What the h3ll are you talking about? The whole diversion is from the original point which was made previously in the thread. Try keeping your head in the game rather than getting caught up in the obfuscated distractions. I have not taken the argument from the point. I'm the one trying to get it back on track.
Yet more smoke and mirrors.
The point was comparing the advance of price lowering with BR vs. previous poructs of a similar nature. No way does a VTM product meant for TV studios compare with a product for the general public.
Look BR won the war however there is a tougher conflict coming up that the makers of BR need to recognize. One is that it's prices need to come down if it wants to be accepted as DVD's replacement. I like HD so I hope it does. There's no Whining or sour grapes here it's just that I recognize that there are certain things they must do to accomplish this ( and in a certain time frame or they'll have missed the boat ).
Look BR won the war however there is a tougher conflict coming up that the makers of BR need to recognize.
Yes, they completely forgot about DVD in their planning and projections.
Quote:
One is that it's prices need to come down if it wants to be accepted as DVD's replacement. I like HD so I hope it does. There's no Whining or sour grapes here it's just that I recognize that there are certain things they must do to accomplish this ( and in a certain time frame or they'll have missed the boat ).
And that time frame is still at LEAST one Christmas in the future. So why whine about pricing today? Do you seriously believe that there will NOT be discounted BR players this Christmas just as there were discounted DVD players during its adoption phase?
BR manufacturers will also factor in the US economy and the weakness of the dollar into pricing. Should be interesting how it shakes out but its still over half a year away. Discussions today are pure conjecture.
I think way too much is being made that BD has to supplant DVD or it's a failure. I'm not sure if that will happen but I'm pretty positive that BD will gain enough critical mass and gain enough support from studios that it will at least become a fairly large niche market much as LD was with VHS. That will be good enough to be a success with me.
Like I've said my Laser Disc player still works ( it should I paid enough for it ). However they no longer make the discs for it. So I really don't think BR should follow the same path or it may die the same kind of death ( only sooner because things are moving faster now days ).
I never took the side of either HD-DVD or Blu-ray.
I said awhile ago they both were eventually going to loose to digital downloads and video on demand.
There's many reasons that have been previously discussed as to why this won't be the main way people watch movies anytime soon. It'll be a rental thing only for the foreseeable future. And if you really like a movie who wants to pay for it again and again or only watch it on certain screens ( your TV, your computer, or your ipod like device )?
Until a way can be found to get past the movie studios or the limitations of the internet this is just they way it'll be. Especially HD content which is what we're talking about here.
Mmmmmaybe. I think the loss of mindshare and marketshare is two-fold and not so one dimensionable. I agree with you that downloads had a big hand in decreasing the mindshare and marketshare, but I also think, as the article stated, that the simple fact of peddling 10+ year old technology and not offering the consumer a CLEAR next gen alternative also had a heavy hand in the physical format's loss of share--for the mind and market.
I still think if the music labels grew some boulders between their legs and offered a unified message of Blu-ray audio being the next physical music format, it still could gain traction.
If they decided to do this at all, it would simply cater to the same niche that bought music on DVD (however large that audience is). It wouldn't have a chance of going mainstream. The music genie's out of the bottle never to be trapped on physical media again.
As opposed to the goalpost movement for "victory" by HD-DVD proponents?
BR has plenty of time to win the bigger contest. At least one more Christmas (hey, you know...it's march?) and possibly a second. Arguing BR viability is like arguing who's going to win a game in the 1st quarter. In any case, while BR isn't as successful as DVD in the same time period it's not doing horribly either in comparison.
The millions of PS3 sales match the total number of DVD players at the same period in the lifecycle. That should start to change soon and BR should trail again unless standalone sales increase. Disc sales likely lag DVD for the same time period but the format war is likely a significant reason.
We'll see how well BR does this XMas but most of the whining is being done by Sony haters or HD-DVD proponents.
Any discussion of BR being non-viable is seriously premature. If it doesn't gain much traction this XMas then you can commence the doom and gloom for the format.
