Sony Blu-Ray Production To End?
I thought I’d confirm that Sony Entertainment is NOT ending the production of blu-rays.
Sony Storage Media Solutions Inc is ending “the production of all models of Blu-ray disc media, mini discs for recording, MD data for recording, and mini DV cassettes” in February 2025 according to their January 23rd, 2025 press release.
They had ended production of blank recordable CD-R and DVD-R on July 1st, 2024 in response to the drop in demand for optical discs, ending some of their BD-R production at their Tagaze, Japan manufacturing plant. And consumers now mostly backup their music and film on Cloud Storage services, external hard drives and solid state drives, because these offer more storage and have dropped in price in some countries.
Yes, LG had decided to no longer manufacture blu-ray players last month so people had believed Sony Entertainment had ended manufacturing Blu-rays in response to the popularity of streaming. But physical media remains popular in areas with little to no high speed access to the streaming services, which are getting more and more expensive and fail to provide access to all music and films.
I’m cancelling my Netflix subscription soon because of their price hike and I’m sure I wont be alone in looking for better options.
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Speaking of streaming services, you should note that a 5,000 PC Optimum point offer is available to individuals purchasing $50 Apple Gift Cards from participating Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores until January 31st, 2025. And Apple Music & Apple TV offers are available from PC Optimum.
Road trip to Southern Ontario?
There will be two pop up record shows this weekend in the Niagara Peninsula, both of which are free.
The first will be in Ridgeway, Ontario, where the Brimstone Brewery will be hosting a pop up shop on December the 14th, 2024, from 1pm to 7pm.
And the second will be in Virgil, Ontario, at the Silversmith Brewing Co., on Sunday, the 15th, from 11:30am to 6pm.
Both are small town events where public transit isn’t available. And cash is preferred at these events so you might want to pop into the local ATM.
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By the way, the $10 CT Money Offer on $100 Google Play Gift Card purchases being offered by participating Canadian Tire stores that expires on December 12th, 2024 will be replaced by a $10 CT Money Offer on $100 Indigo Gift Card purchases on the 13th and that offer will expire on the 19th of December 2024. Please consult your local flyer for details.
If you are still interested in purchasing Google Gift Cards, you can get a 7500 PC Optimum Point Bonus on $50 Google Gift Cards at participating Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores from December 14th until December 19th, 2024. And participating Rexall stores will be providing a $5 Rexall Gift Card to customers purchasing $50 Rakuten Kobo gift cards from the 13th to 24th.
Click here for your local Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix flyer and click here for your local Rexall flyer.
You should also note that Amazon Canada is currently offering a $7.50 credit on $50 Rakuten Kobo Gift Cards as well as other credits on gift cards. Click here for details.
This Weekend’s Events
There will be five events this weekend, three of which are record conventions:
The first event will be the Waterloo Record Swap & Sale, which will be held this Saturday, the 23rd of November, 2024 at the Royal Canadian Legion from 10am to 4pm.
Admission will be $2 or a donation to the Waterloo Food Bank. And the venue is serviced by multiple stops on either end of Marsland Drive by Grand River Transit.
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The second event will be the Aurora Comicon, which will also be held on Saturday, from 10am to 3pm at the Royal Canadian Legion in Aurora.
Admission will be $5 or free for kids 12 and under. And the nearest bus stops, #1746 and #1758, are an 8 minute walk away at the corner of Industrial and Wellington and are serviced by York Region Transit.
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The Burlington Records Show will be hosted by the Burlington Senior Center on Sunday, the 24th of November from 10:30am to 4pm and admission will be $3.
Multiple routes on Burlington Transit service Central Park, which also houses the city’s Central Library, Music Centre and Curling Club.
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The Angus Comicon will also occur on Sunday, and will be hosted by the Angus Recreation Center from 10am to 3pm.
Admission will be $5 or free for kids 12 and under. But unfortunately the area is not serviced by public transit.
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And finally, the Vancouver Vinyl Record Show will be held at Heritage Hall, also on Sunday, November 24th, 2024, from 11am to 4pm.
Admission will be $5 and the venue is serviced by Bus Route 003 on Translink from bus stop numbers 50242 and 59581.
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Please note that cash may be preferred at these events. And in regards to gift card offers, PlayStation users will be able to obtain a 10,000 PC Optimum Bonus when purchasing $75 PlayStation Gift Cards from participating Real Atlantic Superstores and Real Canadian Superstores, starting tomorrow through to November 27th, 2024. Please consult PC Optimum’s official site for details.
By the way, Black Friday Week specials are starting tomorrow at Amazon Canada. Click here for deals on vinyl and CDs.
Gift Card Offers
Here are some gift card offers I though your might be interested in:
5000 Bonus PC Optimum points will be available per $50 Apple Gift Card purchased at participating Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores until November 20th, 2024. And a maximum of 10 gift cards can be purchased so you might consider these a stocking stuffers or something to add to holiday card mailings. Consult your local flyer for details.
A Bonus $10 Rexall Gift Card will be offered with a $100 Thank You/Happy Teen/Happy Kid Gift Card purchase at participating Rexall stores until November 21st, 2024. All three versions of this card can be redeemed at Indigo whilst the Happy Kid Gift Card can also be redeemed at Cineplex. Consult your local flyer for details.
Speaking of Cineplex, a Holiday Gift Bundle featuring coupons for free, BOGO and upgraded admissions and discounted snacks if offered on $50 Cineplex Gift Card purchases at Cineplex.com and Cineplex theatre box offices until December 31st, 2024. Click here for details.
Landmark Cinemas is currently offering a free movie ticket bonus on $30 Landmark Gift Card purchases from landmarkcinemas.com or at their box offices until January 5th, 2025. Click here for additional information.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the gift card shops on Amazon Canada and Amazon.com for special offers and yes, they offer both emailed and physical cards. And you can send cards within the United States from Amazon.com if the postal strike persists on our side of the border.
Enjoy.
Gift Card Offers
Participating Rexall stores will be provide a $10 Rexall Gift Card to those purchasing a $100 Apple Gift Card from today to the 20th of June, 2024, with a maximum purchase of $500 in the latter.
This retailer will also be giving a $15 Rexall Gift Card to people purchasing a $75 Happy Him Gift Card, which is redeemable at Indigo and multiple other retailers, on the same dates and with the same maximum purchase.