HDDVD was the better format all round for manufacturers and consumers for numerous reasons. If it were still alive today you would be seeing players in the sub $100 range and mass adoption would be far outstripping the limited success BRD has had so far.
and if the studios had known how badly PS3 was going to sell then I'm sure they wouldn't have chucked HDDVD as quick as they did.
in the end SONY's bribes worked.
We are already regularly seeing <$200 standalone Blu-ray players and you are even seeing name brand Blu-ray players like Samsung for ~$200. Come CES in a few weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if you see a cheap Taiwanese firm touting a standalone Blu-ray player with an MSRP of ~$99 and a street price that will obviously be less than that.
As Toshiba's own writeoffs after HD-DVD failed showed, HD-DVD wasn't cheaper because it was a much cheaper format (the licensing was basically the same, both formats used the same general wavelength of light and other specifications were virtually identical), but rather Toshiba was subsidizing the players. I know there was a review where Toshiba's original HD-DVD player was taken apart and they found that the sum of the parts was nearly identical to their wholesale cost (ie. Toshiba was no doubt losing quite a bit a money on the player) and by Toshiba's own admission they lost about a Billion dollars.
Somehow I doubt that the price point of the players would be much different. Furthermore, I somehow doubt the price point would make much difference at this point. Wal-mart has been running heavy marketing about how affordable a home theater setup with Blu-ray is at Wal-mart. If Wal-mart's audience doesn't have sticker shock, I think we have already fallen below most people's price threshold to start buying the successor to DVD.
Toshiba contrary to your implication was basically trying to buy the default HD format by selling the players at a loss. Inevitably at some point Toshiba was going to have to start selling the hardware above their cost to make up for all the losses they incurred by the subsidies to their early players. Unless there was a huge breakthrough in production efficiency that ONLY benefited HD-DVD production that couldn't be applied to Blu-ray player production as well (highly unlikely seeing as both players share so much in common) I doubt you would have seen a big difference in price at this point.
We are already regularly seeing <$200 standalone Blu-ray players and you are even seeing name brand Blu-ray players like Samsung for ~$200. Come CES in a few weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if you see a cheap Taiwanese firm touting a standalone Blu-ray player with an MSRP of ~$99 and a street price that will obviously be less than that.
As Toshiba's own writeoffs after HD-DVD failed showed, HD-DVD wasn't cheaper because it was a much cheaper format (the licensing was basically the same, both formats used the same general wavelength of light and other specifications were virtually identical), but rather Toshiba was subsidizing the players. I know there was a review where Toshiba's original HD-DVD player was taken apart and they found that the sum of the parts was nearly identical to their wholesale cost (ie. Toshiba was no doubt losing quite a bit a money on the player) and by Toshiba's own admission they lost about a Billion dollars.
Somehow I doubt that the price point of the players would be much different. Furthermore, I somehow doubt the price point would make much difference at this point. Wal-mart has been running heavy marketing about how affordable a home theater setup with Blu-ray is at Wal-mart. If Wal-mart's audience doesn't have sticker shock, I think we have already fallen below most people's price threshold to start buying the successor to DVD.
Toshiba contrary to your implication was basically trying to buy the default HD format by selling the players at a loss. Inevitably at some point Toshiba was going to have to start selling the hardware above their cost to make up for all the losses they incurred by the subsidies to their early players. Unless there was a huge breakthrough in production efficiency that ONLY benefited HD-DVD production that couldn't be applied to Blu-ray player production as well (highly unlikely seeing as both players share so much in common) I doubt you would have seen a big difference in price at this point.
Well the HDDVD firesales only began after SONY starting 'spending' its money and the writing was on the wall.
Lets make one thing clear straight away...... if SONY hadn't put BRD in PS3 then none of the studios would have supported in the first place and it would have effectively been DOA.
HDDVD was 1st out with a standard framework..none of this BD 1.0, BD LIVE etc. Online connectivity was also standard on all HDDVD players from the start.
Remember BRD started out with MPEG2 codecs whereas HDDVD had VC-1 immediately. Also the audio codec support was far better on HDDVD as a standard.
HDDVD was cheaper to produce despite your rhetoric as it used some exisiting tech. (ETM modulation)
..oh and did you remember that HDDVD were region free?
oh and if BRD prices are now 'walmart' mainstream then why are the sales still tanking..??
I've stopped purchasing DVD's years ago anticipating an upgrade to BluRay and when Apple announced they were on board with BluRay, well, I've been waiting ever since. DVD's don't look so good on this 1920 x 1200 screen.
Well the HDDVD firesales only began after SONY starting 'spending' its money and the writing was on the wall.
Lets make one thing clear straight away...... if SONY hadn't put BRD in PS3 then none of the studios would have supported in the first place and it would have effectively been DOA.
HDDVD WAS 1st out with a standard framework..none of this BD 1.0, BD LIVE etc. Online connectivity WAS also standard on all HDDVD players from the start.
Remember BRD started out with MPEG2 codecs whereas HDDVD had VC-1 immediately. Also the audio codec support WAS far better on HDDVD as a standard.
HDDVD WAS cheaper to produce despite your rhetoric as it used some exisiting tech. (ETM modulation)
..oh and did you remember that HDDVD were region free?
oh and if BRD prices are now 'walmart' mainstream then why are the sales still tanking..??
