Dear Dash,

As you may know, Blu-ray movies are more expensive than standard definition movies. As a result, we're going to start charging $1 a month (plus applicable taxes), in addition to your monthly membership charge, for unlimited access to Blu-ray movies.

The additional charge for unlimited Blu-ray access will be automatically added to your next billing statement on or after November 5th, 2008 and will be referenced in your Membership Terms and Details. If you wish to continue getting Blu-ray movies for $1 a month more, you don't need to do anything. If not, you can remove Blu-ray access anytime by visiting Your Account at the Netflix website.

If you have questions about this change or need any assistance, please call us anytime at 1-888-638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

Price change for access to Blu-ray movies [The Official Netflix Blog] (Thanks to Dash!) (Photo: corsec67)

One reader, Meiran, put it this way: "I'm rather impressed by their reaction, it seems like most modern companies would attempt to push this under the rug and pretend it didn't happen, leaving customers to wonder what those strange charges on their statements are."

According to Wikipedia, the company is mostly owned by McDonald's and Coinstar, so it's not like this is an example of a start-up that's never encountered the heavy hand of corporate influence. This means Redbox's board of directors intentionally chose to be proactive on the matter. They seem to have figured out something that lots of other companies still struggle with, which is that if you empower your customers to help protect themselves, they'll help protect you, too. We wouldn't be surprised if the next time a skimmer is detected, the alert comes from a customer who remembers Redbox's email.

"Redbox Security Alert - Credit Card Skimmer Attempt" [redbox](Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

RELATED
"Redbox Warns Customers about Credit Card Skimming" [Hacking Netflix]

I stopped in the other night because my old HD DVD player died so I went in hoping to get a deal. On the shelf I found 2 open box Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD players. Looking around I found the department head Derrik and we went back over to the DVD player aisle.

He tells me that since they're open box he'll sell one for $99 which, IMO, isn't bad it was $30 off their normal price and $20 off Amazon's price...

So I bit. He headed off to find the remote and power cable, but he came back empty empty handed and expected me not to be interested. I told him I'd still buy one if he could go any lower since I had plenty of power cables and I've had a Logitech Harmony remote. So he took it down to $50.

Still missing an HDMI cable he was quick to recommend me one, but I told him no thanks and I'd just grab one off monoprice.com, which he said he was well aware of since he read about them on Consumerist.

I know Best Buy gets a pretty bad rap around here, but I've always had good experiences with my local store. So I just wanted to pass this along.

Thanks!

Daniel

1) The ends are covered in gold. Gold makes everything better. You should see what it does for bricks.
2) The price. The higher an item's price, the higher its quality.

Irregardless of your blunder, congrats on your successful purchase and the excellent customer service provided by the Best Buy associate who, by giving you the discount, might just as well have cut out his heart and given it to you on a golden platter. Don't be alarmed by the macabre imagery, BBY employees undergo special training that allows them to regrow their hearts overnight. That's how they're able to care so much.

The company says that the industry has "picked a winner" in the format face-off and will phase out HDDVD by the end of the year.

From Netflix:

"The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. "We're now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def. Going forward, we expect that all of the studios will publish in the Blu-ray format and that the price points of high-def DVD players will come down significantly. These factors could well lead to another decade of disc-based movie watching as the consumer's preferred means."

"From the Netflix perspective, focusing on one format will enable us to create the best experience for subscribers who want high- definition to be an important part of how they enjoy our service."

Friend of the blog, film critic Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Star, got the following email from Netflix:

Dear Phil,

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

You can click here to change your format preferences.

We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

Netflix, Citing a Clear Signal From the Industry, Will Carry High-Def DVDs Only in Blu-ray Format (Press Release) [Netflix]
The death blow for HD DVD? [PhilmGuy]
(Photo:Marike79)

PREVIOUSLY: Why Don't You Weigh In On The Format War?

