Good gosh man...you still aren't taking into account that HUGE factor called TIME. I know taking snapshots in certain points in time are HD DVD proponents "thing" but as we all know has been shown to be a fallacy much like you are attempting to do with the figures I submitted earlier. What is retarded is taking a YTD figure for 2007 after 1 month and saying that over a twelve month span, once the YTD figure has matured and averaged out, that HD DVD has improved.
Ok Marz, get this through your Durabis coated head; We all know that the Jan YTD number really just means January. Everyone is treating that as January's number only. Only you are claiming that anyone is confused on that point. The other 11 MONTHS did not change the ratio. That's the point. For all of 2007 the ratio has remained the same. No one is saying that that is good or bad for HD DVD. Once again you're trying to put words in our mouths. We are only saying that the format war is stalled. I only pointed out the "improvement" because you tried to claim HDDVD was losing ground. I really wish I hadn't mentioned the small increase since it is insignificant and you seem to have latched on to that small tertiary point like a rabid Jack Russell Terrier.
Not dumb at all when you take the time to consider that if Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive, they avoid high-def going niche due to two formats being on the market. What's more logical? Either Warner...
1) Staying neutral and prolonging the inevitable victory of the Blu-ray format, and quite possibly harming the high-def market as a whole as consumers wait out. Not to mention affecting their bottom line when if they dropped neutrality to Blu-ray they would allow mass consumption of high-def media to insue.
or
2) Going HD DVD exclusive and TRULY causing a stalemate in the market of movie content, thus giving the whole high-def market its own version of seppuku. Not to mention probably not being in the best interest of Warner considering they are in the business of making $$$ of of disc sales.
or
3) Going Blu-ray exclusive and in one blow ending the format war and allowing mass consumption of high-def media to be realized. Not to mention probably being in the best interest in Warner as well as the majority of the high-def consumers as it would allow high-def to become mainstream, and allow profits to rise exponentially due to an increase in demand.
Moreover, the 38% share of the market SI (NOT 40%) that HD DVD has, has dropped--like I said earlier--21 points over the 12 month span of 2007. Progress indeed...into an abyss. But maybe this drop is the sign of a "stalemate" you are talking about...
Oh of course Marz, because if Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive then the 75% of HDTV owners would instantaneously change their mind about DVD being good enough for them
Even if Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive, your PS3 movie format is still short two major studios. Are you just going to avoid Universal and Dreamworks/Paramount films like the plague? Oh that's right, you said that if Warner went Blu, then suddenly Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks would turn their backs on 38% of the high-def market in favor of paying distribution royalties to a competing studio and sharing the other 62% of the market with four other studios
Actually I think if if warner went Blu Ray exclusive within a years time HD-DVD would be no more.
Why? The rate of NEW Blu Ray owners would grow exponentially, and leave HD-DVD with about 8% sales vs. 92%, and yes the other two studios would see the obvious benefits of selling more movies rather than having a partnering deal with a dead format.
Actually I think if if warner went Blu Ray exclusive within a years time HD-DVD would be no more.
Why? The rate of NEW Blu Ray owners would grow exponentially, and leave HD-DVD with about 8% sales vs. 92%, and yes the other two studios would see the obvious benefits of selling more movies rather than having a partnering deal with a dead format.
If HD DVD sales fell below 10%, yes it would most definitely make sense for Univeral & Dreamworks/Paramount to jump ship. I would expect nothing less. With 75% of HDTV owners saying DVD is good enough for them however, I don't see how Blu-Ray could grow exponentially, Warner-exclusive or not. I'm afraid high-def playback is going to have to become a standard feature of DVD players in order for Joe Consumer to end up with high-def discs in his home. Like the HDTV, consumers ain't buying until they can't buy one that isn't.
If HD DVD sales fell below 10%, yes it would most definitely make sense for Univeral & Dreamworks/Paramount to jump ship. I would expect nothing less. With 75% of HDTV owners saying DVD is good enough for them however, I don't see how Blu-Ray could grow exponentially, Warner-exclusive or not. I'm afraid high-def playback is going to have to become a standard feature of DVD players in order for Joe Consumer to end up with high-def discs in his home. Like the HDTV, consumers ain't buying until they can't buy one that isn't.