Read what " The Digital Bits " has to say about this. I agree with them as they know their stuff. I'm tired of leaving the link it's in this thread twice. So go there and read their suggestions. They make good sense. And if you're not familure with them they are just about best authority for digital video media on the web. Also they were a big proponent of BR during the war. They're saying BR needs to address some things now. Prices need to come down by the Xmas buying season ( 4th quarter ).
Well it's been a few days so they have moved the article. So here's the link :
i'd love high quality music on a Bluray but it wont happen. the music companies are in utter sh/t right now and they dont know what to do.
the new NIN instrumental album was released over the internet, and while that was successful trent reznor also released other packaged versions with higher prices-one of them being full surround sound HD quality in BLuray.
if i had a bluray player, and if it was around $199 i'd be about it.
Like I've said my Laser Disc player still works ( it should I paid enough for it ). However they no longer make the discs for it. So I really don't think BR should follow the same path or it may die the same kind of death ( only sooner because things are moving faster now days ).
Jim, the point you're missing is that even though no new LD titles are being produced, the titles you have still work. I have LDs, DVDs and BDs in my collection and watch all three formats. While the best possible picture is always a bonus, a great movie on any of the three medias is still a great movie.
Jim, the point you're missing is that even though no new LD titles are being produced, the titles you have still work. I have LDs, DVDs and BDs in my collection and watch all three formats. While the best possible picture is always a bonus, a great movie on any of the three medias is still a great movie.
I agree however if this format is going to succeed outside of a nich for videophiles ( which won't last too long in todays world ) it needs to be the mainstream product.
Please understand this not me having sour grapes over HD DVD. I knew it would probably lose to BR when I bought my player. I want BR to succeed so we have HD home media that's something other than rentable. Plus as with LD we'll always be in the position of waiting for titles later than the mainstream product the DVD.
But it's true we could have for awhile the same situation we had in the 80's where you have the low end DVD ( VHS in the 80's and early 90's ), better HD broadcast TV ( regular BC which had better rez than VHS in the 80's and early 90's ), and the high end BR ( Laserdisc in the 80's and early 90's had the best resolution but was a nich product ). However in today's fast moving tech world I don't see it lasting as long as LD did as a nich product. Which would be kind of sad given all it's potential and the amount of development that's gone into it.
I ordered The Fifth Element (on that list) and Ratatouille yesterday; my player will be here in two days, but my movies won't be for two weeks. So I'll have to go pick a Blu-Ray movie up tomorrow so I have something to play in the meantime. I think I'll pick up Across the Universe, but was also thinking about Hitman or No Country for Old Men. I haven't seen any of them, so I'm not sure which to get
I ordered The Fifth Element (on that list) and Ratatouille yesterday; my player will be here in two days, but my movies won't be for two weeks. So I'll have to go pick a Blu-Ray movie up tomorrow so I have something to play in the meantime. I think I'll pick up Across the Universe, but was also thinking about Hitman or No Country for Old Men. I haven't seen any of them, so I'm not sure which to get
The Samsung BD-UP5000 duo player. Amazon lowered their price to $499 shipped this week, which was too good a deal to pass up. This player has interested me the most because it'll play my HD DVDs, and also has the Reon chip for the best SD DVD upconversion you can buy. The player began life pretty buggy, but Samsung has been consistently cranking out firmware upgrades so I felt confident they're going to get things sorted out.
They're saying BR needs to address some things now. Prices need to come down by the Xmas buying season ( 4th quarter ).
Yes, I read that. Note that "now" and "4th quarter" are not equivalent until we're actually IN the 4th quarter. The other suggestions will progress as they progress. Even the things marked ASAP aren't seriously expected to happen before mid-year. If some things happened right this instant...like mandatory 2.0...there still would be older players in the supply chain past the end of the year.
You're questioning the "viability" of BR before there's any data to suggest non-viability EVEN if they don't implement a single suggestion by Digital Bits and you discount the positive aspects (ie how well BR is doing in comparison to historical launches like DVD).