Comments
HDDVD was the better format all round for manufacturers and consumers for numerous reasons. If it were still alive today you would be seeing players in the sub $100 range and mass adoption would be far outstripping the limited success BRD has had so far.
and if the studios had known how badly PS3 was going to sell then I'm sure they wouldn't have chucked HDDVD as quick as they did.
in the end SONY's bribes worked.
We are already regularly seeing <$200 standalone Blu-ray players and you are even seeing name brand Blu-ray players like Samsung for ~$200. Come CES in a few weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if you see a cheap Taiwanese firm touting a standalone Blu-ray player with an MSRP of ~$99 and a street price that will obviously be less than that.
As Toshiba's own writeoffs after HD-DVD failed showed, HD-DVD wasn't cheaper because it was a much cheaper format (the licensing was basically the same, both formats used the same general wavelength of light and other specifications were virtually identical), but rather Toshiba was subsidizing the players. I know there was a review where Toshiba's original HD-DVD player was taken apart and they found that the sum of the parts was nearly identical to their wholesale cost (ie. Toshiba was no doubt losing quite a bit a money on the player) and by Toshiba's own admission they lost about a Billion dollars.
Somehow I doubt that the price point of the players would be much different. Furthermore, I somehow doubt the price point would make much difference at this point. Wal-mart has been running heavy marketing about how affordable a home theater setup with Blu-ray is at Wal-mart. If Wal-mart's audience doesn't have sticker shock, I think we have already fallen below most people's price threshold to start buying the successor to DVD.
Toshiba contrary to your implication was basically trying to buy the default HD format by selling the players at a loss. Inevitably at some point Toshiba was going to have to start selling the hardware above their cost to make up for all the losses they incurred by the subsidies to their early players. Unless there was a huge breakthrough in production efficiency that ONLY benefited HD-DVD production that couldn't be applied to Blu-ray player production as well (highly unlikely seeing as both players share so much in common) I doubt you would have seen a big difference in price at this point.
We are already regularly seeing <$200 standalone Blu-ray players and you are even seeing name brand Blu-ray players like Samsung for ~$200. Come CES in a few weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if you see a cheap Taiwanese firm touting a standalone Blu-ray player with an MSRP of ~$99 and a street price that will obviously be less than that.
As Toshiba's own writeoffs after HD-DVD failed showed, HD-DVD wasn't cheaper because it was a much cheaper format (the licensing was basically the same, both formats used the same general wavelength of light and other specifications were virtually identical), but rather Toshiba was subsidizing the players. I know there was a review where Toshiba's original HD-DVD player was taken apart and they found that the sum of the parts was nearly identical to their wholesale cost (ie. Toshiba was no doubt losing quite a bit a money on the player) and by Toshiba's own admission they lost about a Billion dollars.
Somehow I doubt that the price point of the players would be much different. Furthermore, I somehow doubt the price point would make much difference at this point. Wal-mart has been running heavy marketing about how affordable a home theater setup with Blu-ray is at Wal-mart. If Wal-mart's audience doesn't have sticker shock, I think we have already fallen below most people's price threshold to start buying the successor to DVD.
Toshiba contrary to your implication was basically trying to buy the default HD format by selling the players at a loss. Inevitably at some point Toshiba was going to have to start selling the hardware above their cost to make up for all the losses they incurred by the subsidies to their early players. Unless there was a huge breakthrough in production efficiency that ONLY benefited HD-DVD production that couldn't be applied to Blu-ray player production as well (highly unlikely seeing as both players share so much in common) I doubt you would have seen a big difference in price at this point.
Well the HDDVD firesales only began after SONY starting 'spending' its money and the writing was on the wall.
Lets make one thing clear straight away...... if SONY hadn't put BRD in PS3 then none of the studios would have supported in the first place and it would have effectively been DOA.
HDDVD was 1st out with a standard framework..none of this BD 1.0, BD LIVE etc. Online connectivity was also standard on all HDDVD players from the start.
Remember BRD started out with MPEG2 codecs whereas HDDVD had VC-1 immediately. Also the audio codec support was far better on HDDVD as a standard.
HDDVD was cheaper to produce despite your rhetoric as it used some exisiting tech. (ETM modulation)
..oh and did you remember that HDDVD were region free?
oh and if BRD prices are now 'walmart' mainstream then why are the sales still tanking..??
someone not getting their message across???
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...es-tank-reason
http://www.edge-online.com/news/blu-...ons-get-gloomy
http://uk.gizmodo.com/2008/11/24/son...ales_will.html
Well the HDDVD firesales only began after SONY starting 'spending' its money and the writing was on the wall.
Lets make one thing clear straight away...... if SONY hadn't put BRD in PS3 then none of the studios would have supported in the first place and it would have effectively been DOA.
HDDVD WAS 1st out with a standard framework..none of this BD 1.0, BD LIVE etc. Online connectivity WAS also standard on all HDDVD players from the start.
Remember BRD started out with MPEG2 codecs whereas HDDVD had VC-1 immediately. Also the audio codec support WAS far better on HDDVD as a standard.
HDDVD WAS cheaper to produce despite your rhetoric as it used some exisiting tech. (ETM modulation)
..oh and did you remember that HDDVD were region free?
oh and if BRD prices are now 'walmart' mainstream then why are the sales still tanking..??
someone not getting their message across???
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/...es-tank-reason
http://www.edge-online.com/news/blu-...ons-get-gloomy
http://uk.gizmodo.com/2008/11/24/son...ales_will.html
Past tense anyone?
old Tech, not relevant, stop wasting your time, maybe?