@vizunary
Let's just say I am extremely glad I sold my company stock a week ago.
The difference with a Bestbuy/Circuit City/ Electronics chain and a Chain like Wal-mart or Target is the audience. Wal-mart appeals to the masses. I am sure that in Dallas Wal-mart would at least carry one 1080p. It is a very large city, and can support a large population with that desire. In most places, Wal-mart does not have enough shoppers with an HD interest to justify the shelf space that could be used to sell something else. People who go to electronics chains are more interested in the top of the line stuff. They are more likely to seek out new tech and become early adopters. Wal-mart shoppers want "value" or low prices. If a tv is $98 it will sell like sno cones in the desert, it doesn't matter if it lacks frills.
The fact of the matter is this: a technology is not dead until we stop carrying it and a technology is not universal until we sell it. We still sell 3.5 floppies, vhs tapes, cassette tapes, and coax cable like nobodys business. We have stopped selling VHS movies and Vhs players that lack a dvd player. We just got dual core computers a few months ago. Our selection of 1080i tvs was expanded a few months ago, but we still only sell them from time to time. We have been making an effort to start getting a few better tv brands in general, but a lot of them are still crappy. We just added Blu-Ray and HDDVD a few months ago, and the selection on both is small.
"But as always, technology refused to be dignity's bitch."--Vance DeGeneres
