OT: blueRAy players in Walmart

apit34356 wrote on 6/17/2008, 10:57 AM
My wife broke down Sunday running the kids around. So, as the tow truck was taking the car to the repair shop, which was 1/8 mile from a Walmart Superstore, I decided to check out the HD players options while waiting. It turns out that they have a BR display of four different BD players and a PS3 out on the open shelve, not behind glass.

Comments

debuman wrote on 6/17/2008, 11:15 AM
That's nice to know. I did not think Walmart of all places would carry any BD players. Hope they know how to sell it. Before you purchase make sure you read the box because BD players play only certain BD disk.
Terje wrote on 6/17/2008, 1:15 PM
Debuman, this is not correct any more. I really wish you would try to educate your self a little bit before posting in these fora. Some older models do not play BR-R disks without a firmware upgrade. I do not know of any that will not play BR-R disks at all.

When it comes to your LG player, it will play BR-R and BD-RE disks no problem. Your issue with that one is somewhere between your chair and your keyboard.
craftech wrote on 6/18/2008, 5:55 AM
I just came from Walmart. They are carrying the Magnavox NB500MG9. They had around fifteen of them at $298.

Here is a review of the Funai unit that is sold under various labels in other stores such as Best Buy as well.

The reviewer noted the following:

Considering the lower price of the player we thought the performance on this unit will be an average. Oh Boy! We were wrong. The player has audio and video strengths of high-end units.

The unit is BD profile 1.1

I asked the department manager about the units and he told me that they are gathering dust on the shelves as are the Blu-Ray movie titles Walmart carries. According to the manager, anyone interested seems to be going for the PS3. He felt that when the players become dirt cheap like SD players people will buy them and the Blu-Ray movies, but for now his customers seem happy with standard DVDs and cheap SD DVD players.

John