It's more than merely saying that the frame of mind is that "DVD is good enough for them". HD just like DVD once was is in it's early years, and High Def format DVD players are still in their infancy. It took about 7 - 8 years (1995 to 2003) before DVD overtook VHS. The difference here is that the high def formatted DVD's are growing faster than DVD was. People are considering the purchase much earlier being the video store already has most of their titles, and they can still play anything on DVD with a high def formatted DVD player. The Porn industry didn't even move to DVD until a few years ago, and they are already on the move to both formats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by taken from an archived article I forget where
DVD officially became the world's format of choice in 2002. Worldwide consumer spending on DVD overtook consumer spending on VHS for the first time in 2002. Consumer spending on DVD software rose to $22.7bn in 2002, compared with spending on VHS software of $19.6bn.
Unprecedented take-up of the DVD format marks a fundamental shift in consumers' preference from the analogue cassette to the digital disc.
The digital nature of DVD has proven to be popular with consumers as it offers a vast improvement in sound and picture quality over VHS cassettes or VCDs, provides for more features such as alternate endings or directors' commentaries and has transformed the viewing experience so that consumers may select favourite scenes rather than watch the whole film. Adding to the popularity of DVD Videos is that many computers and gaming systems can now play them. These and other portable devices enable consumers to watch DVDs in remote locations away from the conventional television set, allowing the viewing of a film or programme to become a solitary, rather than communal experience.
Consumer spending on retail and rental DVD software rose to $17.2bn and $5.6bn respectively in 2002, compared with spending on retail and rental VHS software of $7.7bn and $11.9bn respectively.
As the high-definition format war rages on, one thing I keep hearing over and over in various interviews and discussion forums is the phrase "let the consumer decide." But that's actually more of a marketing term than an actual practice or truth when it comes to the retail industry. As a former video buyer for a chain of audio/video media stores that catered to enthusiasts, I hope I can provide a unique perspective on this notion that hasn't had a lot of discussion thus far.
When I used to sit down with my order book to try and make buying decisions, I would often use Video Store News (now Home Media Magazine) and Variety to consider factors like the box office take of a film. I also looked at enthusiast magazines and websites to find those "video specials" to take a chance on - titles like Equilibrium or the upcoming Sunshine - that have great response from fans, but had a small and fast box office run. Of course, you always had a decent idea that blockbuster titles like Transformers or the latest Matrix film would sell based on prior big movies, but the real skill was in anticipating the small titles that boom.
A major factor in how many of those titles I could purchase for our chain, and how many I could stock, was the physical space I had available to put them in. Sure, I could order 15 copies of Sunshine, but can I move them inside of a couple weeks? Because I need space for the 60-70 copies of Saw IV I'm going to get in. Achieving that balance point between the evergreen catalog titles (steady sellers), the slow moving catalog titles (you need to have them, but they don't sell every week), the new releases and the eclectic stuff (that takes forever to sell, but it's worth the smile on the person's face when they find it in your store), is the goal of every buyer. But hitting that balance point means that you're not going to have a lot of shelf space to play with, and if you guess wrong, then you're up a creek without a paddle for a week or more, with either the back room overflowing with product, or empty shelves and annoyed customers.
All this brings me to my point: The big box retailers like Best Buy or Wal-Mart are the primary conduits through which video titles move to the general public. Like it or not, home video HAS to be a mainstream product for the studios to make money. Wal-Mart alone moves about 30-40% of all home video product (though Best Buy and Amazon are moving more high-definition software right now because enthusiasts tend to shop online). Less than 1 in 5 DVDs are sold online.
Recently, Best Buy has reconfigured their high-definition software areas to either a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 Blu-ray Disc vs. HD-DVD split, depending on the store's sales. Typically, this is now filling around a full aisle on both sides. Given the number of units that high-definition media is currently shifting, it's unlikely they will be willing to expand past this aisle in the near future. So now that the Christmas shopping season is over, they'll have to start making a choice: Which format is going to start losing shelf space?
