An Amazon promotion good through June 9 has over 100 Blu-ray movies in the $14 to $20 range (with many around $14-$15). I thought this would be a good time to revisit getting into Blu-ray. The last time I checked out Blu-ray pricing on Amazon (my quick and dirty benchmark), the Playstation 3 was still the best deal.

That’s now a little debatable, but not really. At the time, the $400 PS3 price tag was lower than other players that weren’t also a gaming system. Now, Amazon has several Blu-ray players under $400 with the least expensive floating around $339. Still not even close to good enough, though. I’d take the PS3 for $60 more.

But even then, I don’t necessarily want a PS3. And I’m now used to the next generation of DVD players being priced in the $100 to $200 range thanks to HD DVD. If Sony’s plan is really to increase Blu-ray market share to 50% by the end of the year (that is, for Blu-ray to sell as well as regular DVDs), the company at least needs to half the price of its current best deal.

I’m not sure which company looks worse at the moment. Is it Sony by asserting such an aggressive goal while doing nothing to achieve it? Or is it Blockbuster with its whopper of an idea for movie download kiosks in stores? You decide.

For those who already have a Blu-ray player, here are some picks for movies that are pretty good and a good deal:

• $14.95 – Big Fish [Blu-ray]
• $14.45 – The Last Samurai [Blu-ray]
• $15.95 – GoodFellas [Blu-ray]
• $15.95 – Memento [Blu-ray]
• $15.95 – A Knight’s Tale [Blu-ray]
• $16.95 – Syriana [Blu-ray]

I purchased my HD DVD player with 10 movies for $174 way back in November. Today, to my surprise, I received the email below. This is much better than the company’s first attempt at treating me as a “valued HD DVD customer” and comes after Best Buy made a similar move. In related news, Amazon also has a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Blu-ray movie promotion happening right now.

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who purchased an HD DVD player from us before February 23, 2008,* you might like to hear about a special offer available from Amazon.com.

New technologies don’t always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50 off any products sold by Amazon.com.** Just use promotional code XXXXXXXXXX when checking out. The code is valid through April 9, 2009, so you have plenty of time to use your credit. Purchases from third-party merchants on our site are not eligible.

In addition, we’d like to share some of our top offers on Blu-ray discs, HDTVs, and other high-def technology and remind you that the Amazon.com Marketplace is available to sell items you might not want anymore as you upgrade to new ones. Also be sure to check out our monthly Amazon.com Early Adopters Delivers e-mail to find out about the latest technology.

* On February 23, 2008, the last manufacturer of HD DVD players announced it was ceasing production of those players.

** Offer cannot be used to pay for special-order titles, e-books or downloadable e-content, wireless service plans, gift certificates, gift-wrap, taxes, or shipping and handling charges. $50.00 promotional credit is per HD DVD player purchased prior to February 23, 2008–up to 10 units for a maximum credit of $500.00.

Sony CEO Ryoji Chubachi knows something we don’t. At a press conference a few days ago, he pointed out Sony’s plan to increase Blu-ray market share to 50% by the end of the year. How is this possible you might ask? Well, apparently new Blu-ray devices to be offered by Sony will include a model integrated into an HD LCD TV with Blu-ray recording functionality.

But that’s not all. While the vast majority of Blu-ray players out there are the ones built-in to the Playstation 3, Sony has plans for cheaper Blu-ray players including a new focus on “IT devices.” (Because we all would adopt Blu-ray if only our computers had it, apparently). Last but not least on the list of reasons, more Blu-ray movies will be offered by Hollywood studios to entice you into switching to the new format.

All of this may very will be true, but none of it has happened yet. The Playstation 3 is still the best deal for anyone interested in Blu-ray. And that’s because you get a gaming system along with your Blu-ray player for the $400 you’ll be spending. Otherwise, your Blu-ray player options still seem to be well into the $400 price range.

And let’s not forget the cost of the movies themselves. HD DVD movies now are finally reasonably priced only after the format is pretty much dead. But Blu-ray? Does Sony really think that $27.95 is the new price for movies?

Plus, we’re seeing some serious momentum behind the move toward downloadable/streaming content. All things considered, though, I think the biggest challenge for Sony is that people seem just fine with good ol’ DVD. Sure, I could see this changing but only if the premium for Blu-ray (over regular DVD) was, say, 20-50%. I personally think 400%+ is a bit much.

