^^^Although I don't find it an accurate indicator or overall sales alone (the SALES RANK status from Amazon), I thought I'd share this phenomena over at their site. Considering that Blu-ray continues to dominate overall Nielsen/Videoscan sales 2+:1 over HD DVD, when coupled with this data over at Amazon, it lays more credence to what we all have been seeing via overall sales.
Regardless, it is interesting to speculate, especially considering that Blu-ray has 46 our of the 50 ranks locked up out of the top 50. More than likely it is due to this,...
...and I have to say kudos to the BDA on a well timed sale. It'll be very interesting if HD DVD can recover even with Transformers this week, given how well the Blu-ray sale is going. Time will tell.
Amazon doing 2 for 1 sales on Disney BD titles. Most people are sensitive to price drops on softwares, but will probably do the same with hardwares during the holidays.
Thanks for answering that. I do agree that there is no need to go on a HDM purchase frenzy. I'm waiting on the day where I can walk into Walmart, Target, and BestBuy to pick up HDM deals at $5.99 on many of the future double dips.
Ones I doubled dipped were mostly the movies I love to watch over and it is worthy of one time $18 fee for me. I did, however, buy few HDM not worthy of upgrade in the begining, but most of the HDM review sites did not exist at the time, and that is just part of an early adopter syndrome.
Anyway, 11 HDM count is pretty good actually. It's 11 more than many of us here. If those are 11 BD exclusives, then you have 11 of HDM's I do not have and I'm sure I would like to have some of them in HiDef at my home.
cheers for that
Quote:
I did, however, buy few HDM not worthy of upgrade in the begining, but most of the HDM review sites did not exist at the time, and that is just part of an early adopter syndrome.
oh I think over the years we have ALL done that from records to 8-bit cassette games to.. well HDM and I'm sure it won't stop there but that is the fickle nature of the human condition, expect much, get little.
Warner has also announced that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is finally coming to Blu-ray Disc on 12/4 (the title is already available on HD-DVD). The disc will include new filmmaker's commentary, 2 other audio commentaries, the In Movie Experience, an introduction by Arnold Schwarzenegger and 40 minutes of additional features (SRP $28.99).
After spending a couple hours in the store today comparing both Blu-ray and HD DVD I gotta say both options are stellar. However I want HD DVD to win for 2 reasons:
1. It's currently cheaper so I think if it won it could get even cheaper faster, then BR could/would want to.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
That said if BR wins I don't really care, I just prefer it not to. I just wish one would fold so I can jump in.
After spending a couple hours in the store today comparing both Blu-ray and HD DVD I gotta say both options are stellar. However I want HD DVD to win for 2 reasons:
1. It's currently cheaper so I think if it won it could get even cheaper faster, then BR could/would want to.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
That said if BR wins I don't really care, I just prefer it not to. I just wish one would fold so I can jump in.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
Oh, please. Not that old chestnut. Sony is in a high technology field. They pioneer new technologies. Sometimes they fail. It happens to all companies on the cutting edge. Look at all the technologies Apple has championed that never caught on. Where's ADC today despite being non-proprietary? Did so much as one other PC maker ever adopt it, despite its clutter-reducing advantages? Did AppleTalk ever catch on other than on some Mac-only networks? Pippin? eMate? Macintosh TV? CHRP? Nubus? The Cube? The one-button mouse? Newton? Will the struggling AppleTV join them? Yet for all those failures, I don't see anyone here decrying Apple as a terrible company that they don't want to support because it has a "death grip" on the Mac market. It's just personal hatred of Sony, plain and simple, so just admit it and stop being hypocritical. And whoever said MiniDisc was a good idea? Or Memory Sticks, when so many other flash RAM formats already existed? Is it a good thing that we currently have something like 27-in-1 card readers available? Isn't universal support wonderful? \
MiniDiscs were a great idea. They would still be in use today as the main music disc media had Sony not loaded the players and recorders with proprietary formats and insane DRM, and refused to make computer disc recording a priority.
I'm sure they'll be more consumer-friendly on their next disc format try though. Oh wait...
Indeed, I had the opportunity to attend a special 'Transformers' media event with Paramount late last week, and the question was asked almost immediately -- why no Dolby TrueHD or uncompressed PCM? The studio's answer was that due to space limitations on the disc, the decision was made to limit the audio to Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 Surround only (here at 1.5mbps). Unfortunately, this confirms the long-held theory that the 30Gb capacity of an HD-30 dual-layer HD DVD disc has forced studios to choose between offering a robust supplements package (as they've done here) and the very best in audio quality.
oh I think over the years we have ALL done that from records to 8-bit cassette games to.. well HDM and I'm sure it won't stop there but that is the fickle nature of the human condition, expect much, get little.