A decision like that, for a large retailer, is more complicated than just what the split of media sales is. There are other questions to be asked. For example: How well does the format support the rest of their product lines? Which format helps them move more TVs, cables, and furniture? Which generates more profit on average? Any retailer worth his salt right now would rather move 1 Blu-ray player a week with a $150 profit margin (35% is standard markup at retail), than 5 HD-DVD players that they make a reported $30-50 margin on (a number that's reportedly been maintained even with the recent fire sales). Why? Because it costs less to store and ship 1 player as opposed to 5, given those profit margins, and it also requires far less of an investment in terms of your purchasing budget. The large margin also allows for active discounting to bundle the player with TVs and other accessories, and to drive sales across the board. In addition, the large number of manufacturers and products associated with Blu-ray (from the PS3, to laptops and desktops with drives, to set top players and TVs) results in exponentially more ad buys in the circular, and more end cap displays in the stores. Right now many Best Buy stores have 6 standalone displays featuring Blu-ray Disc, and just 2 for HD-DVD (counting LG's combo player as 1 each).
So in the end, this notion of "letting the consumer decide" is something of a fallacy. It's the retailers who actually decide what products consumers get to chose from, and they're going to pick and stock the products that bring them the most money for the least amount of work. If they don't stock something, you can't buy it. What's more, if they aren't stocking a product, the chances are good that mainstream consumers will never notice that it's missing. Fewer consumers still (outside of early adopters who are heavily invested and pay close attention to such things) will have the motivation to go seek it out online.
Right now, in the wake of the Christmas shopping season, all of the signs (from industry insider rumblings to how high-definition hardware and software are being pushed in stores) tell me that the major retailers will call the ball on this format war very soon, and those signs are all pointing in Blu-ray Disc's favor. Consider that despite the $169 HD-DVD player at Sears on Black Friday, Blu-ray Disc players that were over twice as expensive outsold it 2 to 1. How long did it take for the Hollywood studios to completely dump VHS (in favor of DVD) after Best Buy and Wal-Mart did? About a year, and they dumped VCRs without built-in DVD drives about a year after that.
For high-definition media to thrive, anyone with experience in the retail industry knows that one of these formats must live and one must die, and that's going to happen sooner rather than later, no matter what Toshiba or Sony or Microsoft or the Blu-ray Disc Association or the HD-DVD Promotions Group want. If one of these formats isn't ultimately chosen by the studios and manufacturers, then sooner or later the big box stores will decide that neither of them is worth the effort, and that won't be good for anyone - not the studios, not the retailers and especially not the consumer.
Thought I'd share this well written article with you all with my empasis added. Jeff makes some great points and echoes what a lot of us have been stating in regards to the format war here.
Which format helps them move more TVs, cables, and furniture? Which generates more profit on average? Any retailer worth his salt right now would rather move 1 Blu-ray player a week with a $150 profit margin (35% is standard markup at retail), than 5 HD-DVD players that they make a reported $30-50 margin on (a number that's reportedly been maintained even with the recent fire sales). Why? Because it costs less to store and ship 1 player as opposed to 5, given those profit margins, and it also requires far less of an investment in terms of your purchasing budget.
Thats been easy to see for a while now, at least for those of use not blinded by a love for a failing format. I guess price does NOT really trump all how long we been saying that?
Thats been easy to see for a while now, at least for those of use not blinded by a love for a failing format. I guess price does NOT really trump all how long we been saying that?
Long time my friend...a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time.
On another note, here are the results for the week ending December 23rd...
From October 2007 to November 2007, sales of the PlayStation 3 went up by 285% in the United States.[65] Sony CEO Howard Stringer contributes the growth to a price cut and Nintendo's problems with production of the Wii system.[66]
The cost reduction figures and reduction in sales price appears to have begun to reach the consumer in the US.
I use my "failing format" almost everyday to good effect. I'll probably add a Blu-ray player by summer since the pricing is coming into line with my expectations. And when that happens I will have still paid less than most movie lovers who bought first and second generation BD players.
Plus I'll be buying a HD camcorder this year as all so my HD DVD player will always get work.
Well I like having access to a larger library, so I picked Blu-Ray. I don't have anything against HD-DVD though. Thinking about getting the drive for the 360.
But today I had my LiteOn DH-401S Blu-Ray reader delivered. Just gotta hook up some SATA cables and I'm in the future
Well I like having access to a larger library, so I picked Blu-Ray. I don't have anything against HD-DVD though. Thinking about getting the drive for the 360.
But today I had my LiteOn DH-401S Blu-Ray reader delivered. Just gotta hook up some SATA cables and I'm in the future
Me too that's why i'm going to own both. Sure sucks but not as much as a whole in your head LOL.