*Update* Gizmodo has the news of a new Sony Blu-ray recorder release. I think the first comment is very telling:

“So now that Blu Ray won, we’re supposed to all run out and stock up on Sony products we never wanted in the first place? No thanks.”

Earlier this week Best Buy announced that it would offer $50 gift cards to its customers that purchased HD DVD players before February 23. Not only that, the company is giving some trade-in value for HD DVD players or movies, regardless of where they were purchased. Apparently Amazon wanted in on the good PR and has come up with its own way to hook up its HD DVD customers.

Here’s the deal I was emailed from Amazon since I’m a “valued HD DVD customer.” Links are placed exactly as they were in the email:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

Expand your high-def library with this amazing deal exclusively offered to our valued HD DVD customers. Receive two HD DVDs for free when you purchase any two Blu-ray discs sold by Amazon.com and the Samsung BD-UP5000 1080p HD-DVD Blu-Ray Disc Combo Player. Hurry–this offer is only good through April 2, or while supplies last. Discount will automatically be applied at check out.

Shop the sale now.

Gee, thanks, Amazon.

In defense of the deal, this Samsung player is the cheapest combo player I’ve ever seen at $450. But it’s funny that Amazon thinks I’m interested in a deal like this after I spent about one third this price for a player and 10 movies. I mean, I’ll go Blu-ray eventually. But we HD DVD price sensitive consumers need more than even this “amazing deal,” Amazon.

While this isn’t nearly as bad as Sony’s marketing mistake, it’s still a bit of an eye roller. In related news, don’t forget to check out Apple’s new way of “helping” its customers. This is quite the PR / marketing week with plenty of tech companies forgetting that not all consumers are clueless.

                                                    
I’ve always been into computers, gadgets, and the like, but it wasn’t until I spent a summer selling TVs at Circuit City that I developed an appetite bordering on obsession…or disease. But hey, choosing a TV isn’t really as easy as it might sound. And sifting through a barrage of pixel counts, refresh rates, and contrast ratios can quickly turn what was once an exciting ride into a dark, scary, and confusing place.

That said, after nearly a year (a YEAR!) of much research and experimentation, I decided on a Panasonic Plasma TV, and even my wife Jess was duly impressed with how great it looked. Having brought home and returned an embarrassing number of TVs, I was convinced that I had given LCD more than its fair shake and concluded that Plasma was the superior technology.

Flash forward to two years later, and while I have followed the many new advancements in technology, I find that much remains the same. Which at long last brings me to the impetus for this post: my own personal rematch of the epic battle between LCD and Plasma!

Since the official end of the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war a month ago, I had picked up a PS3 and was excited about watching movies in HD. But I had begun to wonder whether my fancy new DVDs might look even better on a set with a higher resolution, which was one aspect (perhaps the ONLY aspect) where LCD has historically had Plasma over a barrel.

A few days ago, I saw a sale on a Samsung 1080p LCD at Circuit City, and my mind started to churn. It had been two years, after all. Maybe LCDs had come a long way since the ones I had tried in the past. Maybe the added resolution was worth any of the problems I’d seen before like off-angle viewing and poor black levels, and I’d save on my electric bill! Maybe there actually was something to what those LCD enthusiasts had been saying all along!

So a couple nights ago, Jess gave me a little pop quiz before she agreed to let me delve into the madness once more. It was three questions. I failed miserably. She even gave me one point out of sheer pity. Even then, she let me get it, knowing full well that it would be back at the store in less than 24 hours.

She was right.

I picked up the Samsung, took it home, and within thirty minutes of setting it up, I realized that, in the words of Gob Bluth, “I’ve made a huge mistake.” I could get into a lengthy discussion about what I saw or didn’t see, but this post is already far longer than I’d intended, although Jess could’ve told you that would probably happen.

Suffice it to say that the Samsung was back in its box within an hour, and peace was restored to the Shumway home as the Plasma reclaimed its rightful place as the clear, superior technology. In a nutshell, unless you are looking for a TV smaller than 42″ or you find a killer deal, there really is no situation I have experienced where the performance of LCD trumps Plasma.