Consumers spent $16 billion buying DVDs, about $600 million less than in 2006. But rentals matched last year's total of $7.5 billion.Hollywood shipped 1.7 billion discs — about 30 million more than in 2006 — a sign that DVD remains strong, Smith says. "There is a natural progression to lower price points due to the maturing market," she says. "But there are still titles — big blockbuster releases, collector sets and, mostly, TV DVD compilations — that are generating high price points."

The average selling price of a DVD dropped 0.5% to $14.63.

Despite the downturn in DVD sales, the $23.7 billion total spending on home video dwarfs Hollywood's $9.6 billion box-office total for 2007.

DVD feels first sting of slipping sales [USAToday]
(Photo:feverblue)

After getting my items added with the sales rep on the phone, when it was time to use the coupon I was again told that it was invalid - this time, however, I was a given a reason. The sales rep told me that the coupon was not good for video games or movies (I was ordering a game and the flight of the conchords DVD). I told the rep that the coupon stated neither video games OR movies as restrictions for use and he got a manager. Three managers and supervisors later, they wouldn't budge. Needless to say, I didn't make the purchase through them. I told them that I had previously worked in retail, knew that they had the power to manually take $15 off of my purchase if the coupon wouldn't go through, and would not be making my purchase unless they honored the coupon as it was stated in their own promotion.

For your records, and hopefully other people are writing about this (my sales rep told me I wasn't the first person that had called trying to use the coupon), here is the fine print on the back of the coupon in its entirety, I've put in bold the text that is applicable to this sale:

"Excludes November 22-24, 2007.

*This offer is good for a $15 discount on a regularly priced purchase of $100 or more. This offer is good for one use only and applies to total qualifying purchase on a single sales receipt dated from 10/15/07 through 12/31/07. Not valid on previous purchases. Offer excludes gaming consoles, notebook and desktop computers, Verizon, Sharper Image, Infinity, Velodyne, Bose, Polk, HP MP3 Players, Apple, Kicker, MTX Thunder, Sony XBR TV's, LG, KEP, outlet, firedog services and Gift Card purchases. Delivery fees, shipping charges and sales tax not included in total purchase calculation. Coupon code valid online and at 1-800-593-4391. Barcode valid in-store only. Not combinable with select Circuit City offers. Not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited or restricted. Reproductions/photocopies will not be accepted."

As you can see, nothing about DVD's or games.

Instead of their promotional tool shoeing in more business, it's just lost them a customer for life.

Ryan
San Diego, CA

(Photo:cmorran123)

Blockbuster managed to lose $35 million in the third quarter, and its customers have been writing in to complain about benefits being cut from their "Total Access" packages.

Not good.

From Forbes:

Chairman Jim Keyes announced that Blockbuster will reduce the number of people currently employed by the company in an effort to reduce annualized overhead costs by approximately $45 million.

As if any more proof was need that Blockbuster Total Access program essentially failed to compete effectively against Netflix (nasdaq: NFLX - news - people ), Keyes noted that "the company will no longer be narrowly focused on its online subscriber count but instead will concentrate on the growth of, and report on, its total membership."

According to the New York Times, Paramount and Dreamworks were paid "about $150 million in financial incentives for their commitment to HD DVD, according to two Viacom executives with knowledge of the deal but who asked not to be identified." By "commitment to HD DVD," the Times really means that Paramount and Dreamworks were paid to drop Blu-ray. Bad news for Blockbuster as, they've recently dropped HD DVD in their continued quest for total irrelevancy.

According to Ars Technica, Blu-ray has been outselling HD DVD 2-to-1 in the first half of 2007.

In any case, Format Wars are bad for consumers. Yuck.

Two Studios to Support HD DVD Over Rival [NYT]
Paramount adopts HD DVD, kicks Blu-ray to the curb [Ars Technica]
State of High Definition: Who's Winning the Studio Support War? [Gizmodo]

Good for Lara.

You can read the entire complaint on The Smoking Gun, but here's the best part:

"

Apparently, merely ridiculing Lara Jade was no longer satisfying so Burge [that's the pornographer] and TVX felt the need to accuse Lara Jade of "scheming," by which Burge presumably meant to suggest that Lara Jade, a teenager in England, had intentionally allowed her creative work to be placed on the internet in the hope that it would be stolen by a pornographic video manufacturer in Texas and used as the cover of a re-packaged 1970's era pornographic movie so she could then locate the Texas-based pornographer in the hope of extracting compensation from it. The absurdity of this notion is readily apparent."

