One of the largest retail chains in the United States is taking a stance that could possibly push the industry into choosing a winner between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Target, a well respected retail chain and a fierce competitor with the Wal-Mart franchise, has recently made some moves that favor the Blu-ray format.
When Target first started to carry the high def formats last year, they were pretty neutral in terms of which was the better format as they reserved 12 title slots for each. However, recently it has been noted that at a few Target locations in the Los Angeles area carry 24 title slots for Blu-ray while HD-DVD remains at the original 12. At a Philadelphia Target, there was four times the space for Blu-ray titles as there were for HD-DVD.
Furthermore, beginning in October, Target will offer Sony’s $499 Blu-ray player as their chief high def set top box. Andy Parsons, chair of the promotion committee for Blu-ray had this to say, “The message to the consumer is that one of these [formats] is dominating. You’ll go with the masses and pick titles from the one that is likely to win.” Target had no comment.
This can only mean great things for Blu-ray as it continues to establish itself as the future HD format for consumers. The holiday season is just around the corner and it is going to be interesting to see how the battle between the Sony’s format and HD-DVD turns out. Stay with PlayStation Universe as we will continue to keep you updated on the latest Blu-Ray news as it is released.
Source: Video Business