Either blu-ray or HD-DVD, I guess we are all just bunch of early adopters again. I thought I was just done being an early adopter with DVD-A/SACD format, but I guess I just can't help it when it comes to new toys.
After spending a couple hours in the store today comparing both Blu-ray and HD DVD I gotta say both options are stellar. However I want HD DVD to win for 2 reasons:
1. It's currently cheaper so I think if it won it could get even cheaper faster, then BR could/would want to.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
That said if BR wins I don't really care, I just prefer it not to. I just wish one would fold so I can jump in.
I think you're on to something. Just look at how people respond to amazon software sales, this time on Blu-Ray softwares. The sales only apply to Disney HDM's, but still able to move those items at much faster rate. People are so sensitive to pricing, that it will most likely be the main factor to win the HiDef format war. This HiDef optical movie format war is turning into pricing war and we all know who's going to sell more standalone players for the holiday season. If Toshiba can run some promo on the software bundles or lower software prices along with cheap HD-DVD players hitting $149 to $199 would be another icing on the cake. The cost drop on the third gen HD-DVD players will play a huge roll in lowering the hardware prices even further. Perhaps, the hidef format war may not last as long.
I think you're on to something. Just look at how people respond to amazon software sales, this time on Blu-Ray softwares. The sales only apply to Disney HDM's, but still able to move those items at much faster rate. People are so sensitive to pricing, that it will most likely be the main factor to win the HiDef format war. This HiDef optical movie format war is turning into pricing war and we all know who's going to sell more standalone players for the holiday season. If Toshiba can run some promo on the software bundles or lower software prices along with cheap HD-DVD players hitting $149 to $199 would be another icing on the cake. The cost drop on the third gen HD-DVD players will play a huge roll in lowering the hardware prices even further. Perhaps, the hidef format war may not last as long.
It's ironic that this keeps comming round.
Back (last year?) murch was convinced that HD-DVD discs would be cheaper, yet the screen shot above has the Transfomers disc as more expensive than the BD disc either side of it!
YES I can see its for a 2 disc set, but is that because of space limitations?
I think so, does that then imply that BECAUSE the BD has more space and can fit the same quantity of data on a single disc, that it is less expensive to produce? (the production a single disc versus two discs)
YES.
There is plenty of real provable evidence as well as anecdotal, to show that BD is the cheaper format for the consumer, even if only now by economy of scale (selling twice as much all year) if that is all that it takes to push its price below HD-DVD then imagine how its price would drop if Toshiba droped their proprietary format altogether.
In terms of price is all of this "better" and "cheaper" for the consumer?
and on hardware, you in particular have been preaching that BECAUSE HD-DVD players are cheaper, they will sell more. is this also true for iPods? traditionally more expensive than their competitors, yet selling by the container load.
Does one buy the cheapest car and not consider its running costs? or does one look at the Miles Per Gallon and take that into consideration?
Digital photography has taken off in part because one doesnt have to PAY to print out the photos so total cost of ownership (for someone that already has a computer) is pretty low.
And then there is Apples iPhone, total cost of owner ship over the lifetime of the product is LESS than a cheap non "smart phone" RAZR with a similar plan.
-
But then, If M$ are behind Toshibas proprietary format, and we are primarily interested in films, then, in the words of Groucho Marx, playing President Quincy Adams Wagstaff in Horse Feathers "I'm against it!"
Walter Slocombe, if 'Pirates was one Blu-Ray disc chocked full of special features, and priced at $39.99, consumers would balk at the thought of purchasing it. But throw in "2-disc special edition", and suddenly the price seems justified (especially at $13 off list price). The mark-up that the studio can get away with by using two discs instead of one is probably much higher than the cost of producing two discs instead of one. Is it good for consumers that the studio can charge us more for the same thing if they put it on two discs? Not really. Is it good for making consumers think the price is justified? Yup.
If it was a single disc with the same amount of bonus features with a list price of $34.99, no one would buy it.
Walter Slocombe, if 'Pirates was one Blu-Ray disc chocked full of special features, and priced at $39.99, consumers would balk at the thought of purchasing it. But throw in "2-disc special edition", and suddenly the price seems justified (especially at $13 off list price). The mark-up that the studio can get away with by using two discs instead of one is probably much higher than the cost of producing two discs instead of one. Is it good for consumers that the studio can charge us more for the same thing if they put it on two discs? Not really. Is it good for making consumers think the price is justified? Yup.