Lara's lawyer is awesome.

Teen Sues Over XXX-Video "Debut" (NSFW) [Smoking Gun]

PREVIOUSLY: Lara is NOT a Porn Star

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has discovered the source of a problem in their recent DVD releases that prevented them from being played on some players, including some manufactured by the consumer electronics division of Sony itself. The company said the problem was caused by an update of its copy-protection system, which it continually updates in order to derail potential hackers. Among the DVD movies affected were the new James Bond film Casino Royale, The Pursuit of Happyness and Stranger Than Fiction. Sony said that anyone who had purchased one of the discs and has experienced problems playing it may receive a replacement disk free of charge by phoning 800-860-2878.

Sony Strikes Again

I made sure she knew they were buy one get one free. She told me the total was $43.xx. I was like, they're buy one get one free. She told me that the discount was split between the two, then the tax. Being almost late for work with a line behind me I didn't feel like starting a fight.

$43? We are not good at math, but we checked with a nearby engineer, and he says that half of $29.99 is $14.99.

Ben checked his receipts when he got home. Instead of a 50% discount, FYE had deducted $10 from the price of each DVD. Our engineer says that is only a 30% discount. FYE owes Ben $9.99.

Ben's emails with pictures and the resolution, after the jump...

Ben's second email:

Went back before work today and got a picture of the sign. Got my refund, but I had to jump through some hoops and walk over to the sign and point to it and the geneon logo on the dvd i'd bought. Their system didn't have it on file so the money didn't come off automatically. Probably an old sign. Here's the pic!

Good thing Ben didn't throw away the receipts. If he had, not even the strongest samurai would have been able to enforce the deal. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Why are people keeping VCRs? Well, DVDs don't easily record programs. "To completely replace the VCR, you would need a DVD and a digital video recorder," said Paul Lindstrom, Nielsen's senior vice president for national custom research. "That type of utility has kept it in the home." Hmm, not in our home. —MEGHANN MARCO

DVD Player Tops VCR as Household Item [New York Times]

Most media is produced by a relative small number of factories, located in several different places. The best media generally comes from Japan and Singapore. The worst typically comes from Taiwan or China (in stores) and Hong Kong (online). ... This being said, understand that the media brand means nothing. Apple is a great brand, but they do not make their own discs, instead outsourcing to MXL (Hitachi/Maxell) or MCC (Mitsubishi Chemicals). ... It is the media ID that is important, as it reveals the disc manufacturer. Unfortunately, this is not written on packaging or anywhere else. Companies want consumers to be oblivious to this sort of behind-the-scenes information.

In steps DigitalFAQ with an exhaustive list of media IDs rated and matched to manufacturers. You'll never buy DVDs the same way again. —MEGHANN MARCO

Who makes the disc: Brand vs. Media ID [DigitalFAQ via Lifehacker]

Incidentally, Woot just sent her a pre-paid shipping label and said they will issue a refund. Sweet.

At the outset, Meghann didn't feel like shipping because the cost of shipping and the possibility of receiving yet another busted DVD player just didn't seem worth it.

Meghann's may have been part of a bad batch. Some other Woot!ers DVD players didn't turn on, or they reported problems with HDMI, S-VIDEO or sound. Still others said theirs worked fine.

Hey, you takes your refurbs and you takes your chances. Mankind shall live to Woot again. — BEN POPKEN

Fiery, rubix-cube-on-the-head that she is, Meghann refused. She didn't see the value in paying shipping to and from California for a new refurbed DVD player that she thought probably wouldn't work either. She said, "Why sink money into a dvd player that's so bad it's on Woot!?"

Unable to disarm her impenetrable logic, we said, okay, let's ask the fray.

