Category: Media

Amazon’s Attempt at Helping Its HD DVD Customers

March 22, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 9 Comments

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:

Amazon, Media

Best Buy Giving $10 Million in Gift Cards to HD DVD Buyers

March 19, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 6 Comments

Best Buy Gift Card 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.

Amazon, Media, Tech News

Blu-ray in the News: High Prices & No Microsoft Love

March 13, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 6 Comments

Blu-ray 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.

Media, Microsoft, Sony, Tech News

YouTube Video Quality Soon Will Not Suck

March 11, 2008 Bob Caswell 10 Comments

Apparently YouTube is on the verge of making a big announcement since there seems to have been an announcement about the announcement (nice way to get double the press). And search engine Mahalo has already created a page dedicated to news on “YouTube High Quality” with a video (embedded below) showing an example of how it would work. All I can say is finally! Here’s hoping that’s the big announcement. I love YouTube, but man, can you think of a place online to watch lower quality video?

Media, Tech News, Web 2.0

Dear Microsoft: Get Netflix on the Xbox 360 and I’ll Buy One

February 25, 2008 Bob Caswell 11 Comments

Netflix Last week plenty of rumors were floating around about a potential Microsoft / Netflix partnership. The announcement was supposedly going to happen during the keynote address (by Xbox Live exec John Schappert) at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco last Wednesday. The concept: make it so Netflix’s 7,000 available “Watch Instantly” movies would be viewed easily on your TV via the Xbox 360.

Gaming, Media, Microsoft, Netflix

Amazon Drops Price of HD DVD Player to $99, Upconvert DVD w/ Free Movies?

February 21, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 21 Comments

HD DVD 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.

Amazon, Gaming, Media, Sony, Tech News

It’s Official: Toshiba Announces Death of HD DVD

February 19, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 10 Comments

HD DVD vs. Blu-ray 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.

Media, Sony, Tech News

Netflix Chooses Blu-ray, Big Blow to Any Chance of an HD DVD Comeback

February 11, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 8 Comments

Netflix Notwithstanding the price slashing Toshiba has been doing (HD DVD player with 7 movies for $129 compared to Blu-ray players starting in the $300’s), Netflix choosing to drop HD DVD by year’s end in favor of Blu-ray exclusivity is quite the blow to the HD DVD crowd. Thanks a lot, Netflix. Give me an online streaming experience in HD by year’s end, and you’re forgiven. See below for full text of the email going out to any Netflix HD DVD users:

Media, Netflix, Tech News, Web 2.0