Fuh Yuan retracts $299 Wal-Mart HD DVD statement

That sound you're hearing is your hopes of a $299 HD DVD player anytime in the immediate future deflating, that is, is Fuh Yuan is to be believed this time around. Unfortunately, it seems that the firm pulled the trigger a bit too soon on a hopeful order, as a recent retraction on the company's website insinuates that Wal-Mart simply inquired about their ability to "provide a schedule" along with "cost and quantity" details for Wally World to evaluate. Currently, it seems that the "capacity is still under consideration," but it did leave the door open to believe that this idea may still be churning in the background by cordially inviting anyone with an up-to-snuff manufacturing facility to ping them for more details. The good news is that a sub-$300 HD DVD player isn't a matter of "if," it's just a matter of "when," and as long as Wal-Mart keeps burning down price barriers, we're sure it'll surface (arguably) soon.

[Thanks, Jimmy]

Update: Wal-mart concurs, stating today that "The article... was full of inaccuracies and we had no participation in it," and "Most of the facts, including the purchase, were untrue."

[Proevan @ Apr 29th 2007 9:41PM]

wow... we all knew that that was definately too good to be true... it sucks...

[MAK1981 @ Apr 26th 2007 11:16PM]

Let the fan boys on both sides let the comments and insults roll, lol.

[kingofwale @ Apr 26th 2007 11:16PM]

let's see... releasing a false information about a major order so the company's stock probably skyrocketed.

do I smell insider trading?

if Walmart is only asking around, maybe this won't come anytime soon. or maybe the 299 was only for 'walmart's purchasing price', the customers will probably pay 399 for them.

[Chuckles McGee @ Apr 26th 2007 11:24PM]

And so we've agreed that it's HD-DVD then?

Well, for either player, $300 is only a matter of when. There's nothing in play to prevent either player from eventually reaching the rock-bottom prices of bargain $20 DVD players today- that may be a while, but it's still only a matter of time.

[shon Dempsey @ Apr 26th 2007 11:30PM]

i dont think we're agreed that it was HD-DVD. From what i thought i read it was a Blu-Ray HD-DVD, weather that means the blue laser diode or a Blue Ray High Deffinition DVD. I thought i heard it was actually the latter.

[uicandrew @ Apr 27th 2007 12:29AM]

i don't want to pay $299. I want to pay more so wal-mart can give their employees better healthcare coverage.

i'm tired of wal-mart giving us great prices at the expense of the "little people."

[Stephan @ Apr 27th 2007 1:19PM]

Then shop at Costco, compares better to Sam Club but you get the point....

[Naveed @ Apr 27th 2007 12:05AM]

only a matter of when? yeah no joke sherlock

[Ferny @ Apr 27th 2007 12:13AM]

so there goes the hopes of the HD-DVD supporters hoping that wallys weight would win out the war.

still even given that rumor not debunked I still doubted that walmart would ever stop selling blu-ray titles and only carrying HD-DVD's there is money to be made from both camps and walmart doesn't loose much (anything?) in supporting both.

[Jeff @ Apr 27th 2007 12:14AM]

"i dont think we're agreed that it was HD-DVD."

It doesn't matter. The fact is a gun was jumped here; these were just inquiries, just talk. Which means it's just as likely that whether it's BD or HD-DVD, Wal-Mart is talking to the other side too.

Why would Wal-Mart throw their hand into the HD-DVD camp? All they care about is selling cheap products. You think they wouldn't jump at the chance to get a $300 BD player?

[Jason Lynx @ Apr 27th 2007 12:25AM]

Dude! The grammer on Fuh Yuan's website cracks me up!!!

[Eric V @ Apr 27th 2007 12:35AM]

FILMSHOW UNDER UPDATA!!