Should Meghann ship the player back to Toshiba? Or should she make a video (set to music) of her smashing it?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Whichever wins, she will do! — BEN POPKEN

5 days later a totally broken DVD player with a 30 day manufacturer's warranty showed up at our door. The player will not even turn on.

More inside.

According to Woot's return policy:

So that leaves us with a 30-day manufacturer's warranty (from date of purchase, which was several days ago.) The warranty does not cover any shipping costs. So, while Woot seemed like a nice idea, the reality is pretty crappy. For what we will end up paying to ship this item to California and back, we could have just bought a player from someone who would take care of us if the product was defective. Woot! is a very popular site, and we often feature deals from them on Consumerist, but we have to say that we wish we'd never wooted.

We're not the only ones experiencing difficulty, we've also received complaints from two readers about a Woot!ed Belkin XM Radio and a Cobra Electronics handheld GPS 1000 not working. Woot states its policy very clearly, and that there is risk involved in purchasing from them. Is the risk worth the reward? We're not so sure.

Since we don't foresee needing a blood pressure monitor or a "game bridge" any time soon, we probably shall not woot again, and this makes us sad. —MEGHANN MARCO

Some Product Information:

Toshiba SD-4990 DVD Player
Pricegrabber Price Range: 71.00-116.99
Woot! Price 39.99+5.00 shipping

So, what do you guys think? Should we pay to have it sent to Toshiba and repaired "again"? Or cut our losses and get out now?

Technology companies have divided into two warring camps, each backing one of the formats. Attempts to come up with a single format collapsed last year, so the two sides decided to duke it out in the marketplace. As they do, consumers are mostly staying on the sidelines, causing sales to fall far short of initial projections.

A winner could still emerge, but experts say it's just as likely that consumers, fearful of buying an expensive player that will turn out to be worthless, will just say no to high-definition discs. In the best case, analysts predict, the format war will go on for another year or so before a clear winner emerges, delaying an industry switchover to the improved discs."

Any thoughts on which format will win? Or have they all shot themselves in the foot? —MEGHANN MARCO

New-age DVD players' battle paused [Denver Post]

A reader is happy to report he did just that, and it worked!

Erik has had a Polaroid DVD player for three years. One day, he noticed its battery was boasting strange little bulges.

Dangling the device over the garbage disposal, about to flick the switch to ON, he recalled our post and decided to send the device back to Polaroid.

"Three weeks later, they delivered! Brand new battery, no weird bulges. Customer Service++! Thanks Consumerist!" writes Steve.

Thumbs up, Polaroid! And thumbs up, Steve, partially for getting proactive, but mainly for obeying our edicts.

Step 1: You give Amazon money.
Step 2: They let you download a video.
Step 3: You keep updating their software or they can delete your content.

Wait, what? It seems that Amazon is just selling you a license, which can be revoked. At any time. For any reason. You relinquish your privacy and the control of your hard drive, only to pay for an episode of CSI: Miami you could watch for free.

According to BoingBoing, "Amazon Unbox takes away your privacy and every conceivable consumer right you have, and then tells you that the goods you buy from them don't belong to you, and they can take them away from you at any time, or change the deal you get from them without any appeal by you."

By the way, did I mention that a DVD Quality Movie is $14.99? Well then. I'll just Tivo. Oh wait. Nevermind.

"That sign was not an authorized sign, wasn't issued by the store support center, and the information on the sign is not correct," Bill Cimino, director of corporate communications for Circuit City told Red Herring.

Rats. Looks like you're stuck with with searching the internet for easily accessible information about a variety of programs that can do the same thing.

How does this violate the DMCA? Well, according to the act, any attempts to work around an encryption scheme is prohibited. Every DVD comes encrypted. Ergo, Circuit City's breaking the law for customers, thousands of times per day.

Note the caveat: "Transfer must be from an original copy of your DVD collection." We'll swat aside the of/from confusion to point out how gleefully imprecise a criterion that is. Time to load up your trunk with a buddy's DVD collection and head on down to Circuit City. "Just what I needed!"

