If you want to buy a DVD or Blu-ray at Best Buy, you’ll soon be out of luck. The box store chain has reportedly begun to remove physical media and displays from its store shelves, according to reports on X, formerly Twitter. The social media posts come after Best Buy’s October confirmation that it would stop selling physical media in the first quarter of 2024. The decision was made in response to the mass audience migration to streaming services and digital downloads.
Exclusives
The world’s largest electronics chain has teamed up with Samsung and Sony to open in-store showrooms staffed with Blue Shirts trained to tout the merits of ultra-high-definition, or 4K, technology, which generates a picture four times sharper than existing HDTVs. The question for Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly is whether the pricey innovation will jump-start a wave of home-theater upgrades the way flat-panel TVs did last decade — or wind up a flop like 3D sets.
Samsung and Sony are escalating their fight for the attention — and dollars — of TV buyers. Both electronics giants will open up special areas in Best Buy stores to showcase 4K TVs and other home entertainment products. Sony arguably has home-field advantage, given its long legacy as a premium TV manufacturer. Samsung, however, is the No. 1 TV vendor in the world, and this new partnership can only help cement that position.
Following its Super Bowl debut last year, the electronics retailer has once again purchased a 30-second spot in this year’s game, with plans to focus on a new launch.
The Roku XD player — an $80 set-top that lets users stream video from Netflix and other services over broadband pipes — is now available for purchase at Best Buy stores nationwide and at BestBuy.com. The unit is a 5-by-5-by-1-inch box that provides support for up to 1080p HD streaming support and includes 802.11n Wi-Fi.
The electronics has bought one 30-second spot, projected to run during the third quarter of the 2011 event. It’s the first time the retailer has advertised during the game, despite having a significant presence in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, as it promotes its home-entertainment systems.
