Is the end near for HD DVD? A recent spate of bad news suggests that the format is running out of retail friends. But the situation may not be as bad for Toshiba's favorite format as it first appears.

First, as previous reported, there's Blockbuster. Yes, the software chain won't extend HD DVD to 1450 additional stores. But it will keep selling HD DVD titles in the 250 stores already carrying them. And HD DVD will also remain on the Blockbuster website.

Then there's Target. What was first reported as a Blu-ray exclusive turns out to be an agreement to carry a specific model, the BDP-S300, and display it prominently with "end caps" at the end of an aisle. That doesn't necessarily mean HD DVD will disappear from stores. Fred from UltimateAV explains all. HD DVD software seems to be well represented on the Target website.

However, a couple of genuine Blu-ray brick-and-mortar exclusives have in fact surfaced. One is BJ's Wholesale Club, which will eliminate HD DVD from stores--but again, not from its website, currently carrying both a Toshiba player and an Xbox add-on.

In the United Kingdom, the Woolworth's chain will also drop HD DVD to concentrate excusively on Blu-ray.