While many electronics retailers in the US have put Toshiba's HD DVD players
on clearance, six of Japan's major retailers have pulled them from their shelves altogether. According to INQUIRER.net, these retailers have asked Toshiba to take back its stock of players.
As of Friday, six
major Japanese electronics retailers -- Yodobashi Camera, Kojima, Nojima, Edion, Best Denki and Joshin Denki -- had suspended all sales
of HD DVD, company officials said. The chains are in talks with Toshiba for the electronics giant to take back its stock either fully or
partially.
Edion, which operates 1,000 stores across Japan under various names, announced an offer for any customer who bought HD
DVD hardware from Toshiba to switch for a Blu-ray machine sold by Sony, Panasonic or Sharp. The offer is available only in March, with
customers expected to pay any price difference if the Blu-ray machine was more expensive.
While I'd be surprised if
Toshiba took back their stock of HD DVD players, its good to see that some retailers care enough about their customers that they'd give
them a way to move to Blu-ray. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here.