If it was a single disc with the same amount of bonus features with a list price of $34.99, no one would buy it.
I don't think that's fair to compare a set that just came out (transformers) to a set that's been out for months on price. When things get released, they charge a premium... the highest price they can. The iPhone is an excellent example of this. I say compare the prices down the line after Transformers has been out. HD-DVDs are low in price just like Blu-ray... They get sales just like Blu-ray. Hell today Fry's is doing a nice little sale on HD-DVDs:
Back (last year?) murch was convinced that HD-DVD discs would be cheaper, yet the screen shot above has the Transfomers disc as more expensive than the BD disc either side of it!
YES I can see its for a 2 disc set, but is that because of space limitations?
I think so, does that then imply that BECAUSE the BD has more space and can fit the same quantity of data on a single disc, that it is less expensive to produce? (the production a single disc versus two discs)
YES.
There is plenty of real provable evidence as well as anecdotal, to show that BD is the cheaper format for the consumer, even if only now by economy of scale (selling twice as much all year) if that is all that it takes to push its price below HD-DVD then imagine how its price would drop if Toshiba droped their proprietary format altogether.
In terms of price is all of this "better" and "cheaper" for the consumer?
and on hardware, you in particular have been preaching that BECAUSE HD-DVD players are cheaper, they will sell more. is this also true for iPods? traditionally more expensive than their competitors, yet selling by the container load.
Does one buy the cheapest car and not consider its running costs? or does one look at the Miles Per Gallon and take that into consideration?
Digital photography has taken off in part because one doesnt have to PAY to print out the photos so total cost of ownership (for someone that already has a computer) is pretty low.
And then there is Apples iPhone, total cost of owner ship over the lifetime of the product is LESS than a cheap non "smart phone" RAZR with a similar plan.
-
But then, If M$ are behind Toshibas proprietary format, and we are primarily interested in films, then, in the words of Groucho Marx, playing President Quincy Adams Wagstaff in Horse Feathers "I'm against it!"
The $ topic keeps coming around because consumers are more sensitive to $ than the industry.
Your statement on the HDM software price is false, because most HD-DVD single titles are priced the same or below blu-ray. Only the the combo & special editions with multiplle discs cost more than norm. BTW, Warner decided not to support combos, so the average software prices will go down. However, I think that all HDM releases should be priced at the same level as the SD-DVD counter part to help with mass adoption.
Once again, it's no longer a format war and none of the techie/spec talk matters, but it is turning into a game of "how low can you go". And consumers will repond to pricing game way faster than the spec game.
You know, it seemed there was a memo or a note or a conversation or a meeting and I missed it.
All of the sudden games went to 59.99+ (m$ xbox 360 was first?), and movies went up to 29+. The sweet spot for games is 39.99 and the sweet spot for movies is 19.99.... LIKE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN. I know some of you will argue saying it wasn't always like that, but it was for a LONG time with the occasional exception here and there. If this war is ever going to settle and consumers really pick up HDM, the prices need to drop below 20.
Once again, it's no longer a format war and none of the techie/spec talk matters, but it is turning into a game of "how low can you go". And consumers will repond to pricing game way faster than the spec game.
I guess the consumers never got that memo, then, judging from Videoscan sales figures and Amazon.com rankings.
I don't think that's fair to compare a set that just came out (transformers) to a set that's been out for months on price. When things get released, they charge a premium... the highest price they can. The iPhone is an excellent example of this. I say compare the prices down the line after Transformers has been out. HD-DVDs are low in price just like Blu-ray... They get sales just like Blu-ray. Hell today Fry's is doing a nice little sale on HD-DVDs:
Looks like Circuit City is also having some sort of HD-DVD promo. Just picked up Transfomers HD-DVD for $14.99 along with another HDM also at half price.
Walter Slocombe, if 'Pirates was one Blu-Ray disc chocked full of special features, and priced at $39.99, consumers would balk at the thought of purchasing it. But throw in "2-disc special edition", and suddenly the price seems justified (especially at $13 off list price). The mark-up that the studio can get away with by using two discs instead of one is probably much higher than the cost of producing two discs instead of one. Is it good for consumers that the studio can charge us more for the same thing if they put it on two discs? Not really. Is it good for making consumers think the price is justified? Yup.
If it was a single disc with the same amount of bonus features with a list price of $34.99, no one would buy it.
