First books, now movies, the price wars between the biggest retailers just keep getting hotter. Walmart, Target and Amazon are all slashing pre-order pricing on some hot new releases like "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince."

Walmart said Thursday it would reduce prices for soon to be released DVDs to $10 at Walmart.com. Target and Amazon quickly followed, threw in free shipping and forced Walmart to drop its prices down to $9.98. Keep in mind, the deals are for online pre-orders of movies not yet released.

All this price cuttings seems like a great deal for consumers, but is it really? Highly competitive pricing can't be sustained for long, or extended to the entire category. Retailers simply can't sell things at a financial loss indefinitely. They do it to increase traffic, turn up the marketing machine, get a lot of press and sell other, more profitable items.

Cables, connectors, adapters; you can't have a gadget these days without needing some kind of extra cord to connect device A to device B. And most of the time retail stores and name brands charge an arm and a leg for the simple pleasure of connectivity.

When the AmazonBasics cables begin shipping, shoppers will find it easier and cheaper than ever to get their gadgets connected.

The AmazonBasics offerings include the following cables and media at prices much lower than you'll find in retail stores and on par with online retailers.

• HDMI cables
• Component and Optical cables
• USB and Firewire cables
• Ethernet cables
• Blank CDs and DVDs

As an added bonus, the private label cables and blank media are shipped in "frustration free packaging" so you don't have to worry about taking a trip to the ER before you enjoy your new-found connectivity.

The cables qualify for free Super-Saver shipping with a $25 minimum and also for Amazon Prime. I'm certain that my friend, who is a Prime member, would have gladly waited an extra day or simply added an AmazonBasics cable to his gadget purchase instead of going to Walmart and paying nearly 4 times the cost for the same cable.

Competitors like MeritLine.com and Monoprice.com still offer slightly lower priced cables and even cut Amazon's low prices in half with sales offers, but the convenience of buying a cheap branded cable from Amazon is something many consumers will be quick to adopt. That's reason enough for the expensive cable manufacturers like Monster to get more than a little nervous!

It is worth noting that you can already buy cheap cables, like this 6 ft HDMI cable on Amazon for a penny plus $2.98 shipping from a third party seller, but it lacks a powerful brand like Amazon, which will work to ensure a quality cable, and a one-year warranty.

Does your dad know the identities of both of the actors who played Vito Corleone?

Does he know all the words to the MASH theme song?

Does he ever complain that movie trivia questions are "too easy?"

Has he ever gotten into an argument about whether an Imperial Star Cruiser could beat a Klingon Bird of Prey?

Is there an indent in the couch in the shape of his butt?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, I might have the perfect Father's day gift for you. Netflix recently unveiled its new Roku player. Basically, this $99 box connects your computer to your television, enabling you to watch streaming movies right on your TV. While this isn't the first TV/internet connector, the Roku is far cheaper than previous options. Netflix is promising full DVD quality, and it will currently allow you to stream any of its 10,000 movies and TV programs for free, as long as you're a member.

Admittedly, there are limitations to streaming movies. They don't tend to have all the wonderful DVD extras and are, currently, a little unwieldy to work with. That having been said, Netflix's streaming movies are, essentially, free, and they are insanely convenient. Besides, as more and more content becomes available online, these sorts of interfaces are going to become really common. With a little help from you, your dad could become the coolest kid on the block!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He still gets a little teary when he remembers his family's first VCR. It was a cute little Zenith, and it just worked its little heart out...