HD-DVD Death = Prolonged life for DVD

[darrencp22]

You guys are spoiled. Say goodbye to free movies when you buy a player. Say goodbye to BOGOS ever other week. Say goodbye to being cheap.

If you want a player that is the fastest HDM player on the market get a PS3 (already 1.1). I you want a player that does not have any problems playing any BD media -- get a PS3 (I have over 110 titles and I have not had problem one). If you are waiting for a 2.0 player get a PS3 (will be upgraded within 30 days of the first BD 2.0 player on the market - the Panney BD 50). Want a player that will decode both DolbyTrueHD and DTSHD-Master get the PS3 (will be upgraded after the BD 50 hits the market).

And all you have to pay for it is $399. If that is too much -- stop eating out for lunch two days a week, save the money and in two months you will have the money to buy the PS3.

If you don't like the PS3 just wait, by fall their will be plenty of sub $400 2.0 players on the market or if you are not interested in internet interaction during the movie -- plenty of sub $300 1.1 players that will play all BD-Java enabled features - just no live-on-line-action.

If that does not tickle your funny bone -- then please -- kept grousing - by all means.

You are right.. but you can also say GOODBYE to increased market share of high definition movies. You're part of the geek crowd that lives and dies by this stuff. Many of you live in your own little world and think just because you're engrossed in this stuff, most people are. Quite the opposite. You honestly think more than 1 out of 100 people know what the heck DolbyTrueHD and DTSHD-Master are? They know two things. It looks good or sounds good.

While I love high definition I wont pay more that $150 and I definitely have no interest in a PS3. I also have no interest in a format that keeps changing. The avg consumer wants deals. If they can't get them they'll be more than happy to wait until the price is right. Like a previous poster said, you cant compare to VHS. High def movies are evolutionary, not revolutionary.

 

[mike123abc]

People are paying 2-3k all the time for TVs now. When DVD came out 1k was top of the line. Inflation happens. People are not as frightened of $300 players as they used to be. In inflation adjusted dollars the $300 today is probably $150 in 1997 when the $300 DVD players were coming out.

I am not saying there is not a difference between $50 players and $300 players in market adoption. Just that the ratio of TV expense vs player is much better than it used to be. If you cannot afford the player, you probably could not afford a TV that could show any difference between DVD and BD anyways. Getting a $500 LCD TV is not going to get a TV that you will be able to tell the difference between upconverted DVD and BD across the room.

 

[akodoreign]

People are paying 2-3k all the time for TVs now. When DVD came out 1k was top of the line. Inflation happens. People are not as frightened of $300 players as they used to be. In inflation adjusted dollars the $300 today is probably $150 in 1997 when the $300 DVD players were coming out.

I am not saying there is not a difference between $50 players and $300 players in market adoption. Just that the ratio of TV expense vs player is much better than it used to be. If you cannot afford the player, you probably could not afford a TV that could show any difference between DVD and BD anyways. Getting a $500 LCD TV is not going to get a TV that you will be able to tell the difference between upconverted DVD and BD across the room.

2-3k for a tv... I still cant do that. LOL got my Sharp Aquos from last years clearance rack at Sams club (still in box) for $800.

I think smart shoppers are the wave of the future.

here is a good deal on a smaller than mine aquos as well
RefurbDepot.com - Product Details

 

[Tyralak]

What I meant by dead is, some think its too high, some think its fine, some dont care. Continually beating it is not going to change it. BD has a pricing strategy that they arent gonna change. If the format dies, then you can say I told you so.

We all could die of a nuclear attack tomorrow. I then would not be worried about BD prices.

Bob Haller? Is that you?

 

[navychop]

There's other ways to do it, not just broadband. You got to start thinking outside the box.

My reference to broadband is because that is what MS is pushing. Only I suspect it will come out as overly compressed and with lossy, limited audio. Cable and Fios may do wonders renting VOD. Satellites will be less successful, at least by using the satellite. I'm referring to HD of course.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Bob Haller? Is that you?

