a Sony version of Major Nelson about what is happening in the world of PS3 in a grown up manner.
Comment by Mumraa — Jan 29, 2008 @ 1:02 pm
@17 Fan Boys and trash talk?
On ThreeSpeech that is unheard of!
You Speaketh blasphemy!
Comment by JohnSketch — Jan 29, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
@ Arthur the Magnificiant Squirrel
Before you give your smart-ass comments perhaps you should do a little Google searching. If you had you would have known that Woolies is now the biggest reseller of Blu-ray in the UK, with sales rising a massive 40% every month.
So it may be a chav-centric chain, but it is also a chain of 820 stores that is leading the UK’s adoption of HD movies. So from the UK perspective, which is the perspective of this site, it is a very important victory for Blu-ray.
It is also the first major reseller to go format exclusive, that in itself is big news in itself. When Blockbuster became the first rental chain to go Blu-ray exclusive it was big news, so Woolies becoming the first retailer to go format exclusive is also big news.
As they say there’s no smoke without fire, and if HMV and Zavvi and the like start seeing Woolies soaking up all the next-gen disc sales with their Blu-ray exclusive displays and Blu-ray chart in every store, don’t you think they will consider doing the same?
Blu-ray out selling HD-DVD 10 to 1 in a major high street store is a big achievement, shelf space is an expensive commodity in retail and if Blu-ray sells more, Blu-ray will get the shelf space.
Toshiba can make their players as cheap as they like but if the average consumer can’t walk into a store and pick up a movie the format will fail, and fail quickly. If more retailers relegate HD-DVD to the realms of online stores only Toshiba may as well throw in the towel.
So in summary, it is big news and it is relevant news. Like it or not the fate of the PS3 is entwined with the fate of Blu-ray, and ThreeSpeech are right to report on the latest developments of both.
Comment by Apnomis — Jan 29, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
So Sony’s trojan horse idea worked then…
Comment by Zed Zee — Jan 29, 2008 @ 5:17 pm
WOOLIE BULLIES
Comment by E-ROLE — Jan 29, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Saturn (large high street electrical retailer) have offered - Part exchange your HD-DVD drive for a new blueray player…
http://www.chip.de/news/Saturn-Blu-ray-kaufen-HD-DVD-in-Zahlung-geben_30235840.html
Comment by Phil — Jan 30, 2008 @ 8:03 am
I wouldn’t call this story “trash talk and fanboy speak” (17). It’s not directly mocking the 360 because Microsoft’s baby is not an HD-DVD product out of the box; likewise, the Wii.
I own a 360 and a PS3. They’re my babies; neither is my favourite.
(Except the PS3’s quieter.)
Comment by rooee — Jan 30, 2008 @ 8:32 am
@4 Shrui
Good on you shrui, I completely agree with everything you said.
For shame SCEE you are totally inadequate.
Get out of the way and let the yanks show you how to do customer relations and communications.
Comment by Ton Capone — Jan 30, 2008 @ 5:46 pm
HD DVD is on its final breath, but the BDA association needs not to drop its guard. Currently, they have their super bowl add and I wish BDA has something to counter it with.
Comment by illegalprelude — Jan 31, 2008 @ 6:32 am
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91221-1296065,00.html
Comment by Terry — Jan 31, 2008 @ 9:38 am
Just a little bit of trivia for ye all.
Interestingly enough Woolworths is the world’s most numerous department store, that’s a fact.
Comment by Ton Capone — Feb 1, 2008 @ 12:55 am
Right can people still start telling me where they get their magical information, figures and quotes from because I can’t find any of this information you all quote.
@Apnomis
Reading some of your stuff from other articles on here makes me want to write your comments off immediately. Please understand I’m not having a go at BluRay or HD-DVD. And yes I have all current generation consoles so I’m within my rights to talk about it all.
I really think it’s unfair to call my comments “smart-ass” its a very condescending way to talk to anyone, and is probably one of the reasons you get people’s backs up. It all just comes across as the worlds worst fan speak.
“If you had you would have known that Woolies is now the biggest reseller of Blu-ray in the UK, with sales rising a massive 40% every month.”
Says it all really doesn’t it. You haven’t changed anything with this fact. They sell lots of Blu-Ray, how does that compare with other stores? Its not exactly a clever comment in itself really is it? Shock, they turned to Blu Ray only.
“So it may be a chav-centric chain, but it is also a chain of 820 stores that is leading the UK’s adoption of HD movies. So from the UK perspective, which is the perspective of this site, it is a very important victory for Blu-ray.”
I don’t even know how to respond to that. You’re making up facts unless you have something to back that up with. How is it leading the UK’s adoption of HD movies? Bull. Its also worrying that you’re happy with Blu-Ray being associated with chavs! How funny!
I’d also like to ask where in woolies are the Blu Ray discs? I looked in two different ones in the last couple of weeks and there is nothing to be seen. Zavvi had loads, with equal shelf space for HD-DVD.
“It is also the first major reseller to go format exclusive, that in itself is big news in itself. When Blockbuster became the first rental chain to go Blu-ray exclusive it was big news, so Woolies becoming the first retailer to go format exclusive is also big news.”
Hardly big news, again. It was a very quiet story on the day, and nothing has really ever been said about it, or come from it since!
“As they say there’s no smoke without fire, and if HMV and Zavvi and the like start seeing Woolies soaking up all the next-gen disc sales with their Blu-ray exclusive displays and Blu-ray chart in every store, don’t you think they will consider doing the same?”
Guesswork. Who knows what HMV and Zavvi think? Its more than likely that they’ll look at their own sales figures and shelf space and decide for themselves. Thinking about the places that matter more, like Play.com - its unlikely that HD-DVD will ever disappear from their sites until they actually have no more to sell. I see they still sell SACDs.
“Blu-ray out selling HD-DVD 10 to 1 in a major high street store is a big achievement, shelf space is an expensive commodity in retail and if Blu-ray sells more, Blu-ray will get the shelf space.”
Again assumptions and conjecture, please show us how you came to these conclusions.
“Toshiba can make their players as cheap as they like but if the average consumer can’t walk into a store and pick up a movie the format will fail, and fail quickly. If more retailers relegate HD-DVD to the realms of online stores only Toshiba may as well throw in the towel.”
A very good assumption. However you’re only thinking about it from one point of view. Think of it from another. Cheap hardware COULD equal more sales. More people with HD-DVD standalone hardware shows increased definite support for the format, along with an assumed rise in sales of the HD-DVDs themselves. (as opposed to the assumed purchase of a PS3 means a consumer will purchase a BluRay disk)
It gives a nice package of figures for the HD-DVD camp to be able to show off if they pull it off. Along with this there is the assumed profits which put the camp in a much stronger position. Its just another point of view.
“So in summary, it is big news and it is relevant news. Like it or not the fate of the PS3 is entwined with the fate of Blu-ray, and ThreeSpeech are right to report on the latest developments of both. ”
I could do the same thing you did with HD-DVD, present a lot of convincing sentances that support my theories. To summarise, its not really big news, and is hardly relevant. The fate of Blu-Ray should not be intertwined with the PS3 and you should stop thinking that it is. Is UMD going to decide the fate of the PSP? Did the GD-ROM decide the fate of the Dreamcast? Answer is no. It never will because its simply a distribution format.
Comment by Arthur the Magnificiant Squirrel — Feb 6, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
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