Seattle = WideScreen City. What about your city? (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Croft]

OK, I live in Seattle, and I frequent Best Buy at Northgate, Best Buy/Circuit City in Federal Way, and even Best Buy/Circuit City way up North in Lynwood (near Alderwood Mall).
I've noticed that with any big release that has both a WideScreen and FullScreen release that the WS releases are MUCH more prominiantly displayed in and around Seattle area stores.
Is it this way in MOST large metro areas? All I hear people complain about is how stores barely carry widescreen releases, well that does NOT seam the case in the Seattle area.
Maybe it's because we have the most educated city in the world (I read somewhere between 50-70 percent of Seattle's citizens hold at least 4-year college degrees). OK, that sounded snobbish Maybe it's this way in MOST big cities? Maybe those complaining live in more rural areas where J6p's dominate?
Just thought I'd chime in. Went to Best Buy at Northgate on Tuesday to pick up LOTR and found a large display of WideScreen release right as you walk up to the DVD section. No fullscreen DVD's in sight (I'm sure they were there, but not on the LOTR display).
I know this topic has been discussed before, but it's usually the other way around, so I thought it deserveed a thread
Aaron

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Seattle, and most major west coast cities (ESPECIALLY LA/SanFran) are bad examples because they are filled with tech geeks and movie people. Tech geeks like widescreen

Where we need to REALLY worry is between the Appalacians and the Rockies, where Joe SixPack seems to reign supreme

 

[Andrew W]

wide screen DVDs are easily acquired in Austin as well.
Once again, tech and movie industries are strong here.

 

[Aaron Croft]

Well then, I guess that makes sense
Aaron

 

[Ken Garrison]

Our area is mostly full of Joe-6-Packs, but there are a few people who prefer widescreen. I did post a few signs from www.widescreenadvocate.com in our area. I hope that helped. There's one video store that will only carry OAR DVDs. I usually go to the other video store though because I don't have an extra 17 bucks for a deposit when I rent a movie. Needful Things, the PRO OAR video store, charges an extra 17 bucks that you will get back when you return the movie. That way, if you loose the DVD or keep it, they'll have money to replace it. As long as that guy prefers OAR, I'll start going to that video store when I have an extra 17 bucks, plus 3 bucks to rent the movie.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

It depends on the chain around here. Best Buy always has more WS than P&S, while Target has made a disturbing change of direction in the last year or so, going from mostly WS to mostly P&S. Most of the Blockbuster's around here have also seemed to see the light.

 

[Aaron Croft]

One Note: There aren't very many Walmarts in this area either. In fact, I don't know where ANY Walmarts are, I've heard they exist in the Seattle area, but I KNOW for a fact there isn't a Walmart in existence with a Seattle address.

That could tell you something about the area as well.

Aaron

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

Go to the Supermall Aaron, down in Auburn.

 

[Aaron Croft]

I've been there (once), didn't notice a Walmart
Aaron

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

It's across from the Supermall, just as you come in turn left and there it is. From the West Valley Road, you turn left into the entrance of the Mall. Walmart is on the left side, across from the Mall. How do I know? I lived there for years completing my MA.

 

[Steve Enemark]

Renton has a WalMart, fittingly enough.

 

[Jordan_E]

Hey, I live in Auburn and the Supermall SUCKS for DVD buying! I go to the Best Buy up in Federal Way, if only to drool over the newest plasma screen TVs!

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

Yes, but for those of us coming from Japan for a short buying trip, the Supermall is great for everything else. By the way, the Supermall also has Sam's Club, that other Walmart store.

 

[Mark_TS]

There is a WALMART a couple miles past Marysville(Everett) on I-5, on the Tulalip Reservation.
FRED MEYER also seems to "get" Widescreen, even their stores out in the sticks (Monroe, Mill Creek)
In fact, it can be very difficult to find Fullscreen copies of anything past the first couple days of release there, with an apparent 90/10% WS/FS stocking ratio.
(and FM is a 'J6P' type of store-so dont write off Joe/Jane just yet)
Adding to that, their prices many times come close to or match those of Deep Discount DVD....
But Best Buy takes the cake with $15.99 LOTR...

 

[Brett Hancock]

I noticed this to. In fact when I went to Best Buy on tuesday for The Simpsons(hadn't seen Lord of the Rings yet, promptly rented it that night though, and loved it)there were 10 people there buying Lord of the Rings. All 10 of them had the widescreen copy. What was even cooler was that somebody was returning a fullscreen copy for a widescreen copy.

 

[ChrisLee]

4-year degrees do not = widescreen advocate

Here in the middle of the ocean we seem to have alot of pissed off people complaining about "black lines". I assume there anger is due to a lack of fullscreen copies of movies. So I guess I also live in a widescreen town.

 

[Marshall Alsup]

I live in eastern Washington and around here its mixed about 50/50. I've converted all my friends, it was the least I could do
-Marshall

 

[Ian_Fisher]

There is a WalMart up in Lynnwood too. But you're right, they are pretty tough to find up here

 

[BradyB]

Here in Raleigh, NC part of RTP which is full of Techies, I have noticed that BB and CC usually have equal amounts of Widescreen and Full.
That wasn't the case for harry potter, I had to search for my widescreen but i did.
In Ottawa, Canada the main electronics store Future Shop (which is now owned by Best Buy) definatly shows Widescreen more prominantly. Even though they only have 2 or 3 widescreen tv's for sale.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I find that Full Screen versions tend to sit forever here in the Chicago area, but the soccer mom quotient is a factor in their demand...