Nope,

If I was bob haller and had his luck Id be a HDDVD supporter

:yikes

 

[allargon]

DVD took off due to $30 players at Wal-Mart. Player prices had to reach parity with VHS players. My Dad still owns VHS only--no DVD. I'm not going to have him change it, either--although DVD blanks are waaaaaaaay cheaper than VHS blanks.

 

[Tyralak]

Nope,

If I was bob haller and had his luck Id be a HDDVD supporter

:yikes

Lol! I just meant the nuclear explosion comment.

 

[gadgtfreek]

 

[Weezknight]

2-3k for a tv... I still cant do that. LOL got my Sharp Aquos from last years clearance rack at Sams club (still in box) for $800.

I think smart shoppers are the wave of the future.

I really think that you are speaking a bit of the truth here. It's not just "smart" shoppers, though. HD and everything that goes with it has enjoyed a rise in popularity due to fairly good economic times for a lot of people. Unfortunately if the housing market decides to go south then the 1K HDTV's, and the $300 players are the first things people are going to cut of the equation.

The economy in this country is performing a very precarious balancing act right now, and I think that will play a larger part in the future of the current HD-DVD/BD war than anything else. Along with the fact that some of us HD "junkies" have gotten a bit older and now have children in the house, so we can't spend as much as we'd like.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I really think that you are speaking a bit of the truth here. It's not just "smart" shoppers, though. HD and everything that goes with it has enjoyed a rise in popularity due to fairly good economic times for a lot of people. Unfortunately if the housing market decides to go south then the 1K HDTV's, and the $300 players are the first things people are going to cut of the equation.

The economy in this country is performing a very precarious balancing act right now, and I think that will play a larger part in the future of the current HD-DVD/BD war than anything else. Along with the fact that some of us HD "junkies" have gotten a bit older and now have children in the house, so we can't spend as much as we'd like.

You're replaced with younger HD buyers who dont have children

I think the cheapo HDTV's have gotten many into it, but they dont wanna pony up for $400 players. Many prob didnt even want to pony up for a $200 player.

 

[vurbano]

I agree with you. But why didn't the consumer act and buy more HD DVD"S?

Because Sony ran BOGO's for far longer than HD DVD did. Toshiba should have done the same thing, then there would have been no incentive for Warner to chose an inferior format with HD audio with no error correction, incomplete specs and players, and inferior feature set.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Because Sony ran BOGO's for far longer than HD DVD did. Toshiba should have done the same thing, then there would have been no incentive for Warner to chose an inferior format with HD audio with no error correction, incomplete specs and players, and inferior feature set.

I agree with you in the fact I dont feel HDDVD tried hard enough. I wonder if they didnt sit on high of getting Paramount exclusive too long and it bit them in the ass.

The best man does not always win, and if you take that attitude in business, you lose.

I did read an article today that said the BDA was going to start working less at ads/info against HDDVD and more against DVD. I like this idea.

 

[mike123abc]

BD and HD-DVD just took different strategies. BD did not want to lose margin on the players. They are CE companies and they want to make their money. With the exception of Sony the player makers only can make money on the sale of the player, not the movies. Using marketing incentives and such to have sales on the movies to drive sales was the strategy.

HD-DVD took the strategy that the only driving force was the cost of the player. All the subsides and marketing incentives went into lowering the cost of entry.

 

[bidger`]

DVD came out in 1997, I paid $399 for a player in 2000. BOOOOOO, HISSSSSSSS, dvd is gonna die

I paid half that for a good DVD player during the 1999 Holiday Season. The other half of the equation was that DVD was priced competitively in regards to VHS. If BD can't manage to do the same things, I'll pass. I'm not a fanboi, just an average consumer and I watch broadcast and satellite TV more than I watch movies.

 

[69Mustang]

I got my A3 HD-DVD player for $98. I needed a upconverting HDMI player anyhow. Price. Slam dunk decision as I was firmly planted on the fence. No regrets. No need for a PS3. I even asked my kids if they wanted one. Xbox 360 deep. And they're 15 and 19. Maybe MS/xbox will be adding a external BD drive.

Now IF Sony/BD/Studios can get their price structure appealing then maybe. Until then, no thanks.