Yes, I read that. Note that "now" and "4th quarter" are not equivalent until we're actually IN the 4th quarter. The other suggestions will progress as they progress. Even the things marked ASAP aren't seriously expected to happen before mid-year. If some things happened right this instant...like mandatory 2.0...there still would be older players in the supply chain past the end of the year.
You're questioning the "viability" of BR before there's any data to suggest non-viability EVEN if they don't implement a single suggestion by Digital Bits and you discount the positive aspects (ie how well BR is doing in comparison to historical launches like DVD).
That's FUD not discussion.
Uh no it's not. They have yet to impliment a single suggestion. And some of things that were listed must be done now. The pricing can wait until Xmas time.
I'm not questioning the viability I'm saying there are things they must do to insure the viability.
Also there's the fact that " The Bit's " seems to think they are important issues and their opinion means more to me than any thing I read from here.
Then there's what I've been hearing from people in my experience and they're saying " They just don't see a reason to pay the extra money for a new format and look what happened to the people who bought HD DVD players ".
And all of these people own HDTVs.
When I was a TV salesman in the 80's Stereo VCR's were just coming in. The very first thing I did when joing the Dept. was to talk to the General manager of the store ( A local Dept. Store in the May company ) and tell him why his VCR displays were all wrong for the changing times. They had their regular VCRs next to the stereo ones on a shelf hooked to nothing more than 19" TVs. One of them cost alot more but there was no explanation as to why other than one said " Stereo ".
I told him he needed to have them integrated into a AV system and sitting out front so people could hear the difference! It got me the job and started selling Stereo VCR's like hotcakes.
Now this isn't the same problem but it does have easy to see solutions that could make the product fly. If they want people to embrace BR over their regular old DVD player they have to make it attractive. And the numbers you're taking about currently are still so small in comparison to what they must overcome ( the DVD ) they really need to strike while the anvil's still hot.
" Mid year " is only 2 and a half months away. A year tends to go by very quickly. And about the titles they need to state their intentions now. Or didn't you read that part?
All of these things make sense and are obvious and easy to see.
And if they don't impliment them well there's an old saying " Those who fail to prepare - prepare to fail ".
As to the comparison well there's another old saying " Learn from history ".
It's like saying they can do no wrong. Any company can make mistakes or be over confident.
Home video and electronics have been my hobby for most of my life. I'm 54 ( 55 soon ) and I've seen alot of products that looked good come and go.
Some are sitting in my mini storage in their silent grave yard.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see there are necessary steps that must be taken if you want the product to go mainsteam.
I know you don't like to use HD DVD as a comparison but it was already failing to BR when they lowered the price ( duh! ) and their sales went up!
Like I said $ 199.00 for players seems to be the sweet spot for general acceptance.
And yes there's a window of opportunity that won't last forever and must be taken advantage of.
If they don't well I have no doubt that BR will survive for a number of years as a more expensive alternative that videophiles buy. And then fade into history like the Laser Disc.
You can bury your head in the sand if you want. But it won't make these issues go away. With a new product just sitting back and waiting to see what happens has never been good for business. An example like the DVD has already happened in the optical disc arena ( it's already here, it's already cheap, and it's already established in the consumer's mind ) so the " Successor " needs some motivating factors. If the visible difference and convenience was as great as DVD vs. VHS it would be simpler. But to the average joe's eye out there it isn't and many have the atitude that DVD is good enough.
Let me say again because it seems like you have a need to put words in my mouth. I want BR to succeed. The HD format war is over. They won.
Then there's what I've been hearing from people in my experience and they're saying " They just don't see a reason to pay the extra money for a new format ".
And all of these people own HDTVs.
It would probably help if the in-store displays were showing Blu-ray movies instead of craptacular uber-compressed HD cable or its equivalent. (My local mom & pop TV store is selling 720p TVs at 1080p prices and showing regular SD cable on them. They're concerned that they're not selling well... )
Anyway, when people see TVs in the store with that HD cable garbage their up-rezzed DVDs look just fine or even better by comparison. It's no wonder they don't see the advantage of Blu-ray, they literally don't see the difference!
