Sony outflank HD-DVD and take Target

July 27th, 2007

And the battle rages on …

No doubt in a build up to a Christmas format war unlike any other we have ever seen, Sony have announced an ‘exclusive’ deal with Target and I quote …

Beginning this fall and continuing at least through the holiday season, Target will feature Sony® Blu-ray Disc® players as the exclusive product in the emerging category of high-definition home video systems, as well as an expanded assortment of Blu-ray Disc movies.

Sounds like a good win for Sony? Well you can still purchase a Toshiba HD DVD player at Target through their website and the exclusivity only applies to hi-def players in the retail stores, so presumably you can still get the latest movies on HD DVD in store. The main point from the announcement (full version) is that Sony Blu-ray players will be featured on aisle-end displays. Sony would have played a pretty penny for this but still a good move in the build up to the ~~spending~~ holiday season ahead.

So, to keep the military metaphors flowing, it’s more of an outflanking manoeuvre than a battle won.

Source: Reuters