Movie delivery technology landscape is changing. Even Blockbuster announced possible flash stick delivery in the works. Netflix is working on a online set top. Sure it's not available today but just having this and a lot of other competitive products on the near horizon can make a lot of people close their wallets for a little longer.

 

[berck]

Why do people keep bring up the $98 A2/A3. Its not that price anymore. It was a fire sale. List is $299 with street prices down as low as $179.

 

[69Mustang]

Why do people keep bring up the $98 A2/A3. Its not that price anymore. It was a fire sale. List is $299 with street prices down as low as $179.

Because price will always be very important. Even if it was for the short end of the straw. Sure it was for only a short period of time that it was offered at that price but it is a strong argument as to why and when people buy. Price to value for BD or anything else for that matter will be no different. Want to buy a house in Southern Cal? I could show you a few

 

[berck]

Because price will always be very important. Even if it was for the short end of the straw. Sure it was for only a short period of time that it was offered at that price but it is a strong argument as to why and when people buy. Price to value for BD or anything else for that matter will be no different. Want to buy a house in Southern Cal? I could show you a few

But if companies continue to sell products below the cost of producing the product, they won't be in business long. Unless of course, you're Microsoft or Sony.

 

[Naves]

I am sad to say this, but HD-DVD is dead. I pushed my wife recently to purchase a HD-A3 for my Christmas gift. Now a few weeks later I am only left with a handful of titles and a sense of regret. However, that is what happens when there is a format "war". I for one am just glad that thankfully a end is in sight. The average consumer will not put up with only being able to purchase certain movies on their recent HDM player purchase. If a standard HDM format is not decided soon both will fail. To see this we only have to think back to the way of DVD-A/SACD. I personally purchased one of these players and love high-res/multi-channel audio. When you make the general public choose between competing formats, they choose neither. There is no point in bashing one another over a senseless HDM format "war". In the end we are all the same; we are early adopters of new technology. We both seek to push the limits of retail technologies.

In the end the companies that back both HDM formats are in the business to make money. If they do not make money they will not make HDM hardware/software. Sony and Microsoft are both unethical companies however, this is what they do and they will not change unless the public demands change.

The average consumer could careless about HDM. They do not know what they are nor care. I have had people ask, "What is HD?" to get a reply of,"It is just one of those wide TVs that makes the picture bigger." I personally know lots of people who have purchased HD sets that do not subscribe to any HD services because it costs $20 extra a month. When you are dealing with this level of disregard for the benefits associated with HD content you will not sell HDM players.

Audio is even worse than video concerning the general public. You see it all the time, John Doe goes into a Big Box retailer and wants to listen to the TV's speakers. Thats because he/she is going to listen to their audio through the TV not thousands of dollars of audio equipment.

How you can blame the general public. It is confusing. I have a bachelors and masters degree in electrical engineering and I have a hard time understanding certain technologies. Recently I was in a BB killing some time while my wife shopped for holiday gifts and over heard a conversation with a uniformed customer trying to make a cable purchase for his up-converting SD-DVD player to his new LCD HD set.

John Doe: "What kind of cable to I need to "hook-up" this dvd player?"
BB Employee: "Ohh you need this HDMI cable from monster cable?"
The cable costs $150.00 for 3 meter HDMI cable.
John Doe: "What about this one will it work?"
John Doe picks up a Off-Brand component cable.
BB Employee: "No that will not give you HD. The only cables that work with HD are HDMI cables."
John Doe: "I dont know if my TV has HDMI?"
BB Employee: "Ohh it does all TVs have HDMI, you have to have HDMI to get HD."
John Doe: "Ok, thanks for the help I'll get this one."


The very people that are face-to-face with the general public that are supposed to help cannot or will not educated people.

I stopped the guy and told him to go back and get the component cable or buy a HDMI cable from mono-price.com for $12. And explained to him what the deal was with the two different cables.

The conclusion to all this what everyone else already knows. HDM is a niche market now and has to have one format to even have a chance of being mainstream. The public has to see a distinct difference as to how HDM are superior to spend money.

Naves