Canadian retailer offers break to owners of obsolete HD DVD players

By The Canadian Press

March 10, 2008


BURNABY - Canadian shoppers on the losing end of the high-definition format war will have some reprieve, thanks to electronics retailer Future Shop, which is offering to take now-obsolete HD DVD players in exchange for credit towards another purchase. The company said Friday that consumers who bet that HD DVD would prevail over Blu-ray technology - and lost when major backers of the losing format surrendered last month to a widen gap in sales - would get a $100 credit towards the purchase of an LG or Samsung Blu-ray and HD DVD combo player. The combo player would allow viewers to not only watch the HD DVD's they previously purchased, but also purchase winning Blu-ray discs. "We recognize that some customers will jump into Blu-ray, but others who invested in HD DVD, and started to build a library of movies, are interested in a transition and combo solution to the new Blu-ray home theater and entertainment experience ," said merchandising director Eric Stockner in a release. The offer runs untill April 3, and covers both customers of Future Shop and people who bought their player at other retailers. The HD DVD players, which still can play regular DVD's, will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Canada. Future Shop estimates that 35,0000 Canadians have invested in HD DVD players since the format debuted in 2006.

"The HD DVD players, which still can play regular DVD's, will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Canada"
Link to the club please? I want to join

Tricky bastards. They know they couldn't sell the combos then and there is no way to do it now. So why not slash the price by 100 bucks? Will they buy back those too?