Blu-ray

Expect Blu-ray/HDTV bundles for the holidays

Samsung P-1400 Blu-ray player. Image: Samsung

It's been quite a busy few days for the high-definition format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD. First, Wal-Mart (WMT) confirmed that it has begun selling the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player in stores for less than $200. The next day Amazon (AMZN) and Circuit City (CC) began offering the player online for a penny less.

Now there are reports that Wal-Mart today will sell the MORE

Big retailers launch HD DVD price war

Toshiba HD-A2. Image: Toshiba

A pre-holiday retail skirmish in high-definition DVD players has begun. Just days after Wal-Mart (WMT) slashed its in-store price on the Toshiba HD-A2 to $198, Circuit City (CC) and Amazon (AMZN) followed suit by offering the player online for $197.99.

Consumers seem eager to buy the HD-A2, which had been selling on Amazon for $230 and as much as $280 elsewhere. The Toshiba player, which had been one MORE

HD DVD vs. Blu-ray: Wal-Mart offers Toshiba player for under $200

Toshiba HD-A2. Image: Toshiba

The battle for the future of the high-definition DVD has taken an intriguing turn: For the first time, mega-retailer Wal-Mart (WMT) has begun selling a player for less than $200.

In various online forums, enthusiasts have reported seeing the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player available in stores for $198, significantly less than its common price of $230-$280.

Consumer credit crunch could hurt holiday TV sales

Market research firm iSuppli says the subprime mortgage mess and financial market turmoil could make consumers hesitant to open their wallets and buy pricey TVs this holiday season.

Gaming business: Beyond the console wars. Photos (1/10)

(1/10) There's more to today's gaming business than the war between Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Sony's (SNE) Playstation 3. PC makers like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Dell (DELL) and Apple (AAPL) have jumped into the fray, using the most powerful chips from Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in their arsenals. Then there are the portable systems – like Sony's PSP, above, and new phones from Nokia MORE

Report: Tweaked Xbox 360 models coming after price cut

The Xbox 360 price cut Microsoft (MSFT) announced this week may be an attempt to clear out inventory ahead of a product redesign. Ars Technica says a source tells them that within a month or two, the Xbox team will offer new boxes with HDMI ports, new chips and quieter DVD drives. [UPDATE: Microsoft has confirmed design changes for Premium Xbox 360s.]

Xbox 360 price cut: Is it enough to wound the Wii?

After weeks of dancing around the question of whether it would cut prices, Microsoft (MSFT) has trimmed the most affordable Xbox 360's price by $20 to $280, the mid-range version $50 to $350, and the most expensive $30 to $450. The move leaves Microsoft's cheapest console $30 more expensive than Nintendo's Wii, but more than $200 cheaper than Sony's (SNE) PlayStation 3.

A day ahead: Apple's August surprise

Tuesday is the day.

Apple (AAPL) has summoned the tech press to CEO Steve Jobs's fortress of solitude, the company's headquarters in Cupertino, for an unspecified product announcement. Those of us who have been covering Apple for a while know the drill – generally speaking, Jobs has three stages for product splashes: Macworld, the Worldwide Developer Conference, and home base.

Report: Multiple TVs per household can power HD sales

People who have already bought an HDTV are so happy with the experience that they are likely to buy more – good news for Sony (SNE), and for other companies who are banking on the growth of the HD ecosystem.

Catch Wii if you can: Do Sony and Microsoft have a chance?

Sony (SNE) and Microsoft's (MSFT) long international nightmare isn't coming to an end. Nintendo's Wii console continues to clobber the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, with the latest numbers showing the Wii outselling number-two PS3 by a 4-1 ratio in Japan last month.