It would probably help if the in-store displays were showing Blu-ray movies instead of craptacular uber-compressed HD cable or its equivalent. (My local mom & pop TV store is selling 720p TVs at 1080p prices and showing regular SD cable on them. They're concerned that they're not selling well... )
Anyway, when people see TVs in the store with that HD cable garbage their up-rezzed DVDs look just fine or even better by comparison. It's no wonder they don't see the advantage of Blu-ray, they literally don't see the difference!
Exactly! However the picture quality of HD DVD is basically the same as BR and I've had friends over to my house to show them my player and some still say " Well that looks nice but it's still a slight difference. I still don't know if that justifies the cost ". And yes I have very nice HDTV Hitachi 53 " widescreen that I set with test patterns from the " Digital Video Essentials " DVD.
I'm a bit obsessive about picture quality but not everyone out there is.
The Samsung BD-UP5000 duo player. Amazon lowered their price to $499 shipped this week, which was too good a deal to pass up. This player has interested me the most because it'll play my HD DVDs, and also has the Reon chip for the best SD DVD upconversion you can buy. The player began life pretty buggy, but Samsung has been consistently cranking out firmware upgrades so I felt confident they're going to get things sorted out.
Good for you man. Also just a note for anyone else into HD DVD beforehand and thinking of getting the BD-UP5000, I think Circuit City is providing an exchange program so that you can exchange your HD DVD player in for some credit toward a Blu-ray player. Just a suggestion if you are looking to ease yourself into Blu-ray and went with the Universal player option so that you can contnue to enjoy your HD DVD movies.
Good for you man. Also just a note for anyone else into HD DVD beforehand and thinking of getting the BD-UP5000, I think Circuit City is providing an exchange program so that you can exchange your HD DVD player in for some credit toward a Blu-ray player. Just a suggestion if you are looking to ease yourself into Blu-ray and went with the Universal player option so that you can contnue to enjoy your HD DVD movies.
If you can put up with the atrocity that shopping at Circuit City is then it seems like a great deal. As far as I know it's not being heavily promoted though so they may not even be aware they're offering the trade-in. From past experience (and the general condition of Circuit City stores where I live) they will strive to make your purchase experience a profound nightmare.
Comments
What the h3ll are you talking about? The whole diversion is from the original point which was made previously in the thread. Try keeping your head in the game rather than getting caught up in the obfuscated distractions. I have not taken the argument from the point. I'm the one trying to get it back on track.
Yet more smoke and mirrors.
The point was comparing the advance of price lowering with BR vs. previous poructs of a similar nature. No way does a VTM product meant for TV studios compare with a product for the general public.
Look BR won the war however there is a tougher conflict coming up that the makers of BR need to recognize. One is that it's prices need to come down if it wants to be accepted as DVD's replacement. I like HD so I hope it does. There's no Whining or sour grapes here it's just that I recognize that there are certain things they must do to accomplish this ( and in a certain time frame or they'll have missed the boat ).
Humor is sometimes lost in the fray....
Sorry but you could have put something like this
Look BR won the war however there is a tougher conflict coming up that the makers of BR need to recognize.
Yes, they completely forgot about DVD in their planning and projections.
One is that it's prices need to come down if it wants to be accepted as DVD's replacement. I like HD so I hope it does. There's no Whining or sour grapes here it's just that I recognize that there are certain things they must do to accomplish this ( and in a certain time frame or they'll have missed the boat ).
And that time frame is still at LEAST one Christmas in the future. So why whine about pricing today? Do you seriously believe that there will NOT be discounted BR players this Christmas just as there were discounted DVD players during its adoption phase?
BR manufacturers will also factor in the US economy and the weakness of the dollar into pricing. Should be interesting how it shakes out but its still over half a year away. Discussions today are pure conjecture.
I think way too much is being made that BD has to supplant DVD or it's a failure. I'm not sure if that will happen but I'm pretty positive that BD will gain enough critical mass and gain enough support from studios that it will at least become a fairly large niche market much as LD was with VHS. That will be good enough to be a success with me.
