American retailers refuse $199 Venturer HD DVD player

So much for that price war...

20 September 2007 8:19 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Announced at IFA 2007, Venturer's SHD7000 HD DVD player will be priced at $199, making in the cheapest standalone high-def format player available in the market.

Beating even Toshiba's entry-level offering, the Venturer player was set to change the game for HD DVD by enticing consumers to go next-gen in an affordable way.

This careful price positioning was seen as an important strategy for Toshiba's HD DVD road map, hitting Blu-ray where it is weak - in the wallet area.

But it seems that the SHD7000 player has hit a road-block with major American retailers deciding not to stock the device.

Wal-Mart, Ultimate Electronics and Bjorn’s all say they are not committed to carrying the Venturer player, stating they would prefer products from bigger brand companies.

"We have no plans to have Venturer in our stores this holiday", Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien said.

"We will continue to offer the best values on popular HD DVD and Blu-ray products from leading consumer brands like Sony, Samsung, Philips, Toshiba and RCA."

Wal-Mart does sell some Venturer DVD players, so it might seem confusing to consumers as to why they can't benefit from the cheap HD DVD version in Wal-Mart stores.