Japanese stores go for Blu-ray
Tsutaya will begin rentals at 10 outlets
Tsutaya will begin rentals at 10 outlets in Tokyo and Osaka on Wednesday (its home delivery subsid will start sending out Blu-ray discs the same day). It plans to have Blu-ray discs in 1,300 stores by summer.
Geo will begin renting Blu-ray discs at nearly 800 stores on April 12.
Both chains will start with about 45 titles, including "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," released by Warner Home Video.
Tsutaya will price one-night rentals from ¥360 ($3.75) to $3.91, while Geo prices range from $4.17 to $5.21. These are similar to charges for standard DVDs.
Geo has 889 stores and 135 affiliate or franchise stores. Tsutaya has 1,322 rental stores and 3,568 stores total, including those specializing in books, CDs, games and used goods.
