Target to offer Blu-ray player

Target Corp., the nation’s second-largest retailer, will start selling a Sony Corp. Blu-ray high-definition DVD player during the holiday shopping period and feature the player along with Blu-ray discs in store displays, dealing a potential blow to the rival HD DVD format.

The move, which the companies will formally announce today, is another step in resolving a format war that has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.