[bgdc @ Apr 27th 2007 12:58AM]

***"That sound you're hearing is your hopes of a $299 HD DVD player anytime in the immediate future deflating"***"The good news is that a sub-$300 HD DVD player isn't a matter of "if," it's just a matter of "when," "****

hmmmm, how about right now. Why are you guys harping on this NON story? Amazon has the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player for $341:

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-HD-A2-HD-DVD-Player/dp/B000IJV4BC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4125002-8773462?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1177649744&sr=8-1

A $299 DVD player at walmart will cost you: $223 including tax. For god's sake, the Amazon player from a NAME brand is $17 more! Toshiba or off brand. $17 difference as there is no tax on Amazon products and shipping is free. Hmmm. $17 for a toshiba or crappy chinese clone.

The articles about this are worthless.

[bgdc @ Apr 27th 2007 12:59AM]

"A $299 DVD player at walmart will cost you: $223 including tax."

CORRECTION: $323, not $223.

[mrblack @ Apr 27th 2007 1:43AM]

""A $299 DVD player at walmart will cost you: $223 including tax."

CORRECTION: $323, not $223.""

no. 223 is the correct amount. That would be the price with tax here in New York state, and we have the highest sales tax in the union at 8.5%. For other states it would be equal to or lower than this price.

So your argument that it's "only $17 more expensive" is invalid because it's actually at least $117 more expensive. Usually more.

[Jitty @ Apr 27th 2007 2:01AM]

Wow, Nfinity, I think you care a little too much about this...

[bgdc @ Apr 27th 2007 2:38AM]

$299.99 dvd player = $323

The amazon player from toshiba is $341.

$17.

Why is that so diffcult for people to grasp? This isn't news. Not by any stretch. An off-brand HD-DVD player for only $20 bucks or so cheaper than a real brand's HD-DVD player. Whoopty-freaking-do.

[Andrew Stone @ Apr 27th 2007 2:35AM]

During World War II, he was a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps, where he obtained the rank of lieutenant, flew 51 combat missions as the pilot-commander of a B-25 attack bomber and received four decorations.

--

The (MOVIE RATING) system that Valenti instituted in 1968 eventually proved to be effective in reversing negative trends in box office revenue for the major Hollywood studios. The MPAA rating system allowed for studios to explore more commercially successful themes.

--

Valenti had been married to Mary Margaret Valenti since 1962, and they have three children: John, Alexandra and Warner Bros. studio executive Courtenay Valenti, who attended The Madeira School. Jack Valenti appeared in a 2006 documentary about the school.

On April 26, 2007, Valenti died of complications from a stroke. [1]

--

ALL FROM WIKIPEDIA, AND ALL PROVING THERE ARE A LOT OF D-BAGS READING ENGADGET. Dude is dead, be respectful. Jeeze.

[Dave @ Apr 27th 2007 6:21AM]

Wal-Mart Shoots Down Cheap HD DVD Rumor too:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2122715,00.asp

[dan abarca @ Apr 27th 2007 9:39AM]

I don't know what the big deal is on Wal-Mart getting a $300 dollar Cheap CHINESE MADE HD-DVD player. People who would just walk in to buy a regular dvd player, or perhaps are curious about hd-dvd player will think $300 is expensive anyways!!! We are talking about Wal-Mart Shoppers here! Majority of them won't even have an HD-DVD T>V !!! Not to be Rude but that is the reality. Now having said that just recently Circuit City had their Toshiba hd-dvd player for $299.99 PLUS 5! HD-DVD MOVIES! thats about $150 dollars worth of movies. Do your math, that means the HD-DVD player was really selling for $150.00 DOLLARS!!!! So I come back to the same conclusion the consumer who wants to buy HD-DVD whether it is HD-DVDs or Blu-Ray are going to do their homework! On another note Circuit City already sells a Toshiba Hd-dvd player for $399.99 NOW! with 5 free Movies and I could bet that by Christmas it will be $300 bucks! So even if the story was true the chinese player wouldn't come to the states until December anyhow or next year So why wait for a cheap player when you have a quality brand TOSHIBA (Inventor of the technology as well) selling them for that cheap also check online don't rely on Wal-Mart! If you've read this please reply with your thoughts.... thanks

Dan. A.

[Brian Yorks @ Apr 28th 2007 10:06AM]

YOu know, Cotco ahs a $349 HD DVD player.