If Microsoft actually did HTPC right it would be nice to have a HTPC with a Universal drive but that's not the case. Where the fook is Managed Copy?
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Warner Bros studio on Friday said it would exclusively release high-definition DVDs in Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) Blu-ray format, dealing a big blow to Toshiba Corp's (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) rival HD DVD technology.
Warner Bros, Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs, representing about 18 to 20 percent of sales in the United States, was one of the few studios that backed both formats.
All sides of the format war had agreed it was confusing to consumers and a stumbling block for a potential multibillion-dollar industry.
Total DVD unit sales fell 4.5 percent in 2007, the first major year-over-year decline since the disc format debuted in 1997, according to Adams Media Research. Sales fell 4.8 percent to $15.7 billion.
"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers," Warner Bros Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Meyer said in a statement.
News Corp's (NWSa.N: Quote, Profile, Research) 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), and Lionsgate (LGF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are among studios backing the Blu-ray format. Viacom Inc's (VIAb.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Paramount studios and General Electric's (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) NBC Universal release movies in HD DVD format.
Warner said it would continue releasing in the HD DVD format until the end of May, although those releases would follow the standard DVD and Blu-ray releases. (Reporting by Kenneth Li in New York and Bob Tourtellotte and Peter Henderson in Los Angeles; Editing by Brian Moss)
Goodbye HD DVD...goodbye. Don't let the door hit your vagina on the way out. JK (It was a line from, Knocked Up, a soon to be Blu-ray movie from Universal )
"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers," Warner Bros Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Meyer said in a statement.
Warner Bros to back Blu-ray DVD format exclusively
Goodbye HD DVD...goodbye. Don't let the door hit your vagina on the way out. JK (It was a line from, Knocked Up, a soon to be Blu-ray movie from Universal )
LOL...I'm actually watching Knocked Up w/a friend tonight. Well what's good for the goose is good for the gander. I knew when the Paramount deal went through that there'd be some blowback. All in all the studios screwed consumers.
Comments
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/del...ml?tag=upidmlp
...I wonder if Apple has a surprise announcement for us come Macworld a la Blu-ray equipped hardware?
Good gosh man...you still aren't taking into account that HUGE factor called TIME. I know taking snapshots in certain points in time are HD DVD proponents "thing" but as we all know has been shown to be a fallacy much like you are attempting to do with the figures I submitted earlier. What is retarded is taking a YTD figure for 2007 after 1 month and saying that over a twelve month span, once the YTD figure has matured and averaged out, that HD DVD has improved.
Ok Marz, get this through your Durabis coated head; We all know that the Jan YTD number really just means January. Everyone is treating that as January's number only. Only you are claiming that anyone is confused on that point. The other 11 MONTHS did not change the ratio. That's the point. For all of 2007 the ratio has remained the same. No one is saying that that is good or bad for HD DVD. Once again you're trying to put words in our mouths. We are only saying that the format war is stalled. I only pointed out the "improvement" because you tried to claim HDDVD was losing ground. I really wish I hadn't mentioned the small increase since it is insignificant and you seem to have latched on to that small tertiary point like a rabid Jack Russell Terrier.
Not dumb at all when you take the time to consider that if Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive, they avoid high-def going niche due to two formats being on the market. What's more logical? Either Warner...
1) Staying neutral and prolonging the inevitable victory of the Blu-ray format, and quite possibly harming the high-def market as a whole as consumers wait out. Not to mention affecting their bottom line when if they dropped neutrality to Blu-ray they would allow mass consumption of high-def media to insue.
or
2) Going HD DVD exclusive and TRULY causing a stalemate in the market of movie content, thus giving the whole high-def market its own version of seppuku. Not to mention probably not being in the best interest of Warner considering they are in the business of making $$$ of of disc sales.
or
3) Going Blu-ray exclusive and in one blow ending the format war and allowing mass consumption of high-def media to be realized. Not to mention probably being in the best interest in Warner as well as the majority of the high-def consumers as it would allow high-def to become mainstream, and allow profits to rise exponentially due to an increase in demand.
Moreover, the 38% share of the market SI (NOT 40%) that HD DVD has, has dropped--like I said earlier--21 points over the 12 month span of 2007. Progress indeed...into an abyss. But maybe this drop is the sign of a "stalemate" you are talking about...