Related Links:   Plasma TVs     LCD TVs

Best Buy is giving $50 to anyone who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23. The company said that customers “won’t have to do anything to receive their gift card.”

The gift cards will be mailed out automatically to all customers Best Buy can identify as having purchased an HD DVD player (like online customers or members of its rewards program). Any other customers can get their gift card with proof via a receipt or credit card. See below for full press release.

Best Buy also plans to offer trade-ins for players and HD DVD movies, regardless of where they were purchased, through its online trade-in center. I purchased my HD DVD player (and 10 free movies) via Amazon. Currently the trade-in center will only allow me to trade in the player with a maximum of 6 movies for a total of $54 (assuming excellent condition).

But remember that HD DVD players work very well as upconvert DVD players. Plus, most of my movies work as regular DVDs as well. So I think I’ll be hanging on to HD DVD a little while longer. That is, until I make the switch to Blu-ray. But considering Blu-ray prices are at a high and more than double what I paid for my HD DVD player, I’m not expecting the switch to be anytime soon.

Press Release:

Best Buy Stands Behind Customers By Awarding More Than $10 Million in Gift Cards to HD-DVD Purchasers

Leading Consumer Electronics Retailer will Send $50 Gift Cards to Customers Who Purchased an HD-DVD Player from Best Buy in the U.S.

MINNEAPOLIS –(Business Wire)– Mar. 19, 2008 With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.

“The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven’t seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago,” said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. “At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers’ frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs.”

Most Best Buy customers won’t have to do anything to receive their gift card. As a demonstration of its commitment to its customers, Best Buy will proactively mail cards to all customers that the company can identify as having purchased an HD-DVD player. Members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase on BestBuy.com should look for their gift cards in the mail by May 1. Other customers who may not be easily identified can call (888) BEST BUY to receive their gift cards with proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.

“The beauty of this offer is that it doesn’t require our customers to give up their HD-DVD player,” said Barry Judge, chief marketing officer for Best Buy. “We know that many people who purchased these players have HD-DVD movies that they would like to continue to watch. We’re telling our customers they can keep their players to play these movies as well as their older DVDs and use the $50 to treat themselves to anything else in our stores.”

HD-DVD players can actually deliver greatly enhanced video performance with standard DVDs by upconverting the video resolution.

Beginning on March 21, customers who do want to get rid of their HD-DVD players can visit Best Buy’s Online Trade-In Center at http://www.bestbuytradein.com. Visitors to the site will receive instant estimates of the value of their HD-DVD players and movies. Those who agree with the estimates can then ship their goods to the Trade-In Center free of charge by downloading a prepaid shipping label and will receive an additional gift card as payment for their trade-in. This service is open to HD-DVD owners regardless of where they bought their player.

For more information visit http://www.bestbuy.com/hddvd.

See more coverage and opinions via Techmeme.

Since Blu-ray became the next generation movie disc format of choice, the consumer supposedly has been better off. But Tom’s Hardware claims that prices of Blu-ray players are higher than ever and that now, in fact, is the worst time to buy.

Interesting. I’ve been tracking Blu-ray vs. HD DVD player pricing for the past year via Amazon and hadn’t noticed any recent increases. As of today, the Blu-ray players on Amazon are priced in the same range they’ve always been: the mid to high $300’s. Right now the cheapest Blu-ray player on Amazon is this Samsung for $357. I’ve seen it $20 cheaper, but I’ve also seen it more expensive.

The truth is, of course, that until Blu-ray players fall well below $300 (which I haven’t seen on Amazon), there’s no point in buying anything but the Sony Playstation 3. It’s $400 and has Blu-ray included. And HD DVD players are now the same price as upconvert DVD players. Amazon has this HD DVD player for $79 (via the TigerDirect link on the right).

Meanwhile, Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, today seemed to squash any rumors of Microsoft working on a Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360:

“Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience… We’re the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content.”

So there you have it. Since Blu-ray won the next gen movie disc war: Blu-ray prices aren’t coming down, HD DVD players are the new upconvert DVD, and digital distribution seems to be where Microsoft is headed. More coverage and opinions via Techmeme.

For anyone keeping score since Blu-ray won the next generation movie battle, HD DVD players are now $99. And that’s with 7 movies included. Considering these players also work well as upconvert DVD players (DVD players that convert and play regular DVDs at a slightly higher picture quality), in some ways, it’s actually the best deal on the market if you’re looking for a good DVD player.

