Although early adopters of high-definition movie formats
knew the risks they were taking when purchasing either HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc
players, big box retailers are helping out those who invested in the fallen
side of HD DVD.
Best Buy is the latest to offer some sort of consolation
program to its customers. Those who purchased a Toshiba HD DVD player or Xbox
360 add-on drive from the retailer, online or in-store, prior to February 23,
2008 are qualified to receive a free $50 gift card for Best Buy.
Interestingly enough, Best Buy makes no mention of any
requirement for return of hardware, in essence giving away free money. According
to Best Buy, most qualifying customers will automatically receive their gift
card by mail in the coming weeks before May 1.
Best Buy’s choice of a February 23 cutoff is just days
before the Xbox 360 drive was dropped
to $50. Unclear is how Best Buy will handle customers who bought HD DVD
players prior to February 23, but price protected to a lower, clearance price afterwards.
Those who did not purchase their HD DVD player from Best Buy
will obviously not receive any gift card, but are eligible for the Best Buy Trade-in program. Beginning
March 21, Best Buy’s newly launched electronics trade-in center will accept HD
DVD hardware for estimates, allowing those to accumulate even more store credit
for their players.
There may even some better news for Canadian customers.
According to a media
alert from Best Buy Canada, customers who purchased an HD DVD player or
attachment prior to January 1, 2007 can bring in their receipts for a $50 gift
card. The program for Best Buy Canada runs from March 21 to May 2.
Best Buy isn’t the only major retailer giving some
after-sale service to its HD DVD buyers. Circuit City launched its
own trade-in program, offering any customer that has purchased an HD DVD player
in the last three months a refund or the option to switch to a Blu-ray Disc
player by paying the difference in hardware cost.
Canadian retailer Future Shop, owned by Best Buy, will give
a $100
credit towards the upgrade to an HD DVD/Blu-ray Disc combo player for any
HD DVD player brought into a store, regardless of where it was purchased.
Unlike the Best Buy offer, however, both Future Shop and
Circuit City require the surrender of HD DVD hardware.