Oh of course Marz, because if Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive then the 75% of HDTV owners would instantaneously change their mind about DVD being good enough for them
Even if Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive, your PS3 movie format is still short two major studios. Are you just going to avoid Universal and Dreamworks/Paramount films like the plague? Oh that's right, you said that if Warner went Blu, then suddenly Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks would turn their backs on 38% of the high-def market in favor of paying distribution royalties to a competing studio and sharing the other 62% of the market with four other studios
Great business sense.
Why? The rate of NEW Blu Ray owners would grow exponentially, and leave HD-DVD with about 8% sales vs. 92%, and yes the other two studios would see the obvious benefits of selling more movies rather than having a partnering deal with a dead format.
Actually I think if if warner went Blu Ray exclusive within a years time HD-DVD would be no more.
Why? The rate of NEW Blu Ray owners would grow exponentially, and leave HD-DVD with about 8% sales vs. 92%, and yes the other two studios would see the obvious benefits of selling more movies rather than having a partnering deal with a dead format.
If HD DVD sales fell below 10%, yes it would most definitely make sense for Univeral & Dreamworks/Paramount to jump ship. I would expect nothing less. With 75% of HDTV owners saying DVD is good enough for them however, I don't see how Blu-Ray could grow exponentially, Warner-exclusive or not. I'm afraid high-def playback is going to have to become a standard feature of DVD players in order for Joe Consumer to end up with high-def discs in his home. Like the HDTV, consumers ain't buying until they can't buy one that isn't.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...rt_report.html
If HD DVD sales fell below 10%, yes it would most definitely make sense for Univeral & Dreamworks/Paramount to jump ship. I would expect nothing less. With 75% of HDTV owners saying DVD is good enough for them however, I don't see how Blu-Ray could grow exponentially, Warner-exclusive or not. I'm afraid high-def playback is going to have to become a standard feature of DVD players in order for Joe Consumer to end up with high-def discs in his home. Like the HDTV, consumers ain't buying until they can't buy one that isn't.
It's more than merely saying that the frame of mind is that "DVD is good enough for them". HD just like DVD once was is in it's early years, and High Def format DVD players are still in their infancy. It took about 7 - 8 years (1995 to 2003) before DVD overtook VHS. The difference here is that the high def formatted DVD's are growing faster than DVD was. People are considering the purchase much earlier being the video store already has most of their titles, and they can still play anything on DVD with a high def formatted DVD player. The Porn industry didn't even move to DVD until a few years ago, and they are already on the move to both formats.
DVD officially became the world's format of choice in 2002. Worldwide consumer spending on DVD overtook consumer spending on VHS for the first time in 2002. Consumer spending on DVD software rose to $22.7bn in 2002, compared with spending on VHS software of $19.6bn.
Unprecedented take-up of the DVD format marks a fundamental shift in consumers' preference from the analogue cassette to the digital disc.
The digital nature of DVD has proven to be popular with consumers as it offers a vast improvement in sound and picture quality over VHS cassettes or VCDs, provides for more features such as alternate endings or directors' commentaries and has transformed the viewing experience so that consumers may select favourite scenes rather than watch the whole film. Adding to the popularity of DVD Videos is that many computers and gaming systems can now play them. These and other portable devices enable consumers to watch DVDs in remote locations away from the conventional television set, allowing the viewing of a film or programme to become a solitary, rather than communal experience.
Consumer spending on retail and rental DVD software rose to $17.2bn and $5.6bn respectively in 2002, compared with spending on retail and rental VHS software of $7.7bn and $11.9bn respectively.
Apple set to ship Macs with Blu-Ray at MWSF?
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...rt_report.html
Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...ial010108.html
As the high-definition format war rages on, one thing I keep hearing over and over in various interviews and discussion forums is the phrase "let the consumer decide." But that's actually more of a marketing term than an actual practice or truth when it comes to the retail industry. As a former video buyer for a chain of audio/video media stores that catered to enthusiasts, I hope I can provide a unique perspective on this notion that hasn't had a lot of discussion thus far.
When I used to sit down with my order book to try and make buying decisions, I would often use Video Store News (now Home Media Magazine) and Variety to consider factors like the box office take of a film. I also looked at enthusiast magazines and websites to find those "video specials" to take a chance on - titles like Equilibrium or the upcoming Sunshine - that have great response from fans, but had a small and fast box office run. Of course, you always had a decent idea that blockbuster titles like Transformers or the latest Matrix film would sell based on prior big movies, but the real skill was in anticipating the small titles that boom.
