Now that the format war is over and Blu-ray is the decided victor in the next generation of DVDs, retailers are stocking up on titles to try and push movie-watchers to go high-def.
Blockbuster Canada is one of them, and in Canada today the retailer announced it will expand the number of titles it carries.
In a press release sent to DigitalJournal.com, Blockbuster says:
In addition to the standard DVDs lining its shelves, Blockbuster Canada today announced its commitment to expand its Blu-ray offerings to customers. Blockbuster Canada made news in November 2007 when it introduced the Blu-ray format in all of its stores across Canada. Now, the company is positioning itself to become the customer’s Blu-ray headquarters for rental and retail products with an enhanced Blu-ray offering.
Positioned to be the Blu-ray headquarters? We'll see about that. Beyond the PR hyperbole, Blockbuster is bringing out something cool:
To highlight the availability of Blu-ray, Blockbuster stores across Canada will be installing Blu-ray kiosks in the centre of its stores. Featuring a 42-inch high-definition TV with movies playing via a PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) console, the Blu-ray kiosks will enable customers to experience the movie-viewing advantages of high-definition technology while also driving home the point that PS3 consoles double as Blu-ray players.
A spokesperson for Blockbuster told DigitalJournal.com the retailer is planning to get 200 titles in each store across Canada. Not a bad selection.
Consumer education is important if the format is ever going to succeed, and price point is the next important step to going mainstream.
Competing with online video, movie rentals can be expensive; in Canada you can rent a regular movie from Blockbuster for $6.09 (tax incl.), whereas Blu-ray costs $7.09 (tax incl.) at a few stores we called. A dollar more for a high-def title compared to regular DVD is not bad, but in order to compete with online movie downloads, we're hoping to see something happen with rental pricing soon.
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