Of course, the most savvy of us don't need to pay Circuit City ten bucks a pop to breach copyright. In fact, paying to breach copyright pretty much defeats the whole purpose of it. Either way, Instant Handbrake will do the exact same thing for free, without some Circuit City monkey smearing putrescent grease all over your copy of Purple Rain.

Thanks to Joel for the pic!

Nevertheless, Hollywood Video would like you to believe that broken discs happen all the time, so they're instituting a 25 cent insurance policy on every rental. That's a bit ridiculous in and of itself — how many times do you really need to rent out a disc before you get a return on your $20 investment, oh massive corporation? — but Bob W. wrote us in explaining a more interesting take on the entire thing.

Bob's theory? The insurance program is giving all proceeds to Starlight, a charity that gives kids games to play. And there's the rub: you're financing their tax deduction by paying for a completely unnecessary bit of protection.

Maybe we should all start deducting our Hollywood Video rentals on our tax forms. Bob's email after the jump.

First off, I recently discovered your truly excellent site, but I've yet to really get a feel for the ground you cover, so if what follows is not in your domain, forgive me.

Hollywood video is starting a program August 1st in which you as a renter will be asked to add an extra .25 for each movie you rent as a kind of insurance in case it is damaged beyond repair while in your possession. Signage around the store will alarm you that 'Accidents Do Happen!', in which case, if you don't buy this 25-cent protection you'll be liable for the full purchase price of the disc.

I work at the store level at a Hollywood Video, and I can assure, you, in the several years I've worked for the company, I can think of only two rentals that were returned damaged beyond repair. In both cases that damage was intentional and malicious. In every other case, it's normal wear and tear that can easily be fixed with the disc-repair machine each store is provided with. Many times, damaged discs are not noticed by the employees, and the disc is put back onto the shelf, at which point someone else rents it and soon returns it for an exchange. My point is this 'service' is not needed. Period. It's simply a doomed-to-fail idea meant to squeeze a few extra dollars out of the ever-declining customer base.

That's not what bugs me, though.

To encourage people to get this disc insurance, 100% of the funds generated by this new program between August 1-31st will be donated to Hollywood's children's charity, the Starlight Starbright foundation ( www.starlight.org). After August 31st, an unspecified portion will be donated from the disc insurance proceeds. Starlight is a nice little charity that gives children in the hospitals movies to watch and games to play.

It's also a 501(c)3 organization.

I suspect Hollywood Video, or rather it's new parent company Movie Gallery, will be making a massive tax-deductible donation to their charity and next year will take advantage of the tax benefits of said donation, all paid for by their customers.

This is simply a theory of mine, but in line with the new corporate thuggery that's taken hold of Hollywood lately. I lack the time, knowledge, and job security to really dig into this. I'm not even sure if it's unethical, but it certainly seems to be an abuse of a non-profit charity for a cash-strapped corporation's financial gain. If there's any way for The Consumerist to investigate this, alarm people to this possible tax-scam, anything at all, I'd appreciate it.

I'm currently employed at a Hollywood Video, happily in fact, so I'd like to stay anonymous if this is something you feel like going with. If you need any more information about the program, the charity, or myself, feel free to reply to this email address.

That Disney brand portable DVD player you use to pacify a hyperventilating toddler on your next cross-country flight is the equivalent of handing him a frag grenade to play with.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered a recall of the product on the grounds that the battery can overheat, causing it to explode and the Toy Story DVD inside to transform into a shrapnel storm of molten metal shards, impaling eyeballs, slicing through sinew and decapitating noggins.

The recall was issued when the commission received 17 reports of batteries overheating with three reports of minor skin irritations and three reports of minor property damage.

The time bombs in question are the Princess, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Classic, Fairy Flowers and Power Rangers models. The perfect birthday gift for that obnoxious little twerp in your neighborhood!

Disney brand DVD players recalled [Yahoo News]

"I bought a DVD on eBay...[it] arrived, and though the package was new and unopened, the DVD inside was cracked in half. I asked for my money back and was told I'd have to mail the DVD back at my own expense. That doesn't seem fair... so I started a Paypal dispute, only to find that Paypal's own policies say that if the item cost less than $25, you have to send it back to the seller at your own expense."