A major factor in how many of those titles I could purchase for our chain, and how many I could stock, was the physical space I had available to put them in. Sure, I could order 15 copies of Sunshine, but can I move them inside of a couple weeks? Because I need space for the 60-70 copies of Saw IV I'm going to get in. Achieving that balance point between the evergreen catalog titles (steady sellers), the slow moving catalog titles (you need to have them, but they don't sell every week), the new releases and the eclectic stuff (that takes forever to sell, but it's worth the smile on the person's face when they find it in your store), is the goal of every buyer. But hitting that balance point means that you're not going to have a lot of shelf space to play with, and if you guess wrong, then you're up a creek without a paddle for a week or more, with either the back room overflowing with product, or empty shelves and annoyed customers.
All this brings me to my point: The big box retailers like Best Buy or Wal-Mart are the primary conduits through which video titles move to the general public. Like it or not, home video HAS to be a mainstream product for the studios to make money. Wal-Mart alone moves about 30-40% of all home video product (though Best Buy and Amazon are moving more high-definition software right now because enthusiasts tend to shop online). Less than 1 in 5 DVDs are sold online.
Recently, Best Buy has reconfigured their high-definition software areas to either a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 Blu-ray Disc vs. HD-DVD split, depending on the store's sales. Typically, this is now filling around a full aisle on both sides. Given the number of units that high-definition media is currently shifting, it's unlikely they will be willing to expand past this aisle in the near future. So now that the Christmas shopping season is over, they'll have to start making a choice: Which format is going to start losing shelf space?
A decision like that, for a large retailer, is more complicated than just what the split of media sales is. There are other questions to be asked. For example: How well does the format support the rest of their product lines? Which format helps them move more TVs, cables, and furniture? Which generates more profit on average? Any retailer worth his salt right now would rather move 1 Blu-ray player a week with a $150 profit margin (35% is standard markup at retail), than 5 HD-DVD players that they make a reported $30-50 margin on (a number that's reportedly been maintained even with the recent fire sales). Why? Because it costs less to store and ship 1 player as opposed to 5, given those profit margins, and it also requires far less of an investment in terms of your purchasing budget. The large margin also allows for active discounting to bundle the player with TVs and other accessories, and to drive sales across the board. In addition, the large number of manufacturers and products associated with Blu-ray (from the PS3, to laptops and desktops with drives, to set top players and TVs) results in exponentially more ad buys in the circular, and more end cap displays in the stores. Right now many Best Buy stores have 6 standalone displays featuring Blu-ray Disc, and just 2 for HD-DVD (counting LG's combo player as 1 each).
So in the end, this notion of "letting the consumer decide" is something of a fallacy. It's the retailers who actually decide what products consumers get to chose from, and they're going to pick and stock the products that bring them the most money for the least amount of work. If they don't stock something, you can't buy it. What's more, if they aren't stocking a product, the chances are good that mainstream consumers will never notice that it's missing. Fewer consumers still (outside of early adopters who are heavily invested and pay close attention to such things) will have the motivation to go seek it out online.
Right now, in the wake of the Christmas shopping season, all of the signs (from industry insider rumblings to how high-definition hardware and software are being pushed in stores) tell me that the major retailers will call the ball on this format war very soon, and those signs are all pointing in Blu-ray Disc's favor. Consider that despite the $169 HD-DVD player at Sears on Black Friday, Blu-ray Disc players that were over twice as expensive outsold it 2 to 1. How long did it take for the Hollywood studios to completely dump VHS (in favor of DVD) after Best Buy and Wal-Mart did? About a year, and they dumped VCRs without built-in DVD drives about a year after that.
For high-definition media to thrive, anyone with experience in the retail industry knows that one of these formats must live and one must die, and that's going to happen sooner rather than later, no matter what Toshiba or Sony or Microsoft or the Blu-ray Disc Association or the HD-DVD Promotions Group want. If one of these formats isn't ultimately chosen by the studios and manufacturers, then sooner or later the big box stores will decide that neither of them is worth the effort, and that won't be good for anyone - not the studios, not the retailers and especially not the consumer.
Thought I'd share this well written article with you all with my empasis added. Jeff makes some great points and echoes what a lot of us have been stating in regards to the format war here.