If you value the 7 movies included (incidentally, most regular DVD players don’t come with free movies like this) at the discounted price of $10 per movie, then you’re effectively getting a nice DVD player for about $30. Retailer Play.com is using similar logic, as it relabeled all its HD DVD players for sale as upconvert DVD players (but Play’s deal isn’t nearly as good as Amazon’s).

And remember that Blu-ray players are well into the $300 price range. The best deal available is really the Playstation 3 for around $400; you may as well get a gaming console if you’re already willing to spend over $300 for the next generation of movies. I agree with Saul Hansell who writes for the NYTimes blog BITS:

“I suspect Sony’s Blu-ray will have a hard time for a few years, but not because of downloading… The competition for Blu-ray players is the latest generation of DVD players that can generate a high-definition picture from a standard-definition disc.”

*Update* There’s a rumor floating around that the Xbox 360 HD DVD player will be dropping to $49. It currently includes 6 movies with purchase (until the end of February 2008).

TechConsumer News is a feature we started out of a hobby of tracking the latest happenings within the consumer related technology sphere. The goal is to provide a concise, compiled overview of the most intriguing stories from the last few days. Feel free to give us feedback or send us tips. If you like what you find, you can subscribe via email or RSS.

Here’s the latest in TechConsumer news:

Nintendo announced plans to ship a new exercise product called Wii Fit on May 19 (in the U.S., already out in Japan). It comes with a weight-and-motion sensing device called the Wii Balance Board and will sell for less than $100. It will measure your shifting weight and walk you through exercise routines.

According to Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo’s U.S. division, “Wii Fit is all about breaking the definition of videogaming, about something that keeps you and your family fit and engaged.” Nintendo has already sold 1.4 million copies of Wii Fit in Japan in just the past few months.

Amazon.com has followed other retailers and announced a preference for Blu-ray hardware. “The high-definition landscape is rapidly changing, and consumers are looking for guidance on how to make the best high-definition buying decisions,” said Peter Faricy, vice president of movies and music at Amazon.com. He continues:

“Our customers have clearly voiced their support for the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray titles have increased from just over half of our high-definition sales to over three-quarters of our high-definition sales since early January. In order to best serve our customers, Amazon is recommending Blu-ray as the preferred digital format and will continue to carry the ‘Earth’s Largest Selection’ of Blu-ray products.” Also, for those with plenty of spare time, Wired explains the rather lengthly process of converting HD DVDs to Blu-ray.

Some top technology companies, including Intel, Microsoft, Dell, and Advanced Micro Devices, decided to form the PC Gaming Alliance, a group that plans to promote the PC as a gaming platform. Other PCGA members include Acer, Epic, Nvidia, and Razer USA. According to a press release, the alliance plans to “accelerate innovation, improve the gaming experience for consumers and serve as a collective source of market information and expertise on PC gaming.” But some are not very convinced that it will amount to much.

Toshiba today announced that, “it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.” March 2008 will be the month when the plug is pulled. Just in the last month, we’ve seen Warner Brothers become the latest Hollywood studio to go for Blu-ray while both Blockbuster and Netflix announced plans to phase out HD DVD.

And let’s not forget Wal-Mart’s announcment of “Blu-ray only” plus Best Buy saying Blu-ray is the “preferred” format. Despite some analysts thinking this war could have gone on for another year, Toshiba was quick to cut its losses and move on. It’s just as well; the format war wasn’t doing consumers any favors. But who do we talk to in order to get Sony to move Blu-ray down to a reasonable price?

Last I checked, Amazon is selling an HD DVD player with 7 movies for a record low of $109 (that’s close to the same price as many “upconvert” regular DVD players but with free movies). Although, that kind of pricing isn’t likely to matter much anymore; prepare to spend big on the next generation of movies. Blu-ray players are still 3x the price of HD DVD. All of them listed on Amazon are well into the $300’s or higher.

See below for Toshiba’s press release:

Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses

19 February, 2008

Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content

TOKYO–Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.

HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.

“We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called ‘next-generation format war’ and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,” said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. “While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.”

Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies.

Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand.

This decision will not impact on Toshiba’s commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.

Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.