Julia thinks it's wrong for her to have to send it back at her expense. Is she right? What can she do?

Our tipster writes:

"My husband is a assistant manager at a Wal-Mart here in North Carolina. I personally hate Wal-Mart and all that they stand for, and refuse to shop there (and haven't in almost a year).

While having dinner last night, I asked him if Wal-Mart was going to carry Brokeback Mountain when it's released on DVD on Tuesday. He said that he had just gotten an e-mail (sent to all the upper level-managers) that "due the controversial nature of the film" they were expecting to get a large number of customer complaints. The e-mail went on to say that the "corporate office does not want ANY manger to attempt to address the complaints and to refer all of them to an 800 number at the Arkansas office."

Says Wal-Mart, "I will quit you, Jim."

UPDATE: We just called our favorite Wal-Mart (Liberty, Missouri) and they will be carrying the film. The customer service specialist said that headquarters decides whether or not to pull a film based on complaints. Sometimes, he said, they will do so by geographic area, such as only from northwest Missouri. The representative said he's logged four complaints so far.

And the grand champion is... Anabelle! For her entry "If you don't join my club I will poke my eye out."

Secretly, we are gladdened, as that was the entry our fearless and feckless, but sometimes needing a hug, leader Ben Popken, chose as the best. Brownlee chose Airship's second place entry but that's okay, Brownlee's happy enough already, seeing as he has an orgasm every time Wal-Mart prevents an abortion. Rick Dobbs was 3rd.

Don't worry, you're all winners for having made it to the finals. Except of course, for those of you who lost.

Thanks for playing and Anabelle, email us what shirt from the Gawker T-shirt store you would like and your address and all that. We promise not to post it to the Gawker Stalker map.

Previously: Caption-It: William Shatner DVD Club

• Amazon also has a 50% off TV DVD sale, with series like Dead Like Me, All in the Family, and Barney Miller. (Actually, that's pretty much all that's any good.)

• ThinkGeek has the Lazer Trip Wire for $25, plus shipping. We don't know if that's a good price at all, but it sounds exactly like the sort of thing a little brother would like to use to protect his forts. [via DealNews]

• It pains us to tell you this, but online shoe retailer Zappos has another clearance sale. Zappos is cheap and fast. Thankfully for us, we're moving and don't know our new address, so we cannot purchase.

Highlights from Dealhack

• Astar DVX-6881 DivX Certified DVD Player only $35 at Buy.com

• Midway Stand-up Arcade Game $449 Shipped at Geeks.com

• Brother PT-65 P-Touch Labeling System $10 at Staples

• Amazon continues their "Big DVD Sale," with some DVDs going for as little as $7. Shipping is free over $25, as per usual. Or treat yourself and pay just $8 for a copy of Gremlins. While you're there, browse through the Toys 'R' Us sale on Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox games. Oh, and the Friday Sale.

• Need a quality keyboard and mouse but nothing overly fancy? ZipZoomFly has the Microsoft Basic Black Value Pack Keyboard and Mouse Combo for just $24, shipped. [via Dealnews]

• Today's Woot! was a set of speaker cables from Monster Cable. You didn't need it anyway.

Highlights from Dealhacks

• Save 50% off Pixar Movie DVDs at Amazon
(The Incredibles, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life for half price.)

• 12 Canon Digital Camcorders 25% off at Dell Home
(From Entry Level to Pro: 12 top camcorders all discounted.)

• Save Extra 10% off System Memory Upgrades at Crucial.com
(More RAM is the fastest and easiest way to improve Mac or PC performance.)

• Get up and get out to Banana Republic, where the muted colors are on sale for an additional 20% off the already discounted prices. But if you can't escape from the candy shell that ties you to your chair, the online code BRHOLBB should get you 15% off $125 or more at BananaRepublic.com. (Thanks, Ben!)