Like I've said my Laser Disc player still works ( it should I paid enough for it ). However they no longer make the discs for it. So I really don't think BR should follow the same path or it may die the same kind of death ( only sooner because things are moving faster now days ).
I never took the side of either HD-DVD or Blu-ray.
I said awhile ago they both were eventually going to loose to digital downloads and video on demand.
There's many reasons that have been previously discussed as to why this won't be the main way people watch movies anytime soon. It'll be a rental thing only for the foreseeable future. And if you really like a movie who wants to pay for it again and again or only watch it on certain screens ( your TV, your computer, or your ipod like device )?
Until a way can be found to get past the movie studios or the limitations of the internet this is just they way it'll be. Especially HD content which is what we're talking about here.
Mmmmmaybe. I think the loss of mindshare and marketshare is two-fold and not so one dimensionable. I agree with you that downloads had a big hand in decreasing the mindshare and marketshare, but I also think, as the article stated, that the simple fact of peddling 10+ year old technology and not offering the consumer a CLEAR next gen alternative also had a heavy hand in the physical format's loss of share--for the mind and market.
I still think if the music labels grew some boulders between their legs and offered a unified message of Blu-ray audio being the next physical music format, it still could gain traction.
If they decided to do this at all, it would simply cater to the same niche that bought music on DVD (however large that audience is). It wouldn't have a chance of going mainstream. The music genie's out of the bottle never to be trapped on physical media again.
Too bad that's actually the thread topic.
As opposed to the goalpost movement for "victory" by HD-DVD proponents?
BR has plenty of time to win the bigger contest. At least one more Christmas (hey, you know...it's march?) and possibly a second. Arguing BR viability is like arguing who's going to win a game in the 1st quarter. In any case, while BR isn't as successful as DVD in the same time period it's not doing horribly either in comparison.
The millions of PS3 sales match the total number of DVD players at the same period in the lifecycle. That should start to change soon and BR should trail again unless standalone sales increase. Disc sales likely lag DVD for the same time period but the format war is likely a significant reason.
We'll see how well BR does this XMas but most of the whining is being done by Sony haters or HD-DVD proponents.
Any discussion of BR being non-viable is seriously premature. If it doesn't gain much traction this XMas then you can commence the doom and gloom for the format.
Read what " The Digital Bits " has to say about this. I agree with them as they know their stuff. I'm tired of leaving the link it's in this thread twice. So go there and read their suggestions. They make good sense. And if you're not familure with them they are just about best authority for digital video media on the web. Also they were a big proponent of BR during the war. They're saying BR needs to address some things now. Prices need to come down by the Xmas buying season ( 4th quarter ).
Well it's been a few days so they have moved the article. So here's the link :
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwoc...52.html#advice
the new NIN instrumental album was released over the internet, and while that was successful trent reznor also released other packaged versions with higher prices-one of them being full surround sound HD quality in BLuray.
if i had a bluray player, and if it was around $199 i'd be about it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...=bluraynews-20
Like I've said my Laser Disc player still works ( it should I paid enough for it ). However they no longer make the discs for it. So I really don't think BR should follow the same path or it may die the same kind of death ( only sooner because things are moving faster now days ).
Jim, the point you're missing is that even though no new LD titles are being produced, the titles you have still work. I have LDs, DVDs and BDs in my collection and watch all three formats. While the best possible picture is always a bonus, a great movie on any of the three medias is still a great movie.
Jim, the point you're missing is that even though no new LD titles are being produced, the titles you have still work. I have LDs, DVDs and BDs in my collection and watch all three formats. While the best possible picture is always a bonus, a great movie on any of the three medias is still a great movie.
I agree however if this format is going to succeed outside of a nich for videophiles ( which won't last too long in todays world ) it needs to be the mainstream product.
Please understand this not me having sour grapes over HD DVD. I knew it would probably lose to BR when I bought my player. I want BR to succeed so we have HD home media that's something other than rentable. Plus as with LD we'll always be in the position of waiting for titles later than the mainstream product the DVD.
