• March 20, 2008

In an effort to soothe consumers stranded by the triumph of Blu-ray over HD-DVD, Best Buy is handing out $10 million in gift cards. The $50 cards will be mailed to shoppers who bought an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23.

"The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven't seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago," the company says in its announcement. "We hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs."

And later this week, it will launch Best Buy's Online Trade-In Center (www.bestbuytradein.com), which will give instant estimates on the value of HD-DVD players and movies--even those not purchased at Best Buy--and pay shipping costs on trade-ins.

--Sarah Mahoney