• Specialized is selling their 04 Speed Zone 5.0 Elite Bike Computer for just $20, down from $70. Fedex Ground shipping for $5. [via TechBargains]

• $15 off a $75 purchase at Petco. [via Ben's Bargains]

• New customers at iPrint.com can get a free, customized rubber stamp as long as you're willing to pay $3.50 in shipping. Professor Chumblesworth of 1337 Lane here we come. [via Dealnews]

• This deal for a Canon SD450 5-megapixel camera takes a little extra skill, but we think it's time you moved to the next level. Buy the camera from Dell Home, receive an automatic 20% off, then buy a $35 off $300 coupon from eBay to bring your total price to $244 shipped free. Trouble? A little. Worth it? By over $50 off the going rate. [via Slickdeals]

• Today's Woot! is the LG Progressive Scan DVD/Divx Player with HD Upconversion for $65 dollars, shipped. It's a refurb, but that don't scare us none. This one has got all the right features, but sadly we're not up to snuff with the wide world of DVD players. (We use our Xbox Media Center for all DVD playback.)

Highlights from Dealhack

• Save up to 50% off during January Clearance at Wine.com
(Over 125 selections on sale from under $10 to a few $100+)

• Save $25 off Kitchen & Housewares or Bed & Bath at Amazon
(Valid on single items or multiple items in orders of $125 or more.)

• Samsung 56-inch 1080p DLP HDTV + DVD Player & Harmony Remote $2700 at TigerDirect.com

According to court records, between January and March of 2005, 503 Netflix DVD movies destined for Lyons, Colorado were reported missing or stolen. Netflix told investigators the loss represents 23.33 percent of all DVD movies mailed to that postal area.

[via Hacking Netflix]

• If you've got some time this morning, have a gander at Alex's Coupons, a bargain site that helps support a young girl with leukemia.

• Amazon's Friday Sale lives, including the crazy deep discounts on Calphalon pans. Don't forget to use the HOHOHOHO code for $25 off $125 in Housewares, should it apply.

• Best Buy is selling the complete Mr. Show collection for $40. You've got to follow your balloon.

• Today's Woot! The refurbished HP F1903 19 inch LCD Monitor for $245, shipped. Not a bad deal in general, but not amazing. If you're feeling up to a rebate, Newegg has the Fujiplus FP-988D Silver-Black 19" 12MS monitor for $290 with a $90 mail-in rebate, plus shipping.

Update: Reader Rob offers this dissent: Eck. "These [Fujiplus] are horrible monitors, and $200 is actually a high price for them. I've seen them down in the $170s. They are not made by Fuji, the Japanese firm that makes decent cameras, but instead by some low-quality manufacturer. Check out their Web site, http://www.mmitek.com/." Informed!

• Amazon is discounting the Philips DVP642 Divx-Certified Progressive Scan DVD Player down to $50, with free shipping. That's a decent price, although not an amazing one. If you do not yet own a DVD player but find yourself open to the possibility, the DVP642 can also play most movies you've downloaded and burned to CD or DVD. [via Slickdeals]

• Circuit City has a Gamecube bundle with two controllers and Mario Party 7 for $99.99, shipped free. There are also two $15 off $100 coupons. Add something cheap to meet the minimum, then use one: NVAY8J6AJF or B9A4WD4A2J

• Borders has a 20% off employee coupon that will expire in a couple of days.

• Investiage the CompUSA Cost + 5% Sale. We suspect some things will be a good value, but for many popular, high volume items, their margin is probably 5% or less already.

• A complete Nintendo Entertainment System library is up for auction on eBay. 781 titles, although not all are factory-sealed. Expect this to go in the high thousands.

• Gawker upperclassman Jonno reminds us that the sick Calphalon sale at Amazon continues.

• If you've got a crusty old laptop with no Wi-Fi or just like to tinker with ancient hardware, Woot's deal of the day is a fine one: 3 Linksys Wi-Fi Notebook Adapters (the big, flat PC Card ones) for $15, shipped.

• Chronicle Books has a massive 40% off sale for friends and family, both in-store and online. Make sure you mention 'Frank' or any one of the other employee names we make up at random.