But it's true we could have for awhile the same situation we had in the 80's where you have the low end DVD ( VHS in the 80's and early 90's ), better HD broadcast TV ( regular BC which had better rez than VHS in the 80's and early 90's ), and the high end BR ( Laserdisc in the 80's and early 90's had the best resolution but was a nich product ). However in today's fast moving tech world I don't see it lasting as long as LD did as a nich product. Which would be kind of sad given all it's potential and the amount of development that's gone into it.
50% off Amazon Blu-ray Sale...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...=bluraynews-20
I ordered The Fifth Element (on that list) and Ratatouille yesterday; my player will be here in two days, but my movies won't be for two weeks. So I'll have to go pick a Blu-Ray movie up tomorrow so I have something to play in the meantime. I think I'll pick up Across the Universe, but was also thinking about Hitman or No Country for Old Men. I haven't seen any of them, so I'm not sure which to get
I ordered The Fifth Element (on that list) and Ratatouille yesterday; my player will be here in two days, but my movies won't be for two weeks. So I'll have to go pick a Blu-Ray movie up tomorrow so I have something to play in the meantime. I think I'll pick up Across the Universe, but was also thinking about Hitman or No Country for Old Men. I haven't seen any of them, so I'm not sure which to get
what did you get as your Blu-Ray player?
what did you get as your Blu-Ray player?
The Samsung BD-UP5000 duo player. Amazon lowered their price to $499 shipped this week, which was too good a deal to pass up. This player has interested me the most because it'll play my HD DVDs, and also has the Reon chip for the best SD DVD upconversion you can buy. The player began life pretty buggy, but Samsung has been consistently cranking out firmware upgrades so I felt confident they're going to get things sorted out.
They're saying BR needs to address some things now. Prices need to come down by the Xmas buying season ( 4th quarter ).
Yes, I read that. Note that "now" and "4th quarter" are not equivalent until we're actually IN the 4th quarter. The other suggestions will progress as they progress. Even the things marked ASAP aren't seriously expected to happen before mid-year. If some things happened right this instant...like mandatory 2.0...there still would be older players in the supply chain past the end of the year.
You're questioning the "viability" of BR before there's any data to suggest non-viability EVEN if they don't implement a single suggestion by Digital Bits and you discount the positive aspects (ie how well BR is doing in comparison to historical launches like DVD).
That's FUD not discussion.
Yes, I read that. Note that "now" and "4th quarter" are not equivalent until we're actually IN the 4th quarter. The other suggestions will progress as they progress. Even the things marked ASAP aren't seriously expected to happen before mid-year. If some things happened right this instant...like mandatory 2.0...there still would be older players in the supply chain past the end of the year.
You're questioning the "viability" of BR before there's any data to suggest non-viability EVEN if they don't implement a single suggestion by Digital Bits and you discount the positive aspects (ie how well BR is doing in comparison to historical launches like DVD).
That's FUD not discussion.
Uh no it's not. They have yet to impliment a single suggestion. And some of things that were listed must be done now. The pricing can wait until Xmas time.
I'm not questioning the viability I'm saying there are things they must do to insure the viability.
Also there's the fact that " The Bit's " seems to think they are important issues and their opinion means more to me than any thing I read from here.
Then there's what I've been hearing from people in my experience and they're saying " They just don't see a reason to pay the extra money for a new format and look what happened to the people who bought HD DVD players ".
And all of these people own HDTVs.
When I was a TV salesman in the 80's Stereo VCR's were just coming in. The very first thing I did when joing the Dept. was to talk to the General manager of the store ( A local Dept. Store in the May company ) and tell him why his VCR displays were all wrong for the changing times. They had their regular VCRs next to the stereo ones on a shelf hooked to nothing more than 19" TVs. One of them cost alot more but there was no explanation as to why other than one said " Stereo ".
I told him he needed to have them integrated into a AV system and sitting out front so people could hear the difference! It got me the job and started selling Stereo VCR's like hotcakes.