Apple set to ship Macs with Blu-Ray at MWSF?
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...rt_report.html
Does this mean we can finally get this thread out of the Futures Board and into either Current Hardware or General Discussion where it truly belongs?
However, I'm not buying into a movie format for my TV room just because I have a similar drive for my office files.
Which format helps them move more TVs, cables, and furniture? Which generates more profit on average? Any retailer worth his salt right now would rather move 1 Blu-ray player a week with a $150 profit margin (35% is standard markup at retail), than 5 HD-DVD players that they make a reported $30-50 margin on (a number that's reportedly been maintained even with the recent fire sales). Why? Because it costs less to store and ship 1 player as opposed to 5, given those profit margins, and it also requires far less of an investment in terms of your purchasing budget.
Thats been easy to see for a while now, at least for those of use not blinded by a love for a failing format. I guess price does NOT really trump all
Thats been easy to see for a while now, at least for those of use not blinded by a love for a failing format. I guess price does NOT really trump all
Long time my friend...a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time.
On another note, here are the results for the week ending December 23rd...
Nielsen/VideoScan Numbers ending December 23rd
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ques...0608/index.php
WE: BD-61% HDD-39% YTD: BD-64% HDD-36% SI: BD-62% HDD-38%
From October 2007 to November 2007, sales of the PlayStation 3 went up by 285% in the United States.[65] Sony CEO Howard Stringer contributes the growth to a price cut and Nintendo's problems with production of the Wii system.[66]
The cost reduction figures and reduction in sales price appears to have begun to reach the consumer in the US.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
I use my "failing format" almost everyday to good effect. I'll probably add a Blu-ray player by summer since the pricing is coming into line with my expectations. And when that happens I will have still paid less than most movie lovers who bought first and second generation BD players.
Plus I'll be buying a HD camcorder this year as all so my HD DVD player will always get work.
But today I had my LiteOn DH-401S Blu-Ray reader delivered. Just gotta hook up some SATA cables and I'm in the future
Well I like having access to a larger library, so I picked Blu-Ray. I don't have anything against HD-DVD though. Thinking about getting the drive for the 360.
But today I had my LiteOn DH-401S Blu-Ray reader delivered. Just gotta hook up some SATA cables and I'm in the future
Me too that's why i'm going to own both. Sure sucks but not as much as a whole in your head LOL.
If Microsoft actually did HTPC right it would be nice to have a HTPC with a Universal drive but that's not the case. Where the fook is Managed Copy?
Warner Bros to back Blu-ray DVD format exclusively
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssC...44635420080104
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Warner Bros studio on Friday said it would exclusively release high-definition DVDs in Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) Blu-ray format, dealing a big blow to Toshiba Corp's (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) rival HD DVD technology.
Warner Bros, Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs, representing about 18 to 20 percent of sales in the United States, was one of the few studios that backed both formats.
All sides of the format war had agreed it was confusing to consumers and a stumbling block for a potential multibillion-dollar industry.
Total DVD unit sales fell 4.5 percent in 2007, the first major year-over-year decline since the disc format debuted in 1997, according to Adams Media Research. Sales fell 4.8 percent to $15.7 billion.
"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers," Warner Bros Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Meyer said in a statement.
News Corp's (NWSa.N: Quote, Profile, Research) 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), and Lionsgate (LGF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are among studios backing the Blu-ray format. Viacom Inc's (VIAb.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Paramount studios and General Electric's (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) NBC Universal release movies in HD DVD format.
Warner said it would continue releasing in the HD DVD format until the end of May, although those releases would follow the standard DVD and Blu-ray releases. (Reporting by Kenneth Li in New York and Bob Tourtellotte and Peter Henderson in Los Angeles; Editing by Brian Moss)
Goodbye HD DVD...goodbye. Don't let the door hit your vagina on the way out.
"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers," Warner Bros Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Meyer said in a statement.
Here's the BOMB of all BOMBS...
Warner Bros to back Blu-ray DVD format exclusively
Goodbye HD DVD...goodbye. Don't let the door hit your vagina on the way out.
LOL...I'm actually watching Knocked Up w/a friend tonight. Well what's good for the goose is good for the gander. I knew when the Paramount deal went through that there'd be some blowback. All in all the studios screwed consumers.