NO-ONE would buy it???
What a supercilious and aggrandized statment, so glad you felt you could share it with us
Comments
Blu-ray Dominating the Amazon Sales Rank Charts...
http://charts.highdefdigest.com/rank.aspx
^^^Although I don't find it an accurate indicator or overall sales alone (the SALES RANK status from Amazon), I thought I'd share this phenomena over at their site. Considering that Blu-ray continues to dominate overall Nielsen/Videoscan sales 2+:1 over HD DVD, when coupled with this data over at Amazon, it lays more credence to what we all have been seeing via overall sales.
Regardless, it is interesting to speculate, especially considering that Blu-ray has 46 our of the 50 ranks locked up out of the top 50. More than likely it is due to this,...
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news...ay_Discs_/1065
...and I have to say kudos to the BDA on a well timed sale. It'll be very interesting if HD DVD can recover even with Transformers this week, given how well the Blu-ray sale is going. Time will tell.
Amazon doing 2 for 1 sales on Disney BD titles. Most people are sensitive to price drops on softwares, but will probably do the same with hardwares during the holidays.
Thanks for answering that. I do agree that there is no need to go on a HDM purchase frenzy. I'm waiting on the day where I can walk into Walmart, Target, and BestBuy to pick up HDM deals at $5.99 on many of the future double dips.
Ones I doubled dipped were mostly the movies I love to watch over and it is worthy of one time $18 fee for me. I did, however, buy few HDM not worthy of upgrade in the begining, but most of the HDM review sites did not exist at the time, and that is just part of an early adopter syndrome.
Anyway, 11 HDM count is pretty good actually. It's 11 more than many of us here. If those are 11 BD exclusives, then you have 11 of HDM's I do not have and I'm sure I would like to have some of them in HiDef at my home.
cheers for that
I did, however, buy few HDM not worthy of upgrade in the begining, but most of the HDM review sites did not exist at the time, and that is just part of an early adopter syndrome.
oh I think over the years we have ALL done that
http://www.digitalbits.com/#mytwocents
Warner has also announced that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is finally coming to Blu-ray Disc on 12/4 (the title is already available on HD-DVD). The disc will include new filmmaker's commentary, 2 other audio commentaries, the In Movie Experience, an introduction by Arnold Schwarzenegger and 40 minutes of additional features (SRP $28.99).
So, will Transformers be beat by a Blu-ray catalog title for this week?
1. It's currently cheaper so I think if it won it could get even cheaper faster, then BR could/would want to.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
That said if BR wins I don't really care, I just prefer it not to. I just wish one would fold so I can jump in.
After spending a couple hours in the store today comparing both Blu-ray and HD DVD I gotta say both options are stellar. However I want HD DVD to win for 2 reasons:
1. It's currently cheaper so I think if it won it could get even cheaper faster, then BR could/would want to.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
That said if BR wins I don't really care, I just prefer it not to. I just wish one would fold so I can jump in.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
Oh, please. Not that old chestnut. Sony is in a high technology field. They pioneer new technologies. Sometimes they fail. It happens to all companies on the cutting edge. Look at all the technologies Apple has championed that never caught on. Where's ADC today despite being non-proprietary? Did so much as one other PC maker ever adopt it, despite its clutter-reducing advantages? Did AppleTalk ever catch on other than on some Mac-only networks? Pippin? eMate? Macintosh TV? CHRP? Nubus? The Cube? The one-button mouse? Newton? Will the struggling AppleTV join them? Yet for all those failures, I don't see anyone here decrying Apple as a terrible company that they don't want to support because it has a "death grip" on the Mac market. It's just personal hatred of Sony, plain and simple, so just admit it and stop being hypocritical. And whoever said MiniDisc was a good idea? Or Memory Sticks, when so many other flash RAM formats already existed? Is it a good thing that we currently have something like 27-in-1 card readers available? Isn't universal support wonderful?
So, will Transformers be beat by a Blu-ray catalog title for this week?
45 out of the top 50 are Blu-ray Discs!
And whoever said MiniDisc was a good idea?
MiniDiscs were a great idea. They would still be in use today as the main music disc media had Sony not loaded the players and recorders with proprietary formats and insane DRM, and refused to make computer disc recording a priority.
I'm sure they'll be more consumer-friendly on their next disc format try though. Oh wait...