Now this isn't the same problem but it does have easy to see solutions that could make the product fly. If they want people to embrace BR over their regular old DVD player they have to make it attractive. And the numbers you're taking about currently are still so small in comparison to what they must overcome ( the DVD ) they really need to strike while the anvil's still hot.
" Mid year " is only 2 and a half months away. A year tends to go by very quickly. And about the titles they need to state their intentions now. Or didn't you read that part?
All of these things make sense and are obvious and easy to see.
And if they don't impliment them well there's an old saying " Those who fail to prepare - prepare to fail ".
As to the comparison well there's another old saying " Learn from history ".
It's like saying they can do no wrong. Any company can make mistakes or be over confident.
Home video and electronics have been my hobby for most of my life. I'm 54 ( 55 soon ) and I've seen alot of products that looked good come and go.
Some are sitting in my mini storage in their silent grave yard.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see there are necessary steps that must be taken if you want the product to go mainsteam.
I know you don't like to use HD DVD as a comparison but it was already failing to BR when they lowered the price ( duh! ) and their sales went up!
Like I said $ 199.00 for players seems to be the sweet spot for general acceptance.
And yes there's a window of opportunity that won't last forever and must be taken advantage of.
If they don't well I have no doubt that BR will survive for a number of years as a more expensive alternative that videophiles buy. And then fade into history like the Laser Disc.
You can bury your head in the sand if you want. But it won't make these issues go away. With a new product just sitting back and waiting to see what happens has never been good for business. An example like the DVD has already happened in the optical disc arena ( it's already here, it's already cheap, and it's already established in the consumer's mind ) so the " Successor " needs some motivating factors. If the visible difference and convenience was as great as DVD vs. VHS it would be simpler. But to the average joe's eye out there it isn't and many have the atitude that DVD is good enough.
Let me say again because it seems like you have a need to put words in my mouth. I want BR to succeed. The HD format war is over. They won.
Got it?
Then there's what I've been hearing from people in my experience and they're saying " They just don't see a reason to pay the extra money for a new format ".
And all of these people own HDTVs.
It would probably help if the in-store displays were showing Blu-ray movies instead of craptacular uber-compressed HD cable or its equivalent. (My local mom & pop TV store is selling 720p TVs at 1080p prices and showing regular SD cable on them. They're concerned that they're not selling well...
Anyway, when people see TVs in the store with that HD cable garbage their up-rezzed DVDs look just fine or even better by comparison. It's no wonder they don't see the advantage of Blu-ray, they literally don't see the difference!
It would probably help if the in-store displays were showing Blu-ray movies instead of craptacular uber-compressed HD cable or its equivalent. (My local mom & pop TV store is selling 720p TVs at 1080p prices and showing regular SD cable on them. They're concerned that they're not selling well...
Anyway, when people see TVs in the store with that HD cable garbage their up-rezzed DVDs look just fine or even better by comparison. It's no wonder they don't see the advantage of Blu-ray, they literally don't see the difference!
Exactly! However the picture quality of HD DVD is basically the same as BR and I've had friends over to my house to show them my player and some still say " Well that looks nice but it's still a slight difference. I still don't know if that justifies the cost ". And yes I have very nice HDTV Hitachi 53 " widescreen that I set with test patterns from the " Digital Video Essentials " DVD.
I'm a bit obsessive about picture quality but not everyone out there is.
The Samsung BD-UP5000 duo player. Amazon lowered their price to $499 shipped this week, which was too good a deal to pass up. This player has interested me the most because it'll play my HD DVDs, and also has the Reon chip for the best SD DVD upconversion you can buy. The player began life pretty buggy, but Samsung has been consistently cranking out firmware upgrades so I felt confident they're going to get things sorted out.
Good for you man.
Good for you man.
If you can put up with the atrocity that shopping at Circuit City is then it seems like a great deal. As far as I know it's not being heavily promoted though so they may not even be aware they're offering the trade-in. From past experience (and the general condition of Circuit City stores where I live) they will strive to make your purchase experience a profound nightmare.
Good luck and good hunting!