Best Buy Goes Blu

Although one big blue electronics retailer couldn't quite knock Toshiba's HD-DVD off, another one may just do the trick. Less than a year after Blockbuster failed to swing the high-def movie war by exclusively carrying Blu-ray flicks, Best Buy has decided it will more prominently display Sony's hardware and openly recommend it over rival HD-DVD.

Best Buy president Brian Dunn made the announcement earlier this week. Jumping on the Sony bandwagon, the big box brass was quoted as saying, "Because we believe that Blu-ray is fast emerging as that single format, we have decided to focus on Blu-ray products." (Source: news.com)

Although not quite as devastating as the loss of Universal or one of its few remaining studios, the Best Buy move is significant. While the retailer will continue to offer HD-DVD flicks in its aisles, the more prominent displays will now be reserved for Sony's Blu-ray. Given the average consumer's continued confusion with next-gen technology, the employee's recommendation could also make for a deciding factor. (Source: reuters.com)

How important is Best Buy, really?

For those of you who enjoy video games, CDs, DVDs, big screen TVs, printers, or heck, optical digital cables, it's probably not surprising to hear that Best Buy is the largest consumer electronics store in the United States. The company has created an environment that's meant to be open and friendly for the average consumer, with employees that boast their happy exclusion from commission-based salaries. It makes their recommendations a tad more legit, depending on who you ask.

Clearly, the move is a big one in a war that appears to be nearing its Berlin. It's about time you HD-DVD owners (and I'm one of them) start looking for clearance deals.