I followed that link to the Amazon sales rank, surfed around, and came upon a review of the Transformers HD DVD. In the review:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1110/transformers.html
Indeed, I had the opportunity to attend a special 'Transformers' media event with Paramount late last week, and the question was asked almost immediately -- why no Dolby TrueHD or uncompressed PCM? The studio's answer was that due to space limitations on the disc, the decision was made to limit the audio to Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 Surround only (here at 1.5mbps). Unfortunately, this confirms the long-held theory that the 30Gb capacity of an HD-30 dual-layer HD DVD disc has forced studios to choose between offering a robust supplements package (as they've done here) and the very best in audio quality.
(Emphasis mine.)
cheers for that
oh I think over the years we have ALL done that
Either blu-ray or HD-DVD, I guess we are all just bunch of early adopters again.
After spending a couple hours in the store today comparing both Blu-ray and HD DVD I gotta say both options are stellar. However I want HD DVD to win for 2 reasons:
1. It's currently cheaper so I think if it won it could get even cheaper faster, then BR could/would want to.
2. I'm afraid of sony having a death grip on any format after seeing what they've done with good ideas like beta, mini disc, and memory stick.
That said if BR wins I don't really care, I just prefer it not to. I just wish one would fold so I can jump in.
I think you're on to something. Just look at how people respond to amazon software sales, this time on Blu-Ray softwares. The sales only apply to Disney HDM's, but still able to move those items at much faster rate. People are so sensitive to pricing, that it will most likely be the main factor to win the HiDef format war. This HiDef optical movie format war is turning into pricing war and we all know who's going to sell more standalone players for the holiday season. If Toshiba can run some promo on the software bundles or lower software prices along with cheap HD-DVD players hitting $149 to $199 would be another icing on the cake. The cost drop on the third gen HD-DVD players will play a huge roll in lowering the hardware prices even further. Perhaps, the hidef format war may not last as long.
I think you're on to something. Just look at how people respond to amazon software sales, this time on Blu-Ray softwares. The sales only apply to Disney HDM's, but still able to move those items at much faster rate. People are so sensitive to pricing, that it will most likely be the main factor to win the HiDef format war. This HiDef optical movie format war is turning into pricing war and we all know who's going to sell more standalone players for the holiday season. If Toshiba can run some promo on the software bundles or lower software prices along with cheap HD-DVD players hitting $149 to $199 would be another icing on the cake. The cost drop on the third gen HD-DVD players will play a huge roll in lowering the hardware prices even further. Perhaps, the hidef format war may not last as long.
It's ironic that this keeps comming round.
Back (last year?) murch was convinced that HD-DVD discs would be cheaper, yet the screen shot above has the Transfomers disc as more expensive than the BD disc either side of it!
YES I can see its for a 2 disc set, but is that because of space limitations?
I think so, does that then imply that BECAUSE the BD has more space and can fit the same quantity of data on a single disc, that it is less expensive to produce? (the production a single disc versus two discs)
YES.
There is plenty of real provable evidence as well as anecdotal, to show that BD is the cheaper format for the consumer, even if only now by economy of scale (selling twice as much all year) if that is all that it takes to push its price below HD-DVD then imagine how its price would drop if Toshiba droped their proprietary format altogether.
In terms of price is all of this "better" and "cheaper" for the consumer?
and on hardware, you in particular have been preaching that BECAUSE HD-DVD players are cheaper, they will sell more. is this also true for iPods? traditionally more expensive than their competitors, yet selling by the container load.
Does one buy the cheapest car and not consider its running costs? or does one look at the Miles Per Gallon and take that into consideration?
Digital photography has taken off in part because one doesnt have to PAY to print out the photos so total cost of ownership (for someone that already has a computer) is pretty low.
And then there is Apples iPhone, total cost of owner ship over the lifetime of the product is LESS than a cheap non "smart phone" RAZR with a similar plan.
-
But then, If M$ are behind Toshibas proprietary format, and we are primarily interested in films, then, in the words of Groucho Marx, playing President Quincy Adams Wagstaff in Horse Feathers "I'm against it!"
If it was a single disc with the same amount of bonus features with a list price of $34.99, no one would buy it.
Walter Slocombe, if 'Pirates was one Blu-Ray disc chocked full of special features, and priced at $39.99, consumers would balk at the thought of purchasing it. But throw in "2-disc special edition", and suddenly the price seems justified (especially at $13 off list price). The mark-up that the studio can get away with by using two discs instead of one is probably much higher than the cost of producing two discs instead of one. Is it good for consumers that the studio can charge us more for the same thing if they put it on two discs? Not really. Is it good for making consumers think the price is justified? Yup.
