First HD VMD players in U.S. on sale in December
PC Rush orders 10,000 units
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 11/28/2007
NOV. 28 | U.S. retailer PC Rush has ordered 10,000 units of HD Versatile Multilayer Disc players for launch in December, marking the first time the fledgling high-definition format will be available domestically.
HD VMD players use standard DVD red-laser technology.
Based on red laser as opposed to HD DVD’s and Blu-ray’s blue-laser technology, HD VMD products are currently being offered in several international territories, including India, Australia and Central Europe.
New Medium Enterprises, the company behind the HD VMD format, has a lot of catch-up to do in the U.S., as leading high-def formats HD DVD and Blu-ray have been offered here since spring 2006.
PC Rush, which operates an online site as well as bricks-and-mortar outlets, already sells HD DVD and Blu-ray players. Yet PC Rush management is willing to also offer customers this third high-def player option, considered cheaper than many HD DVD and Blu-ray players because it is engineered using materials similar to standard-definition DVD.
“We are very excited about stocking this unique product, one which we feel can make high-definition accessible to a whole new segment of the home entertainment market,” PC Rush CEO Fred Bokhoor said.
Bokhoor did not specify PC Rush’s retail pricing for HD VMD players. A hardware/software bundle has been offered in India for the U.S. equivalent of $293.
No major studio has committed to distributing HD VMD software titles in the U.S. But several international suppliers of American films are rolling out HD VMD titles in overseas territories, such as Icon Film Distribution with Apocalypto and The Descent in Australia.
It’s not clear whether U.S. consumers will be granted easier access to these internationally distributed HD VMD titles.
