MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) -- Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. said Wednesday it will give gift cards to customers that bought HD-DVD players or HD-DVD attachments from its U.S. stores as the format goes away in favor of the Blu-ray standard.
Toshiba conceded the market to Blu-Ray and announced they were stopping production on HD-DVD players.
The products had to be purchased at one of the company's stores prior to Feb. 23.
Best Buy said it will give a $50 gift card for each item, which will likely lead to the distribution of more than $10 million in U.S. gift cards.
The retailer said it will identify customers through its Reward Zone program, performance service plans and through online purchases and will mail out the gift cards to those individuals by May 1.
Customers that feel they won't be identified through these measures can call the company and provide a Best Buy receipt or credit card information for proof of purchase.
Best Buy also said customers that want to get rid of their HD-DVD players can do so by visiting their online trade-in center starting March 21.
Earlier this month rival Circuit City Stores Inc. instructed its stores to "take care of our customers" and accept returns of HD DVD players within 90 days of purchase.
The HD DVD players can be returned for store credit. The policy doesn't apply to HD DVD movie discs.
The biggest battle between two video formats since Betamax lost out to VHS in the 1980s was resolved after multiple movie studios, including Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Co. Warner Bros. Entertainment and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox, pledged to support the Blu-ray format.
"Music is a magic carpet loaded with oils and other soothing potions, it's just what you need when you don't know what you need, when you've got more questions than answers." - Bob Lefsetz
Re: Best Buy Giving $50 Gift Cards to HD-DVD Buyers
I'm wondering if they're going to extend the offer to Canada.
\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert
Re: Best Buy Giving $50 Gift Cards to HD-DVD Buyers
FTR, the offer has been extended to Canada, but you have to provide yoiur purchase receipt. For those of you who sent your original receipt away for your 5 free HD DVDs, a photocopy will suffice. Here's a link: BestBuy.ca - Blu-ray
\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert
Re: Best Buy Giving $50 Gift Cards to HD-DVD Buyers
Yep, my buddy just got his as well today. I'm very impressed with BB...I thought for sure these would take a while despite their self-imposed timeframe.
"Music is a magic carpet loaded with oils and other soothing potions, it's just what you need when you don't know what you need, when you've got more questions than answers." - Bob Lefsetz
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