If it was a single disc with the same amount of bonus features with a list price of $34.99, no one would buy it.
I don't think that's fair to compare a set that just came out (transformers) to a set that's been out for months on price. When things get released, they charge a premium... the highest price they can. The iPhone is an excellent example of this. I say compare the prices down the line after Transformers has been out. HD-DVDs are low in price just like Blu-ray... They get sales just like Blu-ray. Hell today Fry's is doing a nice little sale on HD-DVDs:
http://shop2.outpost.com/search?cat=...pType=pDisplay
It's ironic that this keeps comming round.
Back (last year?) murch was convinced that HD-DVD discs would be cheaper, yet the screen shot above has the Transfomers disc as more expensive than the BD disc either side of it!
YES I can see its for a 2 disc set, but is that because of space limitations?
I think so, does that then imply that BECAUSE the BD has more space and can fit the same quantity of data on a single disc, that it is less expensive to produce? (the production a single disc versus two discs)
YES.
There is plenty of real provable evidence as well as anecdotal, to show that BD is the cheaper format for the consumer, even if only now by economy of scale (selling twice as much all year) if that is all that it takes to push its price below HD-DVD then imagine how its price would drop if Toshiba droped their proprietary format altogether.
In terms of price is all of this "better" and "cheaper" for the consumer?
and on hardware, you in particular have been preaching that BECAUSE HD-DVD players are cheaper, they will sell more. is this also true for iPods? traditionally more expensive than their competitors, yet selling by the container load.
Does one buy the cheapest car and not consider its running costs? or does one look at the Miles Per Gallon and take that into consideration?
Digital photography has taken off in part because one doesnt have to PAY to print out the photos so total cost of ownership (for someone that already has a computer) is pretty low.
And then there is Apples iPhone, total cost of owner ship over the lifetime of the product is LESS than a cheap non "smart phone" RAZR with a similar plan.
-
But then, If M$ are behind Toshibas proprietary format, and we are primarily interested in films, then, in the words of Groucho Marx, playing President Quincy Adams Wagstaff in Horse Feathers "I'm against it!"
The $ topic keeps coming around because consumers are more sensitive to $ than the industry.
Your statement on the HDM software price is false, because most HD-DVD single titles are priced the same or below blu-ray. Only the the combo & special editions with multiplle discs cost more than norm. BTW, Warner decided not to support combos, so the average software prices will go down. However, I think that all HDM releases should be priced at the same level as the SD-DVD counter part to help with mass adoption.
Once again, it's no longer a format war and none of the techie/spec talk matters, but it is turning into a game of "how low can you go". And consumers will repond to pricing game way faster than the spec game.
All of the sudden games went to 59.99+ (m$ xbox 360 was first?), and movies went up to 29+. The sweet spot for games is 39.99 and the sweet spot for movies is 19.99.... LIKE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN. I know some of you will argue saying it wasn't always like that, but it was for a LONG time with the occasional exception here and there. If this war is ever going to settle and consumers really pick up HDM, the prices need to drop below 20.
Once again, it's no longer a format war and none of the techie/spec talk matters, but it is turning into a game of "how low can you go". And consumers will repond to pricing game way faster than the spec game.
I guess the consumers never got that memo, then, judging from Videoscan sales figures and Amazon.com rankings.
I don't think that's fair to compare a set that just came out (transformers) to a set that's been out for months on price. When things get released, they charge a premium... the highest price they can. The iPhone is an excellent example of this. I say compare the prices down the line after Transformers has been out. HD-DVDs are low in price just like Blu-ray... They get sales just like Blu-ray. Hell today Fry's is doing a nice little sale on HD-DVDs:
http://shop2.outpost.com/search?cat=...pType=pDisplay
Looks like Circuit City is also having some sort of HD-DVD promo. Just picked up Transfomers HD-DVD for $14.99 along with another HDM also at half price.
Walter Slocombe, if 'Pirates was one Blu-Ray disc chocked full of special features, and priced at $39.99, consumers would balk at the thought of purchasing it. But throw in "2-disc special edition", and suddenly the price seems justified (especially at $13 off list price). The mark-up that the studio can get away with by using two discs instead of one is probably much higher than the cost of producing two discs instead of one. Is it good for consumers that the studio can charge us more for the same thing if they put it on two discs? Not really. Is it good for making consumers think the price is justified? Yup.
If it was a single disc with the same amount of bonus features with a list price of $34.99, no one would buy it.
NO-ONE would buy it???
What a supercilious and aggrandized statment, so glad you felt you could share it with us