Wal-Mart won't stock HD DVD movies, players past June

Following in the footsteps of Netflix and Best Buy publicly siding with Blu-ray in the next-generation DVD format war, Wal-Mart announced Friday it will no longer be stocking HD DVD players or movies by June.

The decision was announced on Wal-Mart's Check Out blog by retail buyer Susan Chronister who is "excited" that it will make her job easier.

Pricing will be a sticking point for Wal-Mart -- which prides itself on low prices -- because Blu-ray players are more than twice as expensive as their HD DVD counterparts. But Chronister notes that prices tend to go down as people move to a technology.

"So… if you bought the HD player like me, I'd retire it to the bedroom, kid's playroom, or give it to your parents to play their John Wayne standard def movies, and make space for a BD player for your awesome Hi Def experience," she wrote bluntly.

The HD DVD Promotional Group is expected to issue an official statement this afternoon on the matter, but indicated that Wal-Mart's move was unfortunate for consumer choice, especially considering the higher cost of Blu-ray players.